Today's featured book, the fifth in our series, is "Bonfires and Tools" by Masaya Ino, who holds the title of Bonfire Master. In 2019, he appeared on the TV show "Matsuko's Unknown World" as a master of the world of bonfires.
It has long been said that the act of handling fire is a mysterious thing that only humans can do.
Although they are used in nature, animals do not cook, nor do they use smoke for warmth or to ward off insects.
Fire is an indispensable element for human survival in the natural world. It is so symbolic that even in the wild, you can clearly tell where there is fire that there are humans, and where there is no fire that there are only wild animals.
In Disney's classic "The Jungle Book," fire is referred to as the "red flower" by the animals and is depicted as something like magic wielded by humans, capable of burning everything it touches.
There is a mysterious power in the act of starting a fire and having people gather around it, which is called a "bonfire."
In this book, Ino explains that a bonfire is not just an activity, but a "communication tool" in which, when people are faced with flames, they naturally want to come clean about anything, and even if there is something important to discuss, they can talk without looking each other in the eye, simply by looking at the flames.
And if you have an iron frying pan with that "communication tool," the "bonfire," you can grill meat, cook other ingredients, and create delicious food for people one after another—it's a truly remarkable thing.
When you think about it that way, it becomes clear that a bonfire has an incredible power that goes far beyond simply starting a fire and sitting in front of it.
Just as people have different communication styles and preferences, there's nothing wrong with people having different ways of building a campfire.
You can easily start a fire using a fire starter,
You can start by making a feather stick and starting a fire.
That's exactly what diversity is all about.
This book is a thoroughly enjoyable read, filled with stories about the tools that Mr. Ino has cherished and used over the years, as well as his candid and straightforward annotations.
Pick up this book and how about having a bonfire during your next long break?
