Soap Bubbles - Soap Bubbles

When a thin tube made of wheat straw, bamboo, or vinyl is dipped in a liquid containing dissolved soap and blown into, water droplets fly into the air. Children play with blowing on it. If pine resin or glycerin is mixed into the solution, the colors of the polka dots become even more vibrant. It was introduced to Japan in the early 17th century, and its word is said to have its origin in the Portuguese word sabáo (soap). The Rakuyoshu, published in 1680 (Enpo 8), contains the poem "The sky is green, soap bubbles are blown, and the evening skylark flies by," which shows that it had already become a well-established Japanese game at that time. Furthermore, "Kiyu Shoran" (Kitamura Nobuyo), published in 1830 (Tenpo 1), records that in addition to soap, people also played with soap bubbles using powder made from roasted soapberry fruit, potato husks, and tobacco stalks, and writes that the Dutch called it sep, and that the Latin word savone became soap, and that this game of blowing bubbles was called suikengi. It also writes that it was popular among women, and peddlers went around selling it as a summer toy. "Morisada Manko" (Kitagawa Morisada), published in 1853 (Kaei 6), records that in Kyoto and Osaka, peddlers would say, "Blow bubbles, soap bubbles; when you blow, five-colored balls come out," and in Edo, "Balls, balls." Peddling disappeared after the Meiji period, but they are still sold as small toys and can be seen at street stalls at festivals.

[Ryosuke Saito]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

せっけんを溶かした液を、麦藁(むぎわら)、竹、ビニルなどの細い管につけて吹くと、空中に舞う水玉。子供が吹いて遊ぶ。溶液に松脂(まつやに)、グリセリンなどを混ぜると水玉はさらに鮮やかな色を放つ。17世紀の初め渡来したもので、ポルトガルのsabáo（せっけん）が語源という。1680年（延宝8）刊の『洛陽(らくよう)集』に、「空やみどりしゃぼん吹かれて夕雲雀(ひばり)」の句があり、当時すでに日本の遊びになりきっていたことを示している。また1830年（天保1）刊の『嬉遊笑覧(きゆうしょうらん)』（喜多村信節(きたむらのぶよ)著）では、シャボン以外にムクロジの実やいもがら、タバコの茎などを焼いた粉を材料に用いてシャボン玉遊びをしていることを記し、蘭(らん)人（オランダ人）はセップといい、ラテン語でサボーネというのがシャボンとなった、また玉を吹くこの遊びを水圏戯(すいけんぎ)という、とも書いている。女性の間でも流行し、夏の玩具(がんぐ)として行商が振れ売りに歩いた。1853年（嘉永6）刊の『守貞漫稿(もりさだまんこう)』（喜田川(きたがわ)守貞著）には、その振れ売りの文句を、京坂では「ふき玉やしゃぼん玉、吹けば五色の玉が出る」、江戸では「玉や玉や」と記している。明治以後行商は姿を消したが、現在も小物玩具として売られ、縁日の露店などでもみられる。

［斎藤良輔］

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