How to Read “When Pacific saury comes out, the masseur retreats”
Sanma ga deru to anma ga hikkōmu
Meaning of “When Pacific saury comes out, the masseur retreats”
This proverb means that when Pacific saury season arrives, massage therapists lose business. Pacific saury reaches its peak in autumn and is highly nutritious.
When people eat it, their health improves. Their stiff shoulders and body aches get better. So fewer people need to visit massage therapists.
This expression shows how food directly affects health. It’s especially used to praise the power of seasonal ingredients.
In modern terms, it’s close to the idea that “food and medicine share the same source.” It teaches that proper eating beats medical treatment.
This proverb combines Japan’s culture of valuing seasonal foods with preventive medicine thinking.
Origin and Etymology
No clear written records explain this proverb’s origin. But it likely came from observing common people’s lives between the Edo period and early Showa era.
Pacific saury is autumn’s signature fish. In the Edo period, it was a familiar food on common people’s tables.
Fatty autumn saury is highly nutritious, especially rich in vitamins and minerals. Meanwhile, massage therapists supported people’s health by relieving muscle stiffness and fatigue.
The connection between these two things came from common people’s wisdom about seasons and health. Early autumn is when summer fatigue lingers and people easily get sick.
But eating nutritious Pacific saury helps people recover their strength. Stiff shoulders and body problems improve. So people need massage therapists less often.
People understood this cause-and-effect relationship through experience.
People back then didn’t understand food and health through modern nutritional science. They grasped it through daily life experience.
This proverb is a crystallization of health observations born naturally from such living.
Interesting Facts
Modern nutrition science proves that EPA and DHA in Pacific saury promote blood circulation. These unsaturated fatty acids also help relax tense muscles.
People long ago understood these effects through experience, without scientific knowledge.
The massage therapist profession came from China during the Nara period. By the Edo period, it became an important occupation for visually impaired people.
Medical care wasn’t advanced then, so massage therapists were crucial for supporting common people’s health.
Usage Examples
- They say when Pacific saury comes out, the masseur retreats, so let’s eat lots now
- My stiff shoulders got better recently, maybe thanks to Pacific saury. When Pacific saury comes out, the masseur retreats is really true
Universal Wisdom
This proverb teaches that human health comes from accumulating small daily choices. Instead of relying on massage therapists as “symptomatic treatment,” it emphasizes seasonal ingredients as “prevention.”
This thinking contains a deep life philosophy. Don’t deal with problems after they happen. Arrange your daily life so problems don’t happen at all.
Modern people tend to go to the hospital after feeling unwell and rely on medicine. But what truly matters is how we live each day before getting sick.
People when this proverb was born understood prevention’s importance through their skin. This was precisely because medical care wasn’t advanced.
This proverb also contains the wisdom of “following nature’s rhythm.” Pacific saury becomes fatty and most nutritious in autumn.
The human body’s nutritional needs also change with seasons. Gratefully receive what nature gives us at each time. Then the body naturally balances itself.
This cyclical worldview reminds us of humanity’s original way of living. Modern society pursuing efficiency and convenience tends to lose sight of this.
Our ancestors knew that humans are part of nature. They understood that harmonizing with nature is the best health method.
When AI Hears This
One hundred grams of Pacific saury contains about 1.5 grams of EPA and DHA. This amount is sufficient to significantly change the body’s production line for anti-inflammatory substances.
The human body makes inflammatory substances from omega-6 fatty acids. These cause stiff shoulders and joint pain.
But when omega-3 fatty acids enter the body, competition occurs for the same enzymes. It’s like a switch that changes the factory production line from inflammatory substances to anti-inflammatory substances.
Even more interesting is how resolvin works, a substance made from EPA. It doesn’t just suppress inflammation.
It actively sends signals to end inflammation that’s already happening. It’s like not just putting out a fire with an extinguisher, but also cleaning up after the fire.
Edo period people didn’t know molecular structures. But they knew through experience that eating Pacific saury made their bodies feel better.
The fact that massage demand decreased so much suggests people’s diets back then were chronically deficient in omega-3. Modern people also have excess omega-6 from eating less fish.
So this proverb should be reconsidered today with scientific backing.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches you the importance of taking action before problems arise. Don’t panic and deal with things after getting sick.
Instead, build a body that doesn’t get sick by maintaining daily meals and lifestyle habits. This “prevention philosophy” applies to all areas of life, not just health.
Don’t work overtime after trouble happens at work. Prepare carefully every day. Don’t repair relationships after they break down. Cherish people regularly.
Don’t panic when money runs out. Save systematically. What’s common to all is the attitude of “doing what you can now.”
Another important teaching is “valuing what’s in season.” Everything has proper timing. Don’t rush and force things. Trust nature’s rhythm instead.
Like enjoying seasonal ingredients, enjoy life’s seasons too. This relaxed way of living will ultimately keep you healthy.
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