【魂はふるさとの土に帰る〜間宮林蔵生家-11】

　さて長く間宮林蔵さんの事跡に沿って連載記事になってしまいました。人間と住宅、それも北海道に深く関係した歴史的人物についてのことだったので、実際に現地を訪れられたことをきっかけにして思わず深掘りすることになりました。
　で、間宮林蔵生家から歩いて数分の場所には間宮家の菩提寺「専称寺」もあって一隅にある「間宮家」の墓参することもできた。要するにその人物の誕生から墓場まで一覧できたという印象を持てた。
　ながく待望されてようやく授かったひとり息子。愛情に恵まれて育ったかれは神童と呼ばれ、幕府の土木工事に際して才気あふれる提案をして採用されると同時に、その器量を見込まれて、幕府に出仕してその理工系の才気を活かして、折からの北辺の危機状況の打開のための調査活動に身命を捧げ、日本を救うような決定的な事跡を残した。そして幕臣としての定めに生きて江戸で死去した。
　この墓は、かれが樺太探検に向かう前に専称寺の一隅に生前葬というようなカタチで自分の墓を建てたものだという。墓に記された「間宮林蔵墓」の文字はかれが自筆したものだと伝わっている。ひとり息子でありながら家を継ぐことができない親不孝をわび、生家には親族からの養子を取って継がせて、自分は「死んだ」ことにして墓を建てた。ということか、あるいは北辺の樺太探検に向かうのにその「決死」の覚悟から、そのようにしたのか。伝わってくる心事はどちらもあったのだろう。ただ間宮林蔵には北海道でアイヌ女性との縁があって、その子孫も現存されているという。最近明らかになったとのこと。
　この墓の隣には両親の墓も建ててある。生まれ育った家で与えられた愛情に深く感謝し、その両親と共に眠っている様子がなんともほほえましくもあり、一方でその無念の心事も伝わってくる。
　しかし、人間、その生まれた家の近くの土地、ふるさとの景色の中に土塊となって眠るというのは、ひとつの理想型でもあるように思える。林蔵少年はこの専称寺の住職から読み書き算盤を学んだのだという。地域の中で人材を育んだ様子もわかる。写真に見えるお寺の塀の外には川が流れ、その川は絶えることなくこの地の農業を支え続けているのだろう。そしてこの川で魚を捕ったりもしたことだろう。まさに故郷。

　住宅メディアの仕事をしてきている自分ですが、こういういわば揺りかごから墓場までという、家と人間のルポというタイプの「取材」は得がたい体験。家は人間のくらしの器であり、そのこころを揺籃するものだということが現実体験できた気分。
　自分が加齢してくるとだんだんこういう住宅行脚、ルポが興味深くなってくる。


English version⬇

The Soul Returns to the Soil of the Hometown - Rinzo Mamiya's Birthplace - 11
The soil of his hometown, where he learned to read, write, and do arithmetic and where his character was nurtured, concludes his life. The scene of his eternal rest, embraced by the love of his parents and the land. ...

Well, it has been a long series of articles along the trail of Rinzo Mamiya. Since it was about a historical figure who was deeply related to human beings and houses, and also to Hokkaido, it was a good opportunity for me to actually visit the site. So, within a few minutes' walk from Rinzo Mamiya's birthplace, there was also a family temple of the Mamiya family called "Sensho-ji," and I was able to visit the grave of the Mamiya family in a corner of the house. In short, I had the impression that I was able to see the entire history of the Mamiya family from its birth to its gravesite.
　After a long wait, he finally had a son, an only child. He was called a child prodigy, and was called a child prodigy when he proposed a brilliant idea for a civil engineering project of the Shogunate, which was adopted. He left a decisive mark that saved Japan. He died in Edo (Tokyo), living up to his destiny as a shogunate vassal.
　This tomb is said to have been erected in a corner of Senjyo-ji Temple before he left for Sakhalin expedition, as a kind of a prenatal burial. The words "Mamiya Rinzo Tomb" inscribed on the grave are said to be in his own handwriting. Rinzo Mamiya was sorry for his lack of filial piety as the only son who could not take over his family, so he adopted a son from his relatives to take over his family of birth and built his own grave, pretending that he was "dead". Or, did he do this because he was determined to "die" on his way to explore Sakhalin on the northern frontier? Both of these may have been the message conveyed to the audience. However, Rinzo Mamiya had a connection with an Ainu woman in Hokkaido, and some of her descendants are said to be alive today. This has recently been revealed.
　His parents' graves were also erected next to this grave. It is heartwarming to see her resting with her parents, deeply grateful for the love they had given her in the house where she was born and raised, and at the same time, it conveys her regret.
　It is an idealistic image of a human being to be laid to rest as a lump of earth in the landscape of his hometown, the land near the house where he was born. Rinzo learned to read, write, and do arithmetic from the priest of Senjyo-ji Temple. It also shows how the temple nurtured human resources in the community. Outside the walls of the temple, which can be seen in the photo, is a river, which continues to support the agriculture of the area. The people must have caught fish in this river. This is truly a hometown.

I have been working in the housing media, but this type of "reportage" on houses and people from cradle to grave is a rare experience for me. I felt as if I could actually experience that a house is a vessel for human life and a cradle for the soul of a person.
　As I get older, this type of house tour and reportage becomes more and more interesting.

【後半生の幕吏「隠密」活動〜間宮林蔵生家-10】

　北海道・樺太の探索によって北辺の領土確定という国事に功をなした間宮林蔵。上の写真２枚はわたしの毎日の散歩道コース・参拝社である「開拓神社」（北海道神宮の末社）。ここでは北海道の現在のありようを規定した功績のあった人物37人の御柱が祀られている。間宮は上段の左から２人目に上げられている。
　ほかには高田屋嘉兵衛や伊能忠敬、松浦武四郎、最上徳内などの名前が記される。知らず知らず、こうした人物名とその事跡には強い興味を持ち続けているのは、毎日のこういう習慣が大きく深層心理に染み込んでいるのかも知れない。
　このように永く顕彰されている間宮だけれど、後半生は幕吏としての立場に立っての事跡が知られている。ひとつが国禁とされていた日本地図を国外に持ち出したことで多くの幕臣とシーボルトが罰せられた「シーボルト事件」でのかれの行動。今日であれば、地図情報が国禁にされていたということの方が意味不明となるけれど、専制権力体制下である幕府機構としてはきわめて秘匿性の高い情報。国家主権の根幹に関わる事象だった。歴史性を強く帯びざるを得ないことがらだと言える。
　北辺の国境線についての情報を幕吏として、いわば公益に資するものとして幕府にもたらしたことで、かれの立場は幕府内で強くなったことだろう。そういうなかで政治的に幕府の方針に従う行動を取るのは自然なのだろう。シーボルトから送られてきた書簡や小包を開封せずに幕府に提出して「異人に対して私的に交流することは国禁を冒すことになる」姿勢を示したと言われる。その結果、シーボルトに対して日本地図情報を提供した同輩幕吏の高橋景保は逮捕処刑され、シーボルトは国外追放処分を受ける。
　その後のかれは「幕府隠密」活動の事跡を残している。晩年には西国大名への密偵活動が知られている。シーボルト事件は1828年でかれは49歳。そこから1844年65歳で江戸の自宅で死去するまでの時間に相当する。情報というものへの態度が歴史的に政治情勢で変動した。その狭間で起こり得た事象なのか。ちょうど時代は幕末の政治動乱期に突入していく。
　しかしこういう背景事実もあるけれど、国外追放されたシーボルトはヨーロッパ世界に日本の北方域の地図を発表したとき「間宮海峡」と明確に紹介している。そもそもシーボルト自身もオランダ商館員という立場を持った情報工作員であったことも事実。
　そういった立場としてシーボルトは間宮に対して、特段の感情を持っていたとは言えないだろう。むしろある種のリスペクトは持っていたに違いない。国際的な立場の違いだとも思える。後世の人間にはこうした行動への判断はしにくい。


English version⬇

Rinzo Mamiya's Birthplace - 10
Rinzo Mamiya lived as a shogunate official from the Siebold Affair to his covert activities. However, he was later enshrined as a mihashira at the Kaitakushi Shrine. The...

Rinzo Mamiya, who made a great contribution to national affairs by exploring Hokkaido and Sakhalin to determine the territory of the northern part of Japan. The two photos above are of the Kaitakushi Shrine (a branch of the Hokkaido Shrine), which is my daily walking route and shrine. The shrine enshrines the 37 Gobashira, or "pillars," of the people who made Hokkaido what it is today. Mamiya is the second person from the left in the upper row.
　Other names on the shrine include those of Kahei Takataya, Tadataka Ino, Takeshiro Matsuura, Tokunai Mogami, and others. Perhaps it is because of this daily habit that I have always had a strong interest in the names of these people and their legacies, without even realizing it.
　Although Mamiya has been honored for a long time in this way, his achievements in the latter half of his life as a shogunate official are well known. One example is his actions during the Siebold Incident, in which many shogunate officials and Siebold were punished for taking a map of Japan out of the country, which had been banned by the government. Today, it would be more meaningless to say that the map information was prohibited by the government, but it was highly confidential information for the Shogunate organization under the tyrannical power system. It was an event that involved the very foundation of the nation's sovereignty. It can be said that this information has a strong historical significance.
　As a bakufu official, he brought information about the northern border to the shogunate as something that would contribute to the public interest, and this must have strengthened his position within the shogunate. Under such circumstances, it was natural for him to act politically in accordance with the policies of the shogunate. It is said that he submitted letters and packages sent by Siebold to the Bakufu without opening them to show that "to communicate privately with a foreigner would be to violate the national prohibition. As a result, Takahashi Kageyasu, a fellow shogunate official who provided Siebold with information on Japanese maps, was arrested and executed, and Siebold was deported.
　After that, he left traces of his "Shogunate covert" activities. In his later years, he was known to spy on the feudal lords of western Japan. The Siebold affair took place in 1828, when he was 49 years old. This corresponds to the time from 1828 to his death in 1844 at the age of 65 at his home in Edo. Attitudes toward information have historically fluctuated in political situations. Could this be an event that could have occurred in the intervening time? The period was just entering the period of political upheaval at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
　However, despite this background fact, when Siebold, who was exiled from Japan, presented a map of the northern area of Japan to the European world, he clearly introduced it as the "Straits of Mamiya". It is also a fact that Siebold himself was an information agent with a position as a member of the Dutch trading post.
　As such, it cannot be said that Siebold had any particular feelings toward Mamiya. Rather, he must have had a certain respect for him. It seems to me that this is a difference in international standing. It is difficult for future generations to judge such behavior.

【北方探検成功に沸く世論と親への愛〜間宮林蔵生家-9】

　幕末期以降に北海道に寄せられた日本国家・国民からの熱視線はすさまじいものだった。相次いだ列強諸国からの開国・侵略圧力の中で、日本社会は明治以降の開拓のための国民世論醸成を進めていたとも言える。いまに至っても北海道が一種「特別な地域」認識を持たれていることのルーツには、こういった心情の部分にあるのではないだろうか。いわば独立と国運を左右する寒冷気候との日本民族の戦い、その最前線的な。
　間宮林蔵は「出世」を願ったとされるけれど、その出世とは沸騰する海外からの圧力に対して「国のために身を捧げたい」という内心からの発露だったと思える。
　かれの北方探索の事跡は樺太の測量の成功と、その後のデレンでの対外接触によって一段落を迎えることになった。20歳からひたすら北方探索・測量に捧げた時間が32歳になった時点で「東韃地方紀行」「北夷分界餘話」「北蝦夷ヶ島地図」などが作成・報告書提出された。
　写真は上梓された報告書。また、北方探索に当たってかれが愛用したとされる頭巾や毛布。いずれも温暖地・日本社会にとって異界ともいえる北海道・樺太・北東アジアの旅に欠かせない「防寒」グッズたち。単純に日本列島とは隔絶した寒帯気候に立ち向かった足跡が伝わってくる。
　1811年、32歳になった段階で、これらの報告資料を幕府に提出して幕臣としての立場からの退職を願い出たとされている。・・・当時の「世論」のなかでかれの北方探索の功績を称える雰囲気は強かったに違いない。後に水戸藩主・徳川斉昭が自藩での北海道開発を構想したとき、その情報の第一人者である間宮をいわば師範として招聘した事実が残っている。たぶんかれの事跡に対しての賛辞が世論として盛り上がっていたことが想像される。
　一方でこうした国事への「奉公」に一段落付けたいという心情には父母の様子が気に掛かる、農家の一人っ子としての心情があったようにも思える。

　この書簡はかれが国事に奔走するに当たって保証人・養父の立場として支援した隣村の有力者・飯沼甚兵衛に宛てて幕府奉公して６年後、任地蝦夷地から送ったもの。故郷に残った父母を心配する心情が書かれていると。かれの経歴を見るとこの翌年、23歳時点で一度「病気」で職を辞している。そしてその翌年には「病が癒えて」復職している。
　想像だけれど、両親の健康と家の存続のことなどに悩んでその整理整頓を果たそうとしたのではないかと。故郷の「間宮家」には養子縁組がされ、かれ自身は江戸に本拠を移している。
　・・・どうも間宮林蔵の事跡を辿ると熱が入ってしまう（笑）。本来は住宅がテーマのブログですが北海道人としてこの地に多くの人が住み始めた始原期のことが自然に知りたくなる。以前明治期の北海道開拓と寒冷地住宅事始めみたいなブログ探究をした経緯から、この間宮林蔵たちが活躍した先史部分にも、つい熱が入ってしまう次第です。ご容赦を。


English version⬇

Public Opinion and Love for Parents Boosted by Success of Northern Expedition - Rinzo Mamiya's Birthplace - 9
The results of the Sakhalin expedition that reached Edo. The results of the survey that prevented Russian invasion. Amidst the outpouring of praise, Rinzo Mamiya's heart yearns for the relatives he left behind in his hometown. ...

Since the end of the Edo period, Hokkaido has been the focus of intense attention from the Japanese nation and its people. Amidst the pressure from a succession of powers to open the country to the outside world and invade, it can be said that Japanese society was fostering public opinion for the development of Hokkaido from the Meiji era onward. The fact that Hokkaido is still recognized as a "special region" may have its roots in this kind of sentiment. Hokkaido is the front line in the Japanese people's battle against the cold climate, a battle that would determine the nation's independence and national destiny.
　Rinzo Mamiya is said to have wished to "rise in the world," but it seems to me that his desire to rise in the world was an expression of his inner desire to "devote himself to the service of his country" in the face of the boiling pressure from abroad.
　His exploration of the north came to an end with the successful survey of Sakhalin and his subsequent contact with the outside world in Deren, and at the age of 32, after devoting his entire time to exploring and surveying the north since the age of 20, he produced and submitted reports such as "Travels in the Eastern Lands," "Hokiibunkai Buwa" and "Map of Northern Yezo Islands.
　The photo shows the published reports. Also shown are the hoods and blankets he is said to have used during his exploration of the north. All of these "winter protection" goods were indispensable for his travels in Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and Northeast Asia, which were considered a different world from the warmer climate of Japanese society. They show the footprints of his efforts to confront the frigid climate, which was simply isolated from the Japanese archipelago.
　It is said that in 1811, at the age of 32, he submitted these reported materials to the shogunate and asked for his retirement from his position as a shogunate retainer. ...There must have been a strong atmosphere of admiration for his northern explorations in the "public opinion" of the time. Later, when Tokugawa Nariaki, the feudal lord of the Mito domain, conceived the idea of developing Hokkaido in his domain, he invited Mamiya, who was a leading authority on the subject, to serve as his mentor. It is likely that public opinion was in favor of Mamiya's work.
　On the other hand, it seems that Mamiya's desire to settle down in his "service" to national affairs was also motivated by his concern for the condition of his parents as the only child of a farming family.

This letter was sent from Ezo to Iinuma Jinbei, an influential man from a neighboring village who supported him as a guarantor and foster father in his efforts to take care of national affairs, six years after he was appointed to the shogunate. The letter is said to express his concern for his parents who remained in his hometown. According to his biography, he resigned from his post the following year at the age of 23 due to an "illness. The following year, he "recovered from his illness" and returned to work.
　I imagine that he was concerned about his parents' health and the survival of the family, and tried to put things in order. He was adopted by the Mamiya family in his hometown, and he himself moved his home base to Edo.
　I am very enthusiastic when I trace the history of Rinzo Mamiya (laugh). Although the theme of this blog is originally housing, as a person from Hokkaido, I naturally want to know about the early days when many people started to live in this area. I have previously written a blog about the development of Hokkaido in the Meiji period (1868-1912) and the beginning of cold-weather housing in Hokkaido, so I am also very passionate about the prehistoric period in which Rinzo Mamiya and his family were active. Please forgive me.

【黒竜江中流・デレンでの幕末外交〜間宮林蔵生家-8】

間宮林蔵たち幕末期の領土測量探求者の営為の上に立って、黒田清隆などの新政府は北海道島の日本支配をより強固なものとしていくために積極的な「殖民」政策を大方針として立てていく。
　その基盤として「寒冷地仕様住宅」の研究とその普及政策があった。そしてそのDNAは今日の地域自治体・北海道にも脈々と受け継がれ、高断熱高気密住宅として完全に地域に根付き、さらに現在、本州以南地域の住宅革新にも波及している。住宅を巡る日本史としては歴史の一本道であるように思われる。
　間宮林蔵は本来の任務であった樺太探検のあと、現地の人びとの協力を得て、黒竜江（アムール川）中流の交易都市・デレン探訪に向かう。かれ30才の当時。その様子はこの第２回樺太探査の記録としてまとめられた「東韃地方紀行」に記述されている。今に伝わる絵画表現は、間宮林蔵の探検者としての師・村上島之允（しまのじょう）の子・貞助が編纂者として記録されている。貞助の絵画表現が1810年当時のこの地域の状況をわかりやすく伝えてくれる。伝統的な「大和絵」の臨場表現として軍記物や洛中洛外図などと同様にナナメ上方からの視点で情報が描かれていて、わかりやすい。
　デレンには清朝の出先機関が置かれて「朝貢」がタテマエでの交易活動が行われている実相が伝わってくる。１枚目の絵図では清朝に対して異民族が服従し上納する形式が表されている。もちろん返礼品が対応
されることが前提。異民族側からすると目的は交易だけであるけれど、自分が世界の中心であるとする中華思想としてはこういう「形式」を求めるものなのだろう。現代にも繋がる部分か。
　一方で形式が終われば、いわゆる客人としての接遇が間宮に対して行われ、酒席での接待が行われた様子も表現されている。そして、交易された品々はデレンの市で取引されて自由に流通していた様子も見て取れる。このような市場のありよう、形式としては清朝が地域「支配」していたことになるのかどうか。
　この段階の日本・江戸幕府は欧米世界との対応の中で、世界標準の「近代国家」という概念に対応する姿勢を見せているし、この間宮たちの行動はそういった実態を表している。その後の極東アジア情勢の推移は清朝国家が破綻していく一方、日本は「脱亜入欧」を目指していくことになる。

　間宮の視線は庶民の暮らしぶりにも向けられている。現地の人びとの子育ての様子までもが表現されていた。デレンの役人たちとは友好的に接することができた証しか。絵は乳児の「ゆりかご」の様子のように判別できる。妻帯せず、子をなさなかった間宮はどう感じたのか、ふとかれの両親のことを思い出す瞬間もあっただろう。国事に身を投じた人生とは言え、やや切なさも感じる。


English version⬇

Diplomacy at the End of the Edo Period at Deren in the Middle Heilongjiang River - Mamiya Rinzo's Birthplace - 8
Diplomacy between Japan and China at the time of 1810 at the Qing dynasty's outpost in China. Under the isolationist regime, was it in the form of an accidental encounter with a local in Sakhalin accompanying a local in Sakhalin? ...

Based on the efforts of Mamiya Rinzo and other territorial surveyors at the end of the Edo period, the new government, led by Kuroda Kiyotaka, adopted an aggressive "colonization" policy to consolidate Japanese control over Hokkaido Island.
　The foundation for this policy was research into "cold-weather housing" and the policy to promote its spread. This DNA has been passed down through the generations to today's local governments in Hokkaido, where highly insulated and airtight housing has taken root, and is now spreading to housing innovations in the south of Honshu and beyond. It seems to be a straight line of history as far as Japanese history concerning housing is concerned.
　After his original mission to explore Sakhalin, Rinzo Mamiya, with the cooperation of the local people, went to explore the trading city of Deren in the middle reaches of the Heilongjiang River (Amur River). He was 30 years old at the time. The account of his expedition is described in the book "Travels in the East Rhodesian Region," which was compiled as a record of the second Sakhalin expedition. The pictorial representations handed down to this day are recorded by Sadasuke, the son of Mamiya Rinzo's mentor as an explorer, Murakami Shimanojo, as the compiler of the book. Sadasuke's pictorial representation conveys the situation of this region at the time of 1810 in an easy-to-understand manner. The information is depicted from a naname-upper perspective as in the traditional "Yamato-e" realistic expression, as in military records and Rakuchu-Rakugai-zu, and is easy to understand.
　The first picture depicts the form of subjugation and payment of tribute by different ethnic groups to the Qing dynasty. Of course, it is a prerequisite that the return gift
The first illustration shows a form of subjugation and payment to the Qing Dynasty by the different ethnic groups. From the perspective of the different ethnic groups, the purpose is only to trade, but the Chinese thought that they are the center of the world requires this kind of "formality". Is this a part of the modern world as well?
　On the other hand, once the formalities were over, Mamiya was treated as a so-called guest, and the scene of entertainment at the drinking table is also expressed. We can also see how traded goods were traded and freely distributed at the market in Deren. The question is whether or not the Qing dynasty "ruled" the region in the form of this kind of market.
　The Japanese Edo shogunate at this stage in its dealings with the Western world was taking a stance that corresponded to the concept of a world-standard "modern state," and the actions of these Mamiya and others represent such a reality. The subsequent transition of the situation in Far East Asia would see the collapse of the Qing dynasty state, while Japan would aim for "de-industrialization" of Europe.

Mamiya's gaze also turned to the way of life of ordinary people. He even described how the local people were raising their children. Is this a sign that he was able to have friendly contact with the officials in Deren? The paintings can be identified as showing the "cradle" of an infant. Mamiya, who was not married and had no children, must have felt how he felt, and there must have been moments when he thought of his parents. Although Mamiya's life was devoted to the affairs of the country, it is also somewhat sad.

【北海道・樺太さらに黒竜江河口地域へ〜間宮林蔵生家-7】

　近代国家にとってその領土の地理を把握することは、統治の正当性を担保する重要な基盤情報。正確な地理認識がなければ、権力行使の総合的実効性があり得ない。国土領域の防衛についてもその交通についても、さらに産業育成、国民の人口増加、定住の推進確保などの「国土支配」の基礎になる。
　そういった「民政」への統治実績こそが近代国家概念そのものであるという国際常識に対して、日本の江戸幕府は非常に正しい認識を持って対処していたといえる。
　江戸幕府体制は領土確定の基礎としていち早く北海道島の測量を推進し、その後、ロシアとの国境紛争に備えて、樺太、千島列島などの探査を進めていた。
　間宮林蔵はこの樺太の測量に於いて国家的な巨大な貢献を果たした。樺太と北東アジア大陸が地続きではなく、島嶼であることを国際的に確定させたことで、世界地図情報にも画期をもたらせた。「国家的特殊任務」としてそれらは遂行され、江戸幕府の鎖国方針のなかでそれらは「国家機密」ともされていた。幕府としてはオランダ人医師シーボルトに対してのこの国家機密「漏洩」事件に際して、日本側情報提供者に極刑を科し、シーボルトに対しては国外退去させた。
　しかしいちばん上のような地図情報がシーボルトによって欧米世界に情報共有されることで、日本の政体機構がこのような正確な情報に対しリスペクトする近代国家としての基本要件を持っていると認識されていった。このことは当時の国益にとって非常に効果があったのだと思える。少なくとも情報についての日露「戦争」において欧米が日本に優位性を認めたひとつの根拠となったのだろう。たぶん他のアジア諸国とは違う近代国家の基本資格を日本は持っていると認識した。日本は独立国家たることを死守できたのだ。江戸幕府と北辺領土探検者たちの「国家情報力」の営為が明治以降の日本を救ったといえるのだろう。
　司馬遼太郎が繰り返し、日露戦争に至るこの時代の日本人について探究したことには、こういった背景へのリスペクトがあったのだと思っています。
　間宮海峡を発見してのち、間宮林蔵は樺太が向き合うアジア大陸北東端地域、黒竜江の河口地域に対しての「北方外交」にも取り組んでいく。樺太地域在住の地域住民を組織して海峡を越えて、それまで「山丹」と呼ばれたり「韃靼」と呼称されていた河口・流域地域を黒竜江を遡って探査する。
　日本の歴史記録ではこれら地域との直接交渉の記録に乏しい。かろうじて奥州藤原氏以前の安倍氏支配時代に、その当主家系が訪問したという断片記録に触れた程度。ただ、ながく日本中央権力地域との「交易」関係で奥州地域が特異な地位を占めていたのには、こうした北辺地域との交流が基礎にあったのに違いない。間宮林蔵の外交には、これらの地域とのかかわりを再認識させた側面もあったことだろう。


English version⬇

Hokkaido and Sakhalin further to the Heilongjiang River estuary area - Mamiya Rinzo's birthplace - 7
The scientific rationality of territorial grasp and geographical recognition was established as the basis for territorial domination of the northern part of Japan. From this achievement, Mamiya Rinzo further advanced into northern diplomacy. ...

For a modern state, understanding the geography of its territory is important fundamental information that ensures the legitimacy of its governance. Without accurate geographical awareness, the overall effectiveness of the exercise of power is impossible. It is the basis for "land rule," including the defense of the territory and its transportation, as well as the development of industry, population growth, and the promotion and securing of settlement.
　It can be said that Japan's Edo shogunate had a very correct understanding of the international common sense that such "civil administration" is the very essence of the modern concept of the state.
　The Edo shogunate system was quick to promote the surveying of Hokkaido Island as the basis for territorial determination, and later, in preparation for border disputes with Russia, it promoted exploration of Sakhalin Island, the Kuril Islands, and other areas.
　Rinzo Mamiya made a huge national contribution in this survey of Sakhalin. He established internationally that Sakhalin and the continent of Northeast Asia were not connected to the land, but were islands, and this led to a breakthrough in world map information. The "special national missions" were carried out and were considered "state secrets" under the Edo Shogunate's policy of national seclusion. In the case of the "leak" of state secrets to the Dutch physician Siebold, the Shogunate imposed a maximum penalty on the Japanese informant and had Siebold deported from Japan.
　However, as the above map information was shared with the Western world by Siebold, it was recognized that Japan's political structure had the basic requirements of a modern nation that respected such accurate information. This was very effective for the national interest at the time. At the very least, it was one of the grounds for the West to recognize Japan's superiority in the Russo-Japanese "war" regarding information. Perhaps it was the recognition that Japan possessed the basic qualifications of a modern nation, different from other Asian nations. Japan could defend its independence to the death. It can be said that the efforts of the Edo shogunate and the explorers of the Northern Territories in the "national intelligence power" saved Japan from the Meiji era onward.
　I believe that Ryotaro Shiba's repeated exploration of the Japanese in this period leading up to the Russo-Japanese War was based on his respect for this kind of background.
　After discovering the Mamiya Strait, Mamiya Rinzo also engaged in "northern diplomacy" toward the region at the mouth of the Heilongjiang River, the northeastern tip of the Asian continent that Karafuto faced. He organized local residents living in the Sakhalin region to cross the strait and explore the estuary and basin areas of the Heilongjiang River, which had previously been called "Shantan" or "Tadatoku.
　Japanese historical records are scant on direct negotiations with these regions. There is barely a fragmentary record of a visit by a family member of the head of the Abe clan during the period of Abe rule before the Oshu Fujiwara clan. However, the fact that the Oshu region occupied a unique position in "trade" with the central power regions of Japan for a long time must have been based on such exchanges with the northern regions. Mamiya Rinzo's diplomacy must have had some aspect of reaffirming the relationship with these regions.