【揮毫の文化・日本人の書の世界／松浦武四郎-8】

　さて昨日夕方に札幌帰還。常時34-5度で多湿な気候の中、体力消耗。都内以外ではレンタカー移動でエアコンに守られるけれど外気に触れ続ける都内はなかなか。
　そんななか松浦武四郎シリーズの連載。たまたま金田一京介先生の松浦武四郎の生家訪問の記録写真に誘われ、その「揮毫」の写真記録。昨日は貴人接遇の建築空間文化・床の間について考察しましたが、本日は関連して「日本人の書の文化」。
　現代社会ではパソコンがほぼレギュラーの位置になって、人間性表現の「揮毫」文化はまったく廃れている。ちょうど住宅から床の間が消滅してきているのと同時進行的。現代人としてこのことにそろそろ明確な意識を持って対応していく必要性はあると思わせられる。
　写真は金田一先生の揮毫と参会者一同が固唾を飲んで集中して参観している様子。たぶん日本社会での「貴人」対面の定番としてこの行為と場面が文化成立していた。
　こういう文化がすっかり消え入りつつある。

　そんな思いを持っていたら好きな上野の森美術館で、奇遇にも書道の展覧会が開催されていた。不思議な「ご縁」と感じて吸い寄せられてしまった。写真は東京の平山寛川氏の展示作「日本童謡四曲」から「春がきた」。会の名前は「雪心会選書作展」＜撮影自由＞。こういう書の文化にはずっと無縁に生きてきた人間だったので、これも松浦武四郎の「お導き」かとも思えた（笑）。
　入口ではなんと名前を筆で書けというスフィンクスの問いかけ（笑）。う〜む、小学校以来の筆を持って白紙に向かわせられる体験。しかも会場運営の書の愛好家のみなさんの厳しい視線を感じながら（冷汗）。こころを決めて誠心誠意、署名。なにやら金田一先生の心境のほんの一端にも触れる思い。そしてその短時間ですが、みなさんの視線がわたしに集中し、その筆先に注目されるのがわかる。ありがたくも、なんとも恥ずかしい・・・しかし逃げることなく無教養・無作法はゴメンと書いてみた。

　書き上げるとみなさんのあたたかい視線を感じさせられる。きっとわたしの内心を「見ている」のだろうと気付かせられた。オモシロい。
　そこからみなさんの素晴らしい作品を鑑賞して忘我の心理に至っていました。「数寄」の拡張がこれ以上になると困惑するけれど、楽しさがジワジワわき上がっていた。帰り際、運営の方と親しく会話させていただき「中国では日本のひらかな・カタカナの美感はわかるのですか？」などと心底にあり続けていた疑問を投げかけたりしておりました。奥行きが深すぎる世界の予感。
　
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[The Culture of Calligraphy: The World of Japanese Calligraphy / Takashiro Matsuura-8]
Guided by the pioneers of documentary photography, I became fascinated by the world of calligraphy in Ueno. At the end of my life, I encountered a new “suki” (a Japanese aesthetic sensibility). ...

　Yesterday evening, I returned to Sapporo. The constant humidity and temperatures of 34-35 degrees Celsius took a toll on my physical strength. Outside of Tokyo, I was protected by the air conditioning in my rental car, but in Tokyo, where I was constantly exposed to the outside air, it was quite difficult.
Amidst all this, I continued my series on Takashiro Matsuura. I happened to come across a photograph of Kyosuke Kindaichi visiting Takashiro Matsuura's birthplace, which led me to a photograph of his calligraphy. Yesterday, I reflected on the architectural space culture of receiving distinguished guests and the tokonoma, and today I will discuss the related topic of “Japanese calligraphy culture.”
In modern society, computers have become almost ubiquitous, and the culture of “calligraphy” as an expression of humanity has completely faded away. This is happening simultaneously with the disappearance of the tokonoma from residential homes. As modern people, I feel it is necessary to develop a clear awareness of this issue and respond appropriately.
　The photo shows Professor Kaneda's calligraphy and the participants intently observing it. This act and scene likely established as a cultural norm for “guest of honor” encounters in Japanese society.
Such culture is now fading away.

　With that in mind, I happened to find a calligraphy exhibition being held at my favorite Ueno Royal Museum. I felt a strange sense of “fate” and was drawn to it. The photo is from Hiroshi Hirayama's exhibition piece, “Four Japanese Children's Songs,” titled “Spring Has Come.” The name of the event was “Yukishin-kai Selected Works Exhibition” (photography permitted). Having lived my entire life completely disconnected from the culture of calligraphy, I couldn't help but think this might be Matsura Takashiro's “guidance” (laughs).

　At the entrance, there was a sphinx-like question asking us to write our names with a brush (lol). Hmm, it was my first time holding a brush since elementary school and facing a blank sheet of paper. Plus, I could feel the strict gaze of the calligraphy enthusiasts running the venue (cold sweat). I made up my mind and signed my name with all my heart. It felt like I was touching on a small part of Mr. Kindaichi's mindset. And in that short time, I could feel everyone's gaze focused on me and their attention on the tip of my brush. It was both humbling and embarrassing... but I refused to back down and wrote it anyway, despite my lack of education and manners.
After finishing, I felt the warm gaze of everyone around me. I realized they must have been “seeing” into my inner thoughts. Interesting.
From there, I immersed myself in admiring everyone's wonderful works. While the expansion of “suki” (aesthetic sensibility) left me a bit overwhelmed, the joy slowly began to well up within me. On my way out, I had a friendly conversation with the staff and asked questions like, “Do people in China understand the aesthetic appeal of Japanese hiragana and katakana?” It felt like a world with too much depth.

●Announcement
My book “Writers and Living Spaces” has been published as an e-book by Gentosha.
Available on Amazon.

【貴人接遇の床の間文化と現代住宅／松浦武四郎-7】

　わたしは北海道の「高断熱高気密の性能革命」の進行に随伴するように、その動向のリアルタイムを住宅雑誌出版というカタチでユーザーと情報共有してきた。企業経営面からは退いて、いまは「見守り隊」のような立ち位置ですが、一方でその延長・継続認識から離陸して、より「人間」に寄った住宅のテーマを深掘りしたいと全国各地の「古住宅」を訪ね歩くことをライフワークと考えています。情報事業としては「性能とデザイン」という領域から、そこで人間が「どう暮らしてきたか」に移ってきていると自己認識。
　そういう意味では「寒冷地の現代住宅」という基本取材対象から、むしろ「温暖地域の過去住宅と人間生活の相互関係」という領域に転進してきている。
　ちょうどいまは、三重県松阪市に残る北海道の名付け親・松浦武四郎の生家を訪ねるシリーズですが、その「離れ」には床の間和室という伝統的文化価値感にもとづく空間が残されている。北海道の現代住宅では、まったく皆無とは言わないけれど、こうした「貴人接遇」が主目的の住空間の必須必要性は、現代住宅からは大きく喪失してきてほぼ見かけない。
　生活文化・民俗としての貴人のための「仮の宿」機能は、全国の都市文化発展の大きな要素として旅館・ホテル建築が盛況をきわめて発展し、さらに「移動交通」手段も飛躍的に高度化したことで、一般の住宅文化からはほぼその必要性が失われてしまっている。40-50年前頃にわたしの叔父がそれまで函館から来ると札幌のわが家に宿泊していたものが「最近は、ホテルいっぱいあるから」とわが家で接遇を受けたあと、タクシーで駅前のホテルに移動して宿泊したことをなぜか鮮明に記憶している。そういう「接遇文化の基盤変容」が、わたしの生きてきた時代の日本に起こったということでしょう。
　わたしの高断熱高気密住宅ウォッチを大きなテーマとした住宅情報事業の過程では、取材していた住宅事例からこうした住の機能空間はほぼ「絶滅」してきていた。
　で、今回松浦武四郎の生家取材で記録写真の中に武四郎没後、この家を1960年に取材探訪された金田一京介教授（言語学者、民族学者。日本のアイヌ語研究の本格的創始者として知られる）が撮影されていて、それが「床の間」に床柱を背にして多くのひとと歓談している様子。まさに「貴人接遇」そのもの。

　そして日本の当時の「最高学識」を迎えた記念に「植樹」まで松岡家から所望されて、庭にサクラを植えられたとのこと。日本民俗の「応接文化」の実像・象徴を見させられる思いがしていました。
　松浦武四郎の取材テーマとも離れて、このような「日本住宅の機能性変容」の証拠写真のようにも思われた次第。松浦さん、金田一先生に感謝であります。

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English version⬇

[The Culture of Reception Rooms for Distinguished Guests and Modern Housing / Takeshiro Matsuura-7]
A culture of hospitality in which guests are seated with their backs to the bed pillar to show respect. Japanese folk culture, in which the spatiality of the room also expresses the status of the house. Experiencing the real-time disappearance of that culture...

　I have been sharing real-time information on the progress of the “high insulation and airtightness performance revolution” in Hokkaido with users through the publication of housing magazines. While I have stepped back from corporate management, I now take on a ‘watchdog’ role. However, I also aim to delve deeper into housing themes that are more “human-centric,” visiting old houses across the country as a lifelong pursuit. In terms of information business, I recognize that the focus has shifted from the realm of “performance and design” to how humans have lived in such environments.
In that sense, I have transitioned from the basic subject of “modern housing in cold regions” to the realm of “the mutual relationship between past housing and human life in warm regions.”
　Currently, I am working on a series visiting the birthplace of Matsura Takashiro, the namesake of Hokkaido, which remains in Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture. The “detached house” there still retains a traditional cultural space based on the concept of a tokonoma (alcove) and a Japanese-style room. While it is not entirely absent in modern Hokkaido housing, the necessity of such living spaces primarily intended for entertaining guests has largely disappeared from modern housing.
　The function of a “temporary lodging” for distinguished guests, as part of living culture and folklore, has largely disappeared from general residential culture due to the flourishing development of ryokan and hotel architecture as a major element of urban cultural development nationwide, as well as the dramatic advancement of transportation methods. Around 40-50 years ago, my uncle, who had previously stayed at my family's home in Sapporo when visiting from Hakodate, mentioned, “These days, there are plenty of hotels,” and after being hosted at our home, he moved to a hotel near the station by taxi. I vividly recall this incident. Such a “transformation of the foundation of hospitality culture” occurred in Japan during the era I lived through.
　In the process of my residential information business focused on high-insulation, high-airtightness homes, I observed that such functional living spaces had nearly “disappeared” from the residential cases I was researching.
　During my recent research on Matsura Takashiro's birthplace, I found a photograph in the records showing Professor Kaneda Ichikyo (a linguist and ethnologist known as the pioneer of Ainu language studies in Japan) visiting the house in 1960 after Takashiro's death. In the photo, he is seated against the bed pillar in the tokonoma, engaging in lively conversation with many people. It was truly a scene of “hosting distinguished guests.”
　And to commemorate the visit of Japan's leading intellectuals at the time, the Matsuoka family requested that cherry trees be planted in the garden. I felt that I was seeing the reality and symbolism of Japan's “entertaining culture.”
This seemed to be evidence of the “functional transformation of Japanese housing,” which was unrelated to Matsura Takeshiro's research theme. I am grateful to Mr. Matsura and Professor Kindaichi.

●Notice
My book “Writers and Living Spaces” has been published as an e-book by Gentosha.
Available for purchase on Amazon.

【2025現代世相／激変の社会環境〜「既成構造」不整合】

　さて本日は連載記事はひと休み。
　わたしは現在、いつもの単独行動での取材旅行中。行路は東北を縦断するような行程でしたが、本日はようやく宇都宮まで南下できた。東京都内である会合に昼から終日参加予定であります。写真は激変する天候の合間、山形県鶴岡での真夏の晴れ間の入道雲。いかにも猛暑を象徴するかのよう。
　今年、北海道ではまだ聞いていないセミの鳴き声も数カ所で確認しておりました。ただ、緑の中にいれば環境全体でこだましてくるほどの迫力音響ではない。こころなしか、弱々しい。
　旅路ではクルマで自由気ままに移動するのが好きなので、このように「雲を追う旅」という様相を呈すことになります。人生行脚もそろそろ終盤戦に差し掛かってきて、こういう「無念無想」で沸き立ってくる思いに漠然と「対話」する時間が数寄であります。
　ということで、社会的な役割の最前線からはやや一歩引いて現代ニッポンの、あるいは世界の状況を見ていて来し方行く末を思うことも多い。ただ主体としては自分自身というより自分以降のひとびとという設定。やや客観視していると言える。
　昨年末の衆院選、東京都議会選、そして参院選と現代日本の「変化」する社会環境が露わになってきている。政治の世界に既成政党ではない新勢力・必ずしも明確な社会の見通しを示しきっていないと思える勢力が伸張してきている。目指そうとしている方向性はどうもこれまでの既成構造とは異質とは言えそうだけれど、いま現在でハッキリ見えているのは、主権者へのアピールがSNSなどの「共感性」ツールを主戦場にしていること程度か。このSNSの世界では批判意見と正面から向き合う対話姿勢は感じにくい。
　既存メディアを利用したり既得権益の意向を体現してその実現に動くというこれまでの勢力とは相違しているとは感じられる。動機の部分では大きくは「保守」の伸張ということになるけれど、既成の価値観とどう違うのかはまだ見通しづらい。主権者としても現状既成体制にはNOを感じているけれど、さりとて新勢力の「真価」もまだ見定めようという局面。かれらにも正念場はすぐにもやってくると思う。
　そんな局面でこれまでの常識では考えられない「居座り」という政治行動を取っている権力者は、社会の既成の倫理的価値観からも逸脱している。これまでのそれなりの「社会倫理」があっさりと崩壊していく行程を見せられている。どうも「幕末」とも似た価値観の更新が迫られてきているのかも知れない。庶民としては「ええじゃないか」とは思えない段階だと思う。なかなかな「混迷」状況ですね。

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[2025 Contemporary Social Conditions / Rapidly Changing Social Environment - Inconsistencies in the Existing Structure]
Can the legitimacy of the administration be preserved by clinging to power, despite deviating from the ethical values of the past? Can the new forces escape from the overprotective world of social media? ...

　Today, I will take a break from my series of articles.
I am currently on a solo reporting trip. My route was supposed to take me across the Tohoku region, but today I finally made it south to Utsunomiya. I am scheduled to attend a meeting in Tokyo from noon until the end of the day. The photo shows cumulonimbus clouds on a sunny summer day in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, taken between sudden changes in the weather. It seems to symbolize the intense heat of summer.
　This year, I have also heard the sound of cicadas in several places in Hokkaido, which I had not heard before. However, the sound is not as powerful as it would be if I were surrounded by greenery. It seems a bit weak.
I enjoy traveling freely by car, so this journey takes on the appearance of a “cloud-chasing journey.” As my life journey nears its final stages, I find myself engaging in vague “dialogue” with these “unspoken, unthought” emotions that well up within me.
Thus, I often step back from the front lines of societal roles to observe the current state of modern Japan or the world, reflecting on the past and future. However, my focus is not on myself but on those who come after me, adopting a somewhat objective perspective.
　The recent House of Representatives election, Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, and Senate election have revealed the changing social environment of modern Japan. New political forces that are not established parties—and which do not necessarily have a clear vision for society—are gaining momentum in the political world. The direction they are aiming for seems to be quite different from the existing structure, but what is clear at present is that their appeal to the sovereign is mainly through “empathy” tools such as social media. In the world of social media, it is difficult to sense a willingness to engage in dialogue that directly confronts critical opinions.
They seem to differ from the existing forces that utilize existing media or embody the intentions of vested interests and work to realize them. In terms of motivation, it largely boils down to the expansion of “conservatism,” but how it differs from established values remains unclear. As sovereign citizens, we feel a sense of rejection toward the current established system, yet we are also in a phase where we are still assessing the true value of the new forces. I believe their critical moment will come soon.
　In such a situation, those in power who are taking the unprecedented political action of “clinging to power” are deviating from the established ethical values of society. We are witnessing the collapse of the previously established “social ethics.” It seems that a values update similar to the ‘Bakumatsu’ period may be imminent. As commoners, I don't think we can simply say, “That's fine.” It's quite a confusing situation.

●Announcement
My book “Writers and Living Spaces” has been published as an e-book by Gentosha.
Available for purchase on Amazon.

【1855年「日露混在」樺太条約後の幕命調査／松浦武四郎-6】

　きのう個人の探訪としての松浦武四郎の３回にわたる主に北海道島への北方調査記録を見た。1845年から1849年の時期に相当する。1853年の黒船来航の直前期で、世界中の列強諸国がアジア進出の機会をもとめている世界的な動乱期に当たっている。松浦武四郎などの調査活動記録は時の政権、幕府には貴重な対外交渉上の有用な調査記録になっていたことは当然だろう。なんといっても列強と渡り合うには、かれらの欲望、領土と交易の利権獲得をめぐっての外交交渉なのだ。欲望丸出しのかれらと対応するのに、自国領土と主張するについての詳細な知見は幕府当局にとって喉から手が出るほどに絶対必要不可欠なものだった。
　黒船来航を経て幕府もこうした対応がいよいよ待ったなしとなって、松浦武四郎は幕府お抱えの身となって再度の調査活動を行うことになる。
　幕府はロシアとの交渉で1855年に日露和親条約締結を締結。「日露両国混在」と条約確認した樺太、そして北海道について日本国家として確定させた自国領土問題と認識し公式に調査活動を開始したのだ。その役割を松浦武四郎に命じたことになる。「蝦夷地御用御雇人」。幕府開設以来前例のない人材登用か。歴史好きの現代北海道人としては明治期「御雇外国人」ケプロンやクラークさんたちを思い出すような官職。
　1856年２月６日幕臣・向山源大夫を隊長とする幕府調査隊の「指図役頭取」として３月５日箱館着。３月29日箱館発、宗谷から樺太に渡りアイヌの人びとが北緯50度ラインにまで暮らしていることを確認して、対ロシア交渉において北緯50度を国境ラインとすることの根拠事実とした。
　この時の調査ではトータルで192日間、蝦夷地の海岸線をすべて踏破する。10月13日に箱館に帰着するも、病床に伏して死をも覚悟した。蝦夷地調査で長い間風呂に入ることもできず、服はボロボロ、髪はボサボサ、ひげは伸び放題で調査活動後風呂に入ると「人間ではなくなった」感覚を体験したという。緊迫化する国際情勢のなか、国益に殉ずる覚悟を持った国士としての活動だったことだろう。その意気の高さを深く実感させられる。辞世の句まで書いて枕の下に置いていたが、幸いにして健康を回復する。
　翌1857年には、北海道島の石狩川と天塩川の「本流・支流」を分け尽くす調査活動を行っている。死線を彷徨ってなお、元気に翌年のこの調査も146日間に及んだという。さらに翌年1858年、幕府による調査活動にも関わらず松前藩や場所請負人（蝦夷地漁業権独占の商人たち）の妨害活動が妨げになっていたことを上申し、１月22日から８月21日まで北海道島の詳細調査。合計６回の大調査活動。まさに初代「北海道人」。
　
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[1855 “Japan-Russia Coexistence” Sakhalin Treaty Followed by Shogunate Investigation / Takashiro Matsuura-6]
At the height of territorial negotiations with the great powers at the end of the Edo period, he fought hard for the national interest. The first Hokkaido resident who established the foundation of the Hokkaido territory. ...

　Yesterday, I reviewed Matsura Takashiro's three-part record of his northern expedition to Hokkaido Island as part of his personal exploration. This corresponds to the period from 1845 to 1849. It was the immediate period preceding the arrival of the Black Ships in 1853, a time of global turmoil when the world's major powers were seeking opportunities to expand into Asia. It is only natural that Matsura Takashiro's survey records were invaluable to the Tokugawa shogunate as useful diplomatic documents. After all, to negotiate with the Western powers, one must engage in diplomatic negotiations centered on their desires for territorial and trade rights. For the shogunate authorities, detailed knowledge of their own territory was absolutely essential to counter the Western powers, whose desires were laid bare.
　Following the arrival of the Black Ships, the shogunate found itself in a situation where such measures could no longer be postponed, and Matsura Takashiro was once again tasked with conducting surveys as an official of the shogunate.
　In 1855, the shogunate concluded the Japan-Russia Friendship Treaty with Russia. The treaty confirmed that Sakhalin and Hokkaido were “mixed territories of Japan and Russia,” and the shogunate officially began investigative activities, recognizing them as Japanese territory. Matsura Takashiro was assigned this role. “Ezochi Gyoyou Gyoyoujin” (Ezochi Government Employee). This was an unprecedented appointment of personnel since the establishment of the shogunate. As a modern Hokkaido resident with an interest in history, this official position reminds me of the “foreign employees” of the Meiji period, such as Keplon and Clark.
On February 6, 1856, he arrived in Hakodate on March 5 as the “chief instructor” of the shogunate survey team led by Mukoyama Gendayu, a shogunate official. On March 29, he departed Hakodate, crossed from Soya to Sakhalin, and confirmed that the Ainu people lived as far north as the 50th parallel, using this as factual evidence to establish the 50th parallel as the border line in negotiations with Russia.
During this survey, he spent a total of 192 days traversing the entire coastline of Ezo. He returned to Hakodate on October 13 but fell ill and prepared himself for death. During the Ezo expedition, he had not been able to bathe for a long time, his clothes were in tatters, his hair was disheveled, and his beard had grown unkempt. After the expedition, when he finally bathed, he reportedly felt as though he had “ceased to be human.” Amidst the escalating international tensions, his activities as a patriot dedicated to the national interest were truly commendable. His high spirits are deeply felt. He even wrote a death poem and placed it under his pillow, but fortunately, he recovered his health.
The following year, 1857, he conducted a survey to distinguish between the main streams and tributaries of the Ishikari and Teshio rivers on Hokkaido Island. Even after wandering the brink of death, he energetically continued this survey for 146 days the following year. In 1858, despite the shogunate's survey activities, he reported that the Matsumae Domain and local contractors (merchants who monopolized fishing rights in Ezo) were obstructing the work. From January 22 to August 21, he conducted a detailed survey of Hokkaido Island. In total, he carried out six major survey activities. He was truly the first “Hokkaido person.”
　
●Notice
My book “Writers and Living Spaces” has been published as an e-book by Gentosha.
Available for purchase on Amazon.

【個人として３回の北方調査行／北海道人・松浦武四郎-5】

　さていよいよ松浦武四郎の北海道との関わりの段。時代相としてはいよいよ欧米世界からの接触が頻繁になってきて、ついに1853年にアメリカ合衆国東インド艦隊司令長官ペリー率いる艦隊が、日本の江戸湾の入り口である浦賀沖に来航する「黒船騒動」が勃発する時代。
　そこにいたるまでにもさまざまな「接触」が起こって開国に向かっての胎動の時期。
　●1842年8月29日　幕府、文政の撃攘令を廃止（異国船に薪水を給与）。アヘン戦争終結。
　●1842年9月7日　幕府、川越藩に相模海岸を、今治藩に安房上総海岸警備を命ず。
　といった事件、動向が沸き立ってきている。そういうなかで「北門の鎖鑰」という国防上の大テーマが日本国内で巨大なテーマとして浮かび上がってくる。日本全国を旅することに没頭していた松浦武四郎にとってもこうしたテーマは強い問題意識として突き動かされていたことは間違いない。かれ28歳の時に、ついに北海道の地に上陸することになる。
　1845年４月初旬に青森県の鰺ヶ沢から商人の船に乗って蝦夷地の江差に渡る。そこから陸路北上して瀬棚を目指すが、松前藩による旅人への取り締まりが厳しく断念。和賀屋孫兵衛という商人の「手代」となることで交通手段としての馬や移動の宿を確保できて遠く太平洋側の海岸線を歩いて「知床岬」に到達。そこから10月には函館に帰着し松前城下を調査後、11月に江戸に向かったという記録。実質的にはトータル約80日間の北海道内地形探査の旅とされている。
　翌年1846年には今度はトータル210日間にも及ぶ大探査行を行っている。１月に江戸を発出し４月には当時樺太勤務になった松前藩のお抱え医師・西川春庵に随行して宗谷に渡っている。このときは「草履取り」の役職だったとされる。５月25日に樺太に渡って各地を調査。７月16日に宗谷に戻りオホーツク海側の枝幸〜紋別を経て知床まで探査行。８月13日に再び宗谷に戻り、今度は北海道西海岸・日本海側を歩いて江差に戻っている。このとき昨日記載した頼三樹三郎とともに一種の「歌会」を開催している。
　１−２回をみると北海道を知床を境にして「南部」、そして宗谷を起点にして「北部」の地形を詳細に把握する旅だったのだと確認できる。そして第３回は３年後の1849年、33歳の時に函館から船で国後・択捉を中心に探査している。
　御三家和歌山藩領の「地士」としての立場、そしてその地域の経済管理者としての家の立場を使って、人脈的にも大いに活用しているだろう様子がわかる。

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English version⬇

[Three personal research trips to Hokkaido / Hokkaido native Takashiro Matsuura - 5]
Amidst the turmoil of the end of the Edo period, Hokkaido became urgently important to the Japanese state, but information about the region was scarce. Demand for regional information skyrocketed. ...

　Now we come to the section on Matsura Takashiro's involvement with Hokkaido. At this time, contact with the Western world was becoming increasingly frequent, and in 1853, Commodore Perry of the United States East India Squadron arrived at Uraga, the entrance to Edo Bay, sparking the “Black Ship Incident.”
Even before that, there had been various “contacts” leading up to the beginning of the opening of the country.
　●August 29, 1842: The shogunate abolished the Bunsei Expulsion Edict (which prohibited the provision of firewood and water to foreign ships). The Opium War ended.
●September 7, 1842: The shogunate ordered the Kawagoe Domain to guard the Sagami Coast and the Imabari Domain to guard the Awa-Kazusa Coast.
　Such events and developments were beginning to boil over. Amidst this, the major national defense theme of “the key to the northern gate” emerged as a huge issue within Japan. For Matsura Takashiro, who was absorbed in traveling throughout Japan, there is no doubt that this theme was a strong driving force behind his consciousness. At the age of 28, he finally landed on the soil of Hokkaido.
　In early April 1845, he boarded a merchant ship from Ajigasawa in Aomori Prefecture and crossed to Esashi in Ezo. From there, he attempted to travel north by land toward Setana, but strict restrictions imposed by the Matsumae Domain forced him to abandon the plan. By becoming an assistant to a merchant named Wagaya Magobei, he secured horses and lodging for his journey, enabling him to walk along the Pacific coastline and reach Cape Shiretoko. He returned to Hakodate in October, surveyed Matsumae Castle Town, and then headed to Edo in November, according to records. This journey is considered to have been an approximately 80-day exploration of Hokkaido's interior.
The following year, 1846, he undertook a major exploration lasting a total of 210 days. In January, he departed from Edo and in April, he accompanied Nishikawa Haruan, a physician employed by the Matsumae clan who was stationed in Sakhalin at the time, to Soya. At this time, he is said to have held the position of “sandal bearer.” On May 25, he crossed to Sakhalin and surveyed various locations. On July 16, he returned to Soya and conducted an exploration from Esashi to Monbetsu along the Sea of Okhotsk coast, reaching Shiretoko. On August 13, he returned to Soya again and walked along the west coast of Hokkaido and the Sea of Japan side back to Esashi. At this time, he held a kind of “poetry gathering” with Ryo Mikisaburo, who was mentioned yesterday.
From the first and second expeditions, it can be confirmed that this was a journey to gain a detailed understanding of the terrain of Hokkaido, with Shiretoko as the boundary between the “southern” and “northern” regions, starting from Soya. The third expedition took place three years later in 1849, when he was 33 years old, exploring Kunashiri and Etorofu by ship from Hakodate.
It is evident that he made full use of his connections, leveraging his position as a “local official” of the Miyoshi family's Wakayama domain and his family's role as economic managers of the region.

●Notice
My book “Writers and Living Spaces” has been published as an e-book by Gentosha.
Available for purchase on Amazon.

【功成り名遂げた「フーテンの寅さん」？／北海道人・松浦武四郎-4】

　江戸末期、1818年に生まれた松浦武四郎は16歳のとき、ついに江戸への風来坊旅を行う。人生初の旅路。1834年前後ということになる。歴代将軍のなかでも在位50年という家斉の治政の末期（1837年退位）に相当する。この時代は文化文政文化の隆盛時期として知られ、江戸町人文化が成熟し、浮世絵、歌舞伎、洒落本など庶民の生活に根ざした文化が花開いた。地方にも文化が広がり、地域色豊かな文化が形成されたとされている。
　この３年前1831年当時に「伊勢参り」の大ブームが起こった時代。そういう時代相の中で、伊勢参りで空前の経済活況を呈していた伊勢街道の要衝地の地方経済運営担当者の家の末っ子・松浦武四郎。そうなんです、実はわたしも「末っ子」。誕生日の近さとも相俟ってどうも縁の深さをますます痛感（笑）。わたしも本日、関東〜東北と巡る旅の予定ですが、自分自身もそういう心理を共有していると思えてならないのですね（笑）。
　日本人にはこの多様な気候風土の列島の中で、移動し続けて風来坊のように過ごしたいという脈々とした心理志向があり続けているのではないか。西行や芭蕉、さらに踊り念仏の一遍上人なども抜けがたくそういう傾向を共有していると思えてならない。時代相の中で、あるいは宗教指導者になったり、歌人になったり俳人になったりするけれど、人間の傾向として風来坊的な人生模様を生きたいと考える傾向。
　現代人としては「フーテンの寅さん」のような生き方への憧憬が絶対にある。それは生産手段の基本が農業であって土地というものに激しく固執せざるを得ない日本人として「叶わぬ夢のような生き方」なのかも。だから「フーテンの寅さん」は不動の人気を獲得してきたのではないか。
　江戸期のこの時代に空前のお伊勢参りブームが起こったのも、心理の基盤はそういった部分だったに違いない。しかし一方で、現実には寅さんも、ときどきそれぞれの土地で働いたりしている。松浦武四郎も、一遍さんと同様に若いときには僧侶になったりもしているけれど、ときどき「稼いでいた」消息が聞こえてくる。上の写真は北海道の江差で１日に100コもの篆刻（石に字を彫りハンコにする）をして稼いだとされる証拠。幕末の志士、頼山陽の息子・頼三樹三郎が100の漢詩を詠み、武四郎がそれを篆刻したのだという。
　メディアが成立する以前、このようないわば情報に生きる人びとの「稼ぎ」手段の実相が察せられる。
　
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English version⬇

[The successful and famous “Tora-san”? / Hokkaido native Takeshiro Matsuura-4]
The desire to be a “wandering monk,” shared by Japanese people bound to the land by agriculture. A psychological tendency that pulsates in Ippen Shonin, Saigyo, Basho, and others. ...

　Born in 1818 during the late Edo period, Matsura Takashiro finally embarked on his first journey to Edo at the age of 16. This was around 1834, corresponding to the end of the reign of Ienari, who had ruled for 50 years among the successive shoguns (retiring in 1837). This era is known as the heyday of the Bunka-Bunsei cultural period, during which Edo townspeople's culture matured, and popular culture rooted in the lives of the common people, such as ukiyo-e prints, kabuki theater, and satirical books, flourished. Culture also spread to the regions, giving rise to culturally diverse local traditions.
　Three years earlier, in 1831, there was a huge boom in pilgrimages to Ise. In this context, Matsura Takashiro, the youngest son of a local economic administrator in a key location along the Ise Road, which was experiencing unprecedented economic prosperity due to the pilgrimages, was born. Actually, I am also the youngest child. The closeness of our birthdays makes me feel an even deeper connection (laughs). I am also planning to travel around Kanto and Tohoku today, and I can't help but feel that I share that same mindset (laughs).
Perhaps there is a persistent psychological tendency among Japanese people to want to keep moving around and live like a vagabond in this archipelago with its diverse climate and geography. I can't help but feel that Saigyo, Basho, and even the dancing Buddhist monk Ippen also shared this tendency. Depending on the era, they may become religious leaders, poets, or haiku poets, but as human beings, there is a tendency to desire a nomadic lifestyle.
As modern people, there is undoubtedly a longing for a lifestyle like that of “Fūten no Torasan.” Perhaps, as Japanese people whose basic means of production is agriculture and who are inevitably bound to the land, this is a “dream that cannot be realized.” That is why “Fūten no Torasan” has gained such enduring popularity.
The unprecedented boom in pilgrimages to Ise during the Edo period likely stemmed from such psychological foundations. However, in reality, Torasan also occasionally worked in various places. Matsura Takashirō, like Ippen, became a monk in his youth, but there are also reports of him occasionally “earning a living.” The photo above is evidence that he earned money by carving 100 seals (carving characters into stone to make stamps) in a single day in Esashi, Hokkaido. It is said that Raizan Yō, the son of the late Edo-period patriot Raizan Yō, composed 100 Chinese poems, which Takashirō then carved into seals.
　Before the advent of media, this gives us a glimpse into the actual means of earning a living for people who lived off information.

●Notice
My book “Writers and Living Spaces” has been published as an e-book by Gentosha.
Available on Amazon.

【幕末明治期の富豪➡資本家層／北海道人・松浦武四郎-3】

　松浦武四郎の生家は伊勢街道沿いの三重県松阪市の小野江町にあり、庄屋を営む裕福な家であり図のような広大な全国への旅の資金に困ることはなかった。父・時春は庄屋を務めていた。武四郎の兄・佐七が家督を継ぎ基本の生業としては農業を営んでいた。仕事は年貢の取り立てや村のまとめ役など村の経済の管理者という立場。ここが重要だと思えるけれど、空前の「伊勢参り」大ブームによってこの地域には巨万の資力が蓄積されたことは間違いがないだろう。その上現代とは違って税務署機能すら自分たちが担っていたことになるのだ。経済の仕切りの専従家系としてその利益を享受した。幕末から明治にかけての時代相にあっては後の「資本家」になっていく典型的な階層にあたると言えるだろう。
　わたしは作家を中心にして先人の家系の「素性」を見ることが多いのだけれど、明治以降の日本の経済的骨格はこうした層が担っていたことがあきらか。坂本龍馬などの明治の政争の志士たちが、三菱財閥の創始者・岩崎家などに「経済はおまえたちがやれ」と政経を分離させた「時代の雰囲気」を強く感じる。
　作家・太宰治の生家なども明治になって「土地の私有」が公的に認められて、それまでの貸金業から広大な農地私有に舵を切って、大地主・富豪層になっていった。これは日本の近代化の大きな側面だろう。この政経分離ができたことが日本と中国ほかのアジア世界が大きく乖離していった根源だろうか。そういう意味では武士という支配層の強い倫理感・自己認識力が発揮されたこの歴史的経験が、欧米の価値観からしても妥当性があるとされて世界に受容されていったと思えるのだ。
　松浦家というのはその先祖伝承をたどると現在の佐賀県・長崎県である肥前国「松浦」地方を拠点とした松浦水軍の流れを汲むとされている。南北朝時代には南朝方の武将であった北畠氏に仕え、伊勢国に移り住んだと伝えられる。江戸時代には御三家の紀州藩領となり、松浦家は代々「地士」として、村をまとめる役割を担っていた。地士とは有力農民層であり同時に武士身分を獲得した人々を指す。在地の有力な名主や百姓層出身で、土地を支配しつつ戦時には武士として活動した家系。階層的な特権として名字を名乗ることや刀を帯びることを許されていた。こういった背景事情が松浦武四郎という人物を生んだ。ただしかれ自身は旅の途中で手に入れた品々を売買することで、旅費を捻出したりもしたという。
　
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English version⬇

[Wealthy individuals in the late Edo and early Meiji periods ➡ Capitalist class / Takashiro Matsuura, a native of Hokkaido - 3]
The capitalist class of modern Japan was formed on the basis of the “shoya” class of the Edo period. A class that could control the flow of money emerged. ...

　Matsuura Takashiro's birthplace was located in Onoe-cho, Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture, along the Ise Kaido Road. His family was wealthy, running a village headman's office, and had no trouble funding his extensive travels across the country, as shown in the diagram. His father, Tokiharu, served as the village headman. Takashiro's older brother, Sashichi, inherited the family estate and primarily engaged in agriculture as his main occupation. His work involved collecting taxes, managing village affairs, and overseeing the village's economy. This is an important point, but there is no doubt that the unprecedented “Ise Pilgrimage” boom led to the accumulation of immense wealth in this region. Furthermore, unlike in modern times, they even handled tax collection functions themselves. As a family dedicated to managing the economy, they reaped the benefits of this system. In the context of the late Edo to Meiji periods, they represent a typical class that would later evolve into “capitalists.”
　I often examine the “background” of the family lineages of writers, but it is clear that the economic framework of Japan after the Meiji era was supported by such groups. I strongly sense the “atmosphere of the times” in which Meiji-era political figures like Sakamoto Ryoma separated politics and economics, telling the Iwasaki family, founders of the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, “You handle the economy.”
　The birthplace of writer Osamu Dazai also shifted from lending money to owning vast tracts of farmland after the Meiji era, when private ownership of land was officially recognized, becoming a large landowner and wealthy class. This is a major aspect of Japan's modernization. Could this separation of politics and economics be the root cause of the significant divergence between Japan and other Asian countries like China? In that sense, I believe that the strong sense of ethics and self-awareness of the samurai ruling class, as demonstrated in this historical experience, was accepted by the world as being consistent with Western values.
The Matsura family is said to trace its ancestry back to the Matsura naval forces based in the Matsura region of Hizen Province, which is now part of Saga and Nagasaki Prefectures. During the Nanbokucho period, they served the Kitabatake clan, who were generals of the Southern Court, and are said to have moved to Ise Province. During the Edo period, they became part of the Kishu domain, one of the three major domains, and the Matsuura family served as “jishi” (local lords) for generations, playing a role in managing the village. Jishi refers to influential farmers who also obtained samurai status. They were a lineage of powerful local landowners and peasants who ruled the land and served as samurai in times of war. They were granted the hierarchical privilege of using surnames and carrying swords. These circumstances gave rise to the figure of Matsura Takeshiro. However, he himself is said to have earned travel expenses by buying and selling items he acquired along the way.
　
●Notice
My book “Writers and Living Spaces” has been published as an e-book by Gentosha.
Available for purchase on Amazon.

【人口約3000万 「伊勢参り」年500万人／北海道人・松浦武四郎-2】

さて「北海道」の名付け親として広く知れ渡っている松浦武四郎さんの素性を考えるシリーズ。昨日のイントロにひきつづき実質的な第１回です。読者のSさんからさっそくの反応。「どうしてあの時代に、あのように全国を旅しまくるようなことが可能だったのか」と素朴な疑問。まったくその通りであります。どんな「時代背景状況」だったのか。
　松浦さんは1818年3月12日に生まれ、1888年2月10日に亡くなっている。「北海道人」というのはかれ自身が自分の「号」として用いていたのですが、命名としてはかれは第１号の北海道人であるわけです。はるかな民族の後輩としてまたこの地に暮らす人間として、かれの生き様について深掘りさせていただく因果のようなものを自覚している。かれもまた深くそのことは許していただけると内意してその生誕の地を探訪した次第。
　時代は134年違うけれど誕生日もわたしと１日しか違わない。人間の誕生日・星座占いなどにどれほど科学性があるかはわからないけれど、同じ「魚座」生まれとして性格的な部分では同質性があるものか。松浦さんは「旅」というもの、旅するということに深くこだわった人生を歩まれた。わたしも同じように風来坊的に日本語が通じる地域を歩きたい思いは共有しているように思う。まぁケタが違いすぎるけれど（笑）。
　で、写真はかれの生家の正面クローズアップと、その家の中から「表通り」を見た様子。
　この生家は「伊勢参り」の参詣道（伊勢街道）のど真ん前に位置していた。南に行けば伊勢神宮、北に行けば四日市・日永（ひなが）で東海道につながり、古来「おかげ参り」の旅人が行き交った場所とされる。この家は「松阪市指定史跡・松浦武四郎誕生地」として保存公開。きっと北海道からもその名号を慕って（笑）多くのひとが訪れているに違いない。
　この伊勢街道において武四郎13歳の頃「文政のおかげ参り」大ブームが惹起して、なんと年間400-500万人がこの生家の前の道を参詣に往来していたのだという。往復と考えれば年間1,000万人ほどの通行。人口については各種の調査資料があるが、おおむねこの当時は全国3,000万人程度。となれば日本全体人口の1/3程度がこの前を通行していたことになる。驚異的。
　こういう「環境性」が多感な人間にどのように影響を性格形成として与えるか、一種の実験に近い。この大ブームは日本社会の歴史的にも奇跡的な事象だったので、それが多感な少年にどう人格形成するかはきわめて興味深い。ヘタをすると病理のレベルで精神に影響した可能性が捨てられない。
　わたし自身とまた比べるのは恐縮だけれどわたしも少年期3-15歳くらいまで札幌市内最大の「自動車通行路・ハイウェイ」とされた「石山通」という幹線道路に面して暮らしていた。自転車乗り練習であやうく轢かれ死にそうな体験もしている。だけれど、その道路を見つめ続けて、じっとその南方のはるか先に「日本社会」があるのだと憧憬の念を育ててもいた。
　そのような一種、精神病理に似た「作用」が松浦武四郎さんに残影したのではと妄想している・・・。

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English version⬇

[Population: approx. 30 million; 5 million visitors annually for the Ise pilgrimage / Takashiro Matsuura, Hokkaido resident - 2]
The interrelationship between the environment and the human heart. How did the visual experience of a large influx of people, amounting to one-third of the total population, influence the formation of the spirit during a sensitive period? ...

Now, let's continue our series on the life of Matsura Takashiro, widely known as the person who named Hokkaido. Following yesterday's introduction, this is the first installment of the series. We have already received a response from reader S, who asked a simple question: “How was it possible to travel around the country so extensively in those days?” That is exactly right. What was the historical context at that time?
　Matsuura was born on March 12, 1818, and died on February 10, 1888. He used the name “Hokkaido-jin” as his own pen name, but in terms of naming, he was the first Hokkaido-jin. As a distant descendant of his people and as someone who lives in this land, I feel a sense of karmic obligation to delve deeper into his life. I visited his birthplace with the understanding that he would forgive me for doing so.
The era is 134 years different, but our birthdays are only one day apart. I don't know how scientific birthdays and zodiac signs are, but as fellow Pisces, I wonder if we share similar personality traits. Mr. Matsura lived a life deeply committed to “travel.” I share his desire to wander freely through regions where Japanese is spoken. Though, of course, the scale is entirely different (laughs).
The photos show a close-up of the front of his birthplace and the view of the “main street” from inside the house.
　This birthplace was located right in the middle of the pilgrimage route to Ise (Ise Kaido). To the south lies Ise Shrine, and to the north lies Yokkaichi and Hinaga, which connect to the Tokaido Road. It is said to have been a place where pilgrims on the “Okage Pilgrimage” have passed through since ancient times. This house is preserved and open to the public as the “Matsusaka City Designated Historic Site: Birthplace of Matsura Takashiro.” I'm sure many people from Hokkaido also visit, drawn by its reputation (laughs).
During Takashiro's 13th year, the “Bunsei Pilgrimage” boom erupted along the Ise Kaido, with an astonishing 4 to 5 million people passing through the road in front of this birthplace annually. Considering round trips, this amounts to approximately 10 million people per year. Various survey data on population exist, but at that time, the national population was roughly 30 million. This means that approximately one-third of the entire Japanese population passed through this area. It is astonishing.
How such an “environmental factor” influences the character formation of a sensitive individual is akin to an experiment. This massive boom was a miraculous event in Japanese history, so how it shaped the personality of a sensitive young boy is extremely intriguing. It is possible that it may have had a pathological level of influence on the mind.
While it may be presumptuous to compare myself to others, I too lived along “Ishiyama-dori,” the largest “automobile thoroughfare/highway” in Sapporo, from the age of 3 to 15. I also had a close call where I nearly got hit by a car while practicing cycling. However, by staring at that road, I also nurtured a sense of longing for the “Japanese society” that lay far to the south.
I speculate that such a kind of “effect,” resembling a mental pathology, may have left a lingering impression on Matsura Takushiro...

●Notice
My book “Writers and Living Spaces” has been published as an e-book by Gentosha.
Available for purchase on Amazon.

【わたしのNEXTライフテーマ／昔人の生きざまを巡る旅】

　現代人は寿命が延びてきて、わたしの年代の男性平均寿命はだいたい82歳前後と言われます。一方の仕事上の「定年」概念はおおむね65歳。こうした「世間常識」は自由業的な立場で仕事してきた自分も尊重し意識してきた。人間はひとりで生きていけないので、当然多くの関わりもある。判断にはある責任も伴ってくる。
　そういうことで、一定の年齢範囲で「けじめ」を付けることが常識的。
　そうするとその後の「余生」のような時間が生じてくる。比較的元気で健康にある程度の余裕がある高齢者階層が出来てくる。これまでそう大きくは見なされなかった属性集団が出現してきている。経済構造的にも、こうした「層」は新たな人間属性として考えられる必要がある。
　そういうとき「人はいかに生きるべきか」みたいなテーマは浮かび上がってこざるを得ない。自分自身がそういった選択をしそのように行動して相対しているテーマ。
　そういうことに直面して考えたのが松尾芭蕉さんの「奥の細道」冒頭の句。
　「月日は百代の過客にして、行きかふ年もまた旅人なり」〜過ぎゆく月日は永遠の旅人のようで、巡り来る年もまた旅人のように、人生は旅のようなものだという解釈が一般的。
　そんな思いが沸いてきてわたし自身としては、その作品に触れ断片的とはいえ「人間性」理解を持っている昔人、「作家」と言われる人たちの事跡を探訪したいと思ってきた。事跡のなかでも当然ながら「どういう空間で生きていたか」という誰もが持つ素朴な興味を抱き、そのことを「縦軸」にして探訪をしてきています。その断章は「作家と住空間」幻冬舎刊で触れてみたのですが、いま現在もどんどん重層してきている。
　自分自身のNEXT領域。まだまだ「途上」なのですが実に多くの思いが積層してきている。写真は「北海道」の名付け親・松浦武四郎の保存されている「生家」のワンシーンと、間取り図（家相図）。北海道各地でかれの事跡に遭遇するけれど、こういう経験も重なって松浦さんの生き様が生々しく想起されてくるのですね。
　資料類があふれてきているので、順不同ながら徐々に触れていきたいと思います。どうぞよろしく。
　
●お知らせ
拙書「作家と住空間」幻冬舎から電子書籍で発刊
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English version⬇

[My NEXT Life Theme: A Journey Exploring the Lives of People from the Past]
Matsura Takashiro, the man who coined the name “Hokkaido.” In return, I'd like to see the house where you were born (laughs). My second life journey...

　Modern people are living longer, and the average life expectancy for men of my generation is said to be around 82 years old. On the other hand, the concept of “retirement age” in the workplace is generally 65 years old. I have respected and been conscious of these “social norms” even though I have worked as a freelancer. Humans cannot live alone, so naturally, we have many relationships. Judgment comes with a certain amount of responsibility.
For this reason, it is common sense to draw a line at a certain age range.
　This gives rise to a period of “leftover life.” A group of elderly people who are relatively healthy and have some financial leeway begins to emerge. This is a demographic group that has not been given much attention until now. From an economic structural perspective, this “layer” of society needs to be considered as a new human attribute.
At such times, the theme of “how one should live” inevitably comes to the forefront. This is a theme that I myself have faced through my own choices and actions.
　It was in the face of such considerations that Matsuo Basho's opening verse from “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” came to mind.
“The days and months are eternal travelers, and the years that pass are also travelers.”—The passing days and months are like eternal travelers, and the years that come around are also like travelers; life is like a journey. This interpretation is generally accepted.
　With such thoughts arising, I have come to want to explore the lives of those who, though fragmentary, have a understanding of “humanity” through their works, the so-called ‘writers’ of the past. Among their lives, I naturally harbor a simple curiosity about “what kind of space they lived in,” and I have been exploring this as the “vertical axis.” I touched on this in a chapter titled “Writers and Living Spaces” published by Gentosha, but it continues to grow in complexity even now.
My own “next domain.” Though it is still very much a work in progress, a great many thoughts have accumulated. The photo shows a scene from the preserved “birthplace” of Matsura Takashiro, the man who named Hokkaido, along with a floor plan (house layout diagram). I encounter traces of his life throughout Hokkaido, and such experiences vividly bring to mind Matsura's way of life.
With an abundance of materials available, I plan to gradually explore them in no particular order. Please stay tuned.

●Announcement
My book “Writers and Living Spaces” has been published as an e-book by Gentosha.
Available for purchase on Amazon.

【味と建築〜「味わい方」の郷愁訴求スタイル】

　みなさんは外食するとき、どんな基準で店舗を選択するでしょうか？
　建築の大きな領域として店舗建築、それも食事のための店舗ってそのアピールについて多様な価値観が存在している。わたしなど実際の食味とはまったく別にそういう興味分野が大きくなっている。
　昨日はカミさんと札幌近郊の「道の駅」長沼で周辺の農家から出荷されている野菜類を購入するドライブに出ておりました。最近の高温ぶりでそれが野菜類に「大型化」をもたらせているようで、巨大なナスがとくに目に付いていた。気候が反映した野菜類の様子をたっぷりと楽しんでいました。
　わたしは３歳まで農家風景の中で育っていた人間なので、根っからの都会人であるカミさんとは違って農家の田畑風景に深く郷愁を呼び起こされる。自然環境が生み出す温湿度のなかでその土地の持っている地力を生かして、どういう作物ならば適合するか、という農家の試行錯誤が集約されていて、経済面と重ね合わせて見るのが好きなのです。
　しかしカミさんはこういう風景にはまったく無関心。「海辺の景色が片方にあればね・・・」。
　まぁ、育った環境によってこういった相違はあるのでしょうね。
　で、きのうは昼食はジンギスカンのおいしい店で食べたあと、ふと写真のような郊外店の外観風景に誘われて、満腹だったのに、その店舗デザインに興味を惹かれて「どうしようかなぁ」的な客としてオモテだけ参観していた。
　この店の「萬字炭坑」という名前はわたしの育った栗沢町での近隣集落であり父母たちの会話に頻出していた耳覚えのある地名。炭坑という言い方ではなく「炭山」だったなぁと思いつつ、その店舗写真に見入っていた。
　いま現在はそこから移転して、交通量の多い高速道路入口への幹線道路に面した位置ですが、店舗デザインとしては旧所在地での雰囲気を再生させている様子。初代の店主の方とそのご家族とおぼしき写真がエントランスに誇らしく飾ってあって、微笑ましい。
　こういう「タイムスリップ」感にイマドキの顧客は反応するように思われる。

　見ていると駐車場には立派なクルマがびっしり。「スジの良い客層」というのがカミさんの見立て。なかなか鋭い観察力。たしかにこの写真で訴求されるようなノスタルジーは、現代人に「刺さる」。残念ながらわたしはラーメンについては自分で調理する一択で外食はムリなのですが、しかし、建築と味覚についての「感受性」は深く根がらみのように訴求されてきておりました。

●お知らせ
拙書「作家と住空間」幻冬舎から電子書籍で発刊
お求めはAmazonで。
https://amzn.asia/d/eUiv9yO


English version⬇

[Taste and Architecture: Nostalgic Appeal of “How to Enjoy Food”]
Restaurants interact with customers through their design. The appeal of time travel and nostalgia is closely related to taste. The deep relationship between architecture and humans. ...

　When you eat out, what criteria do you use to choose a restaurant?
As a major field of architecture, restaurant architecture, especially for dining establishments, has a wide range of values in terms of its appeal. For me, I have become very interested in this field, quite apart from the actual taste of the food.
　Yesterday, my wife and I went on a drive to the “Michi-no-Eki” (roadside station) in Nagano, near Sapporo, to purchase vegetables from local farmers. Due to the recent high temperatures, the vegetables have apparently grown larger, with giant eggplants particularly catching my eye. We thoroughly enjoyed observing how the climate has influenced the appearance of the vegetables.
　I grew up in a farming environment until I was three years old, so unlike my wife, who is a true city dweller, I feel a deep sense of nostalgia for the sight of farmland. I enjoy observing how farmers experiment with what crops are suitable for the land, utilizing its natural fertility within the temperature and humidity created by the natural environment, and considering this in conjunction with economic factors.
　However, my wife is completely indifferent to such scenery. “If there were a seaside view on one side...”
Well, such differences are probably due to the environments in which we were raised.
Yesterday, after having lunch at a delicious lamb barbecue restaurant, I was drawn to the suburban store's exterior scenery, as seen in the photo, and despite being full, I was intrigued by the store's design and ended up just peeking in as a customer, thinking, “What should I do?”
　The store's name, “Manji Coal Mine,” is a familiar place name from the neighboring village in Kurisawa Town where I grew up, often mentioned in my parents' conversations. I thought to myself, “It was called ‘coal mountain’ instead of ‘coal mine,’” as I stared at the store photo.
　Currently, the store has moved to a location along a major road leading to a busy highway entrance, but the store design seems to recreate the atmosphere of its former location. A photo of the first-generation owner and their family is proudly displayed at the entrance, which is heartwarming.
Such a “time-travel” feel seems to resonate with modern customers.

　Looking at the parking lot, it is filled with impressive cars. My wife's assessment is that they are “high-class customers.” She has quite keen observation skills. Certainly, the nostalgia conveyed in this photo resonates with modern people. Unfortunately, when it comes to ramen, I can only cook it myself and cannot eat out, but my “sensitivity” to architecture and taste has been deeply rooted in me.

●Announcement
My book “Writers and Living Spaces” has been published as an e-book by Gentosha.
Available for purchase on Amazon.