【日本庭園の美感追究 足立美術館の印象】

　近年、欧米の「庭園専門誌」の年度ごとの表彰制度で、島根県の足立美術館の庭園が連年、最優秀賞として顕彰され続けている、というNHK番組での紹介が続いている。
　日本庭園というのはたしかにオモシロい文化現象であり、和の文化の精緻であることも理解できる。わかりやすいところでは京都の伝統文化施設では、その背景あるいは主役として日本的な庭園美が追究されている。住宅と庭という関係性では長い歴史積層からこの列島の気候風土の中でのオリジナルな植生を生かした庭園美が追究されてきた。その積層はすごいことだと思っている。
　しかし一方で、北海道人としてはそういう日本的な植生とはやや違う樹種の自然条件と、なんといっても冬期の積雪のすさまじさ〜札幌で年間積雪６m超という自然環境の中では、そのままの庭園文化は成立しない地域にわたしたちは住み続けている。勢い、その「エッセンス」を受け取って「北国らしい」庭園美を探求するという立場に立たざるを得ない。そういう現実の中では、より気候条件に共通性がある欧米的なスタイルに惹かれるようになるのも、自然だと思っている。
　現実的に冬期間約４ヶ月以上の積雪環境では、いかにも和風庭園的な構成は望めない。
　そうではあるけれど、わたしたち北海道人も日本文化圏のなかの一員であることは事実。できるだけ、こうした和の庭園美の世界に親しみたいという潜在的な願望はある。
　そんな気分で、この足立美術館の庭園美に浸って見た次第です。
　・・・心理的な受け止め方としては、すばらしい。けれど、やはり距離感がある、といったところ。
　この庭園美を維持し続ける庭師さんたちの努力は本当に頭が下がる思い。そして、借景となっている後背の自然環境にも配慮して、日本的庭園美を維持し続けている努力にはほんとうに脱帽であります。こういった和の伝統的な環境・素材とは違った道具立てで、北海道らしい「拡張された花鳥風月」への探究が実際的なんだろうと再確認させられた次第。

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English version⬇

Japanese Garden Aesthetic Pursuit: Impressions of the Adachi Museum of Art]
Japanese garden beauty that interacts with Japanese-style vegetation. The snow-covered environment of the north that nullifies such efforts and covers everything. How can we create “Kacho Fu Fugetsu” (flowers, birds, winds, and the moon) that is uniquely Hokkaido? ...

　In recent years, NHK has been reporting that the Adachi Museum of Art in Shimane Prefecture has been awarded the top prize in the annual awards program of a Western “garden magazine” for many years in a row.
　Japanese gardens are indeed an interesting cultural phenomenon, and it is understandable that they are an exquisite example of Japanese culture. In Kyoto, for example, traditional cultural facilities are pursuing the beauty of Japanese-style gardens, either as a backdrop or as a mainstay. In the relationship between houses and gardens, the beauty of gardens that take advantage of the original vegetation in the archipelago's climate has been pursued for a long time. I think this layering is a wonderful thing.
　On the other hand, as Hokkaido residents, we continue to live in an area where the natural conditions of tree species are somewhat different from those of Japanese vegetation, and where the snowfall in winter is so great that the annual snowfall in Sapporo exceeds 6 meters, that garden culture as it is cannot be established. We have no choice but to take the “essence” of the snowfall and seek the beauty of “northern-style” gardens. In such a reality, I think it is natural to be attracted to the Western style, which has more in common with the climatic conditions.
　In reality, we cannot hope to create a Japanese-style garden in an environment where snow accumulates for more than four months during the winter.
　Nevertheless, it is a fact that we Hokkaido people are a part of the Japanese cultural sphere. We have a latent desire to become familiar with this world of Japanese garden beauty as much as possible.
　It was with this in mind that I immersed myself in the garden beauty of the Adachi Museum of Art.
　The psychological reception was wonderful, but there was still a sense of distance. However, there is still a sense of distance.
　I really admire the efforts of the gardeners to maintain the beauty of the garden. I also take my hat off to the gardeners for their efforts to maintain the Japanese-style beauty of the garden while also taking into consideration the natural environment of the hinterland from which the garden borrows its scenery. I was reminded that it is practical to explore the “extended beauty of flowers, birds, winds, and the moon” that is typical of Hokkaido, using tools different from those used in traditional Japanese environments and materials.

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