本文へジャンプ

【三重県熊野市波田須町・徐福の宮 皇統神話と熊野の旅-9】




　きのうから仕事開始で本日はさっそく出張外出日程。ですがブログは絶対に更新するぞ、という意気込みで書き続けたいと思います。最近、認知症の疑いと言われた方のお話しを聞いたのですが、とくに地理的な感覚が衰えて、あたらしい住所・場所に到達することがきわめて困難になるのだと。
　へぇ〜と驚かされた。このブログでご紹介している全国各地の探訪には当然、常にあたらしい目的地を設定してカーナビを操作して向かうというのがわたしの常態。それに伴って当然、地理認識は錬磨されざるを得ない。方向感覚・距離感の複合された認識能力が常に活発に働らかされる。
　わたしの場合、こうした新規探訪欲求が強く「なんでもみてやろう」みたいな好奇心のかたまり（笑）。その方のお話しを聞き、いても立ってもいられず、またあちこち探訪せねば、と意を強くした次第。その動機として日々のブログ記述はたいへん役立っているので、健康維持にも最重要でしょうね。
　で、本日は行き着くまでにまれに見る苦労をした「徐福の宮」探訪篇。
　上の写真はやや高台に位置する熊野市波田須町の国道311号線から「徐福の宮」の目印である一本木を見下ろしたショット。看板も設置してあった。
　ところが、その看板付近にある「道路」らしきものは、国道から急角度で下って、すぐに曲がりくねるという超難路。北海道の常識感覚ではありえないほどの１車線道路で、しかも路側の石もないという、はじめて訪れた人間の進入を拒むような道でありました。何度見返してみても「これはムリ」。

　詳細地図がこちらですが、徐福の宮の左上ポイントになります。一応，道路にはなっているけれど、細い道を急降下してしかも左折する様子がお分かりいただけるでしょうか。
　「これはなにかの間違いだろう、ありえない」と考えたのですが、そういう間違いの標識をわざわざ国道沿いに設置することはないでしょう。途方に暮れ半分は探訪を諦めて、通り過ごそうかと思ってその場所を離れて、地図上で左手方向にクルマを移動させた。そうしたら運良く地元の方と遭遇。はじめての訪問者にとってそれなりにわかりやすい道順をお聞かせいただいた。「まぁ、だいたい道なりに行けばなんとか」みたいなお話しでした。
　で、目的地からはいったん遠く離れ、地図左端のポイントからうねうねと描かれたクルマ１台がやっとの坂道を下っていった。北海道人として本州地域の街路の狭さはイタいほどに知っているので、クルマは軽もしくはコンパクトカー一択。このときも幸い、軽だったのでなんとかハンドルを操作できた次第。
　それにしても先ほどの案内道とは違って急角度ではないけれど、１台やっとでしかも路側石もない坂道・・・。それも曲がりくねっているので、位置感覚はまったく摑みにくい。カーナビもあまりの難路ぶりで案内機能不全に陥っていた。というか、見るゆとりはとてもない。
　引き返すことも困難なこの状況の時に地元の「郵便配達員」の方と遭遇。先ほどの方と同じお答えでしたが、こちらとしてはそこそこ力強いアドバイスと勇気が出ました、感謝。
　最後は「ここにしか駐車できない」と言われた駐車場を発見できてなんとかクルマを停め、目印の一本木をめがけて歩いて、ようやく現地に到達できた。
　自分の地理認識能力が究極的に鍛えられる困難に耐えた、と言えるでしょうか。まだ認知機能低下はなく挑戦心は元気、若い！（笑）。
　ふ〜、疲れた。以降の現認報告はあしたへ。

English version⬇

Xufuku no Miya, Hadano-cho, Kumano City, Mie Prefecture: A Journey to Kumano and the Myth of the Imperial Lineage-9
Aging decreases cognitive function. Geographical recognition is the most prominent factor in dementia. From walking on a mountain road in Tategasaki to a narrow slope that is difficult to drive on. …

I started work yesterday, and today I will be out of town on a business trip. However, I am determined to keep writing this blog. Recently, I heard a story about a person who was suspected to have dementia, especially geographical sense is deteriorated and it becomes extremely difficult to reach a new address or place.
I was surprised. Whenever I visit the various places in Japan that I introduce in this blog, I always set a new destination and use the car navigation system to get there. This naturally requires me to improve my geographical awareness. My combined sense of direction and distance is always actively exercised.
In my case, I have a strong desire to explore new places, and I have a mass of curiosity like “I’ll try anything” (laugh). Hearing this person’s story, I couldn’t stand still, and I felt strongly that I had to explore again. My daily blog entries have been very helpful in motivating me to do so, which is probably the most important thing for me to do to maintain my health.
Today, I would like to introduce you to “Xufu’s Palace,” which was one of the most difficult places I ever visited before I arrived there.
The photo above is a view looking down on Ippongi, the landmark of “Xufuku no Miya,” from Route 311 in Hadasu-cho, Kumano City, which is located on a slightly elevated plateau. A signboard was also in place.
However, what appeared to be a “road” near the sign, however, was an extremely difficult road that descended at a steep angle from the national highway and then quickly curved around. It was a one-lane road, which is impossible in the common sense of Hokkaido, and there were no roadside stones, so it was the kind of road that first-time visitors would refuse to enter. No matter how many times I looked back at it, I thought, “This is impossible.

The detailed map is shown here, at the upper left point of the Xufu Palace. You can see that the road is a road, but it is a narrow road with a sharp drop off and a left turn.
I thought to myself, “This must be some kind of mistake, it can’t be,” but I would not have bothered to place such a wrong sign along the national road. At a loss, I gave up halfway and moved my car to the left on the map, thinking that I would pass by the place. As luck would have it, I ran into a local. He gave me directions that were reasonably easy to follow for a first-time visitor. He said, “Well, if you follow the road, you should be able to make it.
Once far from our destination, we started from the point on the left edge of the map and headed down a winding road that was barely enough to accommodate one car. As a person from Hokkaido, I know how narrow the streets are in the Honshu area, so I had to choose a light or compact car. Fortunately, the car was light, so I was able to maneuver the steering wheel.
Unlike the previous guideway, the slope was not steep, but it could barely accommodate one car, and there were no roadside stones. It was also winding, so it was difficult to get a sense of where we were. The car navigation system was also not functioning properly due to the difficulty of the road. In fact, there was no time to look at it.
It was at this point that we encountered a local “mailman,” who gave us the same answer as the previous person. He gave us the same answer as the previous person, but he was able to give us some powerful advice there.
Finally, we managed to find a parking lot where we were told that we could only park here, parked our car, and walked toward the landmark Ippongi tree to finally reach the site.
I guess you could say that I endured a real-life difficulty that ultimately trained my geographical awareness. I am still young.
I am tired. I’ll report on the next day.

Posted on 1月 10th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

【楯ヶ崎を目途に神武帝、二木島上陸？ 皇統神話と熊野の旅-8】




途中でシカさんと出会って、ゾッコンにさせられた（笑）この楯ヶ崎行き。どんなイキモノもその動作表情には「神がかった」ものがある。自然の摂理に沿ったイキモノとして当然。その出会いの瞬間のタイミングで「こころに残る」ということがある。たぶん恋情とも通じるものでしょうね。抗いがたい好意が芽生えるような瞬間というものがあるのでしょう。
日本文化ではなぜか奈良のシカたちがその象徴のようになっていく。神鹿。奈良春日大社の祭神、武甕槌命（タケミカヅチノミコト）は鹿島神宮（茨城県）から神鹿に乗ってきたと伝わる。鹿は神の使いとして古くから手厚く保護された。わたしは偶然、楯ヶ崎で自然のシカに出会ってしまった（笑）。だからということではないけれど、事実の背景部分で徐々に神武東征経路への「さもありなん」感プッシュ気味。
タケミカヅチノミコトは神代に国譲りの主役となり、さらに古事記ではこの神武東征上陸時にも高倉下（たかくらじ）という人物に神託を与え神武天皇に霊剣布都御魂をもたらしたとされる。
ともあれ、今次の熊野行は永くナゾと思っていた神武東征という皇統神話への探索旅。きわめて重要な上陸地に関しての実体験を得ることが中心軸です。ひとつの有力説として楯ヶ崎を海路上の目印・目途とした東征船団はその近隣の適地・良港として二木島湊に上陸したとされる。途中、神武帝の兄２人を海難で失いながら、上陸を果たしたとされるのですね。


図は橿原神宮の「神武天皇東遷の奇跡」からで、その下の港湾航空写真は三重県のHPより。図の「荒坂の津」というのが二木島と擬定されている。そこから吉野まで「八咫烏」の先導で山路を踏破していく。そして大和平定の大戦略「日を背に負って敵を制圧する」作戦展開していったという。
この大戦略は、壬申の乱でも関ヶ原でも日本史を貫いている成功戦略のようにも思える。
わたしの興味としては歴史と神話の狭隘部分についての探究心ということ。
まずは、熊野信仰というものの文化的側面を受容しつつ、日本文化のある部分を象徴している皇統神話について身体感覚を持ちたいということになるワケです。
今回までの探索では、熊野という紀伊の狭隘地域が大規模なカルデラを地形根拠にしていることが明確にわかった。そしてその異形な地形と皇統神話が強く結びついていることも体感できた。このことは、大づかみの認識として間違いがないでしょう。楯ヶ崎の柱状節理は雄弁だと思う。
そして異形の地形が日本文化に特徴的な自然崇拝・修験道などの積層があって、やがて神仏習合というように精神文化が形成されていくとき、熊野はこの精神文化の「聖地」化されていったのでしょう。それが歴史事実かどうかは別として、精神文化として色濃く堆積していったことは事実。
そのあたりの日本精神文化とはやや遠い世界標準的歴史時間を刻んできている北海道人としては、ある意味新鮮な感覚を持って体感させられているところです。

English version⬇

The Emperor Jinmu landed on Nigijima with Tategasaki as his goal? The Imperial Mythology and Kumano Journey-8]
A search for the myth surrounding Arasaka-no-tsu, the point of landing in Kumano during the Jinmu expedition to the east. As a Hokkaido resident, I would like to experience the narrow point between faith and truth. …

On the way to Tategasaki, I met Shika-san, who made me fall in love with him (laugh). Every animal has a “godlike” expression in its movement. It is natural for any creature to have a “divine” expression. The timing of the moment of encounter is what makes it “memorable. Perhaps it is the same with love. There must be a moment when an irresistible affection develops.
In Japanese culture, for some reason, the deer of Nara have become a symbol of this. The “sacred deer”. Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto, the deity of the Kasuga Grand Shrine in Nara, is said to have ridden a sacred deer from the Kashima Shrine (Ibaraki Prefecture). Deer, as the messengers of the gods, have long been heavily protected. I happened to meet a natural deer in Tategasaki (laughs). (Laughs.) Not necessarily because of that, but the background of the fact is gradually pushing the “so it goes” feeling toward the route of the Jimbu expedition.
Takemikazuchinomikoto played a leading role in the handing over of the land to the Emperor in the divine era, and according to the Kojiki, he gave an oracle to a man named Takakura-ji when he landed on the eastern coast of Japan to bring the sacred sword Futo-mikoto to Emperor Jinmu.
In any case, this next trip to Kumano is a journey of exploration into the mythology of the imperial lineage of the Jinmu expedition, which has long been a mystery to us. The central axis of this trip is to gain firsthand experience of the most important landing sites. One popular theory is that the expeditionary fleet, which had set its sights on Tategasaki, landed at Futakishima Minato as a suitable location and good port nearby. It is said that they made landfall while losing two of Emperor Jinmu’s elder brothers in maritime accidents along the way?

The figure is from “The Miracle of Emperor Jinmu’s Eastward Transition” at the Kashihara Jingu Shrine, and the harbor aerial photo below it is from Mie Prefecture’s website. The “Arasaka-no-tsu” in the figure is identified as Futakijima. From there, “Yatagarasu” led the way through the mountains to Yoshino. They then developed a grand strategy to conquer the enemy with the sun on their backs in order to pacify Yamato.
This grand strategy seems to be a successful strategy that has been followed throughout Japanese history, both in the Jinshin Rebellion and in Sekigahara.
My interest is to explore the narrow point between history and mythology.
First of all, I would like to have a physical sense of the mythology of the imperial lineage, which symbolizes a certain part of Japanese culture, while accepting the cultural aspects of the Kumano faith.
In this exploration, it has become clear that Kumano, a narrow region in Kii, is based on a large caldera. We have also experienced the strong connection between the unusual topography and the myth of the imperial lineage. There is no doubt about this as a general understanding. I think the columnar joints of Tategasaki are eloquent.
And when the oddly shaped topography was layered with nature worship, Shugendo, etc., characteristic of Japanese culture, and eventually spiritual culture was formed, as in the Shinto/Buddhist syncretism, Kumano must have been made a “sacred place” for this spiritual culture. Whether this is a historical fact or not, it is a fact that the spiritual culture has been strongly deposited in Kumano.
As a Hokkaido resident who has lived in a world-standard historical time that is somewhat distant from the Japanese spiritual culture, I am experiencing it with a fresh sensation in a certain sense.

Posted on 1月 9th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

【異形の自然と「ひとりきり」で出会う 皇統神話と熊野の旅-7】



世界遺産“紀伊山地の霊場と参詣道” は2004年の指定と言うこと。道の世界遺産ということではキリスト教世界のスペイン、フランスにまたがる「サンティアゴ・デ・コンポステーラの巡礼路」と2つだけ。この楯ヶ崎は伊勢路の周辺に位置することになる。
自然造形はそれこそ熊野地域一帯にその美感を見せている。そういう美感の中にいると神がそこに宿っているとごく普通に感得するものなのだろうか。北海道の地に産まれ住んでいる身からすると、この近畿地方にこうした自然造形での感動地域が広く存在していることに新鮮なよろこびを感じる。古格をまとったはるかな先人と出会うようなちょっとうれしい感覚と言えるだろうか。
さてはじめて歩く楯ヶ崎への自然林道から、一瞬、木陰越に見えたのが上の写真。「おお、これが楯ヶ崎か、なぁ？」「すこし見え方、違うような？」と思ったけれど、その下の現地「案内図」分岐点からさらに上った尾根の位置からだったのでとっさには楯ヶ崎と思った。だけれども後で確認したら、どうも無名の崖面のよう。地図写真上にわたしが白い矢印を付けた楯ヶ崎のとなりの崖面。うーむ、紛らわしい（笑）。
きのう、途中で出会ったシカのことを書いたけれど、きのうなにげにNHKの奈良に取材した歴史番組中に春日山のシカの画像があって、ついスマホを向けていた。楯ヶ崎への道中で出会ったシカさんの後ろ姿の様子とまったく同じような体勢だった。個人的な体験って少し美化されて印象に残っていくのだなぁと実感。シカさんへの愛情が強くなってきている。背景は奈良の市街地なのでその辺は大違いですが。おっと横道。

ときどき左手にチラチラと上の断崖が見え隠れするのですが、道は角度が振れていってやがて視界からは消えていくほどに林道を進まされる。「あれ、さっきの断崖良かったのに、どうなるのかなぁ」とやや混乱しながら先へ先へと、道はわたしに「引導を渡して」くる。う〜む、しょがない。

そんなわたしの不安な心理を見透かしたように、やがて一気に視界は広々とした太平洋の岸壁上に開放されていく。眼下には押し寄せる波が渦を巻いているような景観。
どうも手前側は地図で書かれている「千畳敷」の一部のようです。「灯台」は右手手前側に確認することができました。


そうするとと視線を左手に向けたら、朝日を逆光に浴びながら、黒々とした「楯」状の岩塊が見えてきました。片道1.9kmと言いながら、アップダウンといろいろな風景景観を目に焼き付けさせられた末の目的地であります。ふ〜、ずいぶんと迷わせられたけれど、見ていた写真通りの外観形状。しかしこの時期の朝にはここまで逆光になってしまうのかと、ここまで来てようやく「誰もいない」理由がわかった（笑）。
でもまぁそんな繰り言は、きれいさっぱり汗がひいていくように消えていった。

English version⬇

Encountering the Unusual Nature “Alone”: Imperial Mythology and Kumano Journey-7
During this early morning visit to Tategasaki, I did not encounter any human beings. The journey where the inner world encounters all the phenomena of nature with its bare skin. …

The World Heritage Site “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range” was designated in 2004. There are only two World Heritage sites along the road: the pilgrimage route of Santiago de Compostela in Spain and France, which straddle the border between the Christian world. Tategasaki is located on the periphery of the Ise Road.
The natural formations show their beauty all over the Kumano area. When you are in the midst of such beauty, it is quite normal to feel that God resides there. As someone who was born and lives in Hokkaido, I feel a fresh sense of joy at the fact that there is such a wide area of inspiring natural formations in the Kinki region. I guess you could say that it is a little like meeting a distant predecessor clad in ancient dignity.
From the natural forest road to Tategasaki, which I walked for the first time, I saw the photo above for a moment over the shade of the trees. “Oh, is this Tategasaki? It looks a little different, doesn’t it? I thought it was Tategasaki, but it was located on the ridge further up from the junction of the local “guide map” below, so I immediately thought it was Tategasaki. However, when I checked later, it seemed to be an unnamed cliff face. The cliff face next to Tategasaki, which I marked with a white arrow on the map. Hmmm, it is confusing (laugh).
Yesterday, I wrote about the deer we met on the way to Tategasaki, but yesterday I saw an image of deer in Kasuga-yama in NHK’s history program on Nara, and I couldn’t help pointing my phone at it. The deer we met on the way to Tategasaki was in the exact same posture as the deer we saw on the road to Tategasaki. I realized that personal experiences are a bit beautified and leave a lasting impression. My affection for the deer is getting stronger. The background is the urban area of Nara, though, so there is a big difference in that area. Oops, a side road.

Sometimes I would glimpse the cliff above me on my left, but the road would swing in an angle and eventually disappear from view as I was forced to continue on through the woods. I was a little confused, wondering what was going to happen to the cliff that was so nice earlier, but the road kept “leading” me onward. I was wondering what was going to happen to me.

As if seeing through my anxious state of mind, my view was soon opened up to the wide expanse of the Pacific Ocean. Below me, the view is like a whirlpool of surging waves.
Apparently, the foreground is part of the “Senjojiki,” as described on the map. The “lighthouse” could be seen on the front right.

Then I turned my gaze to the left and saw a dark “shield” shaped mass of rock backlit by the morning sun. Although it was only 1.9 km one way, this was our destination after having our eyes burned by the ups and downs and the various landscapes. Well, we got lost for a long time, but the exterior shape was just as I had seen it in the pictures. However, I finally understood the reason why there was no one here, as I wondered if it would be so backlit in the morning at this time of the year (laugh).
But, well, that kind of nonsense disappeared as if I was sweating.

Posted on 1月 8th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類 | No Comments »

【楯ヶ崎へ国道脇駐車場から林道４km 皇統神話と熊野の旅-6】



さて北海道から熊野のひとつの象徴としての楯ヶ崎への道。往古の神武東征の重要な故地であり、その後の中世での上皇たちによる「熊野詣」でも、当然行脚したことが考えられる。そういった「高名」な場所なので現代においては、相当「観光開発」されているものと漠然と想像していた。
しかし交通状況を調べるほどに熊野地域全体としてあまり利便性は高くはないことは薄々感じていた。それでもそれなりに開発されているものと思い込んでいた。前日宿泊した旅宿で「楯ヶ崎に行くのです」と申告したときの地元の人としての反応も意外そうであり、「ん？」とは思っていた。
ということで翌朝、クルマで30分ほど走って国道311号線の脇の「楯ヶ崎」駐車場に。最初は「あ、なんかちっちゃい駐車場があるな」とは思ったが、あまりな意外さで通り過ぎてしまった。そこから数分走ったら、反対側車線側にそこそこの駐車場。しかし、高名な観光スポットという刷り込みがあったのでそこもスルーしてさらに先へ向かった。行けども行けどもなにもない・・・。
「そうすると・・・」と、ようやく「観光地」概念への疑念が湧いてきて引き返すことにした。そこまで人影も見えなかったのだけれど、ようやく地元の方が早朝散歩されているのとすれ違うことができて楯ヶ崎について尋ねることができた。・・・あの「ちっちゃい駐車場」が目的のスポットだという。目的の楯ヶ崎はそこから山道の自然道を片道1.9km歩いた先にあるのだと判明。
その段階でようやく、この紀伊半島・熊野地域という実像が感得できはじめてきた。
事前にはこの楯ヶ崎探訪についての安部龍太郎の「半島をゆく」を読んでいたのだけれど、その記述以上に「北海道っぽい」ことがわかってきてしまったのですね。安倍さんはわたしより３つほど年下だけれど、体力的にかなりキツかったと記述されていた。「あれはホントだったのか」という迂闊な気付き（笑）。
まぁそれでも普段から早朝散歩で往復4km程度は札幌の円山周辺地域を歩いているので、体力的には問題はない。よし行くぞ。

この山道はまことに自然そのまま、リアス式海岸地形がそのまま残されていて、起伏と変化に満ちている。途中には湾入りして海岸に出る。そこに「阿古師神社」があって、その機縁も知っているので、参拝させていただいたあと、さらに半島部の山岳地形のなかに分け入っていく。
ほぼ無心で道標のままに歩いていて、ふと気付いたら野生のシカの後ろ姿と5-6m至近で遭遇。
森の中での突然の遭遇であります。あまりに咄嗟だったのでスマホ写真にまでこころが回らなかった。ただ気付いてカメラを向けたら、シカは早々に気付いて去って行ったことでしょう。この遭遇はまったくの一瞬の静寂なイキモノ同士の出会い。
シカの方でもこちらに気付かなかったようで、かれはかれの棲息する普段の環境の中で、静寂な心理のままに自然と一体になって呼吸していると感じた。札幌円山で出会う野生動物はリスや野鳥などで、ここまで大型の動物と出会うことはない。もしあるとすればそれはヒグマ。札幌以外ではクルマに乗っていてシカと遭遇することはあるけれど、こちらもカラダひとつだけの素肌感覚で遭遇するのははじめて。
こちらが「お邪魔」していることは明らかだけれど、かれがわたしに気付かないようには、この時わたしも自然と無心に同期していたのだろうかと、なぜか少しうれしかった。自分でも不思議な心理ですね。

そして楯ヶ崎、熊野の「地域の空気感」がこのとき一気にカラダに染み込んで来た。

English version⬇

4 km of forest road from the parking lot by the national road to Tategasaki [Imperial Mythology and Kumano Trip-6].
Due to a spur-of-the-moment encounter, I was unable to photograph the deer in the forests of Kumano. The deer I encountered in the back were quite naturally divine. …

The road from Hokkaido to Tategasaki is one of the symbols of Kumano. It was an important place for the ancient expedition of the ancient Japanese emperor Jinmu to Kumano, and it is thought that the emperors of the Middle Ages naturally traveled to Kumano on their pilgrimages. Since it is such a “famous” place, I had vaguely imagined that it had been developed as a tourist destination in modern times.
However, the more I investigated the traffic situation, the more I realized that the Kumano area as a whole was not very convenient. Even so, I assumed that the area had been developed to a certain extent. When I told the inn where I had stayed the day before that I was going to Tategasaki, the reaction of the locals was not surprising. I had thought so.
So the next morning, I drove 30 minutes to the “Tategasaki” parking lot off Route 311. At first I thought, “Oh, there is a tiny parking lot,” but I passed by it because it was so unexpected. After driving for a few minutes, I found a parking lot on the opposite side of the road. However, I had an impression that it was a well-known tourist spot, so I passed it and headed further on. I kept going and going, but nothing.
I finally began to doubt the concept of a “tourist spot,” and decided to turn around. I didn’t see any people, but finally I passed a local walking early in the morning and he asked me about Tategasaki. He told me that the “tiny parking lot” was the spot I wanted to visit. It turned out that our destination, Tategasaki, was 1.9 km away from there on a mountain nature trail.
At this point, I finally began to get a sense of the Kii Peninsula and the Kumano area.
I had read Ryutaro Abe’s book, “Peninsula on the Way,” about his visit to Tategasaki, but it turned out to be even more “Hokkaido-like” than Abe’s description. Abe is about three years younger than I am, but he described the trip as physically demanding. I realized that I had been careless and wondered if it was true (laugh).
But I usually take an early morning walk of about 4 km round trip in the Maruyama area of Sapporo, so I have no problem physically. So, I’m going to go.

This mountain road is truly natural, with the rias coastline remaining as it is, full of ups and downs and changes. The path leads to a bay and then to the coast. There is a shrine called “Akoji Shrine” there, which I know the connection to, so after paying my respects, I continued on into the mountainous terrain of the peninsula.
I was walking almost mindlessly, following the signposts, when I suddenly realized that I had encountered the back of a wild deer at a distance of 5 to 6 meters from me.
It was a sudden encounter in the forest. It was so sudden that I didn’t even think to take a picture with my phone. If I had just noticed it and pointed my camera at it, the deer would have noticed it and gone away. This encounter was a totally momentary encounter between two quiet creatures.
Even the deer did not seem to notice us, and I felt that he was breathing as one with nature in his usual habitat, with a tranquil mind. Wild animals encountered in Maruyama are squirrels, wild birds, etc., and we never encounter such large animals. If there is such a thing, it is a brown bear. Outside of Sapporo, I have encountered deer while riding in a car, but this was the first time for me to encounter a deer with only my body against its skin.
It was obvious that I was “intruding” on him, but for some reason I was a little happy, wondering if I had been in sync with nature and mindless, as if he had not noticed me at the time. It’s a strange psychology even for me.

And the “local atmosphere” of Tategasaki and Kumano soaked into my body at once.

Posted on 1月 7th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

【北海道から神武東征の楯ヶ崎へ 皇統神話と熊野の旅-5】



楯ヶ崎という景観の写真は上のようにWEB上で確認することができる。北海道の層雲峡などでよく見ている「柱状節理」地形がそのまま海中からそそり立っていると事前には感じられていた。
神武東征という皇統の成立にとっての歴史的結節点のことを北海道にいて考えて続けていた。一回現地を見てみたい、古代史のナゾ、日本の国の始原のカタチを構成した「国体のルーツ」を確認したいと念願したワケ。他用もあったけれど、主にこのことを眼目にして北海道を旅立った。その時間を持てるようになったことに深く感謝しながら。
日本列島37,000年史という見方では、ながく縄文的な狩猟採集の時代が続き、大きな食物採集要素として海生動物の摂取が基盤を形成していた。日本海側地域だけではなく太平洋側海岸地域でも同様に適地「開発」されていたに違いない。それが弥生以降、稲作農業が国土全域に拡大しその適不適によって開発偏差が進行したことだろう。
日本皇室の成り立ちにとって、稲作文化の主導者という側面は強かったのだと感じる。アマテラスが皇祖神であることは稲作農業の最大の守護神が太陽神であることを示しているし、天皇は農業歳事について田植えなどを行うことが知られて、繰り返し国民に広報拡散されている。
北海道がながく日本国家から化外扱いされてきたことはこうした国の成り立ちも関わっているのだろう。日本の国体が中華的権威主義国家とか、あるいはロシア的な狩猟採集型独裁国家であれば、北海道島へのこのような歴史的・伝統的な距離感はなかったのではないか。ロシア皇帝型権力であれば間違いなくすぐに領土化しただろう。
話がそれ気味（笑）。ともあれ、北海道から熊野・楯ヶ崎はとにかく遠い。
旅程の関係から大阪伊丹空港に降りて神戸空港から北海道に帰ることになった。大阪からは伊勢路を通るか、紀州路を通るか迷うけれど、高速道路の利便性などを考えて伊勢路となった。日中時間に途中にいくつかのポイントも経由して寄り道できるのでその利便性もあった。なので楯ヶ崎になるべく近い場所で夜に到着・宿泊して、元気いっぱいの状態で早朝から山道往復４kmを踏破したいと考えたのであります。あ、もちろん移動はレンタカー。


写真は宿泊した「勝三屋」さんの様子。三重県尾鷲市梶賀町ということで楯ヶ崎へ向かうには伊勢路ルートとしてはいちばん近そうだったのですね。途中数カ所寄り道した後だったので、現地到着は夜の８時ころ。着いてみて初めて、こちらが漁港に面していて「釣り人」御用達系だということを知った（笑）。
ご主人は漁師さんで釣り人をスポット箇所に送迎されたりしていて、奥さんが接客食事などをやっているという「家庭的」な雰囲気。楯ヶ崎のいちばん近い宿泊施設という当方の選択基準は、現地としては「へぇ〜」という勘違いぶりでした（笑）。まぁそういうのも旅の面白さ、ではありますね。　＜長くなったので以下、あしたへ＞

English version⬇

From Hokkaido to Tategasaki, the site of the Jimmu expedition to the east, a trip to Kumano and the myth of the Imperial lineage -5
Arriving in Osaka, we took the Ise route to Kumano Tategasaki. After several stops along the way, the nearest inn was reserved for sea anglers. A modern-day Kumano pilgrimage to a nearly extinct land (laugh). The first time I went to Ise…

Photos of the Tategasaki landscape can be found on the web as shown above. I had a preliminary impression that the “columnar jointed terrain” often seen in Sounkyo and other places in Hokkaido was rising directly out of the sea.
While in Hokkaido, I kept thinking about the historical node for the establishment of the imperial lineage, the Jimmu expedition. I wanted to visit the site, to see the mysteries of ancient history, and to confirm the roots of the kokutai, which constituted the original form of the nation of Japan. Although I had other plans, this was the main purpose of my trip to Hokkaido. I am deeply grateful that I now have the time to do so.
The 37,000-year history of the Japanese archipelago shows a long period of Jomon-like hunting and gathering, based on the consumption of marine animals as a major food-gathering element. Not only the Sea of Japan coast region, but also the Pacific coast region must have been “developed” in the same way. After the Yayoi period, rice agriculture expanded throughout the country, and development deviations probably progressed according to the suitability of the land.
I feel that the leadership of rice culture was a strong factor in the formation of the Japanese imperial family. The fact that Amaterasu is the ancestral deity of the emperor indicates that the sun goddess is the greatest guardian deity of rice agriculture, and the emperor is known to perform agricultural events such as rice planting, which is repeatedly publicized and spread among the people.
The fact that Hokkaido has long been treated as an outcast by the Japanese nation may have something to do with its origins. If Japan had been a Chinese-style authoritarian state or a Russian-style hunter-gatherer dictatorship, this historical and traditional distance from the island of Hokkaido would not have existed. A Russian czarist-type power would certainly have made it a territory immediately.
This is a bit off topic (laughs). Anyway, Kumano and Tategasaki are far from Hokkaido.
Due to our itinerary, we had to get off at Osaka Itami Airport and return to Hokkaido from Kobe Airport. I was torn between taking the Ise-road or the Kishu-road from Osaka, but decided to take the Ise-road considering the convenience of the expressway. We also had the convenience of being able to stop at several points along the way during the daytime. Therefore, we wanted to arrive and stay at a place as close to Tategasaki as possible at night, and start the 4-km round trip on the mountain road early in the morning with full of energy. Oh, and of course, we rented a car for transportation.

The photo shows the “Katsumiya” where we stayed. The hotel is located in Kajiga-cho, Owase City, Mie Prefecture, so it was the closest Ise route to Tategasaki. We arrived there around 8:00 p.m. after making several stops along the way. It was only after we arrived that we learned that the restaurant faced a fishing port and was frequented by “fishermen” (laugh).
The owner is a fisherman who takes anglers to and from the spot, and his wife is in charge of serving customers and making meals. Our selection criterion was that it was the closest accommodation to Tategasaki, but we were mistaken. Well, that’s the fun of traveling, isn’t it?　＜(Laughs.) It’s a long story, so I’ll leave it for tomorrow.

Posted on 1月 6th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

【カルデラ地形と古代の信仰心 皇統神話と熊野の旅-4】



熊野地域の中心都市・新宮市は特異な地形と歴史年代での「熊野信仰」という独自の文化性についての研究を促進するために「熊野学」というカテゴリーを立ち上げ、公共自治体として学会などの活動をバックアップしている。こちらがそのHP。
大阪の伊丹空港で「熊野に行くんです」とレンタカー屋さんで車を借りるときスタッフの若い方に言ったとき「熊野ってどこですか？」と問い返された。京阪神地域ではそういう認識なんだと知らされた。言外に「わざわざ北海道から来た人が」という響きもあったほど。それくらい紀伊南部は関西圏でも「遠い」地域なのでしょうね。関西中央からはかなり遠隔な自治体としてこうした熱意ある取り組みには、北海道人としてもエールを送りたくなる。
一説では1500万年前の地球規模でも最大級のカルデラ噴火がこの地域で発生して、特異な地形が形成されたとされている。「熊野カルデラ」とWikiで参照するとこうした「世界最大級」という情報が出てくるけれど、公共の立場からはまだ学会的に公知とされてはいないというスタンス。
しかし、特異なカルデラ地形が紀伊地域の太平洋岸一体で形成されていることは事実。このような地質学的な検証は冷静に進んでいただきたいと思います。
こうした地球的な火山活動の一端は、和歌山県東牟婁郡串本町の「橋杭岩」（２枚目の写真）の生成メカニズム解説でわかる。以下がその解説図面。


こういった地球レベルのカルデラ活動が造形した自然景観に対して、古代の人びとはどんな印象を抱いたかと考えれば、熊野詣の意味合いがわかりやすく伝わってくる。自然科学の基礎知識が下地にない状態でこうした景観に接すれば、熊野信仰という民族的「昇華」が符合すると気付く。
そしてさらに国生み神話などとの相互作用があったとも想像できる。イザナギ・イザナミにちなんだ象徴的ポイントが熊野各地に刻印されていくことになった。そういった流れで、逆に神武天皇の「東征」経路としてこの熊野の地がアナロジーされたのだとも類推される。
このあたりは神話の霧に包まれていて、凡百としては探究の仕様がない。ただ、神武東征がなんらかの事実の痕跡であるのなら、この熊野を上陸地点にしたというその構想力は素晴らしい。世界の皇統神話のなかでバツグンのレベルではないかと思わされる。そして生成期から日本の皇統が「民のために祈る」存在であり続けたことと併せ、非常に着眼点がすごいことだと思う。
世界の王統神話がほとんどその「出生」時を以て始原とするのに対して、日本の皇統は「神武帝の即位」を以て始原としていることも特異的だとされる。あくまでも統治の正当性ということが主眼であって必ずしも血の神聖性が根拠ではないのだと。
そして万人が納得せざるを得ない自然造形の特異性が、皇統神話に強い説得力を持ったことは間違いない。いよいよ、神武東征の熊野からという経路に興味が深まっていくのですね。

English version⬇

Caldera Topography and Ancient Faith: Imperial Mythology and Kumano Journey-4
The Kumano faith, which has instilled a sense of “samoarinann” even in the myth of the birth of the nation. Persuasive power that far exceeds the world’s royal myths. …

Shingu City, the central city of the Kumano region, has established the category of “Kumano Studies” to promote research on the unique cultural nature of “Kumano worship” in its unique topography and historical age, and is backing up the activities of academic societies and other organizations as a public municipalityこちらがそのHP。

When I told a young staff member at Itami Airport in Osaka that I was going to Kumano when I rented a car at a car rental shop, he asked me, “Where is Kumano?” He asked me “Where is Kumano? I was informed that this was the perception in the Keihanshin region. He even said, “Someone came all the way from Hokkaido. That must be how “remote” the southern part of Kii is, even in the Kansai region. As a Hokkaido native, I would like to send my encouragement to such enthusiastic efforts by a municipality that is quite remote from the central Kansai region.
One theory is that one of the largest caldera eruptions on a global scale occurred in this area 15 million years ago, forming a unique topography. When you refer to “Kumano caldera” on Wiki, you will find information about this “world’s largest caldera,” but from a public standpoint, the stance is that it is not yet public knowledge in the academic world.
However, it is a fact that a unique caldera topography is formed on the Pacific coast of the Kii area. We hope that such geological verification will proceed calmly.
One aspect of such global volcanic activity can be seen in the explanation of the formation mechanism of “Hashikaiwa” (second photo) in Kushimoto-cho, Higashimuro-gun, Wakayama Prefecture. The following is the explanatory drawing.

If we consider what kind of impression ancient people had on these natural landscapes formed by caldera activities on a global level, we can easily understand the meaning of Kumano pilgrimage. If one comes in contact with such landscapes without a basic knowledge of natural science, he or she will realize that the Kumano worship is a nationalistic “sublimation” that is consistent with the Kumano faith.
We can also imagine that there was an interaction with the myth of the birth of the nation. Symbolic points associated with Izanagi-Izanami were imprinted all over Kumano. In this way, it is analogous that the Kumano area was analogized as the route of Emperor Jinmu’s “Eastern Expedition” to Japan.
This area is shrouded in a fog of mythology, and as a layman, I have no way to explore it. However, if the Jinmu Expedition is some trace of fact, the conception of Kumano as a landing site is impressive. It is one of the most outstanding myths of the imperial lineage in the world. The fact that the Japanese imperial lineage has been “praying for the people” from the time of its creation is also a very impressive point of view.
It is also unique in that, while most of the world’s royal myths date their origin from the time of birth, the Japanese imperial lineage dates from the “accession of the Emperor Jinmu. The main focus is on the legitimacy of the rule, not necessarily on the sanctity of blood.
The uniqueness of the natural formations, which everyone had to agree on, was undoubtedly a strong persuasive force in the myth of the imperial lineage. Finally, we are becoming more and more interested in the route of the Jinmu expedition from Kumano, aren’t we?

Posted on 1月 5th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

【神武東征の苦難とその昇華 皇統神話と熊野の旅-3】




さて熊野の得意な地形については、北海道人としてある種の「既視感」を持つことについて昨日触れた。それは北海道にも複数が確認される「カルデラ」地形の残像があるのではないかと。
特徴的な「柱状節理」に関しては中学校の修学旅行で視認している。そういった地形がはるかな南国・紀州で再会するみたいな。このことについては明日以降のブログ記事で深掘りで触れたい。
そういった「特異な地形」要因を知ってか知らずにか、皇統神話には熊野上陸のシーンが大きく扱われて古事記に遺されている。瀬戸内海世界での移動、戦闘が前段として記述された後、大和地域に進出するのに「日を背に負って戦う」という大戦略に基づいて、大和地方の「東部」から「西部」に向かって進軍することになる。
そういう大方針に従って、神武東征軍は長駆して熊野からの上陸を目指すことになるわけだ。
この段階で神武帝の長兄にして実質としての主将たる五瀬命はすでに落命している。いちばん上の図は、橿原神宮の発行する「由緒略記」からのもの。そして乗船していた「関船」＜貴人の船。図は阿古師神社にある想像図＞は熊野灘の太平洋上で大暴風に翻弄される。こうした暴風に対して、遺された神武帝の兄２人が入水して海の神を静めたとされている。
古代の航海においてしばしばこの人身御供シーンは出てくる。
ヤマトタケルの関東進軍でもこういうシーンはあり、妃が入水したことで「あづま〜吾妻」という地域名が詠まれたとされる説話を生んでいる。科学的な分析の及ばない時代、こうした荒ぶる自然現象に対しての人間側の対応として、ある種、一般解であったものかもしれない。船の舳先に男子が縛り付けられるという人身御供の習俗が連綿とあったことが大きく連想されてくる。
神武帝の２人の兄は最終的に神武一統が上陸したと説話化された二木島の港の海上の入口の左右に祀られたとされている。＜もちろん上陸地について諸説あるなかの一般的な有力説＞
しかし実際にこの阿古師神社に参詣すると、皇統の由縁を持つ社格とは思えない質朴・簡素さに気付かされる。
長兄の五瀬命については皇統成立後、その陵は紀伊国の竃山に祀られたとされるのに比較して、きわめて簡素だとも思える。皇統説話がそのまま歴史なのだとするとすればこのあたりその真実性には疑念を生じさせる部分。一方で日本民俗の末子相続の風習も微妙にあるのかも知れない。
ただ、実際にこの地を歩いてその自然の奥深さに触れたわたしとしては、腑に落ちる部分もある。なんといってもこの楯ヶ崎への険しい行路では自然の象徴のように野生のシカにまで遭遇したのです。
険しい行路の山道のなか、静寂な空気感につつまれたなかで突然の出会いとしてあったのだけれど、驚きというよりもごく静謐なイキモノ同士の間の親和感に包まれていた。
もちろん内心驚きはあるのだけれど、あまりにも心理的に神々しくおだやかで、そういう空間性の中で皇統が祀られていることに不思議な納得感もあった。
熊野詣という日本的営為全体の中に、こういう空気感があったのではと思えるのですね。

English version⬇

The Sufferings of the Jimmu Expedition and Its Sublimation: The Myth of the Imperial Lineage and a Journey to Kumano – 3
On the way to the Akoji Shrine, we encountered wild deer. A divine encounter between two equestrians in a mysterious and quiet psychological state. Psychological harmony with mythology (laugh). …

Now, I mentioned yesterday that I have a certain “sense of déjà vu” as a Hokkaido-goer with regard to Kumano’s specialty topography. It is thought that there are afterimages of “caldera” landforms, several of which have been confirmed in Hokkaido.
I have seen the characteristic “columnar joints” on a junior high school excursion. It would be like seeing such landforms again in Kishu, a faraway tropical island. I would like to discuss this in depth in a blog post to come tomorrow.
Whether or not we know of such “unique geographical features,” the scene of the landing at Kumano is prominently included in the Kojiki, the oldest surviving record of Japanese history, in the mythology of the imperial lineage. After the movement and battle in the Seto Inland Sea world are described as the first part of the story, they would march from the “eastern” part to the “western” part of the Yamato region based on the grand strategy of “fighting with the sun on their backs” to advance into the Yamato region.
In accordance with such a grand policy, the Jinmu East Expeditionary Force was to make a long drive to land from Kumano.
At this stage, Gose-no-Mikoto, the eldest brother of Emperor Jinmu and in effect the chief commander, had already lost his life. The top image is from the “Brief History of the History” published by the Kashihara Shrine of Kashihara. The top image is from the “Kashihara Shrine’s Brief History of the Kashihara Shrine. The boat was tossed about by a great storm on the Pacific Ocean in the Kumano-nada Sea. In response to the storm, two surviving brothers of Emperor Jinmu are said to have entered the water to calm the sea gods.
This human sacrifice scene often appears in ancient voyages.
Such scenes also occurred during Yamatotakeru’s march to the Kanto region, and the queen’s entering the water is said to have given rise to the legend that the name of the region, “Azuma-Azuma,” was composed. In an age when scientific analysis was not available, this may have been a common human response to such a violent natural phenomenon. The fact that the custom of hinokimi gyoji, in which a man is tied to the bow of a ship, has continued uninterruptedly is greatly reminiscent of this.
The two elder brothers of Emperor Jinmu are said to have been enshrined on either side of the entrance to the sea at the harbor of Futakijima, where the Jinmu line was eventually said to have landed. ＜This is, of course, the prevailing theory among the various theories about the landing site.
However, when one actually pays a visit to the shrine, one is struck by the simplicity of the shrine, which one would not expect to find in a shrine with an imperial lineage.
Compared to his eldest brother Gose-no-mikoto, whose mausoleum is said to have been enshrined on Mount Gamayama in Kii Province after the establishment of the imperial lineage, the shrine is extremely simple. If the imperial lineage is history as it is, this part of the story raises doubts about its veracity. On the other hand, the custom of inheritance of the youngest child in Japanese folklore may also be subtle.
However, as someone who has actually walked through the area and experienced the depths of its natural environment, some aspects of the story make sense to me. After all, on this steep path to Tategasaki, I even encountered wild deer as a symbol of nature.
It was a sudden encounter on a steep mountain road, in the midst of a quiet atmosphere, but rather than surprise, I was enveloped in a very tranquil sense of affinity between two creatures.
Of course, I was inwardly surprised, but I also felt a strange sense of satisfaction at the fact that the imperial lineage was being enshrined in such a space, which was psychologically so divine and serene.
It seems to me that this kind of atmosphere existed in the whole Japanese activity of Kumano pilgrimage.

Posted on 1月 4th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

【特異な自然地形への上陸・古事記 皇統神話と熊野の旅-2】


ことしは新年早々、能登半島大地震とさらに、その災害救助にあたっていた海上保安庁とJAL機がまさか、羽田空港滑走路上での衝突事故。JAL機の乗員乗客全員は一部ケガ人も出たけれど無事救出。一方、大きな使命感のもと大地震と戦っていた尊い人命が失われてしまった。なんともやるせなく、つらい。ご冥福をお祈りします。
昨年中から2024年は世界にとって分水嶺的な事象が集中することが指摘されてきましたが、どうも騒然とした状況は、日本で象徴的に発生してしまった。なんとか社会平穏を祈念します。


さて昨日元旦から開始したシリーズ２回目。わたしのブログでは千葉県の日本歴史民俗博物館の古代の展示が大革新されたことに感動して「列島37,000年史」シリーズとして自分なりに整理整頓させてもらった。歴史や考古の最新研究の成果を一般に教示いただく博物館・歴史館の学究のみなさんの労に心から感謝したい。
で、考古と歴史の隙間には日本の場合、古事記・日本書紀の世界が広がっている。神武東征の記紀伝承の世界でもこの熊野地域のさまざまなスポットは強く心を捉えられる。
周辺を走る国道311号線の道路脇にある「駐車場」から1.9kmの山道を踏破した先にある神武天皇の東征軍の目印とされる特異な自然景観・楯ヶ崎へのほぼ中間地点にこの阿古師神社はある。
祭神に祀られているのは「三毛入野命」という神武天皇の兄。


系図は神武天皇を祀る「橿原神宮」発行の「由緒略記」から。神武天皇は４人兄弟の末子とされ、この東征行軍中に３人の兄が亡くなっている。長兄の「五瀬命（いつせのみこと）」は難波方面から大和地方に上陸しようとしたときに地元豪族・長髄彦の攻撃を受けその時の負傷がもとで死亡。その遺言の方針に従って弟たちは紀伊半島を迂回して熊野に上陸を目指す。そのとき「楯ヶ崎」を上陸目印としていたが、大嵐に遭遇して神武帝の２人の兄は相次いで「海に身を投じた」とされる。それによって海が静まり一行は上陸を果たしたと。
この２人の兄を祀ったのがこの阿古師神社とその対岸位置関係にある「室古神社」。こちらの祭神に祀られているのは「稲飯命（いなひのみこと）」。両社の中間を通った奥に「二木島港」があり神武帝上陸の「定説」。
このあたり歴史なのか神話なのか判然とはしないけれど、熊野地方の特異な自然景観、北海道の旭川・層雲峡で知られる「柱状節理」地形が「いかにも」感を抱かせる圧倒的舞台装置。とくに楯ヶ崎は巨大な柱状節理地形が太平洋の荒波のなかに屹立していて、見る者に「さもありなん」と思わせる。歴史文学作家の安部龍太郎さんの熊野紀行文を読むと、氏もまったくゾッコン魅了されている様子が伝わってくる（笑）。
中世の皇統の上皇たちが繰り返し熊野を詣でたこともまた、日本史に強い根拠となって「熊野信仰」に大きく寄与していったこともよく理解できる。
かく言うわたしとしては、北海道人として層雲峡以外でここまで圧倒的な自然景観を見たことがなかった。
ちょうど中学校の修学旅行の頃のナイーブなこころに刻まれた自然景観と、この南国ではるかな時間を経て再会したみたいな、不思議な「邂逅」感に包まれていたのであります。

English version⬇

Landing in a peculiar natural terrain, Kojiki: The Myth of the Imperial Lineage and a Journey to Kumano – 2
The unique natural topography of Kumano, so to speak, brings a “convincing” sense of the mythological world with its “Jomon” persuasiveness. It is amazing. I am impressed.

The Noto Peninsula Earthquake occurred early this year, and the Japan Coast Guard and a JAL aircraft engaged in disaster relief unexpectedly collided on the runway of Haneda Airport. On the other hand, precious lives were lost who were fighting against the great earthquake with a great sense of mission. It is very sad and painful. I pray for the repose of their souls.
It has been pointed out since last year that the year 2024 will bring a concentration of watershed events for the world, but apparently the tumultuous situation has symbolically occurred in Japan. I pray for social tranquility somehow.

This is the second in a series that began yesterday, New Year’s Day. In my blog, I was moved by the great innovation of the ancient exhibition at the Japan Museum of History and Folklore in Chiba Prefecture, and I have organized it in my own way as the “37,000 Year History of the Archipelago” series. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the scholars at the museum and history museum for their hard work in sharing the results of their latest research on history and archaeology with the general public.
In the gap between archaeology and history, in the case of Japan, the world of Kojiki and Nihonshoki is expanding. The various spots in the Kumano area are also strongly associated with the legend of the Kiki legend of the Jimmu expedition to the east.
This Akoshi Shrine is located almost halfway to Tategasaki, a unique natural landscape said to be a landmark of Emperor Jinmu’s eastern expeditionary force, after stepping over a 1.9 km mountain path from the “parking lot” on the side of the National Route 311 road that runs through the area.
The deity enshrined at the shrine is Sankeirino-no-mikoto, the elder brother of Emperor Jinmu.

The genealogy is taken from the “Brief History” issued by the Kashihara Jingu Shrine, which enshrines Emperor Jinmu. Emperor Jinmu is said to have been the youngest of four siblings, and three of his elder brothers died during his march to the east. The eldest brother, Itsuse-no-mikoto, was attacked by a local powerful tribe, the Nagasuhiko, when he was about to land in the Yamato region from the Namba area, and died from injuries sustained during the attack. In accordance with the policy of his last will and testament, his younger brothers made a detour around the Kii Peninsula, aiming to land at Kumano. They had set Tategasaki as their landing point, but encountered a great storm and the two brothers threw themselves into the sea one after the other. This calmed the sea, and the party was able to make landfall.
The two brothers are enshrined at the Akoji Shrine and the Muroko Shrine on the opposite shore. The deity enshrined here is Inahi-no-Mikoto. The “Fugishima Harbor” is located in the middle of the two shrines, and it is said that the Emperor Jinmu landed there.
Although it is not clear whether this area is history or myth, the unique natural landscape of the Kumano region and the “columnar jointed terrain” known in Asahikawa and Sounkyo in Hokkaido provide an overwhelming stage setting that makes one feel “just as it should be”. The Tategasaki area in particular, with its huge columnar-jointed terrain soaring above the rough waves of the Pacific Ocean, makes the viewer think, “That’s just as it should be. Reading the Kumano travelogue of Ryutaro Abe, a writer of historical literature, one can see that he too is utterly fascinated by the area (laugh).
It is also understandable that the repeated pilgrimages to Kumano by the emperors of the imperial lineage in the Middle Ages contributed greatly to the “Kumano faith” as a strong basis for Japanese history.
As for myself, as a Hokkaido native, I have never seen such overwhelming natural scenery outside of Sounkyo.
I was wrapped in a strange feeling of “encounter” with the natural scenery that was engraved in my naïve mind when I was on a school excursion in junior high school, as if I was reunited with it after a long time in this tropical country.

Posted on 1月 3rd, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

【神武帝の兄を祀る「阿古師神社」 皇統神話と熊野の旅-1】




きのう元旦、早起きして北海道神宮参拝・初詣。その後、娘夫婦がやってきて水入らず。ワインで一献して即爆睡。で、目覚めたら能登での地震速報。「大津波警報」で北海道西岸地区にも警報発令。
ことしは台湾総統選挙から始まって米国大統領選挙まで世界の趨勢にとってきわめて波乱含みの年と言われ続けてきていますが、のっけからの地震・津波のアラート。能登は数度訪れてその風土性に強く惹かれている。とくにこの地域の文化資産ともいえる「時国家住宅」には魅了され、このブログでも深掘り的に書いていた因縁もある。知人の方の現地在住のご家族とのやり取りの様子もSNSで知って、リアルタイムの危機進行ぶり。ご無事を祈念。

ということですが、ブログではふたたび住まいと人間の文化史に復帰します。
今回からは「熊野御幸」に特徴的に見られた日本の皇統史の特異地域、熊野探訪であります。とは言ってもいきなり全部をワンテーマとして取り組むのは無理筋なので、息長く、ときどき現地探訪しながら、継続していきたいと考えております。
わたしは京都とか奈良とかの「みやこ造営」以降の日本史にながくとらわれ続け、それはそれで素晴らしい文化史だといまでも思っています。が、奈良県南西部・飛鳥（明日香村を中心とした）の皇統最初期痕跡と接し始めてからは、そのそもそもの「言語感覚」でのその大きな違いに驚かされ、さらに京都移転後の皇統、天皇退位後の上皇たちが繰り返し「熊野御幸」を繰り返し、それを民人も圧倒的に支持していたことに驚かされています。
この飛鳥・大和地域と、さらにその背景を為す熊野について強く興味を持っていたのですが、北海道人としてはその交通の困難もあって、なかなか機会を持てなかった。関西で定宿地点と考える堺からでもクルマで３時間程度は行くだけでもかかる遠隔地。千歳から関空までのフライト2.5時間も考えれば、二の足を踏み続けていました。昔の上皇たちも熊野詣には往復１ヶ月以上掛かっていたという。
昔の皇統の人びとも、天皇在位中には熊野詣はむずかしく、みな退位後、自由な環境になってから、いわゆる「行幸」ではなく「御幸」として詣っている。
世界でも最古の歴史を持つ皇統である日本皇室の最大の存続根拠は「祈る」存在であることが中核なのではないかと思っていますが、そういった点に於いても、この熊野御幸が果たした神威は計り知れない。
写真は「阿古師神社」とその船着き場とおぼしき空間。神武天皇が難波から大和地方を攻略しようとして地元豪族の長髄彦の軍勢によって敗走させられ長躯、熊野にまで迂回して上陸したとされる二木島・楯ヶ崎にある社。
神武天皇は同道した兄たち３人をこの東征で失ったと古事記に記されているけれど、この阿古師神社は楯ヶ崎への山道の途中にあって、兄・三毛入野命（みけいりのみこと）を祀ったとされている。＜この稿、明日へ＞

English version⬇

Akoji Shrine, which enshrines the elder brother of the Emperor Jinmu.
Kumano is a place of repeated pilgrimages to Kumano by the Japanese imperial lineage, who “prayed” for their people. Even today, it takes about half a day one-way for a person from Hokkaido. We respectfully invite you to visit this historical site. The history of Kumano

On New Year’s Day yesterday, I woke up early and paid a visit to the Hokkaido Shrine. After that, my daughter and her husband came over to spend the day with us. After a glass of wine, I fell asleep immediately. When I woke up, I heard the earthquake warning for Noto. A tsunami warning was also issued for the western coast of Hokkaido.
This year has been said to be an extremely tumultuous year for world trends, starting with the Taiwan presidential election and continuing with the U.S. presidential election, but the earthquake and tsunami alert came right from the start. I have visited Noto several times and have been strongly attracted by its natural beauty. In particular, I have been fascinated by the “Toki-no-Kokoku Jutaku,” which can be said to be a cultural asset of the area, and have written about it in depth in this blog. I also learned through social networking services of an acquaintance’s communication with a family living in the area, and was impressed by the real-time progress of the crisis. I pray for your safety.

But I will return to the cultural history of housing and human beings in my blog again.
Starting this time, we will explore Kumano, a unique region in the history of the Japanese imperial lineage, as characteristically seen in the “Kumano Gokou”. However, it would be impossible to tackle all of them as one theme at once, so I would like to continue this project over a long period of time, visiting the area from time to time.
I have been obsessed with Japanese history since the “Miyako Zokei” of Kyoto and Nara, and I still think it is a wonderful cultural history in its own right. However, after coming into contact with the traces of the first period of the imperial lineage in Asuka (centering on Asuka Village) in the southwestern part of Nara Prefecture, I was surprised at the great difference in the “sense of language” and was further surprised at the repeated “Kumano Gokou” by the imperial lineage after the relocation to Kyoto and by the emperors after their abdication, and the overwhelming support for it among the people. The people overwhelmingly supported it.
I had a strong interest in the Asuka-Yamato region and its background, Kumano, but as a Hokkaido-native, I had not had the opportunity to visit the area due to the difficulty of transportation. Even from Sakai, which is considered a regular lodging point in the Kansai region, it takes about three hours by car to get there. Considering the 2.5-hour flight from Chitose to Kansai International Airport, I had been hesitant to visit Kumano. Even the emperors of the olden days used to take more than a month round trip to Kumano for a pilgrimage.
People of the old imperial lineage also found it difficult to make a Kumano pilgrimage while they were in the emperor’s reign, so after they retired from the throne and became free to do so, they all made the pilgrimage not as a so-called “gyoko” but as a “go-ko” (a visit to the Kumano Shrine).
I believe that the greatest reason for the survival of the Japanese Imperial Family, the oldest historical imperial lineage in the world, is that at its core it is a “praying” entity, and in this respect, the divine authority that this Kumano Gokou has played is immeasurable.
The photo shows the “Akoshi Shrine” and the space that appears to be its landing place. The shrine is located at Tategasaki, Futakishima Island, where Emperor Jinmu is said to have made a detour to Kumano after being defeated by the forces of the local Nagasaruhiko tribe in his attempt to invade the Yamato region from Namba.
It is written in the Kojiki that Emperor Jinmu lost three of his brothers who accompanied him on this expedition, but this Akoshi Shrine was located on the mountain road to Tategasaki and is said to have been dedicated to his elder brother Mikeri no Mikoto. ＜This article will be written tomorrow.

Posted on 1月 2nd, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

【2024年 あけましておめでとうございます】


ことしわたしは「年男」なのですが、還暦を過ぎてなのであんまりお呼びでない（笑）。しかし自分的には「第２のスタート」気分も大きくなって来ています。ちょうど仕事人生の結節点も超えたので、ようやく昔人の「還暦」が自分にもやってきたという感覚。
上の画像、新年の冬場の写真ではなく夏まっ盛りのような房総の「入道雲」。昨年訪れた千葉県一宮の芥川龍之介に所縁の「芥川荘」旅宿建築の探訪時のものです。
住宅雑誌の主幹として永年生きてきたのですが、その環境からスピンアウト。けれど個人的にはやはり「建築・住宅」には強くこだわりを持っている。そういうタイプだけれど加齢が進んできてその住空間での人間の生き様みたいなこととの「合間」のようなことに心が向かっていく。
そんな心境にピッタリだったのが、この芥川荘探訪でした。このブログでも何回か書きましたが、この房総・九十九里の海浜の宿で夏目漱石が期待した文学青年・芥川が東大を卒業したばかりの時期に、のちに結婚した女性に求婚のラブレターを書いていた青春まっ盛りの場所。
その文章の碑には青春期の男の心情がそのままストレートに記され、なんとも微笑ましかった。
そういう心情の背景装置として九十九里の浜辺があり、防砂林のなかに茅葺きの平屋建物があった。北海道人としてはこういう房総のまぶしい真夏という体感は羨望のさらに先にある。
たまたま現地をふらりと訪れる機会を得て、一種、官能的に受容したのですね。
やはり芥川龍之介という人物、その書いた世界観という読書体験があって、なお、かれも感受した住空間の体感を共有できるということがひどく新鮮で、再生感が強くわき上がっていた。
そんな心理に房総のこの「入道雲」がエールを送ってきてくれたように感じられたのです。


翻って年末、友人を訪ねたらかれのふるさとのオホーツクの海辺の町の漁船の羅針盤をみた。満艦飾に飾り立てられたその町の最盛期を象徴するような船の写真も添えられていた。人口減少していく北海道内の地方・地域の先を見据えながら、われわれ世代はその「羅針盤」を預かっている立場であることが、しのばれた。
わたし自身はひとつの整理は付けられたけれど、これからも人間としての生き様は続いていくし、なにより未来の人たちへのバトンタッチの責任はまだまだある。
日々、時々刻々と身の回りの状況は生々流転、いっときも留まることはない。つねに自分の位置を冷静に確認してどのように真摯に生きていくか、試され続けていくのでしょう。

English version⬇

Happy New Year 2024!
The energetic iridescent clouds of summer in Boso gave me the energy for a second start. I would like to continue to live my life with a firm sense of direction. ・・・・.

This year I am the “New Year’s Man,” but since I am over 60 years of age, I am not really called upon to do so (laugh). However, I am beginning to feel like I am starting a second life. Since I have just passed the nodal point in my professional life, I feel that the “60th birthday” of the old-timers has finally arrived for me as well.
The image above is not a photo taken in winter at the beginning of the New Year, but rather, the “iridocumulus” in Boso that looks like it is in the height of summer. It was taken during my visit last year to Ichinomiya, Chiba Prefecture, to explore the architecture of “Akutagawa-so,” an inn associated with Ryunosuke Akutagawa.
I have spent many years as the lead editor of a housing magazine, and this is a spin-out from that environment. However, personally, I still have a strong interest in “architecture and housing. I am the type of person who is interested in architecture and housing, but as I get older, I find myself more and more interested in the “in-between” of the human life in the living space and the architecture of the house.
This visit to Akutagawa-so was a perfect fit for such a state of mind. As I have written several times in this blog, Akutagawa, a literary young man whom Soseki Natsume had hoped to meet at this seaside inn in Kujukuri, Boso, was in the prime of his youth when he wrote a love letter of courtship to the woman he later married when he had just graduated from the University of Tokyo.
The monument to his writings was a straight description of the sentiments of a man in his youth, and it was quite amusing to see.
The Kujukuri beach served as a backdrop for these sentiments, and the one-story thatched building stood in the midst of a sand forest. As a Hokkaido native, the experience of the dazzling midsummer in Boso is beyond envy.
I happened to have the opportunity to visit the area on a whim, and I was receptive to it in a kind of sensual way.
I had the experience of reading about Ryunosuke Akutagawa and his worldview, and the fact that I could share the experience of a living space that he had also experienced was extremely fresh, and a sense of rebirth was strongly stirred up in me.
It was as if this “Irido-no-Un” in Boso was sending me a cheer.

When I visited a friend at the end of the year, I saw a compass of a fishing boat in a seaside town in his hometown in Okhotsk. It was decorated in full sail and had a picture of a boat that symbolized the town’s heyday. It was a reminder that our generation is in a position to keep a “compass” as we look ahead to the declining population of Hokkaido’s rural and regional areas.
Although I myself have been able to put things in order, I will continue to live my life as a human being, and above all, I still have the responsibility of passing on the baton to future generations.
Day by day, moment by moment, the circumstances around me are constantly evolving and changing, and I never stop for a moment. We will continue to be tested to see how we can live our lives with sincerity, always calmly checking our position.

Posted on 1月 1st, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

« 前ページへ — 次ページへ »