最近身近な人間からブログのチェックを受けてきてありがたい。で、今回「三木家住宅」のことを書き始めたら「これ、シリーズ化するの、しないの？」という問いかけ。まことに指摘されるとおり，あいまいなまま書き進めてしまった。遅ればせながら「兵庫福崎三木家住宅」シリーズとして書きます。
相当の「遠縁」にはなるのですが、赤の他人でもない家と人について歴史大好き人間としては、興味の持ち方がちょっと肩入れしすぎになるかもと不安な部分もあって中途半端な始め方でした。たいへん失礼しました。福崎町はこの住宅の資料類も多く保存収集されていて、その解析研究も進んでいます。
わたしの家系伝承調査を続けてくれている次兄の集めてくれた資料類と、この「はるかな遠縁」の資料とを符合させていくと、いろいろなことがらに派生して突然大きく浮かび上がってきたりする。
一方、ことしのNHK大河ドラマ「どうする家康」も佳境ですが、秀吉の朝鮮出兵とその破綻、そこから日本をどう建て直していくか、というのがドラマの現在時点。大きなテーマは「戦国争乱で敗残した人びとはその後の体制の中でどう生き延びたか？」であります。戦国のエネルギーは端的に「領地争い」ということでしょう。生産手段としての田畑の領有それ自体が戦いのエネルギーだった。秀吉の戦略は他国への侵略によってその「恩賞の土地」を大きく広げようとした。しかしそれは国内争乱のように単なる軍事の問題ではなく経済社会全体に影響して見通しが甘く、完全崩壊したということ。
国内でも戦国に終息が見えてきた段階になると、戦争に敗北した流浪の武士層・浪人という社会的に危険な存在をどうするのかという問題が浮かび上がらざるを得ない。石田三成のような「豊臣政権の存続」最優先志向では安定社会の見通しがまったく立たなかった。結果たった１日でその路線は消滅した。
なにより内乱からの敗残者をどうするかが焦眉の課題だった。
この福崎町の三木家は、戦国末期に織田家、秀吉軍によって敗亡させられた英賀・三木氏の末裔。有名な三木城の陥落からほどなくこちらの英賀も敗亡したのだけれど、三木氏の場合、瀬戸内海交易利権に特化した経済優先型武将だったことで、敗残後もその本来的な経済主体として地域で存続してきていた。
世の多くの敗残組は「夢よもう一度」ということで反徳川の立場から大阪城に蝟集していったけれど、そういう選択とは一切関わらず、経済人として生き延びようとしたのでしょう。
そういった生き方選択について大阪落城後の姫路藩から、新田開発という事実上の地域支配権を与えられてこの地域に根付いていった。たぶん江戸期の「庄屋階層」というのは、そういった旧武士層からの身分スライドが多かったのだろうと推測できる。
戦国の終結から元禄期までの間に全国の石高は1800万石から3000万石ほどと経済発展したとされるけれど、その主体はこうした戦国敗残の旧武士層の活躍が大きかったのではないか。そういうひとつの典型として、この福崎三木家住宅を探索している次第です。

English version⬇

How Did the Warring States Defeated Families Survive? Hyogo Fukusaki Miki Family Residence-4
The Warring States period produced a large number of losers. Many of them entered the castle in Osaka and dreamed of a “happily ever after,” but there were also families that were calm and economically oriented. …

I am thankful that I have been getting blog checks from people close to me lately. When I started writing about the “Miki Family Residence,” I was asked, “Are you going to make this into a series or not? I was asked, “Are you going to make this into a series or not? As you pointed out, I have been writing about it in an ambiguous manner. I am writing this article as a series of “Hyogo Fukusaki Miki Family Residence”.
Although we are quite distantly related, as a history buff who is not a stranger to the house and its people, I was a little concerned that my interest might be a little too focused on the house and its people, so I started halfway. My deepest apologies. The town of Fukuzaki-cho has preserved and collected a large number of documents related to this house, and analysis and research of these documents is in progress.
When I compare the materials collected by my second brother, who has been researching my family traditions, with those of this “far distant relative,” various things suddenly come to the forefront.
Meanwhile, NHK’s historical drama “What to do, Ieyasu” is now in its climax, and the drama is about Hideyoshi’s invasion of Korea, its failure, and how to rebuild Japan. The major theme of the drama is “How did those who were defeated in the Warring States War survive in the subsequent system?” The major theme is “How did those who were defeated in the Sengoku War survive in the subsequent regime? The energy of the Warring States period can be summed up simply as “territorial conflict. The possession of fields as a means of production was itself the energy of warfare. Hideyoshi’s strategy was to greatly expand the “land of bounty” by invading other countries. However, this was not just a military issue as in the case of domestic strife, but it affected the entire economy and society, and the outlook was not good, resulting in a complete collapse.
Even domestically, when the warring states reached a stage where the end was in sight, the question of what to do with the socially dangerous existence of the wandering warrior class and ronin who were defeated in the war had to be raised. The top priority of Ishida Mitsunari was to ensure the survival of the Toyotomi regime, and there was no prospect for a stable society. As a result, that line disappeared after only one day.
Above all, the most pressing issue was what to do about the losers from the civil war.
The Miki family of Fukusaki Town is descended from the Eiga and Miki clans, which were defeated by the Oda and Hideyoshi forces at the end of the Warring States period. Although the Ega were defeated not long after the fall of the famous Miki Castle, the Miki were warlords who specialized in trading interests in the Seto Inland Sea and prioritized economics, so they continued to exist in the region as the original economic entity even after their defeat.
Many of the defeated warriors of the world flocked to Osaka Castle from an anti-Tokugawa standpoint to “dream again,” but he would have tried to survive as an economist without being involved in any such choices.
In response to this lifestyle choice, the Himeji clan, after the fall of Osaka Castle, gave them de facto control over the region through the development of new rice paddies, and they took root in this region. It can be assumed that the “headman class” in the Edo period probably had a lot of status slides from such former samurai class.
The economic development of the whole country from the end of the Warring States period to the Genroku period (1688-1704) is said to have been driven largely by the activities of the former samurai class who had been defeated in the Warring States period. The Fukusaki Miki Family Residence is a typical example of this kind of activity.

Posted on 11月 1st, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

きのうの続きです。江戸期の姫路藩、播州・福崎の地域経済を中核として運営していた「庄屋・三木家」再訪篇。江戸期は「武家による政治支配」体制だけれど、それは武力支配の構造が基本ではあるけれど、一方では年貢の取り立てや管理などについては庶民階級のなかに経済掌握の機能が必要とされた。
いわゆる「庄屋層」というのが決定的に重要な役割を果たしていたのでしょう。この三木家は戦国期に英賀城に蟠踞していた武家であり、秀吉によってその武力は解体されたけれど、戦国期までの「地域支配」においては地縁・血縁などの重層的な人脈と、ムラ支配の経験知を豊富に持っていた。
地域情報の集積体として、あらたな地域領主となった姫路藩としてはそうした存在を活用することが現実的な政治経済運営方法だったのでしょう。とくに大名とか藩とかが流動的になり、幕府から「鉢植え」的に領主がひんぱんに交代させられる体制が定まって以降、こういう実質的地域支配層の重要性は高まったに違いない。
この三木家は旧英賀城にほど近い瀬戸内海沿岸地域に蟠踞していたうちの「一統」が、姫路藩の要請によって播州中部の福崎に入植してきたという家系伝承。姫路藩としては確実な経済支配体制を構築していくには、地域支配の実質を担っている庄屋層に依存することは自然な選択でしょう。
三木家ではこの地域で土木開発などの生産手段整備作業を継続的に行ってきている。
また、この家は江戸期の支配体制構築にとって不可欠であった秩序構築手段としての学問に積極的であり、歴代の当主の収集した図書類が豊富に蓄積されて、のちに日本民族学の祖といわれる柳田國男の学識を揺籃する地域最大の図書館機能を果たした。
経済と同時に知の地域センター機能までも果たしていた存在。そういう意味では江戸期の支配構造というものがきわめて集約的に表現された屋敷なのだと思っています。

こちらはいわゆる「座敷」の最高格式空間。南面する座敷には江戸期の秩序的な空間装置が表現されている。手前側は庭が展開し、外部からは築地塀で完全に仕切られている。万が一の時を考えて床の間側の壁の一部は出入り可能なように仕掛けられてもいる。実際に幕末期には一揆勢力がこの屋敷になだれ込んで、縁の一角にはそのときの「刀傷」が遺されたりしている。
現代人は住宅建築として、その機能性について江戸期までのそれとはかなり隔絶してきている。しかし江戸期の建築もそういう機能性に於いては時代にきわめて適合したものだったのだと思う。現代人はその性能とデザインということが優先されているけれど、江戸期の高級住宅は、社会的機能性について強いニーズに的確に対応したものだったのだと思えるのですね。

English version⬇

The “headman’s mansion” dominates the Edo period economy and society.
Performance and design and the essential pursuit elements of modern housing can be summarized, but on the other hand, it fits perfectly with the values that are different in the Edo period housing. ・・・・.

This is a continuation of yesterday’s article. This is a revisit to the Miki family, the headman of the Himeji clan in the Edo period, who managed the local economy of Fukusaki, Banshu, as the core of the clan. The Edo period was a system of “political rule by the warrior class,” which was based on a structure of armed rule, but on the other hand, the common people were required to take control of the economy in order to collect and manage tribute.
The so-called “headman class” must have played a decisive role. The Miki family was a warrior family coiled in Eiga Castle during the Warring States period, and although their military power was dismantled by Hideyoshi, they possessed a wealth of knowledge and experience in ruling local communities, as well as a multilayered network of personal connections through geographical and blood ties.
The Himeji clan, which became the new lord of the region as an accumulation of local information, probably found it a practical method of political and economic management to make use of such a network. In particular, the importance of such a real local ruling class must have increased after the feudal lords and clans became more fluid and the shogunate established a system in which lords were frequently replaced by “potted plants”.
The Miki family is said to have been one of the “lines” coiled along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea near the old Eiga Castle and settled in Fukusaki in central Banshu at the request of the Himeji clan. For the Himeji clan, relying on the village headmen, who were in charge of local governance, was a natural choice in order to establish a secure economic control system.
The Miki family has been continuously engaged in civil engineering development and other means of production maintenance work in this region.
The Miki family was also active in learning as a means of establishing order, which was essential to the establishment of the ruling system in the Edo period, and accumulated an abundance of books collected by successive heads of the family, which later served as the largest library in the region, where Kunio Yanagida, later considered the founder of Japanese ethnology, cradled his knowledge.
It was the largest library in the region and served as a regional center of knowledge as well as an economic center. In this sense, I believe that the mansion is a very concentrated expression of the ruling structure of the Edo period.

This is the highest-rated space of the so-called “zashiki”. The south-facing tatami room expresses the orderly spatial devices of the Edo period. On the front side, a garden unfolds and is completely separated from the outside by a Tsukiji wall. In case of emergency, a part of the wall on the alcove side has been set up so that it can be accessed. In fact, in the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, a group of revolts swept into the house, and a “sword wound” from that time can be seen in the corner of the edge of the wall.
Today, the functionality of residential architecture has become quite different from that of the Edo period. However, I believe that the architecture of the Edo period was very much in tune with the times in terms of such functionality. Although modern people give priority to performance and design, I believe that the high-class housing of the Edo period was a precise response to the strong need for social functionality.

Posted on 10月 30th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 住宅マーケティング, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

今週も出張から帰ってきてからいろいろな案件が多数進行し、エコハウス審査員のような臨時的な役務も発生していたので、やや腰などに疲労感。
そういうことで平安な気分に復帰したいと思っております。多忙とか、世間の騒がしさというのはやはり精神疲労・肉体疲労の誘因だと思います。
目を世界に転じるとハマスによるテロ攻撃から人質奪取、イスラエルのハマスへの報復宣言、準備などが勃発。ウクライナへのロシアによる侵略戦争に加えて中東も危機に突入。そして中国では相次ぐ政権内・軍組織での粛清の顕在化。前国務院総理の李克強の「突然死」のニュース。急激な経済的危機の深刻化のなかでの「出口なし」状況が、政治状況にも反映しつつあるように思われる。
きのうの李克強の死について若干、WEB情報を見ていたら、かれが安倍政権時に日本訪問したときに日程の最後に北海道を訪れた目的として、トヨタの関連する「水素燃料自動車」の工場見学が目的だったという情報に接していました。このときの北海道訪問はその意図を巡って情報が非常にすくなくて、予定外に安倍元首相も急遽同行したことがきわめて不思議だった。
ある情報ではEV技術開発の先行き、将来性に危機感を持っていた李克強が、水素技術に強い関心を持ち、中国もその方向に産業政策を取ろうとしていたのではとされていた。
中国共産党内部での内部闘争と、産業政策のからみというような意外な視点というのもあるのだとわかった次第。かれの「突然死」には、どうもふたたびの「天安門事件」の伏線というような見方もあり得るかも知れませんね。
日本にとっても、このような隣国の混乱ぶりは非常に懸念されるところ。

っていうような天下大乱状況をみていると、住宅の「やすらぎ」ということに心が動かされる。写真は東京狛江市の復元古民家でこどもたちが遊んでいる様子。
茅葺き＋寄棟形状の大屋根とこどもたちのシルエットが、日本人的な「こころ」を訴求してくれる。高断熱高気密という住宅革新によって大きく変容した住宅文化を北海道は作ってきているといえるけれど、しかしわたし的にはこういう伝統の世界観に強くシンパシーを感じています。
エコハウス審査でも、伝統的な自然活用型の提案をされた方に、強いシンパシーを感じていた。そしてむしろ北海道としては、こういう伝統の家が創造してきた生活の情操をしっかり学ぶ必要があるのではないかと思い続けていました。
日本人の精神性を涵養する原風景、というような印象が強いのですね。
どうもまとまりのない本日ブログですが、閑話休題的なものとご容赦ください。

English version⬇

Global “Great Rebellion in Heaven” & Peace of Home, Nurturing of Life
The internal turmoil of power in neighboring countries and the sudden death of a central figure. The crisis in the Middle East after the terrorist attack on Israel. On the other hand, the comforting atmosphere of an old private house. On the other hand, the soothing atmosphere of an old private home…

Since returning from my business trip this week, I have had a number of various projects in progress, as well as temporary duties such as being an Eco-House judge, which has left me feeling somewhat fatigued in my lower back and other parts of my body.
I would like to return to a peaceful mood because of this. I believe that busyness and the noise of the world are the triggers for mental and physical fatigue.
Turning our eyes to the world, we see the outbreak of terrorist attacks and hostage-taking by Hamas, Israel’s declaration of retaliation against Hamas, and preparations for such attacks. In addition to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Middle East is also plunging into crisis. And in China, a series of purges within the regime and the military have emerged. The news of the “sudden death” of former Premier Li Keqiang. It seems that the “no way out” situation amid the rapidly worsening economic crisis is being reflected in the political situation as well.
While I was looking at some web information on Li Keqiang’s death yesterday, I came across information that when he visited Japan during the Abe administration, the purpose of his last stop in Hokkaido was to tour a Toyota-related “hydrogen fuel vehicle” plant. There was very little information available on the intentions of this visit to Hokkaido, and it was extremely strange that former Prime Minister Abe also accompanied him on such an unscheduled and hurried trip.
According to some sources, Li Keqiang, who had a sense of crisis about the future of EV technology development and its potential, took a strong interest in hydrogen technology, and it was believed that China was trying to pursue industrial policy in this direction.
I now realize that there is an unexpected perspective that the internal struggle within the Chinese Communist Party and its industrial policy are intertwined. His “sudden death” could be seen as a foreshadowing of another “Tiananmen Square Incident.
For Japan, this kind of turmoil in neighboring countries is also a matter of great concern.

In the midst of such a chaotic situation, I am moved by the idea of “tranquility” in housing. The photo shows children playing in a restored old house in Komae, Tokyo.
The thatched roof and the silhouette of the children appeal to the Japanese spirit. It can be said that Hokkaido has created a housing culture that has been greatly transformed by the housing innovation of high thermal insulation and high airtightness, but in my opinion, I feel a strong sympathy for this traditional worldview.
In the Eco-House competition, I felt strong sympathy for those who submitted proposals that made use of traditional natural features. And rather, I kept thinking that Hokkaido needs to learn well the sentiment of life that these traditional houses have created.
I guess I have a strong impression that this is the original landscape that cultivates the spirituality of the Japanese people.
Please forgive the lack of coherence in today’s blog.

Posted on 10月 28th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 古民家シリーズ, 状況・政治への発言 | No Comments »

大阪の建築会社・ダイシンビルドさんが中心部のビルに移転されたということを聞いていた。そしてその入居先がいかにもレトロな建築ビルである「大江ビルヂング（ジではなくヂ）」という名前で知られている古建築だったので、強く惹かれて清水社長を訪問。
すっかり建築探訪団の素性のまま、カメラに収めておりました。このビルはWikipediaにも独立の項目でページがあるほどのビルであります。建築データとしては以下。
・設計者 葛野壮一郎
・構造形式 鉄筋コンクリート造
・階数 地上5階・地下1階
・竣工 1921年（大正10年）
・所在地 大阪府大阪市北区西天満2丁目8-1
築102年という古建築で、近隣には有名な日本銀行大阪支店もある。こちらは現在地中之島に1903年に移転新築された古建築。現在の日本銀行旧館。築120年ということになりますね。
設計者は葛野壮一郎（かどの そういちろう1880年-1944年1月18日）は、関西を中心に多くの建築物の設計を手がけた建築家。

大阪って、こういう古建築が最新の建築と並列的に街並みを構成している。東京の街並みでは経済合理性が貫徹して、中心区域でこうしたレトロなビルの敷地は当然地価が高く、いわば「回転率」を高めるためにどんどん建築は建て替えられていくでしょう。しかしいわゆる建築の味わい、街並みの雰囲気には、こういった個性的な古建築の果たす役割が計り知れない。札幌の街並みでも道庁赤煉瓦庁舎や時計台建築が「主旋律」を奏でる役割を果たしているのだと思う。
清水社長にこの辺のポイントを伺うと中半ははにかまれながら、いくつかの選択ポイントとして人が集まりやすい立地環境と「惹き付けられる建築としての魅力」を語られていた。
遠隔の北海道からこうしてわたしのような人間が参観に訪れるのだから、「ひとを惹き付ける」要素については十分以上に効果満点でしょう。「でも冬になったら寒そうですね」と思わず聞いてしまった。地域一番店として高断熱高気密住宅を手掛けるダイシンビルドさんとしては、ある種、挑戦的な環境選択であるとも言えるでしょうね。


鉄筋コンクリート建築らしいデザイン性と、木質の開口部材・意匠表現が時間経過と共に調和して現代の住宅ユーザーにどういう触発を与えるのか、非常に興味深い。「面白いビルに事務所、構えていますね」と問いかけるに違いない住宅希望者に対して、「こういうレトロなデザインマインドも生かしながら、高断熱高気密な住まいを建てますよ（笑）」という応答が容易に想像できる。
どんな成果が生み出されていくか、注目したいと思っています。

English version⬇

Oe Building in central Osaka, a mixture of old and new architecture.
A housing builder company relocated its office to the center of Osaka. A warm and comfortable living environment is proposed to users from a retro “building” from the Taisho era. …

I had heard that Daishin Build, an Osaka-based construction company, had relocated to a building in the center of the city. And since the new tenant was an old building known by the name of “Oe Building (Ji, not Ji),” a very retro architectural building, I was strongly attracted to the building and visited President Shimizu.
I was completely in the identity of an architectural explorer and captured it on camera. This building is so famous that it has its own page in Wikipedia. The architectural data is as follows.
Architect: Soichiro Kuzuno
Reinforced concrete construction
Number of floors: 5 floors above ground and 1 basement floor
Completed in 1921
Location: 2-8-1 Nishitenma, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
The building is 102 years old, and nearby is the famous Osaka branch of the Bank of Japan. This old building was relocated and newly constructed in 1903 in Nakanoshima, where it stands today. The current old building of the Bank of Japan. It is 120 years old.
The designer is Soichiro Kuzuno (1880 – January 18, 1944), an architect who designed many buildings mainly in the Kansai region.

In Osaka, such old buildings are juxtaposed with the latest architecture in the cityscape. In Tokyo, economic rationality prevails, and land prices are naturally high for sites for such retro buildings in the central area, so buildings are being rebuilt rapidly to increase the “turnover rate,” so to speak. However, the role of these unique old buildings in the so-called architectural flavor and atmosphere of the cityscape is immeasurable. I think they play the “main melody” in the streetscape of Sapporo, which is also played by the Hokkaido Prefectural Government Red Brick Office Building and the Clock Tower Building.
When I asked Mr. Shimizu about the key points of these buildings, he was embarrassed during the middle part of the interview and talked about the location environment that easily attracts people and the “attractiveness of the building as an attractive architecture” as some of the points of choice.
Since people like me are visiting from remote Hokkaido, the “attracting people” factor must be more than enough to make it effective. I couldn’t help but ask, “But it looks cold in winter, doesn’t it? As the number one store in the region for highly insulated and airtight houses, Daishin Build is, in a way, taking on the challenge of choosing the right environment.

It will be very interesting to see how the design characteristics typical of reinforced concrete architecture and the wooden opening components and design expression will harmonize over time to inspire contemporary residential users. I can easily imagine the response of a prospective homeowner who might ask, “You have an interesting office in an interesting building,” to which I would reply, “We will build a highly insulated and airtight home while also utilizing this retro design mindset (laughs).
I would like to pay attention to what kind of results will be produced.

Posted on 10月 26th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 住宅マーケティング, 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

わたしは関西に出掛けるときには、基本的には堺の町に逗留することにしています。京阪神地区をあちこち、さらに奈良や兵庫県深奥部などにも距離的に行動しやすく、適度に田舎感があって「関西でのホームタウン」として親近感を持っています。
そういう認識を持つに至ったきっかけには、子どもの頃からの歴史好きがあって、こどものときに見ていた信長ストーリーで、若い信長がまるで修学旅行のように堺の町に「見聞を広めた」様子が描かれていて、そういう信長の心事に強い共感を持っていたことが大きいと思っているのです。
人間誰でも、その青春期に体験したことと言うのは強く影響を受け続けるものだろうし、歳を重ねる毎にそういう心理がより熟成して、浪漫化していって珠玉のように思えていくものなのでしょう。
写真は大好きな大浜公園から見える工事用壁面パネルの描画。
臨時的に工事現場を覆う用途の壁面ですが、最近の建築人のマナーとして、その建てられる地域の人びとに配慮して、そこでの歴史をリスペクトするような画題で壁画面としている場合が多い。そういうなかでもこの堺の町の壁画面には感服した次第。
先述したような信長の時代の堺の状況が白日夢のように現出している（笑）。
はるかな戦国の時代にこのように堺の町を闊歩していた異人さんたちが、最新の西洋の技術を交易していた。最先端資本主義である堺の商人たちは、その応接に対応して日本社会への普及拡散に努めた。

幕末・明治以降にも日本は同様の経験を持つのだけれど、戦国期日本はこういった活発な交易交流の積層の結果、キリシタンという精神文化への強い拒否反応から鎖国に至る。一方、幕末明治からの積極的導入からの社会の結末として、敗戦経験があるのだろうと思います。
そういった民族としての西洋文化との出会い、そのさまざまな紆余曲折を経てなお、やはり青年・信長のピュアな驚きの心情を強く思わされる。交易ということでは中部日本の中枢でもあった尾張経済圏を掌握していた織田家の血脈として、信長にしてみても堺での体験は格別だっただろう。さまざまに想像を巡らせていたことが、この堺ですべてが明瞭になり、具体的には鉄砲という最新兵器を制するものが日本を統一できると確信し、そのための原資として活発な重商主義路線を政治選択したのだろう。
日本がたどった歴史のひとつの起点として、こういう堺の光景はわたしのような北海道人にはまぶしく見えてくる存在。であるのに、現代では京阪神に中心軸が移って行って、堺の町はなかば忘れ去られている。しかしそういったことも、むしろありがたく感じさせられる。ごくふつうの一地方性のなかに収まっている雰囲気が、無上に好きなのであります。

English version⬇

Nobunaga’s view of Sakai during the Warring States Period
Nobunaga as a symbol of the strong Japanese curiosity discovered by the West in the Age of Discovery. Nippon adopts the landscape of the first source of encounter of civilizations as a construction shielding panel mural. …

Whenever I travel to the Kansai region, I generally stay in the town of Sakai. It is within easy reach of many places in the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe area, as well as Nara and deep into Hyogo Prefecture, and has a moderately rural feel that makes me feel close to Sakai as my “home town in the Kansai region.
I have had a love of history since I was a child, and the story of Nobunaga Nobunaga that I watched as a child depicted the young Nobunaga “spreading his knowledge” of Sakai as if he were on a school excursion, and I believe that I was strongly motivated by my sympathy for Nobunaga’s thoughts and feelings. I believe that it was largely due to his strong sympathy for Nobunaga’s heart and mind.
I believe that what we all experience in our youth will continue to have a strong influence on us, and as we get older, our psychology matures and becomes more romanticized, making us feel as if we are a gem.
The photo is a drawing of a construction wall panel that can be seen from my favorite Ohama Park.
Although these wall panels are used to temporarily cover construction sites, in recent years architects often use wall panels with themes that respect the history of the area in which they are built, in consideration of the people living in the area. In this case, I was impressed by the wall paintings in Sakai.
As mentioned above, the situation in Sakai during the reign of Nobunaga Nobunaga appears as if in a daydream (laugh).
In the far-off days of the Warring States period, the foreigners who strolled around Sakai in this manner were trading in the latest Western technology. The merchants of Sakai, the most advanced capitalism, responded to their reception and worked to spread and diffuse the technology to Japanese society.

Japan had a similar experience after the end of the Edo period and the Meiji period, but as a result of these layers of active trade exchanges, Japan during the Warring States period was forced to close its borders due to a strong rejection of the spiritual culture of Christianity. On the other hand, I believe that the end of the war was the result of a society that actively introduced Christianity from the end of the Edo period and the Meiji era, and that it experienced defeat.
Such encounters with Western culture as a people and its various twists and turns still strongly remind us of the pure and surprising feelings of the young man Nobunaga. As a member of the Oda family, which controlled the Owari economic zone, the center of Central Japan in terms of trade, Nobunaga must have had an exceptional experience in Sakai. He was convinced that he would be able to unify Japan if he controlled the latest weaponry, specifically guns, and he chose an active mercantilist policy as a source of funds to achieve this goal.
As the starting point of Japan’s history, this scene in Sakai is a dazzling sight for a Hokkaido person like myself. Yet, today, with the central axis of Japan’s history shifting to the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe area, the town of Sakai has been somewhat forgotten. But this is something to be thankful for. I am supremely fond of the atmosphere of the town, which is contained within a very ordinary locality.

Posted on 10月 24th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »