この龍角寺のある周辺は関東でも有数の古墳集積地域。古墳時代後期（6世紀）から終末期（7世紀）の古墳群。現在確認されている古墳の総数は115基。関東では上野（こうづけ）を拠点とした上毛野氏勢力が有力とされるけれど、この龍角寺周辺もその集積ぶりでは圧倒的な大規模古墳群。印旛沼に面する台地縁辺部に6世紀の円墳や前方後円墳が並んでいる。
関東有数の古民家園・千葉県立「房総のむら」敷地内にあって多くの古墳が良好に保存されている。指定範囲内には93基の古墳が含まれるとのこと。
この古墳群は、近傍に所在する白鳳期創建の龍角寺との密接な関連が想定される。この古墳群と周辺遺跡の背景には、印旛沼北岸から香取海南岸に本拠を置いた一豪族が、大和王権の東国支配が確立されていく過程で中央王権の代行者としての地位を獲得し、律令国家成立後も国家機構の一翼を担う在地勢力となったことが考えられるのですね。
写真は2022年10月の早稲田大学會津八一記念博物館での「下総龍角寺再考」シンポ資料より。古墳は龍角寺古墳群101号の外観。
全国で古墳文化はある段階から急減していくけれど、それは多く「寺院建築」に置き換わっていった王権勢力の権威文化の移り変わりを表しているのだと思える。それは同時に八百万の神が、神宿る自然を依り代としてきたのに対して、対比的だと思える。
列島の自然環境に帰依する自然崇拝系の「宗教」といえる八百万の「威信建築」としては自然改造の古墳づくりとその形状を権力象徴としたのだろうが、その次の新時代として仏教寺院とその建築伽藍様式が権威の象徴に変化していったと言える。
そういう権威付けのシンボルとしては、本尊の仏像とその表情ぶりはそれまでの古墳の形状以上にわかりやすく権威の裏付けを「見える化」させたものと推定できる。そしてそれまでの自然崇拝という宗教性から、仏教思想という人間化された宗教が導入された。

具体的な表情を持った「神性」というものに縄文由来の人びとがどのように反応して、それを受容していったのか、想像力が刺激される。それまでは地域王権の具体的な表徴としては古墳を見せていたものが、ある時期から突然、仏教伽藍にそれが変わり、さらに具体的な人間の表情を持った「みほとけ」が出現してきたワケだ。
現実の日本史で展開していったのは、八百万と仏教は共生的に併存していったということ。大陸的な傾向では二者択一的に偏っていくものが、日本では併存していった。この関東東部では、鹿島神宮や香取神宮と古墳群、そして龍角寺という宗教性がそれぞれで併存していった。後の世の成田山新勝寺もしかり。
王権権力と宗教性との絡み合いが、複雑な過程を辿ったということなのでしょうね。

English version⬇

From Kofun Tumulus to Buddhist Temple Architecture, Ryukakuji Temple (3): Exploring the Three Shrines of Eastern Japan – 10
The form of manifestation of power changed from ancient burial mounds to Buddhist temples. The area around Ryukakuji Temple is a pinnacle of this ancient period. The temple is located in the vicinity of Ryukaku-ji Temple.

The area around the Ryukakuji Temple is one of the most concentrated areas of kofun tumuli in the Kanto region. The tombs date from the late Kofun period (6th century) to the end of the Kofun period (7th century). The total number of confirmed kofun tumuli is currently 115. In the Kanto region, the Kamimono clan, based in Kozuke, is the dominant force, but the area around Ryukakuji Temple is also by far the largest tumulus cluster in the Kanto region. On the edge of the plateau facing Obanuma, there is a row of 6th-century round mounds and posterior-rectangular mounds.
Many of the tombs are well preserved within the grounds of the Chiba Prefectural “Boso no Mura,” one of the largest old private gardens in the Kanto region. The designated area includes 93 burial mounds.
It is assumed that this tumulus group is closely related to the nearby Ryukakuji Temple, which was founded in the Hakuho Period. So the background of this kofun tumulus group and the surrounding ruins suggests that a powerful tribe based on the northern coast of the Inba Marsh to the southern coast of the Katori Sea acquired a position as an agent of the central royal power in the process of establishing the Yamato royal power’s rule in the East, and became a local power that played a part in the state structure after the Ritsuryo state was established.
The photo is from the “Reconsidering Shimousa Ryukakuji Temple” symposium held at the Aizu Yaichi Memorial Museum of Waseda University in October 2022. The tumulus is the exterior of the Ryukakuji Tumulus Group 101.
The tumulus culture declined sharply after a certain stage in the history of Japan, but I believe that this represents a shift in the culture of authority of the royal power, which was replaced by “temple architecture” in many cases. At the same time, this is in contrast to the 8 million deities who have taken refuge in the nature in which they dwell.
The “prestige architecture” of the eight million nature-worshipping “religions” that took refuge in the natural environment of the archipelago may have been the mound structures modified by nature and their shapes as symbols of authority, but in the next new era, Buddhist temples and their architectural temple styles became symbols of authority.
As such symbols of authority, the main Buddha image and its facial expression are more easily understood than the shape of the kofun tumulus, and it can be assumed that they “visualized” the support of authority. The religious nature of nature worship that had existed up to that point was replaced by the humanized religion of Buddhist thought.

It is stimulating to the imagination to see how people of Jomon origin reacted to and accepted the “divinity” that had a concrete expression. The Jomon had previously displayed kofun as a concrete expression of local kingship, but at some point in history, this was suddenly replaced by Buddhist monasteries, and “mihotoke” appeared with a more concrete human expression.
What has developed in actual Japanese history is the symbiotic coexistence of the eight millions and Buddhism. What would have been a continental trend toward a bias toward one or the other, in Japan they coexisted. In the eastern part of the Kanto region, the Kashima Shrine, the Katori Shrine, the ancient burial mounds, and the Ryukakuji Temple were all religious entities that coexisted with each other. The same is true of the later Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple.
It must be said that the intertwining of royal power and religiosity was a complicated process.

Posted on 8月 14th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

古代の関東平野の状況を実体験する旅、いわゆる「東国三社」という鹿島・香取・息栖の３つの神社探訪ではありますが、実はもうひとつ深く興味を刺激されていた「龍角寺」。現在は廃寺跡が残っている。
画像は、古代での寺のありようを伝える現地説明板でみた復元絵画・配置図とそれに対照した正面外観写真。写真の手前側には礎石だけになった仁王門跡もある。
こちらは成田空港にほど近い「栄町」にあって、古代関東の地形を感じさせる印旛沼のような水郷的雰囲気も残っている。こうした立地環境にあり、交通も困難な地域と認識される地域でありながら、この龍角寺はその創建をおおむね600年代中期頃まで遡ることが知られている。
「当地には古代から仏教寺院が存在したことは間違いない。発掘調査によって、南大門から入り、中門を抜け、左手に金堂、右手に塔、そしてその奥に講堂が配されるという、いわゆる「法起寺式伽藍配置」の遺構が検出され、創建瓦は周縁に三重園文のある単弁八葉蓮華文の山田寺式の系譜を持つ軒丸瓦である。関東でもいくつかの寺院跡で山田寺式の軒丸瓦が出土しているが、その中でも最も古い様式。」
「寺の南には最後の前方後円墳といわれる浅間山古墳や、畿内の大王陵を凌駕する終末期最大の方墳龍角寺岩屋古墳などがあり、馬来田の上総大寺廃寺（千葉県木更津市）、武社の真行寺廃寺（同山武市）、上毛野の山王廃寺（群馬県前橋市）などとともに、国造制から律令制への移行段階に建立された印波国造の領域の初期寺院とされ、畿内以外では最古にあたる寺院。龍角寺岩屋古墳は典型的畿内型終末期古墳であり、畿内中枢との密接的な関係なしに理解できないという。」
「方墳は用明天皇陵の春日向山古墳や、推古天皇陵である山田高塚古墳をはじめ、蘇我馬子の墓の可能性の高い石舞台古墳といったように、蘇我氏関係の墳墓に採用されている。さらに規模においてそれらを凌駕しており、当時の最大権力・蘇我氏が造営に深く係っていたと推測される。龍角寺の創建「瓦」も一族の蘇我倉山田石川麻呂によって創建された山田寺式の瓦を採用していることから、龍角寺造立者は龍角寺岩屋古墳の被葬者の系譜下にあり、蘇我氏系の氏族であったとする見解もある。」〜以上、Wikipediaより。
引用が長くなってしまったけれど、この廃寺跡を彷徨っていると各所で気の遠くなる説明記述板がボーッとした脳味噌に怒濤のように降り注いでくる（笑）。
とても一度の訪問では咀嚼しきれないほどの興味津々な歴史のナゾが襲ってくるのであります。
わたしは密かに伊能忠敬さんを尊崇しているのですが、かれは健康人生を心がけて、人生の晩年期にこそ日本人のための活動を行った。はるかな落第生的な凡百として、せめてこういった昔人の痕跡と向き合っていきたいと考えています。
この廃寺跡から、そういった空気感が立ち上ってきて無性に揺さぶられた次第です。

English version⬇

Traces of the Ancient Soga Clan, Ryukakuji Temple (1): Exploration of Three Shrines in the East – 8
This is a region in Kanto that can be traced back to the time of the Kunizukuri. The most advanced temple architecture in the Kinai region at that time was transplanted to the Kanto region. The influence of the Soga clan is strong in its construction. The Soga clan’s influence is strong in the construction of this temple.

Although this is a trip to actually experience the conditions of the Kanto Plain in ancient times, the so-called “Three Shrines of the East,” an exploration of the three shrines of Kashima, Katori, and Sosu, there was actually one more deeply stimulating interest: the Ryukakuji Temple. Today, the ruins of the abandoned temple remain.
The image shows a front exterior view contrasted with a restored painting and layout seen on a local explanatory board that tells how the temple was in ancient times. In the foreground of the photo are the ruins of the Niomon Gate, which is now only a foundation stone.
This temple is located in Sakae-machi, near Narita Airport, in an area that still retains the atmosphere of a water village like Obanuma, which reminds us of the topography of the ancient Kanto region. Despite its location in such an environment, and despite the fact that the area is considered difficult to access, Ryukakuji Temple is known to have been founded in the mid-600s.
There is no doubt that a Buddhist temple has existed in the area since ancient times. Excavations have revealed the remains of a so-called “Hokki-ji style” temple layout, with the main hall on the left, the pagoda on the right, and the lecture hall in the back, entered through the main south gate, and with eaves round tiles in the Yamada-dera style with a single-petaled eight-leaf lotus flower design with a threefold garden pattern on the periphery. This is the oldest of the Yamadadera style eaves round tiles that have been excavated from several temple sites in the Kanto region.
To the south of the temple are the Asamayama Kofun Tumulus, said to be the last forward-rear round burial mound, and the Ryukakuji Iwaya Kofun Tumulus, the largest square burial mound of the Terminal Period, surpassing the great imperial tombs in the Kinai region. It is the oldest temple outside the Kinai region. The Ryukakuji Iwaya burial mound is a typical Kinai-type Terminal Period burial mound, and cannot be understood without its close relationship to the Kinai center.
The square burial mounds are used for tombs related to the Soga clan, such as the Kasuga Mukoyama burial mound for Emperor Yomei, the Yamada Takatsuka burial mound for Emperor Suiko, and the Ishibutai burial mound, which is likely to be the tomb of Soga Umako. The tombs are even larger in scale than those of the other tombs, suggesting that the Soga clan, the most powerful clan at that time, was deeply involved in their construction. The “roof tiles” used in the construction of Ryuzumakuji Temple are also in the Yamadadera style, which was created by the family of Soga Kurayamada Ishikawamaro, which leads some to believe that the builders of Ryuzumakuji Temple were of the Soga lineage and descended from the family of the buried in the Ryuzumakuji Iwaya tumulus. 〜The above is from Wikipedia.
The above is from Wikipedia. I have been quoted for a long time, but as I wandered around the ruins of this abandoned temple, I was bombarded with dizzying explanations and description boards at various places like a raging wave in my foggy brain (laugh).
(Laughs). I was bombarded with so many interesting historical riddles that I could not digest them all in a single visit.
I secretly revere Mr. Tadataka Ino, who tried to lead a healthy life and did activities for the Japanese people only in the later years of his life. As an ordinary person who is far from being a dropout, I would like to at least face the traces of these ancient people.
I was moved by the atmosphere that rose up from the ruins of this abandoned temple.

Posted on 8月 12th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
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鹿島神宮のことについてちょっと巨視的という感じで６回のブログシリーズで書いてみました。
写真は鹿島神宮の楼門、拝殿正面、本殿の主要な建築装置３例。こういった建築デザインには、わたしたち日本人の美的感受性が集中していると感じます。目に鮮やかな丹色の結界装置。ひろく人びとを受け入れる神域との出会い装置、そしてややキッチュな装飾性をまとったカラフルな本殿神域。それぞれの建築デザインが、わたしたちの感受性にこころよく響いてくる。
自分なりの感想として、日本文化としての鹿島神宮という存在は畿内地域での伊勢神宮とパラレルな位置にあるのではないかという実感。
伊勢神宮は畿内地域に対して「夏至の日が昇っていく」方角に位置していて、古来からの太陽神信仰に深く根ざしているという印象。そして内宮と外宮がワンセットのようになっている。
この鹿島神宮と香取神宮はこの伊勢の内宮・外宮の関係と似つかわしいように思う。地理的な位置としては関東圏にとって「夏至の日が昇っていく」方角という配置位置に相当するように思える。神道という列島社会古来の宗教文化の基盤にはこうした自然崇拝があるのでしょう。
で、こうした日本列島的「自然崇拝」思想には、四季変化が明瞭であり、さらに目に見える地面の状況それ自身も千変万化するという世界の中でも特異な「うつろう」自然という基盤があると思う。
大陸民族の場合は、不変なるものへの帰依が基本の心性としてあるように思う。悠久であるもの、かわらないものが基本ではないか。キリスト教的な一神教世界観とも通じる考え方。それに対して日本的な自然環境の中では、万物は生々流転するという思想が優勢になる。
そんな基盤から「もののあはれ」というような「ためいき」のような思想が基底的なものになるように思えてならない。たしかに自然の大地そのものが生々流転する様子を民族記憶として刷り込まれていけば、万古不変という考え方が後退し、そのように柔軟に受け入れる思想が大勢になると思える。加えて言えば日本列島は太古以来、地震や火山噴火、台風などの自然災害とも共生してきた。
東国三社といわれるなかでも中核と思える鹿島神宮篇を書き終えてみると、このような日本人の精神性を育んできたものとの遭遇を強く意識させられた次第です。

こちらは樹齢800年と言われる大鳥居横の「椎の木」。ブナ科の常緑高木。昔は家の周囲に「防火樹」として使用されたのだとか。木に「防火」させるというのは面白い考え方だなぁ、と。でも本当はシイタケの原木だということなので、日本人の味覚の奥深くのキノコ文化を継承してきた存在として、家の近くに栽培してきたのかも知れませんね。
関東古来からの日本人的文化性の象徴、そんな印象を強くした鹿島神宮でありました。

English version⬇

Kashima Jingu Shrine, the Cradle of Changing Views of Nature: An Exploration of the Three Shrines of Higashikuni – 6
Earthquakes, typhoons, volcanoes, and even the land itself are visibly transforming the view of nature in the Japanese archipelago. Kashima is a sacred place where “gods dwell” in the midst of these changes. Kashima, a Shinto shrine where “the gods dwell” amidst such circumstances.

I have written about Kashima Jingu Shrine in a six-part blog series that is a bit macroscopic.
The photos show three examples of the main architectural devices of Kashima Jingu: the Sakura-mon Gate, the front of the worship hall, and the main shrine. I feel that the aesthetic sensitivity of the Japanese people is concentrated in these architectural designs. The Tan-colored warding device is vivid to the eye. The main hall is a colorful, kitschy, and decorative space. Each of these architectural designs resonates with our sensitivity.
My own impression is that the existence of Kashima Jingu Shrine in Japanese culture is in a parallel position to that of Ise Jingu Shrine in the Kinai region.
Ise Jingu is located in the direction of the “rising sun on the summer solstice” in the Kinai region, and I have the impression that it is deeply rooted in the ancient belief in the sun god. And the inner and outer shrines are like one set.
The Kashima Jingu and Katori Jingu seem to be similar to the relationship between the Inner and Outer Shrines of Ise. In terms of geographical location, they seem to be located in the direction of the “rising sun on the summer solstice” in the Kanto region. This kind of nature worship must be the basis of Shinto, the ancient religious culture of the archipelago.
This nature worship in the Japanese archipelago is based on the unique nature of the world, with its distinct seasonal changes and the visible ground itself undergoing a multitude of changes.
In the case of continental peoples, I think their basic mentality is to take refuge in what is unchanging. The eternal and unchanging is the basis. This is a way of thinking that is also compatible with the Christian monotheistic view of the world. In contrast, in the Japanese natural environment, the idea that all things are born and flowing is predominant.
From such a foundation, the idea of “mono no ahare,” or “tameiki,” seems to be the basis of the philosophy. Indeed, if the natural land itself is imprinted with the memory of the birth and transmigration of nature as a national memory, the idea of “eternity” will recede and the idea of flexibility and acceptance will become the prevailing thought. In addition, since time immemorial, the Japanese archipelago has coexisted with natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and typhoons.
When I finished writing the Kashima Shrine, which I consider to be the core of the three shrines in the eastern part of Japan, I was made keenly aware of the encounter with the things that have nurtured the spirituality of the Japanese people.

This is a “Shiinoki” (vertebrate tree) next to the Otorii gate, said to be 800 years old. It is a tall evergreen tree of the beech family. In the old days, it was used as a “fireproof tree” around houses. I thought it was an interesting idea to make a tree “fireproof. But the truth is that it is the original source of shiitake mushrooms, so perhaps it has been cultivated near the house as an inheritor of the mushroom culture deep in the Japanese palate.
The Kashima Jingu Shrine gave me such a strong impression, a symbol of Japanese cultural characteristics from the ancient Kanto region.

Posted on 8月 10th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

この鹿島神宮の奥宮社殿は、慶長10年（1605）に徳川家康が関ヶ原戦勝の御礼に現在の本殿の位置に本宮として奉納したものを、その14年後に新たな社殿を建てるにあたりこの位置に遷してきたものとされる。
この社伝を信じれば、建築としての経歴は400年を超える。こちらの奥宮を前回見たのは2014年のはずで、そのときは屋根が苔むしていた。下の写真はその当時のもの。森の中にその精気を受けたようなすばらしい「呼吸感」が伝わってきた記憶がある。それが今回は令和の大改修工事の結果、檜皮葺屋根修繕が施されて、建築創建時の雰囲気が再生されている。
どちらの雰囲気も甲乙付けがたいけれど、建築の長期保存ということを考えればこのように補修を心がけて行くということは当然のことと受け止められますね。一方わたしの個人的な好みとしてはコケ大好き人間で自宅でも石膏ボードの素地仕上げ外壁部分にコケが生えてきているのがウレシイ変人っぷりなので（笑）、苔むした屋根というのは深くこころに沈殿させられるものがある。
鳥居があって、拝殿・本殿が一体化した簡素な建築。正面の鳥居左右に屋根の着いた塀が回されているけれど、その寸法感覚、バランス感覚に工匠たちの美的感受性が表現されていると感じる。



家康の時代の工匠たちの感覚が残されているということになりますが、その後の東照宮のようなゴテゴテの装飾性はほとんど見られず、いかにも戦国武将として信長・秀吉とはちがう家康らしい実利性が感じられる。家康は本拠の江戸城も当初はあまり装飾性を意識せずに簡素に作ったと言われるけれど、この奥宮でもそんなかれの個性が伝わってくるような気がする。
今回再訪したのだけれど「もう一回見てみたいな」と事前からこころに浮かんでいたのは、この奥宮だった。そこまで深く考えたことはなかったけれど、たぶんこころは正直に記憶再生させていたのだろう。
結局、建築とか住宅とかの価値感でいちばん重要なのは、愛着感というモノなのではないだろうか。
建築にはさまざまな目的があり施主としてはそういう思いを実現したいと思う。それが叶えられた後、その建築は使い続けることに大きな意味が移っていく。まずは機能性であり毎日使って動線計画とかの「使い勝手」の日常生活があり、そこで寝て暮らしさらに人間としてさまざまな人生模様が沈殿していく。そしてジワジワと沸き起こって来るものが人生と建築の相関的な愛着感。
そういう時間を積層後、なおこころに響き合ってくるものが愛着というものの実質なのではないだろうか？　苔好き人間のつぶやき（笑）。・・・

English version⬇

Kashima Jingu Shrine, Okugu Shrine, dedicated in honor of the victory in the Battle of Sekigahara.
When I revisited Kashima Jingu Shrine, I thought, “I want to see this shrine again. It was a pleasure to see the architecture again. The design sense of simplicity and elegance. I was very happy to see it again.

It is said that the inner shrine pavilion of the Kashima Jingu Shrine was dedicated by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1605 as the main shrine to express his gratitude for the victory at Sekigahara, and was moved to this location 14 years later when a new shrine pavilion was built.
If this shrine legend is to be believed, its architectural history is over 400 years old. The last time I saw this Okumiya was supposed to be in 2014, when the roof was mossy. The photo below is from that time. I remember that I could feel a wonderful “breathing” sensation as if the forest was filled with the spirit of the shrine. This time, as a result of a major renovation in 2022, the cypress bark roof has been repaired, and the atmosphere of the original building has been restored.
It is hard to say which is better, but considering the long-term preservation of the building, it is only natural that repairs should be made in this manner. On the other hand, I personally love moss, and I am happy to see it growing on the plasterboard exterior walls of my own house (laugh), so a mossy roof is something that deeply touches me.
The shrine is a simple structure with a torii gate, a hall of worship, and a main shrine all in one. The roofed walls on either side of the torii in front of the shrine express the aesthetic sensibility of the craftsmen in their sense of dimension and balance.

The design of this shrine preserves the sensibilities of the craftsmen of Ieyasu’s time, but it shows little of the ornateness of the later Toshogu shrines, and instead shows the pragmatism of a warlord like Ieyasu, who differed from Nobunaga and Hideyoshi in his warlord status. It is said that Ieyasu built the Edo Castle, his home base, in a simple manner without much attention to ornamentation in the beginning.
I had already had the idea in my mind before my return visit that I would like to see this shrine one more time. I had never thought about it that deeply, but perhaps my mind was honestly replaying the memory.
In the end, I think the most important thing in the sense of value of architecture and housing is a sense of attachment.
Architecture has a variety of purposes, and the owner wants to realize those purposes. After that is accomplished, the architecture becomes more important in terms of its continued use. First of all, there is the functionality, the daily life of “usability,” such as the flow line plan, which is used every day, and the various patterns of human life that are deposited there as people sleep and live. Then, slowly and gradually, a sense of attachment is generated that correlates life and architecture.
After accumulating such time, what still resonates in our hearts and minds is the substance of attachment.　The musings of a moss-loving person (laughs). Laughs

Posted on 8月 8th, 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 »

日本書紀の記述では、葦原の中つ国の支配権をヤマト王権が確立する過程は紆余曲折を辿り、出雲王権の大国主は最終的に鹿島の祭神・武甕槌大神（たけいかずちおおかみ）の遠征軍によって「国譲り」したことになっている。上の絵は越の国・新潟の弥彦神社に奉納されたものとされる。弥彦神社は同じ日本海文化圏であり、参拝の仕方も出雲と同じく２礼４拍手２礼という形式なので出雲と深く関係するいわば「同族意識」を高く持っていたと思える。出雲としては「不本意だけれど」国譲りということ自体は「正統な」手順を踏んでいたのだとして、その情報が越の国とその民にも伝えられて、この絵のように「了承を求める」と象徴化されたか。

一方のこちらは香取神宮の境内に掲げられていた「国譲り」縁起を表現した絵。香取の神も鹿島神と同行して出雲の殻の「国譲り」に加勢していたとされている。絵の画面上に樹影が写っているのは、日射の影響なのでご容赦ください。香取神宮の祭神・経津主大神(ふつぬしのおおかみ)とともに勝者として出雲の大国主から武の象徴としての剣を捧げられるポーズを取っている。独特の武装放棄表現と見ることができる。
というような神話の世界から日本という国はスタートしている。先日古代ローマのことも触れたけれど、国家というものの正統性という意味では背骨に当たる部分でしょう。国家の正統性にはいろいろな側面・意味合いがあるでしょうが、少なくともこういう説話が説得力を持っていること自体が強い正統性根拠だと思う。
このヤマト王権の正統性の起点で、東国の神は国家統合の武の象徴として登場している。

また鹿島神宮の桜門の左右には、写真のような武甕槌大神の紋章のような雷をシンボライズした神具がいわば「鎮守」具として飾られている。やはり「武神」的な色合いを強く感じさせてくれる。
明治以前に「神宮」の称号を与えられていたのは伊勢、香取、鹿島のみというわが国屈指の名社。このような国譲り神話での関係性からすると、関東地域というのはきわめて特殊な位置を占めていることになる。
さてこういう非常に重要な役割を果たした軍神、武の象徴を思わせる存在であるのに、その後の日本史上ではしばらくの間、関東は主舞台ではなく、むしろヤマト王権は繰り返しヤマトタケルという鎮撫軍を東国に派遣している。
地形的には香取の海や霞ヶ浦、鹿島灘などの水郷地帯に位置しているので、田畑という農業経済発展は難しい地域の武神であるので、日本史上ではながく関東開発は遅滞し、その神々の一統は象徴的権威ということに留まっていたものだろうか。王権から国譲りの武功に即して関東の支配権は移譲されたけれど、統治には至って不似合いな存在であったのか。地形的にバラバラの国土で集権的権力構造を作りにくかったのか？結局は独立農業主たちの乱立による無政府的な争乱が常態化していたのだろう。
その後の日本史で、関東には武士による支配構造が確立して、王朝国家とは別の農場開発主たちによる独立した武権を基盤とする国家が成立していく。歴史で解明されているこれ以降の関東の姿と、この鹿島神宮の武神には、どんな関係性があるのかないのか、戸惑い続けております。

English version⬇

Takemikazuchi no Mikami of Kashima, Izumo, and the Yamato Royalty: Exploring the Three Shrines of Eastern Japan-2
The deity Takemikazuchi of Kashima was the greatest contributor to the ceding of the kingdom, yet after that, the Kanto region remained immature in terms of power until the rise of the samurai. Did he fail to manage the economy? …

According to the account in Nihonshoki, the process of establishing the Yamato kingdom as the dominant power in the Land of Reed Plains took many twists and turns, and finally Okuninushi of the Izumo kingdom “handed over the land” to an expeditionary force led by Takeikazuchi Okami, the deity of the Kashima shrine. The painting above is said to have been dedicated to Yahiko Shrine in Niigata, Koshino-kuni. Yahiko Shrine is in the same cultural sphere of the Sea of Japan, and the way of worship is the same as that of Izumo, two bowing, four clapping, two bowing, so it seems that the shrine was deeply related to Izumo and had a high “sense of kinship,” so to speak. It is possible that Izumo followed the “legitimate” procedure of handing over the land, though “unwillingly,” and that this information was conveyed to the Koshino-no-kuni and its people, and symbolized as “seeking approval” as in this picture.

This picture, on the other hand, depicts the “handing over of the country” omens, which was displayed in the precincts of Katori Jingu Shrine. It is said that the Katori no Kami accompanied the Kashima no Kami and joined the “handing over of the country” of the shell of Izumo. Please forgive the tree shadows on the picture screen, as they are the result of sunlight. He is posed with Kyotsunushi no Okami, the deity of the Katori Jingu Shrine, as the victor, to whom Izumo no Okuninushi offers a sword as a symbol of his military prowess. This can be seen as a unique expression of armed renunciation.
Japan is a country that started out in the world of mythology. As I mentioned the other day about ancient Rome, this is the backbone of a nation in terms of its legitimacy. The legitimacy of a nation may have various aspects and meanings, but at the very least, the fact that such a theory is persuasive is a strong basis for legitimacy.
At the starting point of the legitimacy of the Yamato kingdom, this deity of the eastern provinces appears as a symbol of the military force of national unity.

On either side of the Sakura Gate of the Kashima Jingu Shrine, there is a symbolic thunderbolt-like device, like the emblem of the great god Takemikazuchi, displayed as a “shizumu” (guardian deity), as shown in the photo. The shrine is also strongly tinged with a “warrior god” atmosphere.
Before the Meiji era, only Ise, Katori, and Kashima were given the title of “Jingu,” making it one of the most famous shrines in Japan. The Kanto region occupies a very special position in terms of its relationship to the myth of the handing over of the kingdom.
Despite the military role of the god of war and the symbolic presence of the warrior, the Kanto region was not the main stage of Japanese history for some time afterward.
Since the geographical location of the region is in a watery area such as the Katori Sea, Kasumigaura, and the Sea of Kashima, it is difficult to develop an agricultural economy of rice paddies. Was the deity’s lineage merely a symbolic authority? Was it difficult to create a concentrated power structure in a topographically disjointed country? In the end, was anarchic strife caused by the disorderly rise of independent agricultural owners the norm?
Later in Japanese history, a ruling structure by samurai was established in the Kanto region, and a state based on independent military power by farm developers, separate from the dynastic state, was established. I continue to be puzzled as to what relationship there may or may not be between this Kashima Shrine’s warrior deities and the Kanto region after this, which history has elucidated.

Posted on 8月 6th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »