さて本日からは世間全般はちょっと長めの「お盆休暇」突入のようです。同居している会社も本日から来週いっぱいまでの休暇。直接仕事などにタッチはしないけれど、やはり同じ建物を共有していると「雰囲気」は感じられる。ということで9日間ほど、夫婦でのゆったりとしたお盆の日常。
　写真はなかなかに「真夏感」をただよわせてくれていた札幌周辺の石狩湾の夏雲と、先週末からの旅程最後、8/4東京からの帰還のフライトで見た富士山の夕陽背景写真。先日も富士山ぐるっと回る行程を行脚しましたが、やはり神々しいお姿にうっとりさせられる。
　今回の旅程では盛夏の東日本の各所の住宅群を撮影してきたのですが、レンタカーでの移動なので車中ではエアコンで快適室内気候とはいえ、一歩外の酷暑の世界ではほぼボーッとした感覚の世界で夢遊して彷徨っておりました。
　一方札幌も体験したことのない超酷暑でご近所の金融機関の看板下の「気温計」ではなんと40度という表示も見たりしていた。体感的にはやはり湿度が本州地域とは違うので、暑さの重量感はそれほどでもない。なんですが、北海道に生きてきてたしかに未体験ゾーンの温度帯での暮らしでした。それでも家の中ではクーラーの働きで、夜間寝苦しいというのはなかった。「蓄冷」効果なのでしょう。
　・・・と、書いてきたのですがおかげさまで、ここ数日札幌地方ではようやく記録的酷暑からややトーンダウンして、ふつうの北海道の夏になってきております。酷暑が去ってくれて、天国です。
　ことしの酷暑、本州地域では九州や沖縄では酷暑日の観測報告がないそうで、本州島の内陸部でのフェーン型の気温上昇が特徴的という。気候変動はたぶん未体験ゾーンに突入してきている。気候データが記録されてきた年代では人類も初めて体験するような領域なのではないかと思いますね。
　しかしまぁ、直接的にすぐにダウンさせられるほどではなく、エアコンや蓄冷建築などの人知の暑さ回避策で対応して行くことは可能なように思えます。ただこれからは「夏の気候への断熱作戦」の必要性が高まるでしょう。

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

English version⬇

[The Japanese archipelago enters a tropical summer in 2025]
The long Obon holiday has begun. Sapporo is cooling down, but for those in areas where the intense heat continues, please take care of your health. …

　Well, it seems that from today, most people will be enjoying a slightly longer “Obon holiday.” The company I work for is also closed from today until the end of next week. Although I am not directly involved in work, I can still feel the “atmosphere” of the office since we share the same building. So, for about nine days, my wife and I will be enjoying a relaxed Obon holiday.
　The photos capture the “midsummer feel” of the summer clouds over Ishikari Bay near Sapporo, and the sunset backdrop of Mount Fuji seen from the flight returning to Tokyo on August 4, the final leg of the journey that began last weekend. I recently took a trip around Mount Fuji, but its majestic presence still leaves me spellbound.
　During this trip, I photographed residential areas across eastern Japan in the midst of summer. While the car was comfortable with air conditioning, stepping outside into the intense heat felt like wandering in a daze.
Meanwhile, Sapporo also experienced an unprecedented heatwave, with the thermometer under the sign of a nearby financial institution showing a staggering 40 degrees Celsius. In terms of how it feels, the humidity is different from the main island regions, so the heaviness of the heat isn’t as intense. Still, living in Hokkaido, it was definitely a temperature range I’d never experienced before. However, thanks to the air conditioner, I didn’t have any trouble sleeping at night. It must be the “cooling storage” effect.
…And as I was writing this, thankfully, over the past few days, the record-breaking heatwave in the Sapporo area has finally eased up a bit, and it’s starting to feel like a typical Hokkaido summer again. With the extreme heat gone, it’s like heaven.
This year’s extreme heat saw no reports of extreme heat days in Kyushu or Okinawa in the Honshu region, with the characteristic feature being a foehn-type temperature rise in the inland areas of Honshu Island. Climate change is probably entering an uncharted territory. I think this is an area that humanity has never experienced before in the recorded history of climate data.
　However, it does not seem to be severe enough to immediately bring everything to a halt, and it appears possible to cope with the heat using human-made measures such as air conditioning and thermal insulation buildings. Nevertheless, the need for “heat insulation strategies for summer weather” will likely increase from now on.

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

Posted on 8月 9th, 2025 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

　70歳の古希を前に足腰の衰えから旅を続けることが難しいと感じた松浦武四郎は、畳１枚と多少の付属空間による書斎「一畳敷」を東京神田五軒町の自宅に建てた。
　写真は松浦武四郎記念館（松阪市）のエントランス正面に展示されている原寸模型。
　生涯を旅とともに過ごしてきた先人として、その最期に当たって住宅建築にその「思い」を仮託したのだと直感できて、参観させていただいた。上は「外観」で下は「内観」。あまり詳細な解説ではなかったので、推測になるけれど、奥の引き建具から本屋への出入り口になっていると思われた。また、１畳のタタミ空間の他に向かって手前側左手に「床の間」があり小スペースながら「縁」空間もあるので正しくは１坪程度の面積ではないか。たった一枚の畳に板縁を廻らせ、床の間と神棚、書棚をしつらえた空間。
　建築の実物は、東京都三鷹市大沢の国際基督教大学キャンパスに移築保存されている。＜下に写真＞

　旅を重ねてきた人生をふりかえって、結局は「立って半畳、寝て一畳」という実感に至った、かれ松浦武四郎の「肉声」が伝わってくるように思えた。言うまでもないだろうが、このことわざは「人間が生活する上で必要なスペースは、立っている状態では畳半畳、寝ている状態では畳一畳あれば十分であるという意味」とされている。
　ただし、松浦武四郎はこの空間を装丁建築するにあたって全国の友人知己に手紙を書いて、数年かけて各地の霊社名刹などの建造物の「古材」を集め、1886年自邸に一畳敷を増築した。90もの歴史ある木片で組み上げられており、その空間構成の来歴は古くは白鳳時代から江戸時代にまで遡ることになる。神社建築の世界では伊勢神宮の外宮の殿舎建築は「式年遷宮」で20年ごとに建て替えられ、その構成部材は全国の有力な神社建築に分け与えられる。わたしの地元の北海道神宮も明治以降のその分与された古材が社殿のどこかで使われている。その「伝統」に即したいとかれは思ったのだろう。
　松浦さんの「内意」としてはどうも、空間は人生で思う存分に「巡り」回ったけれど、最期は「時間」も縦横に１畳敷のなかでその「旅」を味わい尽くしたいと願ったのではないかと妄想させられた。なんとも「数寄」の極致なのではないだろうか。
　そしてかれのその希望は実際に叶えられたということにまた、目を瞠らされる。すごい。ひとり外宮か。

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

English version⬇

[Final space = half a tatami mat standing, one tatami mat lying down / Takashiro Matsuura-10]
Composed of old materials from famous temples that have been visited, just as old materials from the Ise Grand Shrine’s periodic relocation ceremony are distributed to shrines throughout the country. It’s like traveling through time from the Asuka period to the Edo period. …

　As he approached his 70th birthday, Matsura Takashiro felt that his declining physical strength made it difficult to continue traveling. He therefore built a study called “Ichijōshiki” in his home in Kanda Gokenchō, Tokyo, consisting of a single tatami mat and a small adjoining space.
　The photo shows a full-scale model displayed at the entrance of the Matsura Takashiro Memorial Museum (Matsusaka City).
As a pioneer who spent his entire life traveling, I sensed that he had entrusted his “vision” for residential architecture to this space as he neared the end of his life, and I had the opportunity to visit it. The top image shows the “exterior,” and the bottom shows the “interior.” Since there wasn’t much detailed explanation, this is just speculation, but I think the sliding doors at the back lead to the entrance of the bookstore. Additionally, besides the one-tatami-mat space, there is a “tokonoma” (alcove) on the left side of the front area. Despite the small space, there is also an “engawa” (veranda), so the actual area is likely around one tatami mat. The space features a single tatami mat with wooden borders, a tokonoma, a shrine shelf, and a bookshelf.
The actual building has been relocated and preserved at the International Christian University campus in Ozawa, Mitaka City, Tokyo. [Photo below]

Reflecting on a life spent traveling, I came to realize that, in the end, “half a tatami mat when standing, one tatami mat when lying down” is all that is needed. It seemed as if the ‘voice’ of Matsura Takashiro was being conveyed to me. Needless to say, this proverb means that “the space necessary for human life is half a tatami mat when standing and one tatami mat when lying down.”
　However, Matsura Takashiro, when designing this space, wrote letters to friends and acquaintances across the country, spending several years collecting “reclaimed wood” from historic shrines and temples, and in 1886, he added a one-tatami-mat extension to his residence. The space is constructed using 90 pieces of historically significant wood, with its origins tracing back as far as the Asuka period and the Edo period. In the world of shrine architecture, the outer shrine buildings of Ise Grand Shrine are rebuilt every 20 years as part of the “Shikinen Sengu” ritual, and the structural components are distributed to other prominent shrines across the country. My local Hokkaido Shrine also uses some of these reclaimed materials in its shrine buildings. I suppose he wanted to adhere to that “tradition.”
　As for Matsura’s “inner intention,” it seems that he had fully experienced the “cycle” of life through space, but in the end, he desired to savor the ‘journey’ within the confines of a single tatami mat, both vertically and horizontally. It is truly the pinnacle of “suki” (a Japanese aesthetic sensibility).
And the fact that his wish was actually fulfilled is truly astonishing. Amazing. A solitary outer shrine.
　
　

Posted on 8月 7th, 2025 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 住宅取材＆ウラ話 | No Comments »

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

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

　書き上げるとみなさんのあたたかい視線を感じさせられる。きっとわたしの内心を「見ている」のだろうと気付かせられた。オモシロい。
　そこからみなさんの素晴らしい作品を鑑賞して忘我の心理に至っていました。「数寄」の拡張がこれ以上になると困惑するけれど、楽しさがジワジワわき上がっていた。帰り際、運営の方と親しく会話させていただき「中国では日本のひらかな・カタカナの美感はわかるのですか？」などと心底にあり続けていた疑問を投げかけたりしておりました。奥行きが深すぎる世界の予感。
　
●お知らせ
拙書「作家と住空間」幻冬舎から電子書籍で発刊
お求めはAmazonで。
https://amzn.asia/d/eUiv9yO

English version⬇

[The Culture of Calligraphy: The World of Japanese Calligraphy / Takashiro Matsuura-8]
Guided by the pioneers of documentary photography, I became fascinated by the world of calligraphy in Ueno. At the end of my life, I encountered a new “suki” (a Japanese aesthetic sensibility). …

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

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

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

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

Posted on 8月 5th, 2025 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

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

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

English version⬇

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

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

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

Posted on 8月 3rd, 2025 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 状況・政治への発言 | No Comments »

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

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

English version⬇

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

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

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

Posted on 8月 1st, 2025 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »