日本の交易経済にとって瀬戸内海はその始原期の主要な舞台。なんといってもアジア世界の「フロンティア」として機能し続けてきた日本列島においては畿内地域が中核的な位置にあって、そこへの物資の流入がいわば「大動脈」であり続けてきた。その役割を担っていたのが瀬戸内海の水上交通。そのなかでも伊予国は枢要な地域だった。律令体制の「国」の分類でも大国とされ、その「伊予国守」はきわめて高位の官職とされ続けてきた。さまざまな軍事・政治の結果として源義経が任命されていたのがこの官職だったことでも知られる。
　公地公民という現実にそぐわない律令体制の桎梏から、徐々に有力貴族や寺社勢力による荘園という名の私有地化が進行して、地方ではその矛盾点が露わになって承平天慶の乱、藤原純友の反乱が勃発する。瀬戸内海では海賊による被害が頻発。従七位下・伊予の掾の藤原純友は海賊の討伐に当たっていたが、承平6年（936年）頃には伊予国日振島を根拠に逆に1000艘を組織する海賊の頭目となっていたとされる。
　政治制度が現実にまったくそぐわず、海賊行為によって経済活動も悲鳴を上げる。そういうなかで武装勢力が各地で勃興してそのもとで治安が回復するという流れになっていく。そういうなかで伊予国では河野氏が、この地域の制海権を掌握して武権を確立していくことになった。そのときに勝ち残るには城塞の優秀さが求められた。海上交通の要路と交易上の要地を抑える武権にとって「難攻不落」という要素はいちばんの要素。こういう武力の優劣になってしまえば、海賊なのか取り締まり側なのか、そのことは大きな違いにはならない。あとは、政府側との交渉力だけの問題だったことだろう。まことにわかりやすい「勝てば官軍」の世界。
　イラスト図を見ていて面白かったのは、こういう時代に大型の木造建築が軒を連ねて、一種の「都市構造」を遠景させること自体が、そこに「武権」があると知らしめただろうこと。やがて城郭建築に昇華していくいわば権力と建築・都市の関係が明示されていると思えたこと。現代世界でこういった木造建築をみるのと、このような田園風景の中で屹立する木造建築群は、剥き出しの象徴性を持っていたのだと気付かされる。　＜明日以降に続く＞

●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 Establishment of Armed Forces in the Seto Inland Sea: Exploration of the Iyo Kono Clan-2
The “ruling structure” appears bare in the landscape of the archipelago. Large wooden buildings were viewed from the sea and land as symbols of maritime dominance. …

　The Seto Inland Sea was a major stage for Japan’s trading economy in its earliest days. The Seto Inland Sea was the main stage of Japan’s trade economy from its earliest days. The Kinai region was at the core of the Japanese archipelago, which had continued to function as a “frontier” for the Asian world, and the flow of goods into the region had been a “major artery,” so to speak. The Seto Inland Sea, a water transportation system, played this role. Iyo Province was one of the most important areas in the Seto Inland Sea. Iyo Province was considered a major province under the Ritsuryo system, and its “Iyo provincial governor” continued to be an extremely high-ranking official position. It is also known that Yoshitsune was appointed to this position as a result of various military and political actions.
　The fetters of the Ritsuryo system, which was not compatible with the reality of public domain and civics, led to the conversion of manors into private property by powerful aristocrats and the forces of temples and shrines, and the contradictions were exposed in the provinces. In the Seto Inland Sea, pirates frequently inflicted damage. Fujiwara no Sumitomo, who was a subordinate of Iyonobe, was engaged in defeating the pirates, and it is said that he became the leader of a group of pirates who organized 1,000 boats from Nichiburi Island in Iyo Province around 936.
　The political system did not match the reality at all, and piracy caused economic activities to scream. Under such circumstances, armed forces sprang up in various areas, and under these armed forces, public order was restored. In Iyo Province, the Kono clan seized control of the seas in the region and established military power. In order to survive, the Kono clan had to have excellent fortifications. The most important factor for a military power that controlled the key routes of maritime traffic and trading routes was to be “impregnable. When it comes to the superiority of military power, whether one is a pirate or a policeman does not make a big difference. The only thing that mattered was the ability to negotiate with the government side. It is truly an easy-to-understand win-win world.
　What was interesting about the illustration was that in such an era, large wooden buildings lined up in a row, creating a kind of “urban structure” in the distance, would have made it known that there was “military power” in the area. It was a clear indication of the relationship between power, architecture, and the city, which would eventually sublimate into castle architecture. When I look at these wooden structures in the modern world, I realize that the wooden buildings soaring in such a rural landscape had a bare symbolism.　＜To be continued from tomorrow.

Notice
My book “Writers and Residential Space” is published by Gentosha as an e-book.
You can purchase it at Amazon.

Posted on 6月 6th, 2025 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪