江戸末期以降の近代国家形成過程で北海道は、日本人と日本国家にとってその存亡が掛かった地域だった。はるかな後世の第２次大戦後の社会環境で生きてきたわたしのような人間にとっては、父祖の代の人びとの意識はただ推量するに過ぎないけれど、いわば「波動」的として深く感じることがら。そこに巨大な民族の思いが込められていることに気づき、遠雷のようにその肉声を受け取っているのだと思う。
　その後の社会進展の中でも常に北海道はある特別な地域としてあり続け、日本社会から愛惜され続けてきた。北海道人としてそのことには尽きせぬ父母的な愛を感じさせられる。この地に移住してきた父祖たちは血統としてこの地で骨を埋め民族のそうした思いに応えようとしてきているのだと思う。
　写真は、松浦武四郎の北海道・樺太探検地図の一部とその出版本類。いちばん上の図は「三航蝦夷全図」（1854年）の自筆によるタテ340cm×ヨコ250cmにもなる大型地図。そのうちの「道央部分」拡大図。現地測量しながら丹念に山川を明示し続けている。近代国家経営の基礎としてその全体像を明瞭に把握できたことで、政治経済軍事のすべてにおいて情報基盤が提供されたことになる。どの地域が開発に適しているか、どのように殖産移民させることで領土地域としての繁栄を獲得できるのか。
　もしこの北海道がロシアの手に落ちていたら、この地の発展は想像も出来なかったに違いない。狩猟型領土侵略獲得が基本の国家と、あくまでも地道な農業食糧生産開発主体の国家では、地域発展に大きな格差が発生してしまったことだろう。その礎を提供してくれた松浦武四郎の仕事に、深く打たれている。
　先般は稚内を探訪して南樺太の日本国領土として40年ほどの「歴史」を知る機縁を得たけれど、つくづくと「国体の違い」を認識せざるを得なかった。やはり北海道は日本の領土となってすばらしい輝きを持てたのだと思う。日本国家にとってもっとも歴史は浅いけれど深い民族的「愛情」を感じさせてくれる。
　一方で出版・作家としての松浦武四郎にも深く敬愛の念をいだく。現代社会では情報のカタチはこれから大きく変貌していく可能性が高いけれど、その中身についてはやはり作家としてこの情報領域に掛けた松浦武四郎の肉声が伝わってくる。偉大な民族の資産だと思う。
　
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English version⬇

[Exploration Map of Hokkaido and Karafuto and Its Publication / Takashiro Matsuura-9]
The history of Hokkaido and Japan since the end of the Edo period is deeply intertwined with a poignant affection. It is truly a bloodline. We continue to focus on the work that laid the foundation for this. …

In the process of forming a modern nation after the end of the Edo period, Hokkaido was a region whose survival was crucial to the Japanese people and the Japanese state. For someone like me, who has lived in the social environment of the post-World War II era, the consciousness of my ancestors can only be speculated upon, but it is something I deeply feel as a kind of “wave.” I realize that the thoughts of a great nation are contained there, and I feel as if I am receiving their voices like distant thunder.
　Even as society has progressed, Hokkaido has always remained a special region, cherished by Japanese society. As a Hokkaido native, I feel an endless parental love for this fact. I believe that my ancestors who settled in this land did so to fulfill the aspirations of their ethnic group, to be buried here as part of their lineage.
The photo shows a portion of Matsura Takashiro’s Hokkaido and Sakhalin Exploration Map and related publications. The top map is a large-scale map measuring 340 cm in height and 250 cm in width, hand-drawn by Matsuura Takashiro in 1854. This is an enlarged view of the “Central Hokkaido” section. It meticulously depicts mountains and rivers based on on-site surveys. By clearly grasping the overall landscape as the foundation for modern state governance, it provided the informational infrastructure necessary for politics, economics, and military affairs. Which regions are suitable for development? How can territorial prosperity be achieved through industrialization and immigration?
If Hokkaido had fallen into Russian hands, its development would have been unimaginable. Between a nation whose basic strategy is hunting-based territorial conquest and a nation focused on steady agricultural food production and development, a significant gap in regional development would have emerged. I am deeply moved by the work of Matsura Takashiro, who laid the foundation for this.
Recently, I visited Wakkanai and had the opportunity to learn about the 40-year “history” of Southern Sakhalin as Japanese territory, but I couldn’t help but recognize the “differences in national identity.” I believe that Hokkaido has truly shone brightly as part of Japanese territory. Although it is the youngest in terms of history, it evokes a deep sense of ethnic “affection” for the Japanese nation.
　On the other hand, I also deeply admire Matsura Takashiro as a publisher and writer. In modern society, the form of information is likely to undergo significant changes in the future, but the essence of it still conveys Matsura Takashiro’s voice as a writer in this field of information. I consider it a great asset of the nation.

●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 6th, 2025 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪