わたしは今から57-58年近く前の高校生の頃に、日本国内旅行、東京に行くよりも前にヨーロッパ旅行に旅立ったことが人生の「旅行始原」。ヨーロッパ旅行から帰ってきて無性に日本国内を旅したいと祈念して、帰国後その足で奈良京都方面に向かっていた経験がある。
　そこから延々と国内国外を旅してきたけれど、とりわけ国内の旅路の方に深く惹かれて来た。
　その旅路で、徐々に各地域に心が染み入ってくるものを感じ続けてきた。とくに東北各県については第２のビジネスの戦場感覚まで持って過ごしてきた。
　で、徐々に「未探訪地域」がなくなって来て、いよいよ最後に残されたのが、佐賀県地域。まぁ厳密には九州の高速道路の心臓部・鳥栖ジャンクションや「吉野ヶ里」は佐賀県であり、吉野ヶ里探訪には20年以上前に行っているのですが、今回ついに佐賀県の奥深く、有田地域から唐津にと、本格的に探訪することが出来た。（！）でも、県庁所在地名すらうろ覚えで「え、佐賀って言う街があるの？」とまでボケボケ認識ぶり（笑）。いや失礼いたしました・・・。
　写真は有田の「陶山神社」。有田焼の産地らしく鳥居も狛犬も「陶器製」で有名とのこと。
　佐賀県はこの有田とか、唐津、また伊万里などとにかく「焼き物陶器」が地域を名高くしている。カミさんは陶器には興味満々のようですが、わたしは料理作りはスキだけれど、その容器にはそれほどの数寄は感じないタイプ。まぁ個人的に関心が薄いのですね。
　でも、食事にはその器は絶対不可欠な要素であることを考えれば、そういう数寄傾向を強く持つことは理解できます。また、有田で初めて知ったのが、TOTOやINAXなどの住設建材企業は多くは、この陶器の産業技術が、現代の石油文明の中で活かされた典型だということにも思いが至りますね。昨年はINAXの出自が愛知・常滑にあることも探査していた。
　昨日も有田焼の現代企業を訪問していてそのスタッフの方と話していたのですが、石油関連産業であるプラスチック文明に今回のイラン戦争で改めて気付かされて、脱石油文明の基盤は再び、こうした陶器産業が再起動させる原動力になるのでは、と話し合っていた次第。
　・・・ということで、きょうあすと佐賀県をディープに探訪したいと思います。あ、ホントは大分県もちょっとしか行っていなかった、もの忘れ満開（泣）。

●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⬇

[Conquering Every Prefecture in Japan: Will I Finally Achieve This in Saga Prefecture, Near the End of My Life? (lol)]
Human life depends heavily on food. And “tableware” embodies a rich accumulation of culture and craftsmanship. Saga was the cradle of Japanese pottery craftsmanship. …

　The “origin of my travels” dates back to when I was a high school student, nearly 57 or 58 years ago. Before I had even traveled within Japan or visited Tokyo, I set off on a trip to Europe. After returning from that trip, I was overcome with an intense desire to travel within Japan, and I remember heading straight for the Nara and Kyoto areas as soon as I got back.
Since then, I have traveled endlessly both within and outside Japan, but I have always been particularly drawn to domestic travel.
　Throughout those journeys, I have consistently felt my heart gradually becoming imbued with the spirit of each region. In particular, I have come to view the prefectures of Tohoku as a second business battlefield.
As a result, the “unexplored regions” have gradually dwindled, and the last remaining area was Saga Prefecture. Well, strictly speaking, Tosu Junction—the heart of Kyushu’s expressway network—and “Yoshinogari” are in Saga Prefecture, and I actually visited Yoshinogari over 20 years ago. But this time, I was finally able to make a proper exploration deep into Saga Prefecture, from the Arita region all the way to Karatsu. (!) However, I was so out of it that I could barely even remember the name of the prefectural capital—I was so clueless I actually asked, “Wait, is there a city called Saga?” (lol). My apologies…
The photo shows “Touzan Shrine” in Arita. As befits a center of Arita ware production, the shrine is famous for its “ceramic” torii gate and komainu (guardian dogs).
　Saga Prefecture is renowned for its “pottery and ceramics,” with places like Arita, Karatsu, and Imari making the region famous. My wife seems to be absolutely fascinated by pottery, but while I enjoy cooking, I’m not the type to have much of a connoisseur’s eye for the vessels themselves. Well, I guess I just don’t have much personal interest in it.
　Still, considering that tableware is an absolutely essential element of a meal, I can understand why some people have such a strong appreciation for it. Also, something I learned for the first time in Arita is that many plumbing and building materials companies, such as TOTO and INAX, are prime examples of how this ceramic industry’s technology has been put to use in our modern petroleum-based civilization. Last year, I was also researching the fact that INAX has its roots in Tokoname, Aichi.
Yesterday, I visited a modern Arita ware company and was talking with the staff there. We discussed how the current war in Iran has made us acutely aware of the plastic civilization—which is tied to the oil industry—and how the foundation for moving away from this oil-based civilization might once again be driven by the revival of the pottery industry.
　…So, I plan to explore Saga Prefecture in depth today and tomorrow. Oh, actually, I’ve only been to Oita Prefecture a little bit—my memory is completely shot (sob).

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

Posted on 5月 26th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類