さて12日間にわたった九州全周の旅路。昨日スタート振り出しの地、筑後川が大きな蛇行を見せる北部九州中央部の久留米に帰って参りました。孫をその母方の実家に「顔見せ・預け」る目的の旅路で、たっぷりの愛情を注がれていたことがあきらかな表情を見せている孫の身柄を再度受け取って、本日北海道へ帰還の予定。まことに深い縁に感謝の旅でした。
　昨日は日本全県めぐり最後の大分にて「大分市歴史資料館」を見学。そこで古墳内部の様子がわかる展示「千代丸古墳石室」の内部に入れるということで、またまた「お茶目写真」依頼（笑）。
　先日の甕棺といい、こちらの古墳石室といい、九州の地はやはり北海道人にとってその歴史時間積層ぶりで目が醒めるような地域だと印象されていました。
　わたしの「数寄」のうち歴史探訪は最大の領域なので、これからたくさんの資料群と大量の取材写真を整理整頓しながら、また、期間中に得られた情報などと総合して「深掘り作業」していきたいと考えています。孫の表情にも微妙な、しかし確かな時間経過での変貌も見られますが、ジイジも負けずに少しは成長していきたい（笑）と思っています。まだまだ負けないぞ（笑）。
　上の写真は筑後川河畔からの夕景ですが、北海道札幌は石狩川支流の豊平川の扇状地と本流の石狩川によって平野部が構成されている地域。日本人社会というのは大きくはこのような「水の管理」によって歴史が刻まれてきたのだろうと思います。
　旅の途中ではわが家系の故地・広島県東広島河内町入野にも遠征していましたが、家系の「ながれ」もそうした河川の流れの管理と深く関わっていたように思える。人間社会とその存在基盤としての水というものとの相関関係が、とくに食の経済史にとって決定的だったのだと実感させられてきています。まぁ当たり前の「気付き」ですが、実感として深めさせられた次第。
　そして列島南端の沖縄には台風が迫ってきているということで、水は生命の根源であり母であると同時に「荒ぶる」存在でもある。・・・本日の航路の安全を願掛けしつつ、筑後川の流れのやさしさを再度目に焼き付けながら、帰還したいと思います。

●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 End of a Long Journey: The Afterglow on the Chikugo River. Returning to Sapporo Today]
My journey through Kyushu was a precious time of learning in the twilight of my life. For someone from Hokkaido, it was a journey that allowed me to deeply cherish my gratitude for that “motherly warmth.” …

　Well, my 12-day journey around Kyushu has come to an end. Yesterday, I returned to Kurume in central northern Kyushu—the starting point of my trip, where the Chikugo River meanders dramatically. The purpose of this trip was to introduce my grandchild to their maternal grandparents and leave them in their care. I’ve now taken my grandchild back—their face clearly showing how much love they’ve received—and plan to return to Hokkaido today. It was a journey filled with gratitude for this truly deep bond.
　Yesterday, in Oita—the final stop on my tour of all 47 prefectures—I visited the Oita City Historical Museum. There, I was able to enter the “Chiyomaru Kofun Stone Chamber,” an exhibit that reveals the interior of an ancient burial mound, so I naturally asked for another “playful photo” (laughs).
Between the jar coffin I saw the other day and this kofun stone chamber, I was struck by the impression that Kyushu is truly a region that opens the eyes of a Hokkaido native with its layers of accumulated history.
　Since exploring history is the biggest part of my “passions,” I plan to organize the vast collection of materials and the huge volume of photos I took during this trip, and then combine them with the information I gathered to really “dig deeper” into the subject. I can see subtle yet definite changes in my grandson’s expression as time passes, but I intend to keep up and grow a little myself too (lol). I’m not giving up just yet (lol).
　The photo above shows the evening view from the banks of the Chikugo River. In Sapporo, Hokkaido, the plains are formed by the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River—a tributary of the Ishikari River—and the main stream of the Ishikari River itself. I believe that Japanese society, on a grand scale, has had its history shaped by this kind of “water management.”
　During my travels, I also made a trip to Irino in Kawachi-cho, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture—the ancestral home of my family. It seems to me that the “flow” of our family lineage was deeply intertwined with the management of such river currents. I’ve come to realize that the interdependence between human society and water—the very foundation of our existence—has been decisive, particularly in the economic history of food. Well, it’s an obvious “realization,” but I’ve come to feel it more deeply.
　And with a typhoon approaching Okinawa at the southern tip of the archipelago, I am reminded that water is the source of life and a mother, yet it is also a “raging” force. …Praying for a safe journey today, I would like to return home while once again imprinting the gentle flow of the Chikugo River in my mind.

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

Posted on 6月 1st, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類