先月５月22日に訪問させていただいたわたしの家系の「菩提寺」。いまはわが家は真言宗なのですが、こちらは広島県で優勢な「安芸門徒」の浄土真宗の寺院「順教寺」。わたしは仏教の全宗派がいわば共通言語として受容していると言われる般若心経をそらで唱えられるほどにはマスターしているのですが、そうはいってもやはり宗派が違っているので、内心は「恐る恐る」の心境で面談させていただいておりました。一応事前に浄土真宗では、自らの厳しい修行や悟りを説く『般若心経』を唱えることはなく、代わりに阿弥陀如来の他力本願と救済を説く『浄土三部経』や『正信偈』を大切にするということは知識としていた。やはり「恐る恐る」。
　対応していただいた「前住職」さまはすでに齢90歳ということで、やや心配していましたが、たいへんお元気で、足腰もしっかりされていて、膝を曲げて正座しながらお話しさせていただけました。内容については、家系の「枝分かれ」の詳細についての事柄で、究極的な「個人情報」に属することになるので、公開は避けます。・・・とくに広島県などでは部落問題などで非常にデリケートな対応にならざるを得ない。そういうなかで、檀家の個人情報に配慮されつつも、ご丁寧に対応いただいたと感謝しております。・・・しかし今後の社会変容も考えて行くと、そもそも宗教・寺院にとってはその存立自体が危機に瀕してきていると思えます。

　これは裏参道に面してあった昭和54年当時の「庫裡新築特別懇志」の拠出奉賛金の金額とその名簿ですが、このようなこれまでの「常識」は通用しなくなるのではないでしょうか。誰々が何万円拠出したと、永年に残っていくような情報公開ぶり。
　さて、わたしのような北海道人は墓というのはお寺の境内地か、それとも公共・民間の「墓園」というのが一般的ですが、本州以南地域ではそれぞれの家毎に墓域が確保されているケースが多い。この故地でも同様で、しかし、寺院としてはそれぞれの墓域についての情報は保守されている。
　そういうことで情報をいただいたのが、家系で大きなご縁のある家の墓域が、上の写真のように寺院の山道正面に見えている小高い山の上にあるとの情報。しかし個人情報保護の範囲内での情報共有でしたので、ここからは自己責任と努力範囲で自分で探索したいと思っています。
　

●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⬇

[Looking out over the family burial ground from the ancestral temple]
Amid the growing societal emphasis on personal data protection, tracing one’s family lineage is set to become increasingly difficult. It is becoming a society where even religion finds it hard to thrive. …

　This is the family temple of my lineage, which I visited on May 22nd last month. Although my family now belongs to the Shingon sect, this temple, Junkō-ji, is a Jōdo Shinshū temple of the “Aki-moto” tradition, which is predominant in Hiroshima Prefecture. I have mastered the Heart Sutra—which is said to be accepted as a common language by all Buddhist sects in Japan—to the point where I can recite it from memory. However, since our sects differ, I was still feeling a bit apprehensive as I went in for the meeting. I did know beforehand that in Jodo Shinshu, they do not recite the *Heart Sutra*, which teaches strict personal practice and enlightenment, but instead place great importance on the *Three Pure Land Sutras* and the *Shoshinge*, which preach Amida Buddha’s “other-power salvation” and redemption. So, I was indeed “a bit apprehensive.”
　The former head priest who received me was already 90 years old, so I was a bit concerned, but he was in excellent health, with strong legs and a steady gait, and I was able to speak with him while sitting in seiza with my knees bent. As for the content of our discussion, it concerned the details of a “branch” of my family lineage, which constitutes highly sensitive “personal information,” so I will refrain from disclosing it publicly. …Especially in places like Hiroshima Prefecture, where issues such as the Buraku problem exist, one is inevitably forced to handle matters with great sensitivity. Given these circumstances, I am grateful that he treated me with such courtesy while also being considerate of the personal information of the parishioners. …However, when considering future social changes, it seems that the very existence of religion and temples is now in crisis.

　This is a list of the amounts contributed and the names of donors for the “Special Fund for the New Construction of the Kuri” from 1979, which faced the rear approach path. However, I wonder if this kind of “common sense” will no longer hold true. The way this information is made public—specifying exactly who contributed how many tens of thousands of yen—is the sort of thing that will remain on record for years to come.
　Now, for people from Hokkaido like me, graves are generally located either on temple grounds or in public or private “cemeteries.” However, in regions south of Honshu, it is common for each family to have its own designated burial plot. This is also the case here in my hometown, though the temple maintains records regarding each of these burial plots.
　That is how I received the information that the burial plot of a family with which my own family has deep ties is located on a small hill visible directly in front of the temple’s mountain path, as shown in the photo above. However, since this information was shared within the bounds of personal information protection, I intend to explore the area myself from here on out, at my own risk and within the limits of my own efforts.
　

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

Posted on 6月 5th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類