本日から３泊４日で外泊の予定。ということでその前に事務多忙。出掛けてしまえば逆に時間も確保できると思うのでたくさんの過去写真を整理してブログのテーマを絞りたい。
鎌倉をテーマとして写真を整理していたときに加工した写真が上のもの。流鏑馬神事は鎌倉鶴岡八幡宮が有名ですが、仙台でもわたしは参観したことがあります。歴史的には鶴岡八幡宮の創始に際して頼朝政権が奉納したのが、はじまりというように言われる。その下の写真は明治初期に日本を訪れた欧米の写真家が全国を行脚して撮影したもののひとつで、鶴岡八幡宮から若宮大路の様子が表現されている。
こういう絵画や写真群は、文献資料を超えてさまざまな「情報」を伝えてくれます。絵画に描かれた流鏑馬の画角はやや上空からの角度を取って表現している。現実にはこのようなやや上空視点からの視認映像はありえなかっただろうと思われる。日本の歴史事実を伝える絵画、屏風絵などではほぼ一様にこうした視覚からの表現がとられている。日本の歴史報道画の一種の定型パターンなのだと思われます。王朝絵画などで十二単を着飾った宮廷美人たちもほぼこういった視覚角度で描かれるし、動乱のニュース画面でも一様にこのパターン。たぶん日本史や東アジア世界での共通的な視点なのだろうか。
現代に至る写真表現では、基本的に撮影者の自然な「立ち位置」からの視点が普遍的に取られる。明治初年の海外人の視点としてごく平明に、当時の状況の「記録写真」であって比較対照しやすい。当たり前だけれど、この両者を対比させると、画像に対しての歴史的認識の違いに気付かされる。
たぶん歴史事実を伝える視覚角度は周辺説明アングルとして多くの情報をそこに盛り込むことができるということが眼目のように思われる。洛中洛外図という表現形式はかなり長く日本史で描かれ続けたけれど、あれなどは京の街の多種多様な賑わいぶりを遠方の人びとにもわかりやすく、また絢爛豪華に伝えられたのでしょう。織田信長が越後の上杉謙信の歓心を買うのに、洛中洛外図を送った故事の意味がわかる。報道伝達性の「関係性一挙表現」と考えるとその知恵の深さを知らされる思い。
逆に言うと，現代的表現では「切り取り方」でたぶん受け取る印象は相当に変位する。
さてどっちの手法がより「客観的」であるかは、受け取り方によって違うでしょうね。案外、昔人の巨視的関係性一挙把握のほうが、リアリズムに近しいかも知れない。

English version⬇

Historical paintings and contemporary photographs: Differences in viewing angles
Historical news visuals convey peripheral facts and human relations from a slightly elevated perspective in an easy-to-understand manner. Contemporary photography risks being “clipped” due to its directness. Which is more objective? Which is superior in terms of objectivity?

We are planning to stay out of town for 3 nights and 4 days starting today. So I have a lot of office work to do before that. I think I will have more time once I go out, so I want to organize a lot of past photos and narrow down the theme of my blog.
The photos above are the ones I processed when I was organizing photos on the theme of Kamakura. The famous yabusame (horseback archery) ritual is held at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine in Kamakura, but I have also attended one in Sendai. Historically, it is said that it started when the Yoritomo administration dedicated the shrine at the time of the founding of Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine. The photograph below is one of many taken by Western photographers who visited Japan in the early Meiji period (1868-1912), and depicts the scene from Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine to Wakamiya-oji Avenue.
Paintings and photo groups like these convey a variety of “information” beyond the literary sources. The angle of the yabusame archery depicted in the paintings is expressed from a slightly elevated angle. In reality, such a visual image from a slightly elevated viewpoint would not have been possible. Paintings and screens depicting historical facts in Japan almost uniformly use this type of visual representation. It is thought that this is a kind of standard pattern of Japanese historical reporting paintings. Court beauties dressed in juni-hitoe (twelve-layered kimono) are almost always depicted from this visual angle, and this pattern is also uniform on news screens during upheavals. Perhaps this is a common viewpoint in Japanese history and East Asia.
In photographic expression up to the present day, the viewpoint from the photographer’s natural “standing position” is universally taken. The photographs are very plain as the viewpoint of a foreigner in the early Meiji era, and they are “record photos” of the situation at that time, which can be easily compared and contrasted. It is natural, but when we contrast the two, we realize the difference in historical perceptions of the images.
Perhaps the visual angle that conveys the historical facts is the one that can contain a lot of information as a peripheral explanatory angle. The “Rakuchu-Rakugaizu” style has been used for quite a long time in Japanese history, and it is likely that it conveyed to people far from Kyoto the variety and splendor of the bustling city in an easy-to-understand manner. We can understand the significance of the legend that Oda Nobunaga sent the Rakuchu-Rakugaizu to Uesugi Kenshin in the Echigo region to win his favor. When I think of it as a “one-stop expression of the relationship” of news transmission, I am informed of the depth of the wisdom of this expression.
Conversely, in modern expression, the impression received may vary considerably depending on the “way of cutting.
Now, which method is more “objective” will depend on how you receive it. Surprisingly, the old people’s macroscopic grasp of relationships may be closer to realism.

Posted on 4月 12th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

オホーツク海は流氷が去って「海明け」すると毛ガニ漁のシーズン。流氷に豊富に含まれるアムール川流域地域由来のプランクトンを流氷の海の底でたっぷりと食べ続けた毛ガニたちが、水揚げされる。
ずっしりとしたその体躯一杯にうま味が凝縮されている。とくにカニ味噌はその自然な風合いと味覚によって人間の五感すべてを支配してしまう。陶然として食べ続け、やがて満腹中枢から「もう一杯だ」と応えてきてくれるのが、ちょうど500g前後のヤツ。という地元人的解説を友人から受け売りしている（笑）が、自分でもまったく同意する。
家族が集まる週末にあわせて送ってもらって食させていただいた。ちょうど週末は、送ってくれた「雄武町」では毛ガニ祭りだそうで、浜ゆで直送のものは数量制限までされていた。友人によると「浜ゆで」したてで冷凍していないヤツという付加解説もある。こういう地元からの情報は有益で面白い。
で、この毛ガニをメインに積丹で獲れた「赤カレイ」「イカ」「ホタテ」「ホッキ貝」なども買い付けてきて、これはにぎり寿司にして付け合わせた次第。


すっかりカレイの包丁さばきには魅せられておりますが、今回はとびきり大型のヤツを入手して捌きました。骨を断ち、アタマ部分を落としてから内臓部分を除去して、３枚におろしていく。最後、皮から身をえぐり剥がすときの包丁仕事の手許で感じる満足感、開放感はなんとも言えない。イキモノであるカレイへの敬意を感じながら捌く。そうなんです、殺生だけれどそれが同時に愛情の根源でもあると思えるのです。
そして積丹産の大型のイカ。こちらもきれいに捌き、皮を剥がして鮮烈な白身を解放していく。久しぶりの大きさのヤツだったので、一杯のイカから寿司ネタとして12コ分に捌くことができた。丁寧に裏包丁も入れた。
ホッキも自然な色合いの肉身本体に還元して、たのしく仕上げた。彩りも兼ねて筋子も握ってみました。
ということでしたが、まず毛ガニに立ち向かいはじめると人とのコミュニケーションよりも食事作業にほぼ没入する、毛ガニ食とはただただ肉身と味噌の解体・ほおばるの繰り返しで豊穣な時間が経過していくばかり。わたしの場合はカニ味噌をひとつの容器に掻き出して、それを肉身につけて食べるのがいちばん好き。足も食べるけれどそれよりもみっしりと肉身の詰まった中央部が堪えられません。甲殻から剥がしながらの無言の行が至福の時間。
最初に書いたようなアムール川流域からオホーツクの海底での輪廻転生のドラマが、カラダに染みわたっていくような時間なのですね。

English version⬇

Taste of spring from Okhotsk and Shakotan
Hairy crabs that have been stacked in a circle under the drift ice. They are landed at the dawn of the new year and sent directly from the sea. On the other hand, fish in season from the sea of Shakotan. Enjoy the bountiful harvest of the season. Shakotan

When the Sea of Okhotsk “dawns” after the drift ice has gone, it is the season for catching hairy crabs. The hairy crabs are landed after they have fed on plankton from the Amur River basin, which is abundantly contained in the drift ice, at the bottom of the drift ice sea.
The umami taste is concentrated in their massive body. Especially, the crab miso (crab innards) dominates the human senses with its natural taste. After eating the crab, one’s satiety center will eventually respond, “I want another one,” and the crab weighing around 500 grams is just the right size. I have heard this explanation from a friend of mine (laugh), and I totally agree with it.
I had them sent to me on the weekend when my family gathered for a family gathering, and I enjoyed eating them. The weekend was a hairy crab festival in Yubu-cho, the town that sent me the crab, and there was even a limit on the quantity of those directly sent from the beach. According to my friend, the additional explanation was that the crabs were freshly “beach-boiled” and not frozen. This kind of local information is interesting.
We also bought red flounder, squid, scallops, and hokki-gai shellfish caught in Shakotan, which we made into nigiri-zushi and served with it.
I am completely fascinated with the knife skills of flounder, and this time I obtained a very large one and handled it. After breaking off the bones and removing the head, the entrails are removed and the fish is cut into three pieces. The satisfaction and sense of freedom I felt while working with the knife at the end, when I gouged the meat out of the skin, is indescribable. I handle the flounder with a sense of respect for it as a living creature. Yes, it is a killing, but at the same time it seems to be the root of love.
And then there is the large squid, a local delicacy. I clean the squid, peel off the skin, and release the bright white flesh. It had been a long time since I had seen a squid of this size, so I was able to cut it into 12 pieces from a single squid. I also carefully back-cut the squid.
The hokki was also reduced to the natural color of the meat body, and finished off in a delightful way. I also nigiri musuko for color.
But when you start to face the hairy crab, you are more absorbed in the eating process than in the communication with other people. In my case, I like to scrape out the crab meat and miso into a container and eat it with the meat. I eat the legs as well, but I can’t get enough of the center of the crab, which is filled to the brim with crab meat. The silent line while peeling it out of the shell is blissful time.
It is a time when the drama of reincarnation from the Amur River basin to the bottom of the Sea of Okhotsk, as I wrote in the beginning, seems to seep into your body.

Posted on 4月 10th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: おとこの料理＆食 | No Comments »

さて昨日まで３回にわたって鎌倉歴史文化交流館の建築について解剖しました。非常に興味深い建築ですが、その建築の現在の使用目的は「歴史博物館」機能。交流館の各展示はほぼすべて写真撮影・公開許諾されている。いやむしろ積極的に情報発信を推奨されている。本日からはその展示内容をもとに歴史世界に耽溺したいと思います。上の写真は展示中心場所に置かれた「源平合戦図屏風」で制作年代は江戸後期。
日本史の中で畿内地域が長く中心地域であったのに対して、列島最大の平野部を有する関東地域は弥生文化、稲作農業主体の社会開発はやや遅れて始まった。
開拓初期は毛野（群馬栃木）地域が中心。ヤマトタケル遠征での歌詠みで「あずま」という地名が読まれたりした。中央政権側からすれば遠隔地であり「東夷〜あずまえびす」という地域蔑称が語られたりした。
そういった差別的な中央への表立った反乱の嚆矢は平将門の乱。904年に起こって関東の政治主権主張が開始した。それに引き続いて1051年以降の前九年合戦など奥州動乱が連動した。武士の勃興とは、こういう東国東北地域での武力対立の先鋭化が背景にあったのだろう。
雅やかな支配構造である王朝政権に対して土地争奪のリアリズム世界・東国としては、武力優先による支配志向が高まったのだと思える。そういう武力権力の確立に際して「旗頭」貴種として源頼義以降の源氏一族が、この鎌倉を本拠地として選択し地域武士層の盟主となっていった。
さまざまな経緯の末に、頼朝の代になってこうした関東武士との関係が強化発展して出来上がっていったのが鎌倉幕府。神武東征やヤマトタケルの全国支配示威などにも比肩するような日本史上での「権力の発生」がこの鎌倉で起こった。独自権力の樹立では未遂に終わった平将門の乱を教訓化して、慎重に権力を樹立していったのが頼朝と御家人たちの体制だった。
その経緯に踏まえれば源平合戦は東国・鎌倉の新時代を切り開く戦役だった。その主役のひとりだった義経はしかし兄・頼朝ほどの政治洞察力を持たなかったことで悲劇のヒーロー化した。そこには畿内・西国地域の「常識世論」と鎌倉武権とのあつれきが凝縮されてもいるのだろうか。


この写真は源平合戦図屏風の部分拡大。屏風絵なので絵は複数の部分に分割されているのですが、Photoshopで切り抜いたり補正したりして作成しました（笑）。源平合戦での２つの主要合戦譚「那須与一の扇の図と、壇ノ浦での義経の「八艘飛び」場面の情景描写部分。
屏風絵に対してこのように画像処理作業をしていると表現のディテールもなんとなくわかってくる部分があって、楽しみも深まる部分があります。一部にはどうしても館内照明が保護ガラス面に映り込んでいますが、そこは無視して（笑）ごらんください。

English version⬇

Indulging in the Genpei War Folding Screen: History of Kamakura-4
The lady who held up a fan to Nasu Yoichi must have been terrified, and the painting depicts Yoshitsune protected by a shield and jumping eight boats in a superhuman leap (laugh).

Well, yesterday I dissected the architecture of the Kamakura History and Culture Exchange Center over the course of three articles. It is a very interesting building, but the current use of the architecture is for its “history museum” function. Almost all of the exhibits in the exchange center are permitted to be photographed and opened to the public. Or rather, they are actively encouraged to disseminate information. From today, I would like to indulge in the world of history based on the contents of those exhibits. The photo above is “Genpei Gassen Zu Byobu” placed at the central location of the exhibition, dated in the late Edo period.
While the Kinai region has long been the central region in Japanese history, the Kanto region, which has the largest plains in the archipelago, was somewhat late in developing a society based on the Yayoi culture and rice agriculture.
In the early days of settlement, the main area was the Mono (Gunma-Tochigi) region. The name “Azuma” was sometimes read in poems composed during Yamatotakeru’s expedition. From the perspective of the central government, it was a remote area, and a derogatory term for the area, “Azuma-ebisu,” was sometimes used.
The pioneering example of such discriminatory rebellion against the central government was the Taira-no-Masakado Rebellion of 904, which marked the beginning of the assertion of political sovereignty in the Kanto region. This was followed by the Oshu uprisings of 1051 and later, such as the Mae-no-Kunen Gassen. The rise of the samurai was probably due to the sharpening of armed conflict in the northeastern region of the eastern provinces.
In contrast to the dynastic government, which had an elegant ruling structure, the realistic world of the East, with its land disputes, was increasingly oriented toward domination by military force. In establishing such military power, the Minamoto clan, from Minamoto no Yoriyoshi onward, chose Kamakura as their home base and became the leader of the local warrior class.
After a variety of circumstances, the Kamakura shogunate was established by Yoritomo’s generation as a result of the strengthening and development of relations with these Kanto warriors. In Kamakura, the “emergence of power” in Japanese history, which is comparable to the Jinmu expedition and the demonstration of Yamatotakeru’s control over the whole country, took place. Learning a lesson from the Taira-no-Masakado Rebellion, which ended in an unsuccessful attempt to establish their own power, Yoritomo and his retainers carefully established their power.
Based on this history, the Genpei War was a battle that ushered in a new era in the eastern provinces of Japan and Kamakura. Yoshitsune, who played a leading role in the battle, became a tragic hero because he did not have the same political acumen as his elder brother Yoritomo. This may be a condensation of the conflict between the “common sense public opinion” of the Kinai and Western provinces and the Kamakura military authority.

This photo is an enlargement of a portion of the Genpei Gassen Byobu. Since it is a folding screen painting, the picture is divided into several parts, but I created it by cropping and correcting in Photoshop (see below). The two main battle tales in the Genpei wars: “Nasu Yoichi’s Fan” and the scene of Yoshitsune’s “Hachisou jump” scene at Dannoura.
When we process images of folding screen paintings like this, we can understand some of the details of the expression, which deepens the enjoyment of the work. Some of the lighting in the museum is inevitably reflected on the protective glass surface, but please ignore that (laugh) and enjoy the view.

Posted on 4月 8th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

紹介している建物は歴史文化交流館という使用途の建築ですが、外見的な印象としては大きな石材平面が複数、並列しているような建物と見える。自然石ブロックの外壁。下の写真はGoogleMapでの上空からの画像と庭・崖面上部からの視界。上空からの目線では塀の連続。これが建物とは思いにくいかもしれない。でも、逆に人間レベルの目線ではこの壁が建築の印象として深く「刺さって」くる。
石壁の外皮からは自然石素材の質感が伝わってきて、強く人類普遍的な感覚を抱いた。これらの素材、サッシ・床材・外壁・内装材などはすべてドイツ等ヨーロッパから輸入する強いこだわり。とくにこの外壁材に強いインパクトを受けたが詳細な建築データを参照できないので不明。ただ、光沢感や質感から推理すれば大理石なのかとは思う。厚みも視覚的には20-30cm程度と思える。素材へのこだわりぶりを考えれば、石材は無垢材なのだろう。しかし自然な質感でハードコアというよりやさしい雰囲気。

また、サッシは「ブロンズ」製なのだという。銅に錫などを掛け合わせた合金ですが、素材としてサッシに使うというのはあまり聞いたことがない。気密・水密加工が必須条件であるサッシには似つかわしくない。北欧でも一般住宅では木製サッシが普遍的。そういえば開口部は大きな開口が中心で小さな窓はお目に掛からなかった。超高級住宅ということもあるけれど、ブロンズ素材という事から考えると気密性とかの要件重視とは思われない。要するに主建築素材としての石材同様、素材としての価値感、経年で変化して行く素材の質感を楽しむということが優勢な判断基準なのでしょう。

しかし基本的には建築家ノーマン・フォスター氏の目線「西洋人から見た日本人」という主張性の部分、内部空間は、魅力的な外部風景を取り込みながら「暗」から「明」へのグラデーションなど本質的な部分での日本的感覚が感じられる。いわば「わび・さび」を西洋人的に咀嚼しているのだろうか。開口部は大きめだけれど、全体としては紙の障子に象徴される日本的な空間明度への繊細さを踏まえているように感じる。
鎌倉の歴史をふまえながら、日本人の価値観に合わせた環境との共生に意を注いでいるのでしょう。壁に光ファイバーが組み込まれた人造大理石や、廃テレビ管を利用したガラスブロックなど、特殊な資材も随所に使用されている。
わが家はコンクリートブロック構造本体と煉瓦外壁や角波鉄板という「平民的」外皮素材選択だったので、素材選択として親近感はあるのですが、しかし素材の質感フェッチの超絶典型を見る思いでした。

English version⬇

Exterior walls, interior, and material texture fetch in full bloom Kamakura History and Culture Exchange Center-2
The marble block masonry construction of the exterior walls and bronze sashes create a contrast with the Japanese shaded space. Japanese from a Westerner’s point of view. …

The building being introduced is a historical and cultural exchange building, but the external impression appears to be that of multiple, large stone planes in parallel. The exterior walls of natural stone blocks. The photo below is a GoogleMap image from the sky and a view from the garden and the top of the cliff face. From the view from above, it is a series of walls. It may be hard to believe that this is a building. But on the contrary, from a human-level perspective, this wall “sticks” deeply as an architectural impression.
The outer skin of the stone wall conveys the texture of natural stone materials, which strongly evokes a universal human feeling. All of these materials, sashes, flooring, exterior walls, and interior materials are imported from Germany and other European countries. I was particularly impressed by the exterior wall material, but I cannot refer to detailed architectural data, so I do not know what it is. However, I think it might be marble, judging from its luster and texture. Visually, the thickness seems to be about 20 to 30 cm. Considering the attention paid to the material, the stone is probably solid wood. However, the natural texture of the stone gives it a gentle atmosphere rather than a hard-core one.

He also said that the sashes are made of “bronze”. This alloy is made by multiplying copper with tin and other metals, but it is not common to hear of its use as a material for sashes. It is not suitable for sashes, for which airtight and watertight processing is a prerequisite. Even in Scandinavia, wooden sashes are universal in ordinary houses. Come to think of it, the openings are mainly large openings, and I have never seen small windows. Although this is a super high-end house, the bronze material does not seem to emphasize airtightness or other requirements. In short, as with stone as the main building material, the predominant criterion for judgment is the sense of value as a material and the enjoyment of the texture of the material as it changes over time.

The interior space, however, is basically Japanese in essence, with a gradation from “dark” to “light” while incorporating an attractive exterior landscape. The interior space is a westernized interpretation of “wabi and sabi,” so to speak. Although the apertures are large, I feel that the overall design is based on the Japanese delicacy of spatial lightness symbolized by the paper shoji screens.
While taking into account the history of Kamakura, the designers must have been trying to live in harmony with the environment in accordance with Japanese values. Special materials are also used throughout, such as synthetic marble with optical fibers built into the walls and glass blocks made from waste TV tubes.
Since our house had a “commoner” choice of exterior skin materials: concrete block structure body and brick exterior walls and corrugated iron sheets, I felt a sense of familiarity with them as material choices, but I also felt that I was seeing a superb example of material texture fetching.

Posted on 4月 6th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 住宅取材＆ウラ話, 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

どっぷりと四国・梼原の隈研吾建築に浸っておりましたが、一段落。ただ、全国で公共建築の木造化が進んでいて、その旗手的な位置に隈研吾設計があるようです。今後、多くのその結果作品群が発表されていくことになるのでしょう。住宅建築のすぐとなりの領域での動きなので、目は離せないでしょう。
ブログテーマは四国での探訪記の深掘りに集中していたので、ちょっと小休止したいところ。ということで本日は歴史ネタ、それも鎌倉のころにタイムスリップ。ことしのNHK大河は家康がテーマですが、どうも個人的には期待した割に展開が荒唐無稽すぎてやや、疲れ気味（笑）であります。それに比較すると去年の鎌倉時代草創期のドラマ模様はなかなか面白く没入させていただいた。
義経や弁慶とか、あるいは頼朝といった人物にスポットが当たっていたこれまでの一般的な歴史認識に対して、鎌倉武士団の果てしない内部抗争にスポットを当てたことは新鮮だった。そんなことで鎌倉や伊豆などを探訪していましたが、写真は当時の武士団でもその個性が際だっていた畠山重忠さんの甲冑の復元だそうです。
ドラマでは武家の内部抗争の犠牲者で、美しく散った鎌倉武士の誇りに生きた、みたいな描かれ方をしていた。そのかれの愛用した「赤糸威大鎧」。鎌倉市の「鎌倉歴史文化交流館」展示であります。
添付されていた解題では以下の記述。
〜畠山重忠所用の大鎧（武蔵御嶽神社所蔵）を基に、石井岳堂（早乙女義隆）が制作。選りすぐりの素材と伝統の技法が惜しみなく注ぎ込まれている。鎌倉武士の勇姿を彷彿とさせる力作である。〜
石井岳堂（早乙女義隆）さんというのは現代の工芸作家で「鎌倉時代の甲冑を現代に受け継ぐ第一人者」なのだそうです。
鎧というのは戦場での戦闘具なので、まずは機能性として防衛力が最優先でしょう。鎌倉期なので刀・弓矢に対しての防御力を追究する。その上で体動作をスムーズにする使い勝手が求められた。
武士の世が始まるということはそういう必要性に対して経済発展が盛り上がっていくということであり、その優勝劣敗によって多くの競争が展開したに違いない。鎌倉期の日本の「ものづくり」製造業の清華というようにも受け取れる。どんな創意工夫がそこに盛り込まれていたのか、ビジネス的に解析したくもなっていました。

さて、感染症による社会停滞を超えて、世界は大きく動き始めていると思います。国の動きでは今年度予算が国会での予算審議でほぼ政府案の原案通り執行されていくことになった。政治は比較的安定した状況が見通せてきているのではないでしょうか。経済の方では、AIの発展がさまざまな変化を生み出そうとしてきている。現代世界ではやはりこの流れが今後を決めていくのでしょうね。

English version⬇

Rationality and Fashion on the Battlefield – The Spirit of the Kamakura Samurai
The Seika of Monozukuri Japan. Desperate ingenuity is put into it. How modern AI development will progress will be tested. ・・・・.

I have been immersed in Kengo Kuma’s architecture in Yusuhara, Shikoku, but I have reached the end of my immersion. However, it seems that Kengo Kuma’s designs are at the forefront of the trend toward wood construction in public buildings throughout Japan. I am sure that many of the resulting works will be presented in the future. Since the movement is taking place in the immediate area of residential architecture, we will have to keep an eye on it.
Since my blog theme has been focused on digging deeper into my explorations in Shikoku, I need to take a short break. So today’s topic is history, going back in time to the Kamakura period. This year’s NHK Taiga is about Ieyasu, but I personally find the storyline a bit too ridiculous for my expectations, and I am a bit tired of it (laugh). In comparison, last year’s drama about the early days of the Kamakura period was quite interesting and immersive.
In contrast to the conventional historical understanding that focuses on figures such as Yoshitsune, Benkei, or Yoritomo, it was refreshing to see the focus on the endless internal conflicts of the Kamakura (1185-1333) warrior clans. That is why they explored Kamakura, Izu, etc. The photo is a reconstruction of the armor of Shigetada Hatakeyama, whose individuality was outstanding even among the warrior clans of the time.
In the drama, he was portrayed as a victim of the internal strife of the samurai clan, who lived proudly as a beautifully scattered Kamakura samurai. This is his favorite piece of armor, the “Great Armor with Red Thread Vestige”. It is on display at the “Kamakura History and Culture Museum” in Kamakura City.
The attached description is as follows
〜This armor was made by Ishii Gakudo (Saotome Yoshitaka) based on a large suit of armor owned by Hatakeyama Shigetada (owned by Musashi Ontake Shrine). The finest materials and traditional techniques are lavishly used in this work. It is a powerful work that reminds us of the courage of the Kamakura warriors. 〜From
Mr. Ishii Gakudo (Saotome Yoshitaka) is a modern craftsman and “the leading inheritor of Kamakura period armor in the modern age.
Armor is a fighting tool on the battlefield, so the first priority would be defense as functionality. Since it was made in the Kamakura period, we pursue defense against swords, bows, and arrows. On top of that, ease of use was required to facilitate body movements.
The beginning of the samurai era means that economic development was booming in response to such needs, and there must have been a lot of competition among the winners and losers of such competition. The Kamakura period can be seen as a time of “monozukuri” (manufacturing) in Japan. I also wanted to analyze it from a business perspective to see what kind of ingenuity and ingenuity was incorporated into it.

Now, beyond the social stagnation caused by infectious diseases, I believe that the world is beginning to move in a big way. In terms of national developments, the budget for this fiscal year will be executed almost as originally proposed by the government in the budget debate in the Diet. I think we are beginning to see a relatively stable situation in politics. On the economic front, the development of AI has been trying to create various changes. In the modern world, this trend will still determine the future.

Posted on 4月 4th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »