昨日で今年度の実質第１週が終了。夜には新年会もあって、本日は連載テーマは一時休止。
今週はいろいろなスタートもあったのですが、わたしは取材で伊達方面に行っておりました。久しぶりの北海道内での「遠出」。それも積雪もほぼ例年並み以上になってきた段階。朝早く札幌を出発して、昼過ぎに取材先を退出。そこで、ちょっと寄り道的に、っていうか高速道路を使わずに一般道・国道230号線を利用。
そうすると真冬の洞爺湖の風景がなつかしく、冬の詩情をたたえた表情を見せてくれた。
冬期も氷結しない湖面からは、大気の冷気に向かって水蒸気があがって「霧の風情」。周辺の山々はみんな白く冠雪してくれていて、さまざまな樹木に陰影を描き出してくれている。
札幌の人間にとって、小学校の「修学旅行」の定番はこの洞爺湖。道内でも有数の温泉街は、なんども訪れさせてもらってきた。なので、風景のすべてに余韻があって、時間を復元させてくれる。
しばらく逢っていなかった肉親のようなぬくもり感が伝わってきた。やっぱり北海道は冬の雪景色があらゆる美感で迫ってくる。雪というお化粧は、やはりすごい効果を持っているのだと再認識。女性たちの日々の努力に深く頭が下がってくる思い（笑）。
修学旅行で友だちたちと温泉に浸かってのワイワイガヤガヤの様子が遠雷のように記憶の奥底から湧き上がってくる。ふだんは見たこともないようなお膳料理にキャッキャと大騒ぎ。寝ていたのかどうか、枕投げとかの大騒ぎで、「やべ、先生が来た〜」と布団を大急ぎでかぶる。青春の手前、あどけない少年少女たちの夢舞台。
そこからの帰路。案の定、中山峠までの１時間ほどの行程はときどき視界も定かでなくなるようなブリザードっぷり。なるべく先頭を譲って２〜３番目の走行位置で先行車のテイルランプを案内にしながら慎重に運転してきた。その甲斐あって、中山峠を過ぎたら降雪は終わってくれて、冬道の安定走行。こういったキビシイ条件下では、いっしょに峠を走破した「仲間意識」を一団のクルマ同士ではなんとなく持つ。こういうのも北国人のなにかの共通感情なのだろうか。

走り抜けてきて、札幌の日常的な風景に戻ってくるけれど、そういう中でも普段はやり過ごすような風景美が発見されたりする。「札幌もやっぱり北海道の中の地域なんだ」と今更ながら、気付かせられる。
なんということはない雪中移動なのですが、走馬灯のなかを巡ったような気分。ちょっと元気をもらったような小さな旅でした。

English version⬇

The season is heading into midwinter. Lake Toya Winter Scenery]
Usually, snowfall is a big problem for shoveling, but the raging blizzard is also a background device that restores various memories. A small trip on a public road in winter, no rush, no fuss. A small trip on a public road in winter.

Yesterday marked the end of the first real week of this fiscal year. There was a New Year’s party in the evening, so today’s series theme is on pause.
This week has been a busy one for me, but I was in the Date area for an interview. It was my first “long-distance trip” in Hokkaido in a long time. It was also at a stage when the snowfall was almost equal to or greater than usual. I left Sapporo early in the morning and left the interview site in the afternoon. We left Sapporo early in the morning and left the site a little after noon, so we took a short detour, or rather, we took the national highway Route 230 instead of using the expressway.
The scenery of Lake Toya in the middle of winter was nostalgic and showed us the poetic expression of winter.
The surface of the lake, which is not frozen over even in winter, gives off a “foggy look” as water vapor rises toward the cool air. The surrounding mountains were all crowned with white snow, casting shadows on the various trees.
For Sapporo residents, Lake Toya is a staple of elementary school excursions. I have visited one of the most famous hot spring resorts in Hokkaido many times. So all of the scenery has a lingering quality that restores time to its original state.
I could feel the warmth of the people I had not seen for a while, as if they were my relatives. Hokkaido’s snowy winter landscapes are beautiful in every sense of the word. I was reminded once again that the makeup of snow has an amazing effect. I was deeply bowled over by the daily efforts of the women (laugh).
The sight of my friends and I soaking in a hot spring on a school excursion, laughing and having a good time, rises up from the depths of my memory like a distant thunderstorm. I was so excited to see the dishes that I had never seen in my life. I don’t know if I was sleeping or not, but there was such a fuss about throwing pillows and such, that I would rush to cover myself with the futon and say, “Oh no, the teacher’s here! The dream stage for young, innocent boys and girls on the cusp of youth.
The return trip home. As expected, the one-hour ride to the Nakayama Pass was filled with blizzards that sometimes obscured our vision. We drove cautiously, giving up the lead as much as possible and staying in the second or third position, using the backlight of the car ahead as a guide. Thanks to my efforts, the snowfall ended when we passed the Nakayama Pass, and we were able to drive steadily on the winter roads. Under these difficult conditions, we felt a sense of “camaraderie” as we drove through the mountain pass together. I wondered if this was a common feeling among people from northern Japan.

After driving through the pass, one comes back to the everyday scenery of Sapporo, but even in such a scenic environment, one often finds scenic beauty that one would normally overlook. I was reminded, even after all this time, that Sapporo is still a part of Hokkaido.
It was a simple trip through the snow, but I felt as if I was touring through a running horse. It was a small trip that cheered me up a little.

Posted on 1月 13th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 出張＆旅先にて | No Comments »

能登地震発生後10日を過ぎて実にたくさんの映像情報がもたらされてきている。能登には訪問経験と身体感覚があってまったく言葉もない。震源の珠洲市からはかなり離れた金沢市の北方隣接の「内灘」地域の震災状況には、とくにおどろかされた。道路交通が非常に困難な地域であり未曾有の状況も、わずかずつ徐々に明らかになってくるのだろう。社会の弱いポイントを直撃する震災の恐怖を感じざるを得ない。災害について、住宅建築全体が今後の対応を迫られていくのは間違いない。社会の復元力が試されていくことになるだろう。
さて、きのう書いた「徐福の宮」について、そこに至る道路状況についての体験が強烈で一気に書いたので、肝心の徐福伝説について触れていないことに気付いてしまった（泣）。
ということで遅ればせながら。上の写真のように三重県熊野市波田須の海岸線近くにこの社は特徴的な１本樹木を背景として建てられている。波田須地域全体がまことに狭隘な地形になっているけれど、この御宮はちょっと盛り上がった場所に位置している。
祭神とされているのは中国・秦の時代（紀元前221年に史上初めて中国全土を統一、紀元前206年に滅亡。始皇帝で知られる。）に、始皇帝から「不老不死」の妙薬を探し出す命を受けて、3000人の童男童女による船団を連ねて「東方」に向かったという人物。その荒唐無稽な内容から根拠のない俗説とされてきたけれど、1982年になって中国の江蘇省連雲港市かん楡（かんゆい）県において「徐福」村が発見され徐福が実在の人物として学術研究会で発表された。その後これを契機に秦・漢代の造船所跡などの遺跡も発見されて、当地では徐福生誕の地と情報拡散され観光資源化されてきているという。徐福の出帆、出発は紀元前219年と擬定されているとのこと。



この伝説は不思議なことに日本各地域に徐福伝説として痕跡を残していて、その最たるものが熊野のこの地にあるのだ。今回の探訪の趣旨からは少し外れるけれど、神武帝と同様に「海をわたってきた」説話の骨格は共通するので、興味は持たざるを得ない。歴史作家・安部龍太郎の「半島を行く」には現地で秦代の貨幣も出土した話までも記されている。
熊野地域の中心、新宮市にも「徐福公園」が整備され市のHPにもこの伝承が掲載されている。以下要旨。
〜徐福一行はこの地に自生する「天台烏薬（てんだいうやく）」という薬木を発見しましたが、気候温暖、風光明媚、更には土地の人々の暖かい友情に触れてこの地を永住の地と定め、土地を拓き農耕・漁法・捕鯨・紙すき等の技術をこの地に伝えたと言われます。＜中略＞日本でも徐福渡来の伝承地がいくつかあり、古くから地域伝承を育み、さまざまな文化が形づくられてきました。特に熊野には徐福渡来の地として数々の伝承・史跡が残り鎌倉時代には文献に出てきます。〜
紀元前219年当時と言えば、日本は弥生時代。もちろん文字記録などはない時代。真贋はもちろん定かではないけれど、どうして熊野にはこういった伝承が根付くのか、不思議な符合と言わざるを得ない。

English version⬇

The Legend of Xu Fu” in Qin, China, which remains in various places in the archipelago.
Yesterday, I forgot to write about the important Xu Fu legend. The legend of Xu Fu, which dates back to 219 B.C. in the Qin Dynasty of China, has been preserved as a palace in Kumano. The palace is located in Kumano.

It has been more than 10 days since the Noto earthquake and a lot of visual information has come in. I have been to Noto before and have no words to describe it. In particular, I was astonished by the earthquake situation in the Uchinada area, which is located in the northern part of Kanazawa City and is quite far from the epicenter of the quake in Suzu City. Road traffic is extremely difficult in this area, and the unprecedented situation will probably become clearer gradually. One can’t help but feel a real sense of fear about the disaster. There is no doubt that housing construction as a whole will be forced to respond to the disaster in the future. The resilience of society will be put to the test.
I wrote about “Xufu’s Palace” yesterday because I had such an intense experience of the road conditions leading to the palace that I realized I had not mentioned the Xufu legend, which is the most important part of the story (tears).
So, I am late to the party. As you can see in the photo above, this shrine is built near the coastline in Hadasu, Kumano, Mie Prefecture, with a distinctive single tree in the background. The entire Hadasu area has a very narrow topography, but this shrine is located on a slightly elevated site.
The shrine is dedicated to the god of worship during the Qin Dynasty in China (known for the first unification of China in 221 B.C., followed by the fall of the Qin Dynasty in 206 B.C., and the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, Shi Huangdi). It was destroyed in 206 B.C., known as the First Emperor of China). In the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C., the first time China was unified in 221 B.C., and it was destroyed in 206 B.C.), a fleet of 3,000 men, women, and children headed for the East in search of a miracle medicine that would make them immortal. Although this wild and ridiculous story has been considered a myth with no basis in reality, in 1982, a village named “Xu Fu” was discovered in Kanyu County, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province, China, and Xu Fu was announced as a real person by an academic research group. This led to the discovery of the ruins of shipyards and other relics from the Qin and Han dynasties, and information about Xu Fu’s birthplace has been spread in the area, making it a tourist resource. It is believed that Xu Fu set sail and departed in 219 B.C.

Curiously, this legend has left traces in various regions of Japan as the legend of Xufuku, the best example of which is found here in Kumano. Although it is a little out of the scope of this visit, it is of interest because, like the legend of Emperor Jinmu, it shares the same framework of the “crossing the sea” legend. In his book “Going to the Peninsula,” history writer Ryutaro Abe mentions that coins of the Qin dynasty were also excavated in the area.
In Shingu City, the center of the Kumano region, a “Xufuku Park” has been established, and the city’s website also carries this legend. The following is the gist of the story.
〜It is said that Xu Fu and his party discovered a medicinal tree called “Tendayaku,” which grew wild in this area, and that the warm climate, scenic beauty, and warm friendship of the local people made this place their permanent home, where they cultivated the land and introduced farming, fishing, whaling, paper making, and other skills to this area. ＜In Japan, there are several places where Xu Fu has been handed down from generation to generation, and local traditions have been nurtured and a variety of cultures have been formed since ancient times. In Kumano, in particular, there are numerous legends and historical sites that can be traced back to the Kamakura period (1185-1333), and the story of Xufuku’s arrival can be found in literature. 〜The first time in 219 B.C.E.
In 219 B.C., Japan was in the Yayoi period. Of course, there were no written records. Although the authenticity of this story is not certain, it is a curious coincidence that this kind of folklore has taken root in Kumano.

Posted on 1月 11th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類 | No Comments »

途中でシカさんと出会って、ゾッコンにさせられた（笑）この楯ヶ崎行き。どんなイキモノもその動作表情には「神がかった」ものがある。自然の摂理に沿ったイキモノとして当然。その出会いの瞬間のタイミングで「こころに残る」ということがある。たぶん恋情とも通じるものでしょうね。抗いがたい好意が芽生えるような瞬間というものがあるのでしょう。
日本文化ではなぜか奈良のシカたちがその象徴のようになっていく。神鹿。奈良春日大社の祭神、武甕槌命（タケミカヅチノミコト）は鹿島神宮（茨城県）から神鹿に乗ってきたと伝わる。鹿は神の使いとして古くから手厚く保護された。わたしは偶然、楯ヶ崎で自然のシカに出会ってしまった（笑）。だからということではないけれど、事実の背景部分で徐々に神武東征経路への「さもありなん」感プッシュ気味。
タケミカヅチノミコトは神代に国譲りの主役となり、さらに古事記ではこの神武東征上陸時にも高倉下（たかくらじ）という人物に神託を与え神武天皇に霊剣布都御魂をもたらしたとされる。
ともあれ、今次の熊野行は永くナゾと思っていた神武東征という皇統神話への探索旅。きわめて重要な上陸地に関しての実体験を得ることが中心軸です。ひとつの有力説として楯ヶ崎を海路上の目印・目途とした東征船団はその近隣の適地・良港として二木島湊に上陸したとされる。途中、神武帝の兄２人を海難で失いながら、上陸を果たしたとされるのですね。


図は橿原神宮の「神武天皇東遷の奇跡」からで、その下の港湾航空写真は三重県のHPより。図の「荒坂の津」というのが二木島と擬定されている。そこから吉野まで「八咫烏」の先導で山路を踏破していく。そして大和平定の大戦略「日を背に負って敵を制圧する」作戦展開していったという。
この大戦略は、壬申の乱でも関ヶ原でも日本史を貫いている成功戦略のようにも思える。
わたしの興味としては歴史と神話の狭隘部分についての探究心ということ。
まずは、熊野信仰というものの文化的側面を受容しつつ、日本文化のある部分を象徴している皇統神話について身体感覚を持ちたいということになるワケです。
今回までの探索では、熊野という紀伊の狭隘地域が大規模なカルデラを地形根拠にしていることが明確にわかった。そしてその異形な地形と皇統神話が強く結びついていることも体感できた。このことは、大づかみの認識として間違いがないでしょう。楯ヶ崎の柱状節理は雄弁だと思う。
そして異形の地形が日本文化に特徴的な自然崇拝・修験道などの積層があって、やがて神仏習合というように精神文化が形成されていくとき、熊野はこの精神文化の「聖地」化されていったのでしょう。それが歴史事実かどうかは別として、精神文化として色濃く堆積していったことは事実。
そのあたりの日本精神文化とはやや遠い世界標準的歴史時間を刻んできている北海道人としては、ある意味新鮮な感覚を持って体感させられているところです。

English version⬇

The Emperor Jinmu landed on Nigijima with Tategasaki as his goal? The Imperial Mythology and Kumano Journey-8]
A search for the myth surrounding Arasaka-no-tsu, the point of landing in Kumano during the Jinmu expedition to the east. As a Hokkaido resident, I would like to experience the narrow point between faith and truth. …

On the way to Tategasaki, I met Shika-san, who made me fall in love with him (laugh). Every animal has a “godlike” expression in its movement. It is natural for any creature to have a “divine” expression. The timing of the moment of encounter is what makes it “memorable. Perhaps it is the same with love. There must be a moment when an irresistible affection develops.
In Japanese culture, for some reason, the deer of Nara have become a symbol of this. The “sacred deer”. Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto, the deity of the Kasuga Grand Shrine in Nara, is said to have ridden a sacred deer from the Kashima Shrine (Ibaraki Prefecture). Deer, as the messengers of the gods, have long been heavily protected. I happened to meet a natural deer in Tategasaki (laughs). (Laughs.) Not necessarily because of that, but the background of the fact is gradually pushing the “so it goes” feeling toward the route of the Jimbu expedition.
Takemikazuchinomikoto played a leading role in the handing over of the land to the Emperor in the divine era, and according to the Kojiki, he gave an oracle to a man named Takakura-ji when he landed on the eastern coast of Japan to bring the sacred sword Futo-mikoto to Emperor Jinmu.
In any case, this next trip to Kumano is a journey of exploration into the mythology of the imperial lineage of the Jinmu expedition, which has long been a mystery to us. The central axis of this trip is to gain firsthand experience of the most important landing sites. One popular theory is that the expeditionary fleet, which had set its sights on Tategasaki, landed at Futakishima Minato as a suitable location and good port nearby. It is said that they made landfall while losing two of Emperor Jinmu’s elder brothers in maritime accidents along the way?

The figure is from “The Miracle of Emperor Jinmu’s Eastward Transition” at the Kashihara Jingu Shrine, and the harbor aerial photo below it is from Mie Prefecture’s website. The “Arasaka-no-tsu” in the figure is identified as Futakijima. From there, “Yatagarasu” led the way through the mountains to Yoshino. They then developed a grand strategy to conquer the enemy with the sun on their backs in order to pacify Yamato.
This grand strategy seems to be a successful strategy that has been followed throughout Japanese history, both in the Jinshin Rebellion and in Sekigahara.
My interest is to explore the narrow point between history and mythology.
First of all, I would like to have a physical sense of the mythology of the imperial lineage, which symbolizes a certain part of Japanese culture, while accepting the cultural aspects of the Kumano faith.
In this exploration, it has become clear that Kumano, a narrow region in Kii, is based on a large caldera. We have also experienced the strong connection between the unusual topography and the myth of the imperial lineage. There is no doubt about this as a general understanding. I think the columnar joints of Tategasaki are eloquent.
And when the oddly shaped topography was layered with nature worship, Shugendo, etc., characteristic of Japanese culture, and eventually spiritual culture was formed, as in the Shinto/Buddhist syncretism, Kumano must have been made a “sacred place” for this spiritual culture. Whether this is a historical fact or not, it is a fact that the spiritual culture has been strongly deposited in Kumano.
As a Hokkaido resident who has lived in a world-standard historical time that is somewhat distant from the Japanese spiritual culture, I am experiencing it with a fresh sensation in a certain sense.

Posted on 1月 9th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

さて北海道から熊野のひとつの象徴としての楯ヶ崎への道。往古の神武東征の重要な故地であり、その後の中世での上皇たちによる「熊野詣」でも、当然行脚したことが考えられる。そういった「高名」な場所なので現代においては、相当「観光開発」されているものと漠然と想像していた。
しかし交通状況を調べるほどに熊野地域全体としてあまり利便性は高くはないことは薄々感じていた。それでもそれなりに開発されているものと思い込んでいた。前日宿泊した旅宿で「楯ヶ崎に行くのです」と申告したときの地元の人としての反応も意外そうであり、「ん？」とは思っていた。
ということで翌朝、クルマで30分ほど走って国道311号線の脇の「楯ヶ崎」駐車場に。最初は「あ、なんかちっちゃい駐車場があるな」とは思ったが、あまりな意外さで通り過ぎてしまった。そこから数分走ったら、反対側車線側にそこそこの駐車場。しかし、高名な観光スポットという刷り込みがあったのでそこもスルーしてさらに先へ向かった。行けども行けどもなにもない・・・。
「そうすると・・・」と、ようやく「観光地」概念への疑念が湧いてきて引き返すことにした。そこまで人影も見えなかったのだけれど、ようやく地元の方が早朝散歩されているのとすれ違うことができて楯ヶ崎について尋ねることができた。・・・あの「ちっちゃい駐車場」が目的のスポットだという。目的の楯ヶ崎はそこから山道の自然道を片道1.9km歩いた先にあるのだと判明。
その段階でようやく、この紀伊半島・熊野地域という実像が感得できはじめてきた。
事前にはこの楯ヶ崎探訪についての安部龍太郎の「半島をゆく」を読んでいたのだけれど、その記述以上に「北海道っぽい」ことがわかってきてしまったのですね。安倍さんはわたしより３つほど年下だけれど、体力的にかなりキツかったと記述されていた。「あれはホントだったのか」という迂闊な気付き（笑）。
まぁそれでも普段から早朝散歩で往復4km程度は札幌の円山周辺地域を歩いているので、体力的には問題はない。よし行くぞ。

この山道はまことに自然そのまま、リアス式海岸地形がそのまま残されていて、起伏と変化に満ちている。途中には湾入りして海岸に出る。そこに「阿古師神社」があって、その機縁も知っているので、参拝させていただいたあと、さらに半島部の山岳地形のなかに分け入っていく。
ほぼ無心で道標のままに歩いていて、ふと気付いたら野生のシカの後ろ姿と5-6m至近で遭遇。
森の中での突然の遭遇であります。あまりに咄嗟だったのでスマホ写真にまでこころが回らなかった。ただ気付いてカメラを向けたら、シカは早々に気付いて去って行ったことでしょう。この遭遇はまったくの一瞬の静寂なイキモノ同士の出会い。
シカの方でもこちらに気付かなかったようで、かれはかれの棲息する普段の環境の中で、静寂な心理のままに自然と一体になって呼吸していると感じた。札幌円山で出会う野生動物はリスや野鳥などで、ここまで大型の動物と出会うことはない。もしあるとすればそれはヒグマ。札幌以外ではクルマに乗っていてシカと遭遇することはあるけれど、こちらもカラダひとつだけの素肌感覚で遭遇するのははじめて。
こちらが「お邪魔」していることは明らかだけれど、かれがわたしに気付かないようには、この時わたしも自然と無心に同期していたのだろうかと、なぜか少しうれしかった。自分でも不思議な心理ですね。

そして楯ヶ崎、熊野の「地域の空気感」がこのとき一気にカラダに染み込んで来た。

English version⬇

4 km of forest road from the parking lot by the national road to Tategasaki [Imperial Mythology and Kumano Trip-6].
Due to a spur-of-the-moment encounter, I was unable to photograph the deer in the forests of Kumano. The deer I encountered in the back were quite naturally divine. …

The road from Hokkaido to Tategasaki is one of the symbols of Kumano. It was an important place for the ancient expedition of the ancient Japanese emperor Jinmu to Kumano, and it is thought that the emperors of the Middle Ages naturally traveled to Kumano on their pilgrimages. Since it is such a “famous” place, I had vaguely imagined that it had been developed as a tourist destination in modern times.
However, the more I investigated the traffic situation, the more I realized that the Kumano area as a whole was not very convenient. Even so, I assumed that the area had been developed to a certain extent. When I told the inn where I had stayed the day before that I was going to Tategasaki, the reaction of the locals was not surprising. I had thought so.
So the next morning, I drove 30 minutes to the “Tategasaki” parking lot off Route 311. At first I thought, “Oh, there is a tiny parking lot,” but I passed by it because it was so unexpected. After driving for a few minutes, I found a parking lot on the opposite side of the road. However, I had an impression that it was a well-known tourist spot, so I passed it and headed further on. I kept going and going, but nothing.
I finally began to doubt the concept of a “tourist spot,” and decided to turn around. I didn’t see any people, but finally I passed a local walking early in the morning and he asked me about Tategasaki. He told me that the “tiny parking lot” was the spot I wanted to visit. It turned out that our destination, Tategasaki, was 1.9 km away from there on a mountain nature trail.
At this point, I finally began to get a sense of the Kii Peninsula and the Kumano area.
I had read Ryutaro Abe’s book, “Peninsula on the Way,” about his visit to Tategasaki, but it turned out to be even more “Hokkaido-like” than Abe’s description. Abe is about three years younger than I am, but he described the trip as physically demanding. I realized that I had been careless and wondered if it was true (laugh).
But I usually take an early morning walk of about 4 km round trip in the Maruyama area of Sapporo, so I have no problem physically. So, I’m going to go.

This mountain road is truly natural, with the rias coastline remaining as it is, full of ups and downs and changes. The path leads to a bay and then to the coast. There is a shrine called “Akoji Shrine” there, which I know the connection to, so after paying my respects, I continued on into the mountainous terrain of the peninsula.
I was walking almost mindlessly, following the signposts, when I suddenly realized that I had encountered the back of a wild deer at a distance of 5 to 6 meters from me.
It was a sudden encounter in the forest. It was so sudden that I didn’t even think to take a picture with my phone. If I had just noticed it and pointed my camera at it, the deer would have noticed it and gone away. This encounter was a totally momentary encounter between two quiet creatures.
Even the deer did not seem to notice us, and I felt that he was breathing as one with nature in his usual habitat, with a tranquil mind. Wild animals encountered in Maruyama are squirrels, wild birds, etc., and we never encounter such large animals. If there is such a thing, it is a brown bear. Outside of Sapporo, I have encountered deer while riding in a car, but this was the first time for me to encounter a deer with only my body against its skin.
It was obvious that I was “intruding” on him, but for some reason I was a little happy, wondering if I had been in sync with nature and mindless, as if he had not noticed me at the time. It’s a strange psychology even for me.

And the “local atmosphere” of Tategasaki and Kumano soaked into my body at once.

Posted on 1月 7th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
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熊野地域の中心都市・新宮市は特異な地形と歴史年代での「熊野信仰」という独自の文化性についての研究を促進するために「熊野学」というカテゴリーを立ち上げ、公共自治体として学会などの活動をバックアップしている。こちらがそのHP。
大阪の伊丹空港で「熊野に行くんです」とレンタカー屋さんで車を借りるときスタッフの若い方に言ったとき「熊野ってどこですか？」と問い返された。京阪神地域ではそういう認識なんだと知らされた。言外に「わざわざ北海道から来た人が」という響きもあったほど。それくらい紀伊南部は関西圏でも「遠い」地域なのでしょうね。関西中央からはかなり遠隔な自治体としてこうした熱意ある取り組みには、北海道人としてもエールを送りたくなる。
一説では1500万年前の地球規模でも最大級のカルデラ噴火がこの地域で発生して、特異な地形が形成されたとされている。「熊野カルデラ」とWikiで参照するとこうした「世界最大級」という情報が出てくるけれど、公共の立場からはまだ学会的に公知とされてはいないというスタンス。
しかし、特異なカルデラ地形が紀伊地域の太平洋岸一体で形成されていることは事実。このような地質学的な検証は冷静に進んでいただきたいと思います。
こうした地球的な火山活動の一端は、和歌山県東牟婁郡串本町の「橋杭岩」（２枚目の写真）の生成メカニズム解説でわかる。以下がその解説図面。


こういった地球レベルのカルデラ活動が造形した自然景観に対して、古代の人びとはどんな印象を抱いたかと考えれば、熊野詣の意味合いがわかりやすく伝わってくる。自然科学の基礎知識が下地にない状態でこうした景観に接すれば、熊野信仰という民族的「昇華」が符合すると気付く。
そしてさらに国生み神話などとの相互作用があったとも想像できる。イザナギ・イザナミにちなんだ象徴的ポイントが熊野各地に刻印されていくことになった。そういった流れで、逆に神武天皇の「東征」経路としてこの熊野の地がアナロジーされたのだとも類推される。
このあたりは神話の霧に包まれていて、凡百としては探究の仕様がない。ただ、神武東征がなんらかの事実の痕跡であるのなら、この熊野を上陸地点にしたというその構想力は素晴らしい。世界の皇統神話のなかでバツグンのレベルではないかと思わされる。そして生成期から日本の皇統が「民のために祈る」存在であり続けたことと併せ、非常に着眼点がすごいことだと思う。
世界の王統神話がほとんどその「出生」時を以て始原とするのに対して、日本の皇統は「神武帝の即位」を以て始原としていることも特異的だとされる。あくまでも統治の正当性ということが主眼であって必ずしも血の神聖性が根拠ではないのだと。
そして万人が納得せざるを得ない自然造形の特異性が、皇統神話に強い説得力を持ったことは間違いない。いよいよ、神武東征の熊野からという経路に興味が深まっていくのですね。

English version⬇

Caldera Topography and Ancient Faith: Imperial Mythology and Kumano Journey-4
The Kumano faith, which has instilled a sense of “samoarinann” even in the myth of the birth of the nation. Persuasive power that far exceeds the world’s royal myths. …

Shingu City, the central city of the Kumano region, has established the category of “Kumano Studies” to promote research on the unique cultural nature of “Kumano worship” in its unique topography and historical age, and is backing up the activities of academic societies and other organizations as a public municipalityこちらがそのHP。

When I told a young staff member at Itami Airport in Osaka that I was going to Kumano when I rented a car at a car rental shop, he asked me, “Where is Kumano?” He asked me “Where is Kumano? I was informed that this was the perception in the Keihanshin region. He even said, “Someone came all the way from Hokkaido. That must be how “remote” the southern part of Kii is, even in the Kansai region. As a Hokkaido native, I would like to send my encouragement to such enthusiastic efforts by a municipality that is quite remote from the central Kansai region.
One theory is that one of the largest caldera eruptions on a global scale occurred in this area 15 million years ago, forming a unique topography. When you refer to “Kumano caldera” on Wiki, you will find information about this “world’s largest caldera,” but from a public standpoint, the stance is that it is not yet public knowledge in the academic world.
However, it is a fact that a unique caldera topography is formed on the Pacific coast of the Kii area. We hope that such geological verification will proceed calmly.
One aspect of such global volcanic activity can be seen in the explanation of the formation mechanism of “Hashikaiwa” (second photo) in Kushimoto-cho, Higashimuro-gun, Wakayama Prefecture. The following is the explanatory drawing.

If we consider what kind of impression ancient people had on these natural landscapes formed by caldera activities on a global level, we can easily understand the meaning of Kumano pilgrimage. If one comes in contact with such landscapes without a basic knowledge of natural science, he or she will realize that the Kumano worship is a nationalistic “sublimation” that is consistent with the Kumano faith.
We can also imagine that there was an interaction with the myth of the birth of the nation. Symbolic points associated with Izanagi-Izanami were imprinted all over Kumano. In this way, it is analogous that the Kumano area was analogized as the route of Emperor Jinmu’s “Eastern Expedition” to Japan.
This area is shrouded in a fog of mythology, and as a layman, I have no way to explore it. However, if the Jinmu Expedition is some trace of fact, the conception of Kumano as a landing site is impressive. It is one of the most outstanding myths of the imperial lineage in the world. The fact that the Japanese imperial lineage has been “praying for the people” from the time of its creation is also a very impressive point of view.
It is also unique in that, while most of the world’s royal myths date their origin from the time of birth, the Japanese imperial lineage dates from the “accession of the Emperor Jinmu. The main focus is on the legitimacy of the rule, not necessarily on the sanctity of blood.
The uniqueness of the natural formations, which everyone had to agree on, was undoubtedly a strong persuasive force in the myth of the imperial lineage. Finally, we are becoming more and more interested in the route of the Jinmu expedition from Kumano, aren’t we?

Posted on 1月 5th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »