縄文の約3,000年前とされる羊蹄山麓の環状列石遺構の見学から触発されての古代日本と北海道島の歴史探訪。基本交通路は船舶による交通手段の時代。阿倍比羅夫は、諸説はあるけれど北海道島に「後方羊蹄」という地名痕跡を確実に残している。
　北海道人としては、しかしその後、江戸期まで日本史との関わりの痕跡が途絶えることが不可思議。いくつかの伝承や文献記録などから、推理するくらいしか手掛かりに乏しい。
　伝承としては「義経伝説」があって、写真の積丹・神威岬を限界としてこの地以北が「女人禁制」とされたことが記録されている。義経が頼朝からの追捕の手を逃れて蝦夷地に逃避行したという「伝説」。最後は大陸に逃れて、その後ジンギスカンになったという荒唐無稽の伝承。その一節に、この神威岬にまつわるアイヌの族長の娘との悲恋物語。義経と恋仲になった娘は、追っ手から逃れるためにこの神威岬から出発した義経を追って、荒波にさらわれて命を落としたとされる物語。
　ながく北海道島が日本史の表面から姿を消している時期。平家物語の語り部として全国の村々の祭りなどの機会に琵琶の伴奏つきの物語を語った法師たちから、その内容を受け取ったその時代の大衆が、判官びいきという心象を持ったことは蓋然性が高い。そういう心理が多様な義経伝承を生んだものだろうか。
　ニセコ地域からの帰り道、積丹半島をぐるっと回って帰ることにした。

　神威岬は１−２回は来ているけれど、今回はまことに「風極」とでも言える強風。日高の襟裳岬でも体験したけれど、大人でも立っていられないくらいで、子どもたちはふざけていると実際に風に飛ばされて転んだりしていた。岩礁地帯で岬自体、半島自体が巨大な造岩活動の凄まじさを表現する地形と、この風の強烈さで江戸期くらいまで開発が遅れたのかという体感を持った（笑）。
　実際に「女人禁制」としたのは、江戸期の松前藩による海産資源・経済利権の秘密保持が目的だったのだろうけれど、このことが北海道開拓進展に桎梏となったことも事実。神威岬から先の石狩湾以北に行くには舟しかなかったので岬を通行禁止にされると女性は石狩以北には行けなかったのだ。女人禁制とは、それ以北に「定住するな」「出稼ぎしか認めない」という宣言であり、地域開発するという意思はどこにも見えず、ただただ、自藩の交易利得にしか価値感を持っていない地域政権。事実上の松前藩による「開拓禁止」政策だった。
　今日の北海道と江戸期の松前藩にはどのようにも「継承性」がない。たぶん全国の大名領地と明治以降の関係性の中で、北海道ほど断絶が際だっている地域もないだろう。「直轄支配」時期のこともあり、むしろ江戸幕府の方が開明的に北方防衛意識を高く持って北海道島の未来と向き合っていた。松前藩が南方の薩摩のような藩であったら、その後の日本史は大きく変化した可能性がある。

English version⬇

Cape Kamui, a difficult point on the Japan Sea route and forbidden to women, and the development of Hokkaido
The Matsumae Clan of the Edo period delayed the development of the Shakotan Peninsula north of Cape Kamui by taking advantage of a legend about Yoshitsune. A clan that clung to its marine products trading interests and had no regional development policy. The Matsumae Clan

A historical exploration of ancient Japan and the island of Hokkaido, inspired by a visit to the ringed stone remains at the foot of Mt. Yotei, which are believed to date back about 3,000 years to the Jomon period. The basic transportation route was by ship in those days. Abenohirau definitely left traces of the place name “backward Yotei” on the island of Hokkaido, although there are various theories.
As a Hokkaido native, however, I find it strange that traces of the area’s connection to Japanese history ceased after that, until the Edo period. There are only a few clues that can be deduced from folklore and written records.
There is a “Yoshitsune legend” that records that the area north of Cape Kamui, pictured in the photo, was forbidden to women. The “legend” tells of Yoshitsune’s escape to Ezo, escaping from Yoritomo’s pursuit. The wild folklore says that he finally escaped to the continent and subsequently became Genghis Khan. In this passage, there is a tragic love story about the daughter of an Ainu chief who was in love with Yoshitsune. It is said that the daughter, who fell in love with Yoshitsune, was snatched away by a stormy sea and lost her life in pursuit of him as he departed from Cape Kamui to escape his pursuers.
It is highly probable that, at a time when the island of Hokkaido had long disappeared from the surface of Japanese history, the public of that era, who received the content of the tale, had a mental image of a favoritism toward the priests who told the story with biwa accompaniment at festivals and other occasions in villages across the country as storytellers of the Heike tale. Such a mentality may have given birth to the diverse folklore of Yoshitsune.
On the way back from the Niseko area, I decided to go around the Shakotan Peninsula.

I have been to Cape Kamui once or twice, but this time the wind was so strong that it could be described as a “wind pole. Even adults could not stand up, as we experienced at Cape Erimo in Hidaka, and children were actually blown away by the wind and fell down when they were joking around. The cape itself is a rocky reef area, and the cape itself and the peninsula itself have a topography that expresses the tremendous rock-making activity, and I had the feeling that the development of the area was delayed until around the Edo period because of the intensity of this wind (laugh).
The reason for the “no women allowed” policy may have been to maintain the secrecy of the Matsumae clan’s marine resources and economic interests during the Edo period, but it is also a fact that this policy was a deterrent to the development of Hokkaido.
The prohibition of women was a declaration that “no settlement” or “only migrant workers” would be allowed north of the boundaries of Hokkaido, and the regional administration had no intention of regional development, but only a sense of value for its own trading interests.
There is no “inheritability” in any way between today’s Hokkaido and the Matsumae clan of the Edo period. Perhaps no other region in Japan has such a remarkable disconnect between the feudal lords’ domains and their relationship with each other since the Meiji era as Hokkaido. Because of the period of “direct rule,” the Edo shogunate faced the future of the island of Hokkaido with a high awareness of northern defense in a rather open-minded manner. If the Matsumae clan had been like Satsuma in the south, the subsequent history of Japan could have been very different.

Posted on 5月 9th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

日本書紀の記述、斉明天皇の条での阿倍比羅夫の北征。古代世界で突然のように北辺の世界の記述が出てくることから、多くの研究が日本各地で行われてきている。北海道に暮らすものとして、何度もこのナゾに問いかけてきている。今回も現地周辺を行脚しながら想像力を巡らせてきていた。わたしとしては流域面積で北海道での６番目の「大河」である尻別川流路から、羊蹄山をつねに目標としながら上っていく山麓地域のどこかが比定されるのではないかと考えている。事実として「比羅夫」という地名も残されている。地名にはタイムマシンのように伝承などの故実が表現されていると考えるのが自然だと思うのです。
この日本書紀記述を巡っては倶知安町や余市町などで、後方羊蹄（しりべし）の政庁「郡領」はわが町存在したに違いないと論争が繰り返されてきた。いまのところ郷土の歴史の一断面として今後の調査に期待するところ。
一方で阿倍比羅夫が接触した人びとについて、いろいろな解析が進んできている。７世紀頃の北海道ではアイヌ文化はまだ成立せず、それ以前の「擦文」の人びとが文化圏を築いていた。以下の図表は、JT生命史研究館「縄文人の核ゲノムから歴史を読み解く〜国立科学博物館・神澤秀明」からの参照。https://www.brh.co.jp/publication/journal/087/research/1


この解析から想起できることは本土の人びとはより現在のDNAに近く、北海道島の人びとはより縄文人に近しい存在だったと。この分析からは、この時期に阿倍比羅夫と遭遇し「郡領」設置を進言したという人びとは、より縄文人の血が強い人びとだったことが想像できる。
北海道で活躍する考古学の瀬川拓郎氏の説によれば、この時期、アムール川河口周辺発祥の北方アジア系の「オホーツク文化人」の人びとが大型海獣の狩猟を中心としたライフスタイルで北海道のオホーツク沿岸地域に進出しており、かれらは交易を通じて日本社会との接点拡大を目指して日本海側にも進出していた。
そのことからこの後方羊蹄地域の縄文由来の擦文の人びとと緊張状態に陥り、そした背景から交易相手であるヤマト王権社会に「援軍」を請うた結果が阿倍比羅夫の遠征だったのではないかとされている。
奥尻島と想定される戦場で、実際に戦闘が行われ、阿倍比羅夫に従軍した副官クラスが奥尻島で戦死したとされている。
こういった北海道島の日本史との接触記録が、しかしその後、鎌倉期くらいまで眠ったようになる。遠征した阿倍比羅夫の血統は奥州安倍氏に連なるという説もある。その経済基盤としての対北方世界「交易」の実態は奥州藤原氏の奇跡的な栄華としても明らか。
日本の北方史は多くの魅力的なミッシングリンクに満ちている。

English version⬇

[People of the Jomon descendants who conversed with Abepirāu.
From Abephirao’s expedition onward, until the Kamakura period, there was a missing link in the world of the rise and fall of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, which is poorly documented. However, there were historical facts in Hokkaido. …

The description of the Nihonshoki, the northern conquest of Abenohirau in the article of Emperor Saimei. Because of the sudden appearance of descriptions of the northern world in the ancient world, a great deal of research has been conducted in various parts of Japan. As a resident of Hokkaido, I have repeatedly asked this riddle. This time, too, I have been exploring my imagination as I traveled around the area. I believe that the Shiribetsu River, the sixth largest river in Hokkaido in terms of watershed area, is located somewhere in the foothills of the mountain range, always with Mt. In fact, the place name “Hirao” has been preserved. I think it is natural to think that place names are like a time machine, expressing folklore and other historical facts.
There have been repeated disputes in Kutchan Town, Yoichi Town, and other towns over this Nihon Shoki description, arguing that there must have been a “county seat” of government in Shiribeshi in the backward direction in our town. At present, this is just one aspect of our local history, and we look forward to further research in the future.
On the other hand, various analyses of the people with whom Abenohirau came into contact are underway: the Ainu culture had not yet been established in Hokkaido around the 7th century, and the “Scrubun” people had established a cultural sphere before that time. The following figures and tables are from “Reading History from the Nuclear Genome of the Jomon People: Hideaki Kanzawa, National Museum of Nature and Science,” JT Biohistory Research Hall.

This analysis suggests that the people of the mainland were closer to the present DNA, while the people of Hokkaido Island were closer to the Jomon people. From this analysis, we can imagine that the people who encountered Abenohirau and advised him to establish a “county fiefdom” during this period were people with stronger Jomon blood.
According to the theory of Segawa Takuro, an archaeologist active in Hokkaido, during this period, “Okhotsk Culture people” of northern Asian descent who originated around the mouth of the Amur River expanded into the Okhotsk coastal region of Hokkaido with a lifestyle centered on hunting large marine animals, and they also expanded into the Sea of Japan side, aiming to expand their contacts with Japanese society through trade. They also expanded to the Sea of Japan side in order to expand their contacts with Japanese society through trade.
This may have led to tensions with the Jomon-derived Abrahamic people of the Yotei region, and the Abenohirau expedition may have been the result of their request for “reinforcements” from their trading partners in the Yamato Royal Society.
It is said that a battle actually took place on the supposed Okushiri Island battlefield, and that the second-in-command who served with Abepirāyu was killed on Okushiri Island.
These records of contact with Japanese history on the island of Hokkaido, however, then seem to have fallen asleep until about the Kamakura period. Some believe that the lineage of the Abenohirou expedition is linked to the Oshu Abe clan. The reality of “trade” with the northern world as its economic base is also evident in the miraculous prosperity of the Oshu Fujiwara clan.
Japan’s northern history is filled with many fascinating missing links.

Posted on 5月 7th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

きのうのニセコでの環状列石探訪での古代縄文人の痕跡に気付かされ、知らず知らずわたし自身も陥っていた北海道地域観、大自然がそのまま残っている未踏の開拓地的な史観がゆらぎを見せ始めています。人跡・文化性への極度の軽視から目を見開かされたような思いがある。
たしかに人跡の歴史には連続性は乏しいけれど、それなりに点景としては存在していることに改めて思いが至っていました。
日本史との接点ではこの羊蹄山周辺地域・ニセコは「後方羊蹄〜シリベシ」という地名地域として、阿倍比羅夫の遠征期に名を記している。この漢字の文字記述とよみがなとの乖離感はたぶん日本語の中でも特異な例でしょう。
さらに現代地名表現としての後志と書いてシリベシと読むのも、この表記・音読との関係性が出発点なのでしょう。他地域のみなさんは漢字表現とよみに強い違和感を覚えるだろうと思います。
阿倍比羅夫の北方遠征については以下の「『福井県史』通史編1原始・古代」記述がある。「比羅夫は水軍180~200艘を率いて北征したがそのための造船はもとより、兵員や食糧の調達は莫大だった。その負担に堪えたのはおそらく能登・加賀を含む広義の越前が主だったであろう。比羅夫の遠征軍は、斉明天皇四年（659年前後）に齶田・渟代（秋田・能代）を平定。渡嶋の「蝦夷」をも綏撫して帰還。この年にまた比羅夫は粛慎を討って帰還した。同五年には飽田・渟代二郡の「蝦夷」のほか、津軽郡・膽振「蝦夷」を饗応し進んで肉入篭に至り、後方羊蹄に郡領を置いて帰った。同六年にも、渡嶋の「蝦夷」を味方として幣賂辨島の粛慎と戦った。」
ここに記述された「後方羊蹄」という地域は常識的に考えれば写真のような現代の羊蹄山周辺地域。ここに「郡領を置いた」という記述からは、一定の人口社会地域であることが推定される。きのう見たような約3,000年前当時の縄文期の遺跡から、この1,364年前当時まで、少なくとも1,700年程度は一定の集落社会が形成され続けていたと考えることが自然なのではないか。こういう推論に基づいて丹念に考え続けることが必要なのかも知れません。
現代の北海道地理観でも、積丹半島の先端部・神威岬は猛烈な強風で知られ、そこを超えた石狩平野地域は江戸期くらいまで女人禁制とまでされていた通行困難地域。いまでも札幌から移動するには山岳地域を抜ける必要がある。いわゆる蝦夷ヶ島の交通可能エリアとしては、ニセコ地域は日本社会との接触可能圏だったと考えられる。そういう背景があって「郡領を置いた」のだろう。現代ではこの地域は海外との接触が非常に高まってもいる地域。歴史探偵団的にたいへん面白みがある。

English version⬇

A simple nature-worshipping “backward yotei” area where the gods sit.
The area where Abenohirau “established a county fief” during his northern expedition 1,364 years ago. 3,000 years ago, during the Jomon period, we can predict the continuous existence of a populated society. The area was “the county seat” during Abenohirau’s northern expedition 1,364 years ago.

Yesterday’s visit to Niseko and the traces of the ancient Jomon people were a reminder to me that my own view of Hokkaido as an unexplored frontier with its natural wonders intact is beginning to waver. I feel as if my eyes have been opened from the extreme disregard for human remains and culture.
It is true that there is little continuity in the history of human sites, but I have come to realize once again that they exist in their own way as a point of view.
In terms of contact with Japanese history, the area around Mt. Yotei, Niseko, was named “Yotei Shiribeshi” during Abenohirou’s expedition. This divergence between the Kanji character description and the yomigana is probably a unique example in the Japanese language.
Furthermore, the modern use of “Goshi” as a place name expression, reading “Shiribeshi,” is also probably based on this relationship between the written and phonetic readings. I believe that people from other regions may feel a strong sense of discomfort with the Chinese characters and pronunciation.
The following is a description of Abeno Hirao’s expedition to the north in the “History of Fukui Prefecture,” General History, Part 1, Primitive and Ancient Times. The burden of building ships and procuring men and food for the expedition was enormous. It is likely that the burden was borne mainly by Echizen in the broad sense of the word, including Noto and Kaga. Hirao’s expeditionary force pacified Jinden and Nugushiro (Akita and Noshiro) in the 4th year of the Emperor Saimei (around 659). He also returned after having pacified the “Emishi” of Watarajima. In the same year, Hirao also returned after defeating Sukune. In the same year, he served “Ezo” in Ajita, Nuyo, Tsugaru-gun, and Ezo in Echigo-Tsumari, and returned to Yotei with his county territory in the rear. In the same year, he fought against Sukune of Beshima with the “Emishi” of Watarajima as his allies.
The area described here as “back Yotei” is, to the casual observer, the area around modern Mt. The description of a “county fiefdom” here suggests that it was an area with a certain population. It is natural to assume that a certain settlement society had continued to be formed for at least 1,700 years from the Jomon period ruins we saw yesterday, about 3,000 years ago, to this time, 1,364 years ago. It may be necessary to continue to think painstakingly based on this kind of reasoning.
Even in the modern geographical view of Hokkaido, Cape Kamui, at the tip of the Shakotan Peninsula, is known for its ferociously strong winds, and the Ishikari Plain area beyond Cape Kamui was a difficult area where women were even forbidden to travel until around the Edo period. Even today, travelers from Sapporo must pass through mountainous areas. The Niseko area is thought to have been the only area in the so-called “Ezo-gashima” area that was accessible to Japanese society. It is against this background that the “county territory” was established. In the present day, this area is also a region where contact with the rest of the world has increased greatly. It is very interesting from the perspective of the Historical Detective Corps.

Posted on 5月 5th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

写真は毎日の早朝散歩コース、北海道神宮〜円山公園の池に棲息しているオシドリの雌雄。北海道では雪が融けて花々の一斉開花が一段落してくると、動物たちの繁殖シーズンが始まる。
ちいさなオシドリコミュニティのなかでやがて「オシドリ夫婦」としてつがいが形成されていくのですが、そういう予感があるのかないのか、という時期であります。毎年、もう少しすると雌雄のつがいたちは群を出発してランデブーデートに勤しむようになる。この池から遠く500mくらい離れた円山の山裾などでよくデートの様子を見かけるようになる。仲良きことはすばらしい、と若さに応援したくなる（笑）。
雌雄の様子を見ていると、のびのびとした体動作を感じるのが２枚目のメスの方で、１枚目のオスの方はわたしの構えるiPhoneに対して注意して、首を立てて警戒感を持っている様子がわかる。万が一、わたしが悪意を持った所業に及べば、即座に逃げ出すような緊張感をただよわせている。メスの方は、そういう過剰反応は見せることなく、淡々と現実世界に対して肯定的な生き方を生きているように思える。
やっぱり女の力はすごい。オスは目立つ毛色で着飾ってメスの注意をひくのがかれらの世界の掟。かれらの世界でのペアリングでは雌雄どちらがより強い「選択行動」に及ぶのかはわからないけれど、わたしども人間の男として見ていても、メスの方がどっしりと落ち着きがあって好ましい（笑）。はじめのうちはわたしもオスたちの派手な羽毛の色彩に驚いていたけれど、見る毎にメスの「しなやかさ」の方に惹かれていく。

きのうまでの超多忙がなんとか一段落して、あとは直近の目標については連休明け２日間程度に作業が残るだけ。ただ、カミさんは月末経理作業もあって仕事が立て込んでいた。
ことしは北海道、雪融けもサクラ開花も早くて、もうサクラは札幌では散っている。そして百花繚乱のようにさまざまな花々が一気に妍を競うシーズンになりました。きょうからの連休はなるべくノンビリと自然の様子にふれあって過ごしたいと思います。きょうは寒暖の差が激しく最低気温２°で最高気温24°にもなるそうです。体調管理には留意して、自然と同期するように過ごしたいと思います。

English version⬇

Refresh your mind by returning to nature during the consecutive holidays.
The mandarin ducks, in their natural habitat, heal me. I want to change from a slammed brain and hippocampus full of blood to the rhythm of nature. The rest of the day is a time of restoration and relaxation.

The photo shows a male and female mandarin duck living in a pond in Maruyama Park, a daily early morning walking course between Hokkaido Shrine and Maruyama Park. In Hokkaido, when the snow melts and all the flowers are in bloom at once, the breeding season for animals begins.
In the tiny mandarin duck community, mating pairs will eventually form as “mandarin duck couples,” and this is the time of year when we wonder whether we have such a premonition or not. Every year, a little later, the male and female mates leave the flock to work on their rendezvous date. I often see them dating at the foot of Mt. I was tempted to cheer them on in their youthfulness, saying, “It’s wonderful that they get along so well with each other.
When I look at the male and female, the female in the second photo is more spontaneous in her body movements, while the male in the first photo is more alert, holding his head up to my iPhone. The male in the first photo is standing at attention to my iPhone, and seems to be on the lookout for me. The female does not show such an overreaction, but seems to be living a positive life in the real world without hesitation.
The female’s power is amazing. It is a law in their world that males should attract females’ attention by dressing up in conspicuous fur colors. I don’t know which of the sexes is more selective in their pairing behavior, but as a human male, I prefer the female to the male because she seems to be more relaxed and calm (laughs). At first, I was surprised at the colorful feathers of the males, but the more I looked at them, the more I was attracted to the “suppleness” of the females.

The extremely busy schedule up until yesterday has somehow come to an end, and I only have about two days of work left to do before the end of the holidays to achieve my latest goals. However, Kami had a lot of work to do, including accounting work at the end of the month.
The snow melted and the cherry blossoms bloomed early this year in Hokkaido, and the cherry blossoms have already fallen in Sapporo. And it is now the season for various flowers to come into bloom at once, as if a hundred flowers are blooming at once. I would like to spend the consecutive holidays starting today as leisurely as possible in contact with nature. Today’s temperatures are said to range from a low of 2°C to a high of 24°C. I will take care of my physical condition and try to spend my time in sync with nature.

Posted on 5月 3rd, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: こちら発行人です | No Comments »

年末年始時期には雪で閉ざされる北海道を離れ、本州以南地域を旅することが習慣化。その旅先も四国などが中心になって最寄りの利便のいい空港は神戸空港。そこから気ままな旅程を組めるレンタカーでの移動が通常ルートになった。そうすると淡路島・瀬戸内海地域行脚が定番化する。
淡路島は環瀬戸内圏の移動交通の要衝。札幌函館間往復600kmが一般的移動範囲である北海道人としては、淡路島というのはそれこそ指呼の距離感覚。旅するうちに、淡路には国生みにまつわる伝承や神社などの存在が多いことに気付かされるようになる。こうした流れで今回は深掘り型におのころ神社参詣。
どうも天沼矛（あめのぬほこ）神話について中央構造線の存在と、鳴門のうずしおのことが強く想像力を刺激される。〜イザナギイザナミの二神は神聖な沼矛（ぬぼこ）で国造り。天の浮橋に立ち授かった矛で混沌とした世界をかき回した。潮をゴロゴロと鳴らし引き上げた矛の先から落ちた雫が固まって島となった。〜
この「かき回し」伝承と鳴門のうずしお、そしておのころ島の擬定地・沼島の上立神岩などの符合に、古代の先人たちの列島自然地形観察の「科学的」解析結果を見るように思える。
そしてさらに淡路の伊弉諾神宮で見ていた「太陽の運行図」が思い起こされる。この神宮の真東には飛鳥藤原京や伊勢神宮などが位置しているという宮司さん作成になる説明石版図。この図を見ていたときにはこじつけ的な牽強付会説ではないかと疑念を抱いていたのですが、考えて見ると、古代の稲作農業の支配者たる王権にとっては、季節運行の民衆への明晰な説得力のある指示が不可欠だった。いつタネを植え、田にはいつ苗を植えるべきか、それへの合理的判断と指示が決定的に重要だと考えられる。そこには天文観察から自然地形観察、そして太陽の季節運行など多様な解析作業があっただろう。それらは当時の「科学根拠」そのものだっただろう。
国生み神話にあってなぜ淡路が特別な地位を受けていたのか。やはりヤマト王権にとって非常に重要な出自地域だったことを表している可能性が高いと思う。真東に初期王権地の飛鳥・藤原京があり、そこをめざして「東征」した神武の東征行動の方向性が腑に落ちるように思われる。古代には神話であると同時に合理的な根拠行動だったと思われる。神武は橿原に宮を建てたとされるけれど、その子孫・崇神は祭政分離を目指して、伊勢に祭祀中心を移動させ定めていくようになる。
このような王権としての行動意思決定に太陽の道行きが深く考慮されたことは自然だろう。天文観察での北斗星を中心にして方位観測を重ねたに違いない。ただ、たくさんの先人の列島自然観察という経験知はあったにせよ、太陽の道の詳細な特定方法はどうであったのか、現代人としては大きな疑問に突き当たらざるを得ない。

English version⬇

Naruto Uzushio, Izanagi Shrine, and the Path of the Sun: Exploration of Naruto Uzushio and Izanagi Shrine – 3
Asuka, Fujiwara-kyo and Ise Jingu are located directly east of Izanagi Shrine. The Yamato kingdom “conquered” the east to that place. Is there any scientific basis for the ancient principle of action? ……

During the year-end and New Year’s holidays, it has become a habit to leave snowy Hokkaido and travel south of Honshu. The destinations of these trips are now mainly in Shikoku and the nearest convenient airport is Kobe Airport. The nearest convenient airport is Kobe Airport, from which the usual route is to rent a car for a flexible itinerary. In this way, trips to Awaji Island and the Seto Inland Sea region became the standard route.
Awaji Island is a key location for transportation in the Seto Inland Sea area. For Hokkaido residents, who generally travel 600 km round trip between Sapporo and Hakodate, Awaji Island is just a short distance away. As I traveled, I came to realize that Awaji is home to many shrines and folklore related to the birth of the nation. In line with this trend, this time I paid an in-depth visit to Onokoro Shrine.
The existence of the Median Tectonic Line and Naruto’s Uzushio strongly stimulated my imagination about the myth of Amanuma no Mako (Amanuma no Nuhoko). 〜The two gods Izanagi and Izanami created the country with the sacred Nuboko. Standing on the floating bridge of heaven, they stirred up the chaotic world with the sacred spear. The drops that fell from the tip of the spear, which rumbled with the tide, hardened and became an island. 〜The island was an island.
The coincidence of this “stirring” tradition with the Uzushio of Naruto, the pseudo-figure of Onokoro Island, and the Kamitatekami rocks of Numajima, etc., seems to indicate the results of “scientific” analysis of ancient predecessors’ observation of the natural topography of the islands of the archipelago.
This reminds me of the “sun map” I saw at Izanagi Jingu Shrine in Awaji. The map was a lithograph made by a shrine priest explaining that the Asuka Fujiwara-kyo Palace and the Ise Jingu Shrine are located directly east of this shrine. When I was looking at this chart, I had my doubts that it might be a contrived check-and-balance theory, but when I thought about it, it was essential for the royal authority, the ruler of rice farming in ancient times, to give clear and persuasive instructions to the people on the seasonal movements of the seasons. Rational judgment and instructions on when to plant seeds and when to plant seedlings in the rice paddies were considered critically important. This would have involved a variety of analytical work, including astronomical observations, observation of natural terrain, and the seasonal movement of the sun. These would have been the “scientific basis” of the time itself.
Why did Awaji receive a special status in the myth of the birth of the nation? I think it is highly likely that this indicates that Awaji was an extremely important region for the Yamato kingdom. Asuka and Fujiwara-kyo were located directly east of Awaji, the site of the early Yamato kingdom, and it seems to make sense in the direction in which Jinmu’s expedition to the east took place. In ancient times, this was both a myth and a rational basis for action. Although Jinmu is said to have built a palace in Kashihara, his descendant, Choshin, moved the center of rituals to Ise, aiming for a separation of rituals and government.
It is natural that the path of the sun was deeply considered in the decision-making process as a royal authority. They must have made a series of directional observations centering on the North Star in their astronomical observations. However, even though many of our predecessors had the empirical knowledge of observing the nature of the archipelago, we must face a big question as modern people: How did they identify the path of the sun in detail?

Posted on 5月 1st, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »