出張の疲労回復にはやっぱり１日くらいの休養が必要で、昨日はなるべくカラダを休めておりました。今回はとくに自宅で寝て起きると、ホテルでの寝起きとはまったく違う「爽快感」を実感させられ、本日で帰宅後２晩目の就寝ー目覚めはさらに体力回復ぶり実感。やっぱり加齢とともに「身の程をわきまえる」ことが大切なのでしょう。
　写真は10日前に購入してきた秋の北海道新鮮野菜たち。安定のカボチャはこの値段で煮浸しとか、スープなどに利用して楽しんでおります。先日来ご紹介していた「ソーメンカボチャ」はどっさりとサラダ食材として活用中。これはとにかく調理すること自体が楽しい。加熱して流水で冷ましながら、中身がどんどんとソーメンのようにほぐれていく様子が、なんとも愉快な気持ちにさせてくれる。大根などを線切りにするのは包丁手間がたくさん掛かることを考えると、非常に有用性が高い。食味があっさりしているので「付け野菜」としてはもやし並みの使いやすさかなと思っております。案外ラーメンの付け野菜としてヒットしたもやしのように、工夫次第で大ヒットになる食べ方があるのではないかと思います。料理修業を重ねて、かれの魅力をさらに引き出すメニューを考えたくなっています。
　そして全長35cmほどのズッキーニ１本100円也は、ナスとほぼ同様の調理にてたのしく食べさせていただいております。ほんとうにナスと同じような食感でもあり、ほかの食材との相性も抜群にいい。名前がちょっとクセがありますが、食べ方では日本人にぜったいに適していると思うので、洋風から和風の名前に変えれば、もっと消費されるのではないかと思います。
　疲労感も一服してきて、またふたたび自分で調理に取り組みたい。ようやく秋風の感じられる北海道。各地の農家から直出品の新鮮野菜たちと出会えると期待しています。そういえば、先週は10kgほどの新鮮タマネギも購入してきて、ジミに食卓ににぎわいを与えてくれている。
　今週末にもまだまだ新鮮野菜たちと出会って元気回復したいと考えております。

English version⬇

Enjoying Autumn Vegetables
Fresh vegetables with various characteristics are a source of vitality. Using the right vegetables in the right places stimulates the sense of taste and is very satisfying. It is an enjoyable encounter in autumn. Autumn

　I needed a day or so of rest to recover from the fatigue of a business trip, so I rested my body as much as possible yesterday. This time, in particular, when I went to bed at home and woke up, I felt a completely different “refreshed” feeling than when I went to bed and woke up at the hotel. I guess it is important to be aware of one’s own physical condition as one ages.
　The photo shows the fresh autumn vegetables I bought 10 days ago in Hokkaido. I am enjoying the stable pumpkin at this price, using it for simmered vegetables and soups. The “somen kabocha” that I have been introducing the other day is now being used in salads. It is fun to cook. As it is heated and cooled under running water, it is a delight to watch the contents unravel like somen noodles. Considering that it takes a lot of time and effort with a knife to cut daikon and other radishes into strips, it is very useful. I think it is as easy to use as bean sprouts as a “garnish vegetable” because of its light taste. Like bean sprouts, which unexpectedly became a hit as a vegetable to add to ramen noodles, I think there are ways to eat it that could become a big hit, depending on one’s ingenuity. With more culinary training, I would like to come up with a menu that brings out even more of his charm.
　I am also enjoying a 35-centimeter-long zucchini for 100 yen per piece, which is cooked in much the same way as eggplant. It really has the same texture as an eggplant and goes well with other ingredients. The name is a bit peculiar, but I think it is definitely suitable for Japanese people in the way they eat it, and if the name is changed from Western to Japanese, I think it will be consumed more.
　Now that I have a lull in my fatigue, I want to get back to cooking on my own again. Finally, we can feel the autumn breeze in Hokkaido. I expect to see fresh vegetables directly from farmers in various regions. Speaking of which, I bought about 10 kg of fresh onions last week, and they are giving Jimi and me a lot of life at the table.
　We hope to meet more fresh vegetables this weekend to restore our energy.
　

Posted on 10月 2nd, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: おとこの料理＆食 | No Comments »

　曲り家というと東北地方でも「南部」地域、岩手県での古民家で特徴的とされる様式ですが、同様に多雪地域である会津地域にもこうした様式が根付いていた。農耕馬の保守管理について別棟ではなく「曲り家」として本屋に対して付加的な別屋をつなげてしまうことで、とくに冬期間の積雪寒冷条件での作業を合理化させるという建築間取り。
　馬という生身の体温を持つ動物をいっしょの空間で飼い暮らすことで、独特の一体感、心情が人びとに生成された。南部では異種間のイキモノ同士の交流の細やかさが強調されて、人間と馬との同衾までの習慣があったとされる。たしかに寒冷な条件下で「身を寄せ合って」寒さをしのぐという蓋然性はある。
　奥州産馬は日本史の中で、武士の台頭時期から重要な横軸を形成もしてきた。馬産は東北地方では対日本社会への重要な「交易品」であり続けた。そして住宅でもその文化がこうした形式として地域オリジナルとして独特に形成された。
　こちらの旧馬場家は、東北指折りの豪雪地帯の南会津に建っていた上層農民住宅。母屋主屋に対してL字型に突き出た「中門棟」があり、馬屋と便所などを持っていた。名付けて馬屋中門造りと呼称した。建て方としては切妻で、寄棟に対して屋根からの落雪のない一辺ができるメリットがあったのだとされる。多雪地帯としての切実な建築的対応と言えるだろう。中門棟には藁などを保存する中２階を備えていて、そこで飼育している馬の世話が一気通貫的に考えられている。

　一方で住居棟になる本屋はかなり大型の平面を持っていて、居間である「おめい（御前）」、その奥に寝室を仕切り、上手端にはその平面積の大きさを利用して３室を並べている。建築年代は文化４−５（1807-1808)年。約200年以上前の建築。
　古民家からはいかにも先人たちの「生活合理性」がストレートに伝わってきて、住宅と生き方の相関性が「響き合っている」と感じられる。住宅探訪のいちばんの面白さというのは、実は人間を知る、知りたいということが根底にあるのだろうと思う。
　現代住宅は、暮らし方という意味では、仕事の場との距離感が大きくあって、いかにも「住むだけ」という印象が強い。そういう仕事・生き方的な部分よりもたぶん「タイパ」という概念がむしろ強まってきている。「夫婦とも働き」が一般的になって来て「家事労働」の合理性獲得の方向に向かってきているのだろう。
　しかし生活合理性という意味では先人たちもこういう住宅のようにまったく同様に考えて、規格化を進めてきたのだと思う。故きを知って生かしていきたいと思う。

English version⬇

Fukushima Aizu’s “Curved House” / Fukushima City Minka-en-6
A living space connected to a stable that gives a sense of “warmth” in a cold and snowy region. The pursuit of a sympathetic living performance. The homogeneity of wisdom in today’s typa-oriented housing. The house is a house of wisdom and homogeneity.

　The kurikuri-ya is a style that is characteristic of old private houses in the “southern” Tohoku region and Iwate Prefecture, but this style has also taken root in the Aizu region, which is similarly a region with heavy snowfall. This architectural layout was designed to rationalize work in cold and snowy conditions, especially in winter, by connecting an additional annex to the main house as a “kurikuriya” for the maintenance and management of agricultural horses, rather than a separate building.
　By keeping horses, animals that have the body heat of their own flesh and blood, in the same space, a unique sense of unity and emotion was generated among the people. In the south, it is said that there was a custom of sharing the bed with a human and a horse, as the importance of detailed interactions between different species of animals was emphasized. It is probable that horses “huddled” together in the cold to protect themselves from the cold.
　Horses from Oshu have formed an important axis in Japanese history since the rise of the samurai. In the Tohoku region, horses continued to be an important “trading commodity” to Japanese society. The culture of horsehouses was also uniquely formed in this form as a regional original.
　The former Bamba House shown here is an upper-class farmer’s residence built in Minamiaizu, one of the heaviest snowfall areas in the Tohoku region. The main house had an L-shaped “middle gate building” protruding from the main building, which housed a stable and latrine. It was called “Banya-chumon-zukuri” (horse stalls and latrines). It is said that the gabled roof had the advantage over the hipped roof that there was no snow falling from the roof. It is said to have been an architectural response to the heavy snowfalls in the area. The main gate building is equipped with a mezzanine floor for storing straw and other materials, and the care of the horses kept there is considered to be a one-stop operation.
　On the other hand, the main building, which serves as a residence, is quite large in plan, with the living room “omei” (front room), a bedroom at the rear of the living room, and three rooms at the upper end, taking advantage of its large floor space. It was built in the 4th-5th Bunka period (1807-1808). It was built more than 200 years ago.
　The old minka house conveys the “rationality of life” of its predecessors in a straightforward manner, and the correlation between the house and the way of life is felt to be “echoing” each other. I think the most interesting thing about exploring houses is the underlying desire to know and understand people.
　In terms of the way of living, modern houses have a large sense of distance from the place of work, giving the impression of “just living”. The concept of “typa” is becoming stronger than the work/life style aspect of it. As “both husband and wife working” has become more common, the concept of “housework” has been moving in the direction of rationality.
　However, in terms of the rationality of living, I believe that our predecessors thought in exactly the same way and promoted standardization, as in the case of this type of housing. I would like to learn from the past and make the most of it.

Posted on 9月 30th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

昨日のブログ記事へはいろいろな反応があって興味深かった。書いている本人も気付かされることが多かったのですが、いちばん大きかったのは「古民家」として現代に移築保存されているような建築は、一般的には建築当時から「立派な」建築と見なされている建物が多く、その当時の一般のひとびとの住んでいた建物とは言えないと深く気付かされたこと。
　住宅建築もこうした見方を加味して考えて行かなければならないとキモに銘じさせられた。同時に歴史・民俗という実像への視線をあらためて考える契機になった。
　本日参観するのは内心、初見でビックリさせられた建物。古民家建築の常識的な理解として都市集住型の建築では「瓦屋根」を見る機会が多くそこで２階建ては良くあるけれど、この建物は屋根が茅葺きで２階建てでいわば現代住宅的なプロポーションを見せていたこと。
　名称は「旧筧家宿店」。福島市上烏渡字観音寺14番地に建てられていた。建築年代は江戸末期以前は確実で明治10年代に増築された事実が確認されると。ここは現在でも東北自動車道・福島西ICにほど近く、江戸期〜大正期には旧会津街道と旧米沢街道の分岐点に建っていた。
　その後、万世大路（福島と米沢を結ぶ道路）の開通や鉄道の奥羽本線や岩越鉄道（〜現在のJR磐越西線は福島県郡山から新潟県を結ぶ鉄道）の開通などで旅宿客が激減し営業を停止したのだという。要するに時代の変遷の中での人流の変化によって興亡をみせた商家建築。都市にあったそういった用途の建築はどんどんと不燃化ということで瓦屋根に変化していったのだけれど、東北福島では江戸期由来のいわば街道宿の姿が、残っていたようなのだ。
　さらに驚くほどに１階部分が開放的に作られていて、奥の座敷２室との仕切りがある以外の３方向が全開放されている。上部が重量感があってこれでは構造的にどうなのかと不安になるほど。たぶんそういった「目印」感があって、旅宿としてのランドマークだったのか。
　このあたりは江戸期の街道筋旅宿の建築のありように精通していないので不明だけれど、たしかに「目に付く」という機能性は確実にあったに違いない。
　機能性の面では、旅宿開業にあたって自宅主屋の「座敷」を使用するという発想は、この地方の宿店のありようを継承している、と説明書きにある。しかしたぶんこれは日本建築文化に於いて普遍的な発想だったのではないか。実は昨日のブログに感想を寄せていただいたTさんの示唆に富んだご意見。そもそも立派な座敷というのは、日本の住文化の中で「接遇」のために精一杯の「高級感」「おもてなし」を心がけた空間だっただろうという。
　この辺の空間創造の動機部分って、民俗としてもたいへんに興味深い。

English version⬇

2-story thatched building, Edo – Taisho period “Shukumoten” / Fukushima City Minka-en-4
Remnants of a roadside inn from the Edo period. The thatched roof visually appeals to the “sense of relaxation” and the two-story building is a landmark. Appealing to Japanese people who love to travel. The building is a landmark for Japanese people who love to travel.

It was interesting to see the various reactions to yesterday’s blog post. The most significant was the realization that many of the buildings that have been moved and preserved today as “old private houses” are generally considered “magnificent” buildings from the time of their construction, and cannot be said to have been inhabited by ordinary people in those days. Residential architecture should also take this view into account.
　It is important to remember that residential architecture must be considered in light of this viewpoint. At the same time, it was an opportunity for me to reconsider my perspective on the real image of history and folklore.
　The building I will visit today is one that surprised me at first sight. As a common understanding of old private house architecture, it is common to see “tiled roofs” in urban residential architecture, and two-story buildings are common there, but this building had a thatched roof and was two stories high, showing the proportions of a modern residence, so to speak.
　The name of the building is “Kyu Kakei Jyuten” (old Kakei family’s inn). It was built at 14 Kannonji, Kamikarasuwatari, Fukushima City. The construction date is certain to be before the end of the Edo period, and it is confirmed that the building was extended in the 10th year of Meiji era. It is still located near the Fukushima Nishi Interchange on the Tohoku Expressway, and during the Edo and Taisho periods, it stood at the junction of the old Aizu-kaido road and the old Yonezawa-kaido road.
　Later, with the opening of the Manyo Highway (a road connecting Fukushima and Yonezawa) and the opening of the Ou Main Line and the Iwakoshi Railway (the current JR Banetsu Nishi Line connecting Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, to Niigata Prefecture), the number of travelers declined sharply and the business was discontinued. In short, merchant house architecture rose and fell with changes in the flow of people over time. While such buildings in urban areas were gradually converted to noncombustible structures with tiled roofs, Tohoku Fukushima still retains the appearance of the highway inns that were originally built in the Edo period.
　The first floor is surprisingly open, and except for the partitions between the two tatami rooms in the back, all three sides of the building are open to the public. The upper part of the building is so heavy that one wonders if this is structurally sound. Perhaps it was a landmark as a traveling inn because of such a “landmark” feeling.
　I am not familiar with the architecture of roadside inns in the Edo period, so I am not sure, but it certainly had the functionality of being “conspicuous.
　In terms of functionality, the description says that the idea of using the “tatami room” of the main house to open a traveling inn was inherited from the innkeepers in this region. But perhaps this was a universal idea in Japanese architectural culture. This is actually a thought-provoking comment from Mr. T, who commented on yesterday’s blog. He said that a splendid tatami room would have been a space in the Japanese residential culture where people tried their best to create a sense of “luxury” and “hospitality” for the sake of “hospitality”.
　The motive behind the creation of such a space is very interesting as a folklore.

Posted on 9月 28th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 古民家シリーズ | No Comments »

　娘からの情報で、行列の出来ている蕎麦店を教えられた。そういう情報にはたいへん弱いので、さっそくものは試しと食べに行ってみた。ちょうど不動産関係の要件もあって、清田区里塚のセカンドハウスに向かう予定でその途次に店があった。
　写真の通り「板前農民」というキャッチで「自ら育て、自ら調理」というコンセプト。行ってみたら11時の開店早々15分後くらいに到着したのだけれど、20人くらいの行列。すでに開店しているのでなかに同数くらいは入っているだろうから、普通は諦めてしまうところだけれど、娘からの情報がアタマにくっついているので、覚悟を決めて待つこと約１時間。ようやく写真のように「天ぷら蕎麦」にありつくことが出来た次第であります。後で確認したら「新そば」の初出日ということで常連ファン大集合だったよう。
　きのうまで空知南部の栗山のことを書いていたので、こういう北海道内での各地域の独自性・風土性に敏感になってきている。「シン民俗」っていう造語をきのう書いたのですが、柳田國男さん的な民俗の派生形態、日本中の多様な地方から北海道という日本民族文化にとって未踏の大地に移住してきた人びとの生き様が、独特の北海道の「シン民俗」を生成させてきていると思う。そんな雰囲気つながりが、この蕎麦店の心意気に感じられていた。
　すっごい量が多いよ、との娘からの情報だったけれど、蕎麦の切り方がけっこう「太麺」だったせいか、お、案外少量じゃないのかと錯誤した（笑）。ところがどっこい、食べ始めてみると蕎麦の山がなかなか減少していかない。大皿に盛りつけてあるのだけれど、目測に相違してどうも「深さ」があるよう。
　で、天ぷらの方ですがこれもエビが５本も揚げてある。そのほかに丸く切ったタマネギ、カボチャ、半切りのナス。これもなんとか野菜優先に平らげたけれど、エビの方は２本がやっと。
　で、カミさんにエビ食の応援を頼んだのですが、彼女は悩んだ末にふつうのざるそばにしたところが、「サービスで」ということで野菜の天ぷらも付いてきていた。う〜む超満腹。
　ふたたび蕎麦に挑み始めたけれど、夫婦とも「ふ〜ふ〜」の混声合唱状態。カミさんも完全にオーバー気味で「もうムリ」。ここで、娘からの情報がふたたびアタマに再生。「残すひとが多いようで、持ち帰り用の容器を手早く出してくれる」とのことだったので頼んだら、すぐに持ってきてくれた。
　わたしも体重管理の成果で10%ほど体重減しているので、食事量はだいぶ落ちてきている。結局、この昼食で昨日の食事は完全終了（笑）。家に戻っても夕食の元気はまったく出てこない。というか立ちんぼでの行列が予想以上に体力消耗で、帰宅後は爆睡〜爆睡という状態。まぁ契約関係の書類確認などでの精神疲労も加わっていたことはありそうですが。
　本日朝になって、「あれ、けっこうウマかったな」とようやく平常が戻って来ています（笑）。

English version⬇

Eating soba at “Itamae Farmhouse” in Bihoro, Okhotsk.
I was expecting to make buckwheat noodles, but I chose to eat buckwheat noodles (laugh). But the training continues. Lunch at a buckwheat noodle restaurant that grows and cooks its own buckwheat noodles. The day ended with a full stomach. …

My daughter told me about a buckwheat noodle restaurant with a long line of customers. Since I am very susceptible to such information, I decided to give it a try and went to eat there right away. I was going to visit a second house in Satozuka, Kiyota-ku, Tokyo, and the restaurant was right next to the house.
　As you can see in the photo, the restaurant is called “Itamae Farmer” with the concept of “grow your own food and cook it yourself. I arrived about 15 minutes after the restaurant opened at 11:00 a.m., but there was a line of about 20 people. Since the restaurant had already opened, there were probably about the same number of people inside, so normally I would have given up, but my daughter’s information was stuck in my head, so I braced myself and waited for about an hour. Finally, I was able to get a bowl of “Tempura Soba” as shown in the photo. Later, I found out that it was the first day of the “new soba” season, so there was a large crowd of regular customers.
　Since I had been writing about Kuriyama in southern Sorachi until yesterday, I have become sensitive to the uniqueness and local characteristics of each region in Hokkaido. I coined the term “shin-minzoku” yesterday, and I believe that the way of life of people who have migrated from various regions of Japan to Hokkaido, a land unexplored by the Japanese ethnic culture, has created a unique Hokkaido “shin-minzoku”. Such a connection with the atmosphere was felt in the spirit of this soba restaurant.
　My daughter had informed me that it was a very large portion of soba, but I was under the illusion that it was not as large as I had expected, perhaps because the soba was cut in a rather “thick” style (laugh). However, when we started eating, the pile of Soba did not seem to decrease. Although it was served on a platter, it seemed to be deeper than I had guessed.
　As for the tempura, there were five deep-fried shrimps. There were also round slices of onion, pumpkin, and half-sliced eggplant. I managed to eat these vegetables first, but I could barely manage to eat two prawns.
　I asked my wife to support me in eating the shrimp, but after much deliberation, she decided to go with the regular zarusoba, which came with vegetable tempura as a “service. She was very full.
　We started to try the soba again, but both of us were in a chorus of “mmmmmmmmmm! My wife was also completely overloaded and said, “I can’t eat any more. At this point, the information from our daughter replayed in our minds. I asked her for a take-out container, and she brought it to me right away.
　I have lost about 10% of my body weight as a result of weight control, so the amount of food I eat has been decreasing considerably. After all, this lunch was the end of yesterday’s meal (laugh). When I returned home, I had no energy at all for dinner. In fact, the line at the stand-up bar was more physically draining than I had expected, and I went to sleep after returning home. Well, I guess I was also mentally fatigued from checking the documents related to the contract.
　Today in the morning, normalcy has finally returned to me, saying, “Oh, that was pretty tasty.

Posted on 9月 26th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: おとこの料理＆食 | No Comments »

　きのうからの続き。明治３年５月、戊辰戦争の敗北側・仙台藩の一領域、現角田市から、その士族群が新天地として北海道への入植に旅立った。当初の入植地は室蘭。集団の規模は44戸51名と記されている。婦女子は当面は故地に残して開拓の労働力としての男性たちが主体で、室蘭の輪西地域の原野の伐採、畑起こしに取り組んだのだろうと思われる。以降18年間に渡って牧場・林業・園芸・炭焼き・養蚕さらには「氷」を作って売ったり、さらには製鉄までも手掛けていたという。すごい開墾努力。
　10年経過後の明治14年にはさらに第２陣の開拓民を受け入れて本格的な開拓を進めようとした矢先、明治20年、それらの開拓地に新政府側から「屯田兵」110戸528人が入植し、さらに第２陣として110戸の入植が予定されるに至る。戊辰戦争敗者たちがせっかく開拓した地域を新政府側が「巻き上げる」に等しい。狭隘な輪西地域は共存は困難を極め、やむなく角田からの一統は、新天地をさらに奥地に求めることになった。その無念さは、察するにあまりあるけれど、先人たちはそれも受忍して栗山、当時の「アノロ」原野に向かうことになった。当たり前だけれど、明治初年の権力状況がそのまま反映した背景事情に思いが募る。
　このさらなる移住に際しても、冷静に計画を立案し「夕張開墾企業組合」という合資組織を立ち上げたのだという。事に当たってこういった経済的基盤を整備して財政的メドをも付けていた。移動に際しての最終困難であった夕張川渡河の局面では、アイヌ人による輸送舟はたった１人しか乗られず、いわば人身御供のように乗船したのは、万一のことがあってもその後の開墾労作業に影響の少ない女性が渡ったのだという。その状況を追記するとまことに万感が胸に痛みとして迫ってくる。
　いま室蘭本線という室蘭から岩見沢までの地方線があるけれど、その路地に沿って移動したことになる。
　しかしこの栗山にいまも記念館として残る開拓の主導者・泉麟太郎邸には、いかにもな武家様式が見られるのだと。たしかに間取りには農作業を主とした「土間」がなく、間取り図は南が下の図面だけれど、北側にも縁が設けられている。寒冷対応よりも、格式優先・伝統最優先の「屋敷」建築。

　写真は開拓・開墾作業を示したジオラマで目に飛び込んできたヒグマ。平野部であり木の伐採などを行えば、畑地を獲得することは出来ただろうけれど、木材伐採の斧や農地開墾のクワなどでかれらとも立ち向かって、追い払い、人跡を記していったのだろう。ヤワになった現代人であるわたしにはヒグマと聞いただけで震え上がってしまうけれど、淡々と人間社会領域を拡大していく先人には、まことにアタマが下がる。

English version⬇

120 years ago, in the 30s of Meiji era, Kuriyama pioneer leader’s house
The new Meiji government dealt harshly with the defeated samurai families in the management of Hokkaido. However, they responded with careful and calm pioneering plans and carried them out. It is amazing. The home of a pioneer leader in Chestnut Mountain in the Meiji 30’s.

　Continued from yesterday. In May of the 3rd year of Meiji, a group of samurai from a region of the Sendai clan, now Kakuda City, on the losing side of the Boshin War, left to settle in Hokkaido as a new land. The initial settlement was in Muroran. The size of the group is described as 44 households with 51 members. It is thought that the women and children were left behind for the time being, and the men were mainly used as pioneer laborers, clearing the wilderness in Muroran’s Rinsei area and cultivating the fields. Over the next 18 years, they were involved in ranching, forestry, horticulture, charcoal making, sericulture, making and selling “ice,” and even iron manufacturing. What an amazing effort to cultivate land!
　In 1887, just as they were about to accept the second group of settlers and proceed with full-fledged cultivation, 110 households of 528 “Tondenbei” from the new government settled in those settlements, and another 110 households were scheduled to be settled in the second group. The new government was “taking over” the areas that had been cultivated by the losers of the Boshin War. The narrow Wansei area was extremely difficult to coexist with, and the Kakuda lineage had no choice but to seek a new land further into the country. The regret of the situation is hard to imagine, but the predecessors accepted the situation and headed for Kuriyama, then known as the “Anoro” wilderness. It is only natural, but the background circumstances reflecting the power situation at the beginning of the Meiji period are very interesting.
　In this further emigration, they calmly drew up a plan and established a joint-stock organization called the “Yubari Development and Reclamation Enterprise Cooperative Association. They had also established an economic foundation and made financial preparations for the move. The final difficulty in the migration was the crossing of the Yubari River, where only one Ainu person was allowed to board the boat. When I write about this situation, I feel a pain in my heart.
　Now there is a local line called Muroran Main Line from Muroran to Iwamizawa, and it was along this route that the woman crossed.
　The house of Izumi Rintaro, the pioneer who led the development of Kuriyama, still remains as a memorial museum, and it is decorated in a samurai style. Indeed, there is no “earthen floor,” which was mainly used for farming, and although the floor plan is drawn with the south side down, there is an edge on the north side as well. The “yashiki” architecture prioritizes style and tradition rather than cold weather.

　The photo shows a brown bear that caught my eye in a diorama showing pioneering and land reclamation work. Although it would have been possible to acquire farmland by felling trees in the plains, the bears must have confronted them with axes for cutting timber and with staggers for cultivating farmland, drove them away, and left a human trail behind. As a modern, more experienced person, I shudder at the mere mention of the word “brown bear,” but I am truly impressed by our ancestors’ efforts to expand the human social sphere.

Posted on 9月 24th, 2024 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »