「法隆寺宝物館「聖徳太子絵伝」についての記事、第9回目は創業・西暦578年、日本最古の建築技術集団「金剛組」の聖徳太子との機縁の開示であります。
　このシリーズの第一回はこちら→端正なモダニズム「法隆寺宝物館」探訪。

　聖徳太子絵伝の分析でこの日本最古の建設会社の事跡が紹介されているとは思わなかった。まさかの驚きの瞬間であります。写真上は四天王寺の本堂裏手にある番匠堂。通称「曲尺太子」。聖徳太子が大工道具である「曲尺」を手に持たれている姿が現されている。
　わたし自身全国の工務店との連携の中で住宅雑誌人として仕事人生を継続してきたので、その取材対象としての建築人がリスペクトする存在として金剛組については思い入れもあり、2018年の関西取材出張の折には親会社にも訪問した経験がある。大工職には聖徳太子の縁が深く絡んでいる。同社のHPには以下の記述。
　「聖徳太子の命を受けて、海のかなた百済の国から三人の工匠が日本に招かれました。この内の一人が、金剛組初代の金剛重光です。工匠たちは日本最初の官寺である四天王寺の建立に携わりました。重光は四天王寺が一応の完成をみた後もこの地に留まり、寺を護りつづけます」
　聖徳太子の生年は572年とされるので、この創業年と太子との関連についてはもう少し調査をしたい。この「番匠堂」の説明記述では593年にこの四天王寺建立と書かれているので、来日と創業年には若干のズレがある。そうすると金剛組組織は朝鮮・百済の地で創業したのかも知れない。
　「今度、倭国で四天王寺という本格的な仏教寺院が創建される。ついては専門技術者の派遣が要請された。この事業を担う有為な人材を求める」という専門職人リクルート活動が百済で行われ、新興国家での仏教寺院フロンティアに身を捧げたいと考えた「工人」たちによって組織が作られたのかも知れない。


　この金剛組の主たる目的が四天王寺の建立とその後の「宮大工」としての仏教建築創建・維持発展への貢献。日本に仏教建築の作法、王道を伝える上で欠かすことの出来ないエピソードでしょう。釈迦の墓とされる仏塔が五重塔などで表現され、また瓦などの建築部材文化が華麗に導入された。それぞれに専門技術が集約されて「組」という組織形態を形成していた。技術としても組織としても宗教建築の基盤が導入された。
　もちろんこの建設事業は国家プロジェクトであり広く国内の建設技術者たちも動員されたに違いない。かれらは百済から来た工人たちと力を合わせて取り組む内にさまざまな技術の相互交流・昇華があったに違いない。日本社会はこうしてもたらされた技術を進化発展させていったけれど、大陸・半島では木造技術はその後苦難に遭遇していく。今日、彼の地での大型木造建築の維持発展には日本の技術が「恩返し」輸出されている。
　わたし自身の探訪ブログとしても、過去の取材事実と今回の聖徳太子絵伝シリーズとが交叉してくれてまことに感激的（笑）であります。

English version⬇

Carpentry group “Kongo Gumi” came to Japan from Baekje to build Shitennoji Temple, The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures-9]
The experience of visiting Shitennoji Temple and the Kongo Gumi crossfires with the pictorial biography of Prince Shotoku. Encounter with frontier spirits of East Asian architectural culture. …

The ninth article in the series on “The Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku” in the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures discloses the relationship between Prince Shotoku and the Kongo-gumi, Japan’s oldest architectural engineering group founded in 578 A.D.

I had no idea that an analysis of Prince Shotoku’s pictorial biography would introduce the traces of this oldest construction company in Japan. It is a moment of surprise. The photo above is Banshodo, located behind the main hall of Shitennoji Temple. It is commonly known as “Kyokushaku Taishi. It is said to represent Prince Shotoku holding a carpenter’s tool called “kyokusaku” in his hand.
　I have been working as a housing journalist in cooperation with construction companies all over Japan, and I have a strong attachment to Kongo Gumi as an entity that architects respect as a subject of their coverage, and I have visited the parent company when I was in Kansai in 2018. The carpentry profession has a deep connection with Prince Shotoku. The company’s website states the following.
　Under the order of Prince Shotoku, three carpenters were invited to Japan from the country of Baekje, far across the sea. One of them was Shigemitsu Kongo, the founder of the Kongo Gumi. These craftsmen were involved in the construction of Shitennoji Temple, the first official temple in Japan. After the completion of Shitennoji, Shigemitsu remained in the area and continued to protect the temple.
　Since Prince Shotoku is said to have been born in 572, we would like to do more research on the relationship between this founding year and Prince Shotoku. The description of the “Banshodo” states that the Shitennoji temple was built in 593, so there is a slight discrepancy between the date of arrival and the year of foundation. If so, the Kongo-gumi organization may have been founded in Baekje, Korea.
　The “Shitennoji Temple, a full-fledged Buddhist temple, is to be built in Japan. The temple was to be built in Japan, and the dispatch of professional engineers was requested. The organization may have been established by “craftsmen” who wanted to devote themselves to the frontier of Buddhist temples in the newly emerging nation.

The main purpose of the Kongo Gumi was the construction of Shitennoji Temple and its subsequent contribution to the creation, maintenance, and development of Buddhist architecture as “palace carpenters. This episode is indispensable in conveying to Japan the manners and highways of Buddhist architecture. The five-story pagoda, which is believed to be the tomb of Buddha, was represented in the five-story pagoda and other pagodas, and the culture of building components such as roof tiles was introduced in a splendid manner. Specialized techniques were concentrated in each of them, forming an organizational form called “kumi. The foundation of religious architecture was introduced both in terms of technology and organization.
　Of course, this construction project was a national project, and construction engineers from all over the country must have been mobilized. As they worked together with the Baekje workers, there must have been a mutual exchange and sublimation of various technologies. While Japanese society evolved and developed the technology thus brought to them, wooden technology encountered difficulties on the continent and peninsula. Today, Japanese technology is being exported “in return” for the maintenance and development of large wooden structures in the region.
　As for my own blog of exploration, I am very impressed by the intersection of my past research and this series of Shotoku Taishi E biographies.

Posted on 6月 6th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 住宅性能・設備, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

「法隆寺宝物館「聖徳太子絵伝」についての記事、第７回目の今回は、604年、聖徳太子32才の時に定めた基本法規である憲法十七条、そしてその前年の冠位十二階政策。
このシリーズの第一回はこちら→端正なモダニズム「法隆寺宝物館」探訪。

きのう見たような国内内戦の末に樹立された「仏法専制体制」がその後の政権の基本になっていく。乱を直接の引き金とした四天王寺の建立や法隆寺の建立など、仏教立国政策が推進された。
乱から５年後の593年聖徳太子21才の時に母方・父方両方の叔母、推古天皇の摂政に就任。蘇我氏は朝廷内をほぼその勢力下に収め、聖徳太子は乱での「戦功」もあってこの地位に就任しただろうことは間違いない。対外政策としては仏教を導入することを通して、東アジア世界での日本国家の地位確立の橋頭堡が築かれた。当時の世界の政治状況から考えれば、大きく台頭する隋・唐の体制がやがて採用していく「律令体制」という政治制度との対応が課題だったことだろう。
それまでの王権システムは蘇我氏や物部氏、大伴氏などの大土地所有の「氏」が実権を握っていてそうした勢力間での合従連衡・パワーバランスでのみ政権運営されていた。こういう体制では仏教受容がめざした世界共通価値感による「法の支配」は実現しない。
教科書で聖徳太子がめざしたものが「律令体制の確立、その先見者」とされるのは事実だったのだろうと思われる。しかし言うは易く、行うは難し。
憲法十七条の制定に当たって第１条に「和を以て貴しと為す」と定めたのは、それまでの大王の下で有力豪族たちが氏（ウヂ）として奉仕し王権を構成した制度では各氏の間での争闘が常態化していたことが基本認識としてあったのだろう。


国内政治状況から考えれば、物部氏の滅亡などの大きな内戦があって、そこからの安定的な状況を生み出す必要があったに違いない。３条までの現代口語訳は以下の通り。
「一曰く、和をもって尊しとし逆らわないのを教義とせよ。人は皆群れるしまた頭の達者な者は少ない。上が和らぎ下と睦まじく戯れにおいて事を論じれば、すなわち事の道理は自ら通じる。」
「二曰く、篤く三宝を敬え。それは仏法僧である。すなわち総ての生物の終わり帰るところであり、すべての国の頂点の教義である。低姿勢が良いとする法。」
「三曰く、天皇の勅語を承ったなら必ず謹んで従う。民を支配する者の規則は天までいたる。そうして四季がめぐり、総ての気で神通力を得る。君主の言葉を臣下は謹んで受ける。上が行なえば、下は真似をする。それゆえ、承る勅語は必ず慎み従う。慎まずは自敗する。」
また冠位十二階とは、ヤマト王権直属の「官僚」群を任命していくということであり、国政への氏姓有力豪族による関与を減じさせていく狙いがあったのだろう。
国家体制確立の始原期においてかれ聖徳太子に押し寄せた困難な状況が、こうした事跡に集中的に表現されている。しかし聖徳太子のこうした近代化政策は相当の軋轢を当時の支配構造に与えたに違いない。

English version⬇

[After seizing power, to the Buddhist priest “Sanpo” system The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures-7]
Prince Shotoku initiated the subsequent reforms to the “Ritsuryo” system. The basic policy of “Harmony is the key to nobility, and the three treasures are to be reverently respected. The “Three Treasures” system was established in the late 8th century.

In this seventh installment of our series of articles on the “Shotoku Taishi Eiden” in the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures, we look at the Seventeenth Article of the Constitution, the basic law established in 604, when Shotoku Taishi was 32 years old, and the Crown Twelve Ranks Policy of the previous year.　Click here for the first article in this series→Exploring the neat modernism of the “Gallery of Horyuji Treasures.→端正なモダニズム「法隆寺宝物館」探訪。

The “Buddhist monarchy” established after the domestic civil war we saw yesterday became the basis of the subsequent regime. The rebellion directly triggered the establishment of the Shitennoji Temple and the Horyuji Temple, which promoted the policy of establishing a Buddhist state.
Five years after the Rebellion, in 593, at the age of 21, Prince Shotoku was appointed regent by his aunt, Emperor Suiko, on both his maternal and paternal sides. The Soga clan had the Imperial Court almost entirely under its control, and Prince Shotoku would no doubt have been appointed to this position partly because of his “war success” in the rebellion. As for foreign policy, a bridgehead for the establishment of the Japanese state in the East Asian world was built through the introduction of Buddhism. Considering the political situation in the world at that time, it was probably a challenge to cope with the political system called “Ritsuryo system” that was soon to be adopted by the emerging Sui and Tang regimes.
Until then, the system of kingship was governed by the Soga, Mononobe, Otomo, and other large landowning clans, and the government was managed only by the balance of power among these clans. Under such a system, the “rule of law” based on universal values, which was the goal of the acceptance of Buddhism, could not be realized.
It may be true that the textbooks describe Prince Shotoku’s goal as “the establishment of the Ritsuryo system and its forerunner. However, this is easier said than done.
In enacting Article 17 of the Constitution, Prince Shotoku’s first article stipulated that “harmony shall be the highest virtue.” This was probably based on his recognition that, under the previous system in which powerful clans served as “wuji” (clans) under a great king and constituted the royal authority, disputes among the clans had become the norm.

The following is a translation of the first three articles of the “Ki no Sho” (the first of which is translated into modern colloquialism as follows)
I say, “Make it a doctrine to respect harmony and not to disobey it. All men are gregarious, and few are wise. If the higher ups are at peace with the lower downs and discuss matters in amity, then the reason of things will be understood by themselves.
The second saying is, “Respect the three treasures with utmost reverence. They are the Buddhas, the Dharma Buddhas, and the Dharma Priests. It is the place to which all living beings return, and it is the doctrine at the summit of all nations. The Dharma says, “Low profile is good.
San says, “If you have received the emperor’s edict, be sure to obey it respectfully. The rules of those who rule over the people extend all the way to the heavens. Then the four seasons will rotate, and he will gain divine power with all his chi. The words of the sovereign are received with reverence by his subjects. If the higher-ups do, the lower ones will imitate them. Therefore, the words of the sovereign must be obeyed with reverence. Failure to do so will result in self-destruction.
The 12 ranks of the crown were intended to appoint a group of “bureaucrats” under the direct control of the Yamato royal authority, and were probably intended to reduce the involvement of powerful clans with family names in the affairs of state.
The difficulties that confronted Prince Shotoku during the initial period of the establishment of the state system are intensively expressed in these events. However, Prince Shotoku’s modernization policy must have caused considerable friction with the ruling structure of the time.

Posted on 6月 4th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

聖徳太子12才・583年のとき、来日していた百済国の高級官僚・日羅さんが偶然太子を見かけて、問答に及び、夜も更けるまで知的問答を繰り広げたとされるシーン。５隻10幅の「聖徳太子絵伝」壁画の第５隻の左下に記事配置されている。単純に太子の知的好奇心の発露の事例とされてきている。
この５隻には隋に派遣された大使である小野妹子が中国の衡山に出向き、太子の前世の持経を探したシーンや、太子が青龍車（祭りで使われる山車の一種だけれど、たぶん空想上の飛行高速移動手段）に乗って、前世での衡山で持っていた経文を取りに行くシーンなど、海外関係の事跡が集められたなかにある。
この日羅さんという人物も謎めいていて面白く、調べてみると「6世紀朝鮮半島にあった国家・百済の王に仕えた日本人、あるいは倭系百済官僚。父は肥後国の国造〜くにのみやっこ」というWiki記述が出てくる。この飛鳥時代当時では朝鮮半島国家と九州地域とはきわめて相関的な関係であったことが示されている。ヤマト王権の大和地域とも九州は相対的に異なった独自の認識・世界観を持っていたことが容易に想像できる。
さらに「日本書紀583年の条には敏達天皇の要請により来日して対朝鮮政策について朝廷に奏上。民を安んじ富ましめ国力を充実したうえで船を連ねて威を示せば百済は帰服するであろうことや、百済が九州に領土拡大を謀っているので防御を固め欺かれぬようにすべきことなど、百済に不利で機密性の高い情報交換内容だったとされる。その結果運命が暗転し同年12月に百済国役人らによって難波で暗殺された。」という国家安保上のトップシークレット案件も記されている。
高官が交流する関係でありながら、それはそのままスパイ活動である実態も明らかになっている。史実としては聖徳太子と話し込んだ年の年末に暗殺されているのだ。あるいはこの聖徳太子との密談に尾ひれがついて、国家の極秘情報の漏洩を怖れた百済関係者が刺客を送ったのかも知れない。
12才とはいえ、聖徳太子は国家主権者としての超英才だったことはあきらか。知的好奇心は旺盛でこういった立場の人物との会話は刺激に満ちた内容だったに違いない。そもそも「たまたま見かけた」から夜更けまで密談に及ぶのも奇異。会話内容の奥底を慎重に反芻しながら、深く興奮しつつ国益的な判断を迫られる怜悧な情報交換と推察できる。
こういった海外との機微な事情についても深い関心を持って思考訓練を重ねていたのだろうか。「もし万が一百済と日本が戦ったときにどういうことが起こり得るのか」リアリティに満ちた想像力を養っていたと言える。少なくとも仏教導入に身命を捧げた聖人君子という聖徳太子像とはかなり違和感のあるなまなましい現実政治家の実像がそこからは読み取れる。
後に「日出ずる処の・・・」というギリギリの国益追求リアリズム外交を実践する人物の本来の素性があらわれたエピソードか。こうした清濁を併せ持つ人物だからこそ、平和な国際関係を構築し得たのだとも思える。鎮護国家という仏教受容政策は日本の国体の基本として完全に根付き、その基本骨格を導入した政治指導者・聖徳太子への日本の民の評価は信仰にまで昇華した。かれのこうした政治家としての先見性・才能への民の側の評価も奥深く巨大だったのだと気付かされる。

English version⬇

The 12-year old prince secretly talks with a Baekje official (double agent?) The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures-5
A scene from a picture biography gives us a glimpse of diplomacy in those days. The actual situation of exchanging information with a high-ranking official of Baekje, Korea, although he was Japanese. The scene of a secret conversation with a spy

This is the scene in the lower left of the fifth panel of the “Shotoku Taishi E biography” mural painting, which consists of 10 panels in 5 panels, and is located in the lower left corner. It has been regarded simply as an example of the Taishi’s outburst of intellectual curiosity.
In these five paintings, there is a scene in which Ono Imoko, an ambassador dispatched to Sui Dynasty China, goes to Hengshan in China to search for the sutra of the Taishi’s previous life, and another scene in which the Taishi rides on a blue dragon cart (a kind of float used in festivals but probably an imaginary high-speed flying vehicle) to retrieve a sutra he had at Hengshan in his previous life. The person named Mr. Hira is also a mystery.
This character, Hira, is also mysterious and interesting, and when I looked him up, I found that he was “a Japanese or Japanese Baekje official who served the king of Baekje, a state on the Korean peninsula in the 6th century. His father was Kuninomiyakko, the king of Higo Province,” according to Wiki. The Asuka period shows that the relationship between the Korean peninsula state and the Kyushu region was highly correlated. It is easy to imagine that Kyushu had a unique perception and worldview that was relatively different from that of the Yamato kingdom’s Yamato region.
In addition, “In the 583rd year of the Chronicles of Japan, he came to Japan at the request of Emperor Toshitatsu to report to the Imperial Court on the policy toward Korea. It is said that the exchange of information was highly confidential and disadvantageous to Baekje, and included such matters as the fact that Baekje would be likely to surrender if the people were made comfortable and wealthy and the national power was strengthened, and that Baekje was planning to expand its territory to Kyushu, so the defenses should be strengthened to avoid being deceived. As a result, his fate took a dark turn and he was assassinated in Namba by Baekje officials in December of the same year. The article also contains a top-secret matter on national security, “The Baekje State was the first country in the world to exchange information on the Baekje Dynasty.
The fact that the relationship between the two countries was one of high official exchange and espionage is also revealed. The historical fact is that he was assassinated at the end of the year in which he talked with Prince Shotoku. Or, the secret talk with Prince Shotoku may have been traced back to him, and Baekje officials, fearing the leakage of top-secret national information, may have sent assassins to kill him.
It is clear that Prince Shotoku, although only 12 years old, was a super genius as a sovereign ruler of a nation. His intellectual curiosity was vigorous, and his conversation with a person in such a position must have been full of stimulation. It is also odd that they had a secret conversation late into the night because they “just happened to see each other. It can be inferred that it was a wise exchange of information that forced him to make a decision in the national interest while carefully ruminating on the depths of the conversation and becoming deeply excited.
I wonder if he was deeply interested in and trained to think about such sensitive matters with foreign countries. It can be said that they were cultivating their imagination filled with reality, wondering what might happen if Baekje and Japan fought each other. At the very least, we can read from this image of Prince Shotoku as a gentle and realistic politician, which is quite different from the image of Prince Shotoku as a saintly prince who devoted his life to the introduction of Buddhism.
This episode may have revealed the true nature of the man who later practiced realist diplomacy in pursuit of the national interest at the very last minute, as in “The place where the sun rises…”. It is precisely because he was a man who possessed both purity and turbidity that he was able to build peaceful international relations. The policy of accepting Buddhism as the foundation of Japan’s national identity as a state that protects and defends the nation has taken root in Japan, and the Japanese people’s appreciation of Prince Shotoku, the political leader who introduced this basic framework, has risen to the level of religious faith. We are reminded that the people’s appreciation of Shotoku Taishi’s foresight and talent as a statesman was also profound and enormous.

Posted on 6月 2nd, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

奈良の東大寺大仏など公開されているものもあるけれど、法隆寺の本尊仏像というのはわたしは見たことがなかった。なんとなくボーッと見ていたのか（笑）。一方で飛鳥寺では本堂に入ったらすぐに「飛鳥大仏」さんが迎えてくれる。気軽に迎えてくれる感じで、止利仏師作と伝わるその表情がなんとも言えずに好きになった。で、今回デジタル法隆寺宝物館展示で、紹介されていた「釈迦三尊像」の中心の仏様の表情を見てこちらも、やはり止利仏師作という説に審美眼的に確信を持てた次第。
なにがどうとは言えないけれど全体としての雰囲気に共通性を感じさせられる。やはり顔の造作、作られよう、バランス感覚的に共通項がきわめて多く、親和性を感じる。
写真上が釈迦三尊で下が飛鳥大仏。飛鳥大仏の方が先に作られその評判から、同じ制作者に発注されたのかと推測できる。止利仏師は鞍作鳥という名前の示すとおり、本来は乗馬用の鞍の制作がかれの本業だったそうだが、仏教伝来期の専門家不足からなのか、その制作レベルの高さを見込まれ、あるいはむしろこの仕事のために半島から移住したかして、これらの仏像制作に当たったとされてきた。
この国家事業の発注責任者だった聖徳太子自身がその仏像モデルではないかというのが一般的な通説。だとすれば、飛鳥寺大仏も聖徳太子の支援者であった「蘇我氏」によって造営された最初期の仏教寺院とされるので符合する部分があるのでしょうか。

飛鳥寺の創建は596年。593年に聖徳太子が推古天皇の摂政となり、その後法隆寺の創建は607年。
この時代の大きな動乱としては587年7月の崇仏派と排仏派の戦いがある。崇仏派の蘇我馬子は排仏派の物部守屋追討軍を派遣して厩戸皇子（聖徳太子）などの皇族や諸豪族の軍兵を率いて河内国渋川郡の守屋の館へ進軍しこれを討ち果たした。この結果、仏教導入が国策決定し飛鳥寺、四天王寺、法隆寺などの国家的寺院建設事業が旺盛に始められることになった。
この時代、事実上仏教が世界宗教として隆盛し同時にアジア世界に強大な隋・唐の統一国家が出現したことに対応して、崇仏派はその世界共通思想基盤としての仏教を国策導入しようとしたのだと思う。
外圧に対して対抗していくには積極的に導入して対外関係を強固にすべきという勢力。一方で既存の分権的国家でいいと考える勢力・物部氏一派との対立だったのか。その後の日本の歩みを見てもこういう政治選択・二元論は常にあった。
こうして国内争闘に勝利した崇仏派であった聖徳太子だが、一方かれが派遣した遣隋使・小野妹子に日本は隋と同等国であるとしたたかに宣命させる。「日出る処の天子、書を日没する処の天子に致す。つつがなきや」と。隋の皇帝はその不逞な態度に怒ったとされるが、国際関係では高句麗対応の必然性もあって事実経緯としては日本の独立性は尊重された。外交的には勝利を得たと言えるだろう。
開明派でありながら、外交では独立対等外交にこだわったのだ。むしろこのあたりが聖徳太子が長く日本人に愛され崇拝されてきた大きな理由なのではないか。大陸国家に対してどう向き合うのか、それがいまに至るも日本という国のアイデンティティの骨格部分なのかも知れない。

English version⬇

Two Buddhist Statues Modeled after Shotoku Taishi? Two Buddhist statues, The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures-3
Two of the earliest works in the art genre of Buddhist statues in Japan. The admiration for their models. The role they played in imprinting the teachings of Buddhism on the minds of the Japanese people. The role they played in imprinting the teachings of Buddhism in the hearts of the Japanese people.

Some of the statues, such as the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple in Nara, are open to the public, but I had never seen the main statue of Buddha at Horyuji Temple. I guess I was just kind of staring at it in a daze (laughs). On the other hand, in Asukadera Temple, you are greeted by the “Great Buddha of Asuka” as soon as you enter the main hall. I felt welcomed easily, and I liked the expression on his face, which is said to have been made by Buddhist priest Toributsuji. And when I saw the expression of the Buddha in the center of the “Shakyamuni Sanzon Zo” that was on display at the Digital Gallery of Horyuji Treasures, I was aesthetically convinced that it was also made by the master.
I cannot say what it is about the statues, but the overall atmosphere of the statues is similar. The facial features, the way they are made, and the sense of balance have a lot in common, and I feel a sense of affinity with them.
The upper photo shows the three images of Shakyamuni and the lower photo shows Asuka Daibutsu. The Asuka Daibutsu was built before the Shakyamuni Buddha, and its reputation leads us to assume that the same creator was commissioned to make the Asuka Daibutsu. As the name “Kurazakudori” suggests, the original saddle maker’s main occupation was to make saddles for horseback riding, but it is said that he was expected to produce these Buddhist statues because of the shortage of specialists during the period of the arrival of Buddhism, or because of his high level of production, or rather because he emigrated from the peninsula to do this work.
The general consensus is that Prince Shotoku himself, who was in charge of ordering this national project, may have been the model for these Buddhist statues. If so, is there a point of coincidence since the Asukadera Great Buddha is also considered to be the first Buddhist temple built by the “Soga clan,” which was a supporter of Prince Shotoku?

Asuka-ji Temple was built in 596; Prince Shotoku became regent of Emperor Suiko in 593, and Horyu-ji Temple was built later in 607.
One of the major upheavals of this period was the battle between the Chūbutsu and Exclusionist factions in July 587. Soga Umako, a member of the Chūbutsu faction, dispatched an army to defeat Mononobe Moriya, a member of the Zeng-butsu faction, and led a military force of the Imperial Family, including Prince Umamado (Prince Shotoku) and other powerful clansmen, to Moriya’s mansion in Shibukawa County, Kawachi Province. As a result, the introduction of Buddhism became a national policy, and national temple construction projects such as Asukadera, Shitennoji, and Horyu-ji were vigorously undertaken.
In this period, Buddhism virtually flourished as a world religion, and at the same time, the powerful united states of Sui and Tang appeared in the Asian world.
The Chongbulists believed that in order to oppose external pressure, they should actively introduce Buddhism to strengthen their foreign relations. On the other hand, was this a confrontation between the Mononobe clan and those who thought that the existing decentralized state was sufficient? Looking at Japan’s subsequent history, this kind of political choice and dualism has always existed.
Prince Shotoku, who was a member of the Chōbutsu faction, was thus victorious in the domestic struggle, but he had his envoy to the Sui Dynasty, Ono Imoko, declare that Japan was a nation on par with the Sui Dynasty. The Prince of Heaven where the sun rises and the book is given to the Prince of Heaven where the sun sets. This will be done without fail. The Sui Dynasty emperor is said to have been angered by this intransigent attitude, but in international relations, Japan’s independence was respected as a matter of fact, partly due to the necessity of dealing with the Goguryeo Dynasty. Diplomatically, it can be said that Japan won a victory.
Although he was an open-minded man, he insisted on independent and equal diplomacy in foreign affairs. In fact, this may be a major reason why Prince Shotoku has long been loved and worshipped by the Japanese people. How to deal with a continental nation may be the backbone of Japan’s identity to this day.

Posted on 5月 31st, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

地方にいていちばん「格差」を感じざるを得ないのが、芸術とか文化性との距離感。面白いと思える展覧会とか、希少な展示などが地方で開かれる、公開されるというのはほぼない。
日本人に生まれて多少なりとも歴史とかに興味を持てば、法隆寺の宝物というものには一度は触れてみたいと思うものだと思います。まぁもちろん東京や近郊に住んでいても、興味がなければ行かないだろうけれど（笑）。わたしは上野の東京国立博物館での企画展示などは機会があれば、参観しています。
しかし、公園敷地のやや奥まった位置にあるこの「法隆寺宝物館」には足を運んでいなかった。先日、はじめてこの建物と遭遇して、内部も参観することができました。
建物は水盤越しに端正なモダニズムの外観で迎えてくれる。水盤の右側中央に動線通路があって、通っていくとちょっとした「結界」を感じさせてくれる。


シンプルなコンクリート建築で水盤に向かって大きく開口部があけられている。静謐な雰囲気を表現し展示物との出会いを坦々と演出してくれている。建築と展示の目的は案内写真の通り。
さすがに国家的な文化展示なので、写真撮影はストロボなどの手法を使わなければ、自由にできる。確認してから写真撮影させていただいた。その展示物写真群を自宅でときどき見返してみる機縁をいただけるのはたいへんありがたい。現物と接してそのあと、丹念にその情報を反芻して深く理解できるというのは素晴らしい体験機会。
ちょうど聖徳太子に関する「絵伝」をデジタル技術を活用して展示していて、強く興味を惹かれた。日本人がふつうにリスペクトしてきた精神性部分がこういった展示物には凝集されているのでしょう。
建築としては訪問者の心理をしずかに落ち着かせるような仕掛けを感じさせられました。
いろいろな機能性が建築にはあるでしょうが、これはこれ。日本人と法隆寺という関係性には似つかわしい空間性だったように思います。展示物の参観に十分集中することができました。

PS：昨日６回目のワクチン接種。いろいろ考え方もあるでしょうが、わたし自身としては加齢のこともあり、社会的にご迷惑を掛けないようにと受けた次第。副反応の軽微なることを願う次第。

English version⬇

Exploring the Neat Modernism of the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures
Japanese people have had a long relationship with Buddhism. The treasures in the museum are a collection of the history of Buddhism. The treasures are an opportunity to talk with the ancestors who believed in Buddhism rather than to talk with the treasures. The Treasure House of Horyuji Temple

One of the biggest “disparities” I feel when I am in a rural area is the distance between art and culture. There are almost no interesting or rare exhibitions held or exhibited in the countryside.
If you are Japanese and have some interest in history, you would like to see the treasures of Horyuji at least once. Of course, even if you live in Tokyo or the suburbs, you probably wouldn’t go if you weren’t interested (laughs). I visit the special exhibitions at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno whenever I have the chance.
However, I had not visited the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures, which is located in a slightly secluded part of the park grounds. The other day, I encountered this building for the first time and was able to visit the interior as well.
The building greets visitors with a neat modernist exterior over a water basin. There is a flow passage in the center of the right side of the water basin, which gives you a bit of a “boundary” as you walk through.

It is a simple concrete structure with a large opening toward the water table. It expresses a tranquil atmosphere and provides a peaceful encounter with the exhibits. The purpose of the architecture and exhibits is as shown in the guide photo.
As this is indeed a national cultural exhibition, visitors are free to take photos as long as they do not use strobe lights or other techniques. I was allowed to take pictures after checking it out. I was very grateful to have the opportunity to look back at the photos of the exhibits from time to time at home. It is a wonderful experience to be able to come in contact with the actual objects and then carefully ruminate on the information and understand it in depth.
I was fascinated by the exhibition of the “Pictorial Biographies of Prince Shotoku,” which utilizes digital technology. I believe that the spirituality that Japanese people have usually respected is concentrated in such exhibits.
As for the architecture, I felt that it was designed to calm the visitor’s mind.
There may be various functionalities in architecture, but this is one of them. I think the spatiality was appropriate for the relationship between the Japanese people and Horyu-ji Temple. I was able to fully concentrate on visiting the exhibits.

PS: Yesterday I was vaccinated for the sixth time. I am sure there are various ways of thinking about it, but for myself, I received the vaccine because of my aging and in order not to cause any inconvenience to the society. I hope that the adverse reactions will be minimal.

Posted on 5月 29th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | 5 Comments »