


一昨日の「ことし初」のサケ遡上との遭遇以降、時間があると琴似発寒川で観測するように習慣づけ。
昨日も、朝の散歩時、ついつい足が向いてしまって気がついたら「農試公園」の「いたどり橋」の上から川面を見つめてしまっていた。サケたちはそのDNAが導く本能に従って、生まれた母性の地に還っていくのでしょう。イキモノとしてのその「まっとうさ」に神々しさを見る思い。
一方それに引き寄せられている人間は、やはり自然の摂理でそういうサケを食糧としようとする人間DNAの性〜サガの現れなのでしょうか。初源的な「動機」はそういったところにあるとは思いますが、しかし人間としても、そういったサケ類の本能には、強くリスペクトする部分があるのではないか。
そのいのちを捕獲し食する行為には、逆に尊崇するこころが同時に存在すると思う。いのちのやり取り。
いただいた後、深く感謝するみたいな。アイヌの人びとの心象・儀礼とも通底するのかも。
米作民族である日本の人びとの内面世界でさまざまな農業関連儀礼が育っていったことと似た心情。
・・・というところですが、高齢期を迎えたわたしとしてはワクワクしながら川面をみつめて、その魚影をみつけることは、たいへん目の運動に役立っていると思っています。水面にわずかな変調をみつけ、そこから魚影を探知する一連の目視認識は、脳味噌の活性化・賦活行為だと思えるのです。一瞬にしてこころがこどものように若返って、きわめて原初的なこころに身を任せるワケ。こうした行為は、老化をストップすると感じられる。あ、これはあくまで本人の感じ方です(笑)。
気候変動の日本列島的なあらわれとも思える強雨災害が頻発してきている。激しい雨が降る。川の姿も変わる。人間社会も毎日のように騒がしい。それでも今年もサケは1匹1匹と母川に帰ってきた。
こうしたサケ類の遡上という自然のいとなみの安定感に癒やされる心理が、現代ではより大きくなっているのでしょう。
●お知らせ
拙書「作家と住空間」幻冬舎から電子書籍で発刊
お求めはAmazonで。
https://amzn.asia/d/eUiv9yO

English version⬇
[Watching Salmon Run Upstream Might Be Good for My Eyesight, I Guess]
Salmon run upstream, guided by the maternal call of their DNA. I find this primal behavior thrilling. Straining my eyes to watch each individual fish might actually be good for my brain. …
Ever since my encounter with the “first salmon run of the year” the day before yesterday, I’ve gotten into the habit of observing the Kotoni-Hassamu River whenever I have a moment.
Yesterday, too, during my morning walk, my feet just naturally led me there, and before I knew it, I found myself gazing down at the river from the “Itadori Bridge” in the Agricultural Experiment Station Park. The salmon are likely returning to the land of their birth, guided by the instincts encoded in their DNA. I find something divine in that “integrity” as living creatures.
On the other hand, is the human instinct—or perhaps our nature—that draws us to them simply a manifestation of the human DNA’s tendency, driven by the laws of nature, to seek such salmon as food? I believe the primal “motive” lies in that, but as humans, shouldn’t we also have a deep respect for the instincts of these salmon?
I think that the act of catching and eating their lives is, conversely, accompanied by a spirit of reverence. An exchange of life.
It’s like feeling deep gratitude after receiving a gift. Perhaps this resonates with the inner world and rituals of the Ainu people.
It’s a sentiment similar to how various agricultural rituals developed within the inner world of the Japanese people, a rice-farming culture.
…That’s my take on it, but as someone who has reached old age, I find that gazing excitedly at the river’s surface and spotting the fish is extremely beneficial for my eye exercises. The entire process of visual recognition—spotting the slightest disturbance on the water’s surface and detecting the fish from there—feels like an activity that stimulates and revitalizes the brain. In an instant, my heart feels rejuvenated like a child’s, and I surrender myself to a deeply primal state of mind. I feel as though this activity actually halts the aging process. Ah, but this is strictly my own personal perception (laughs).
Heavy rain disasters—which seem to be a manifestation of climate change specific to the Japanese archipelago—are occurring with increasing frequency. Torrential rains fall. The appearance of the rivers changes. Human society is also in a constant uproar, almost every day. Yet even so, this year the salmon returned to their home rivers, one by one.
The sense of stability found in the natural cycle of salmon migration is likely becoming an even greater source of comfort in modern times.
● Announcement
My book, *Writers and Living Spaces*, has been published as an e-book by Gentosha.
Available on Amazon.
Posted on 9月 26th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
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