本文へジャンプ

【お花畑➡駐車場への「整地」土木作業】


 さて出張から帰還後、その間に進展した「家の断捨離」作業のチェック。
 そして溜まっていた大型ゴミ類を一気に市の破砕センターに持ち込んで処分して、さらに陶器・ガラス類の専用処理センターで片付けた。もうすっかり「お馴染み」さんになってしまっていて、目が合うと「この人、なんかいつも来るなぁ(笑)」みたいな表情。どうぞよろしくお願いします。
 一方家の中の整理整頓は驚くほどに進展していて、事前準備通り、昨日は工事の依頼先との打合せができました。
 家の中のことは基本的に整理整頓作業がメインですが、それが進まないことには建築に依頼する前提条件ができてこない。建築作業に入ってもらうには、明示的に「ここをこうする」という共通の視認確認が大前提。家の中が混乱していては、建築側としての想像力に無用の混乱を招いてしまう結果になる。
 これからのニッポンではこういう既存建物を扱う領域が増えて行かざるを得ないので、たぶん「施主側」の「家整」〜家をととのえる、ということが重要になってくるでしょう。生活と建築作業との連携とでも言うべき事柄でしょうか。
 で、室内のことだけではなく、駐車場の整地なども不可欠になっていく。今回の場合、既存の「花畑」を駐車場スペースに改装する計画。そうすると事前にできるだけ敷地条件の明示化が必要なので、ほぼ放置されて枯れ草地と化している花畑スペースを「還元」させた。まぁ、だいたい10坪程度なのですが、放置していた歳月分、根茎類の抵抗が激しい(笑)。
 庭仕事ってあんまり経験がないので、道具類の選択自体もよくわかっていません(泣)。なんですが、とくに冬枯れの植物は根が「強い」。スキ・クワのような道具を探し出してきて、適当に作業を開始。悪戦苦闘していましたが、途中でカミさんから「あ、きれいな花芽、ほかに植え替えたいから」と急遽の申し入れ。<写真は資料写真です>
 
 まぁなんとかカタチが整って、土だけにほぼ還元できておりました。
 こういった農事作業でもなんとか体力が持っていたので、ちょっと内心は自信を持っておりました。で、一度始めると、庭仕事・土いじりというのも、奥行きを感じさせられる。晴耕雨読というコトバがありますが、どうもそういう部分に多少「スイッチが入った」かも知れないと、自分を制御するのに必死であります(笑)。・・・

English version⬇

Land preparation for a flower garden and parking lot
I have been living in the media of house and land, but this is the first time I have experienced tinkering with soil. I was exposed to the “depth” of working with plants.

After returning from the business trip, I checked the progress of the “house decluttering” project.
 I took all the large trash that had accumulated to the city’s shredding center for disposal, and then went to a special disposal center for ceramics and glass. He has become a familiar face, and when our eyes meet, he looks at me and says, “This guy always comes here, doesn’t he? Please take care of him.
 Meanwhile, the organization of the house is progressing surprisingly well, and as we had prepared in advance, we were able to have a meeting with the client for the construction yesterday.
 The main thing inside the house is basically the organizing work, but if that does not progress, the prerequisites for commissioning construction will not be created. In order to have architectural work started, a common visual confirmation that explicitly says, “This is what we are going to do here,” is a prerequisite. If there is confusion inside the house, it will result in unnecessary confusion in the imagination of the architects.
 In the future in Japan, the number of areas that deal with existing buildings will increase, and it will probably become more important for the “client side” to “prepare the house” – to put the house in order. It is a matter of coordination between daily life and architectural work.
 In this case, it is not only about the interior, but also about the preparation of the parking lot. In this case, the plan is to convert the existing “flower garden” into a parking space. In this case, the plan was to convert the existing “flower garden” into a parking space. Well, it is roughly about 10 square meters, but the rhizomes have been resisting me so much because of the years of neglect (laughs).
 I don’t have much experience in garden work, so I don’t really understand the choice of tools itself (tears). But, especially winter dead plants have “strong” roots. I found a tool like a skidaddle and started to work at random. We struggled with it, but in the middle of the work, my wife made an urgent request, saying, “Oh, I want to replant the beautiful flower buds with other plants.

 I had managed to keep up my physical strength in this kind of farming work, so I was a little confident inside. And once I started, I could feel the depth of gardening and tinkering with the soil. There is a saying, “it’s all in the sun, it’s all in the rain,” and I am struggling to control myself, thinking that I may have “turned on” a bit in this area (laughs). Laughs.

 

【公共交通利用・出張移動の歩数増加】


 昨日まで関西地方に出張取材。ある計画についてのフィールドワーク&取材だったのですが、これは土曜日のクライマックス「歩数」。
 わたしは雪が融ける時期からは毎朝散歩を日課としていますが、ことしのキックオフはどうも今回の出張だったようで、連日8,000歩は超えていました。でも途中の2日間はクルマでの長距離移動と定点的歩行移動の組み合わせ。そのクルマ利用ではそれほどでもなかったのに、この土曜日の移動についてはひたすら公共交通機関利用。全部が鉄道利用でした。
 1箇所は野外公園的な「民家園」なので、当然「歩きまわる」ので当然歩数は増えるけれど、やはりそれ以上なのが、公共交通機関同士の連絡までの移動。
 北海道人は移動半径はたしかに広いけれど、普通は近くのコンビニに行くのもクルマ利用で、ほぼオールクルマ移動。戦後のモータリゼーション化のほぼ最先端移動ライフを経験してきた世代なので、歩行移動よりもクルマ移動というスタイルで生きてきてしまった。
 そういうことなので、東京や関西に行くときわめて「特殊な歩行経験」になるのですね。この日は大阪・堺の宿泊地から北大阪急行電鉄南北線の「緑地公園」駅に降り立って、そこから目的施設まで往復3kmほどは歩き、民家園内部も当然歩きまわっていた。そこから新大阪まで移動して、そこから神戸・三宮まで。目的地の集会場で会議参加後、今度は三宮ー梅田ーなんばー堺までという移動。
 出張移動最初の日にはホテル帰還後、翌日朝になってふくらはぎ部分にやや痙攣のような痛みも発生していたのですが、この日はここまで歩いたので当然痛みが再来すると覚悟していましたが、なぜか見事に痛みはスルーされていました。
 もちろん痛みが発生してから薬局で「ロキソニンローション」というオススメの塗布薬を購入して塗りまくってはいたのですが、やはりシーズントップのいきなり感が強かったものと判断できますね。
 こういう歩数の一気増に際しても、いまのところ元気に対応できて、しかも翌日にも筋肉疲労とかは見られませんでした。ただ、トラベラーズハイということもあり得るので、本日の帰還後の「揺り戻し」などには配慮していたいと思っていますが、そこそこ行動の自由度は加齢に際しても確保できていると自己判断してきています。
 仕事に、探究テーマ深掘りに、日々邁進したいと思います。健康第一。

English version⬇

[Increased number of steps for public transportation use and business travel.
While carefully interacting with the decline in mobility due to aging, however, health comes first to ensure freedom. I would like to secure my physical fitness with a primary focus on sustainability and stability. ・・・・.

Until yesterday, I was on a business trip to the Kansai region for interviews. This was the climax of Saturday’s “walk count,” which was fieldwork and research for a project.
 I have been taking a walk every morning since the snow melts, and this business trip seemed to be the kick-off for this year, and I exceeded 8,000 steps every day. However, the two days during the trip were a combination of long-distance travel by car and stationary walking. The car ride was not so bad, but this Saturday’s trip was all about public transportation. All of them were by train.
 One of the sites was an open-air park-like “folk garden,” so naturally the number of steps taken increased as we walked around, but what was more important was the transportation between the public transportation systems.
 Although Hokkaido people have a wide range of mobility, they usually go to the nearest convenience store by car, and almost all of their transportation is by car. As a generation that experienced the cutting edge of motorization in the postwar era, we have lived more by car than by foot.
 Therefore, going to Tokyo or Kansai is a very “special walking experience” for me. On this day, I got off at Ryokuchi-Koen Station on the Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway Nanboku Line from my lodging in Sakai, Osaka, and walked at least 3 km round trip from there to the destination facility, and naturally walked around inside Minka-en as well. From there, we traveled to Shin-Osaka, and from there to Sannomiya, Kobe. After attending a meeting at the destination meeting place, the next leg of the trip took us from Sannomiya to Umeda, Namba, and Sakai.
 On the first day of the trip, after returning to the hotel, I had a slight cramp-like pain in my calf the next morning, but since I had walked so far that day, I was naturally prepared for the pain to come back, but somehow the pain was completely gone.
 Of course, I had purchased the recommended “Loxonin Lotion” at the pharmacy after the pain occurred and applied it liberally, but I can only conclude that it was the suddenness of the top of the season that made the pain so strong.
 I was able to cope with the sudden increase in the number of steps I took, and I did not experience any muscle fatigue the next day. However, since it is possible that I am on a traveler’s high, I would like to be careful to avoid any “swinging back” after my return today, but I have judged myself to have secured a certain degree of freedom in my activities, even as I age.
 I would like to continue to push forward with my work and to dig deeper into themes of exploration every day. Health comes first.

 

【コノハナノサクヤ(木花之佐久夜)という古代の「人名」】


だんだんと日本語の起源ということに強く興味が「差し込んで」行く。本居宣長さんの古事記研究への情熱と子孫の,それを守っていく覚悟のようなものについて昨日触れた。
 コトバということを考えて見るようになったのは、わたし的には司馬遼太郎さんの歴史探究であって、明治期の夏目漱石とその周辺で起こったことについての探索を知ったこと。
 明治の革命というのはすごい革命であった。社会のあらゆることが根源的な革新をしてきていたのだということを、強く知らされたのですね。明治には迫り来る欧米列強の世界侵略競争という世界の「沸騰」情勢の中で、はるかに眠りこけていたアジア世界の中で、ひとり日本だけが社会革新に根源的に取り組んでいた。その時期に、夏目漱石などを中心とした,今日「文豪」というおどろおどろしい形容詞を冠せられたひとたちは「日本共通言語」を創造して、それを近代国家の基盤として行くのだという国家意志に突き動かされていた。
 その象徴として夏目漱石は、日本唯一の高等教育機関として創設された東京大学になかば「召集」されて、さらに国家意志としてイギリスロンドンに滞在して「文学」を創造することを命じられていた。そういう明治の先人達のことを司馬さんは、その内面にまで迫って探究している。「明治の憂鬱」。
 日本という国はそのようにして明治期「近代国家」になった。
 しかしそのことはそれ1回だけではなかった。はるかな古代、世界の中でももっとも「富裕」な気候風土によって先端的な文化社会を形成していた縄文の世が、中国大陸に「律令国家」が成立するという「黒船」的文明革命の洗礼にさらされるようになって、言語自体が開発される革命を経験している。
 わたし的にはこのような気付きに突き動かされ始めているのですね。
 そういう視点で見るようになって表題のような「人名」にふかく心が鷲づかみされている。古事記のなかに出てくるこの女性人名に、完全にノックアウトされている(笑)。ニニギノミコトの奥さんである彼女こそ、サクヤという部分がやがて日本文化を象徴する「サクラ」の語源なのだということを知ってしまった。しかしそのこと以上に、その音感であるとか、表現された率直さ、シンプルさに圧倒的に好感を持たされてしまうのだ。
 彼女の名前に、原・日本語の語感というもの、この気候風土を持つ列島で生きてきた人びとの「心性」が極限的に表現されていると感じている。
 その素晴らしさに、この文化社会のよろこびが凝縮されているのではないか。そんな強い思いが片時も脳裏を離れなくなってきている。ヤバいかも(笑)。

English version⬇

[Ancient “human name” of Konohana-no-sakuya (木花之佐久夜).
The scene of being seen by Niniginomikoto on a Jomon beach under cherry blossoms in full bloom. It strongly appeals to the scene of the world of the original Japanese language. It grabs the eagle’s eye. The “eagle.

I am gradually becoming more and more interested in the origins of the Japanese language. Yesterday, I mentioned Mr. Motoya Nobunaga’s passion for the study of the Kojiki and the determination of his descendants to preserve it.
 It was Ryotaro Shiba’s historical explorations that led me to think about Kotoba, and it was his exploration of Natsume Soseki and what happened around him during the Meiji period that led me to look at Kotoba in a different light.
 The Meiji Revolution was a great revolution. You were strongly informed that everything in society had undergone a fundamental revolution. In the midst of the world’s “boiling” situation of the world invasion race of the Western powers that was looming in the Meiji era, only Japan, alone among the Asian world that was far asleep, was engaged in fundamental social innovation. At that time, people such as Soseki Natsume and others, who today are labeled as “great writers,” were motivated by the national will to create a “common language of Japan” and to make it the foundation of the modern nation.
 As a symbol of this, Natsume Soseki was “called up” to the University of Tokyo, the only institution of higher learning in Japan, and was also ordered to stay in London to create “literature” as part of the national will. In this book, Mr. Shiba explores the inner lives of these Meiji predecessors. The “Meiji Melancholy.”
 This is how Japan became a “modern nation” in the Meiji period.
 However, this was not the only time. In ancient times, the Jomon period, which had formed a leading-edge cultural society in one of the richest climates in the world, experienced a revolution in the development of language itself when it came under the baptism of the “Black Ships”-like civilization revolution with the establishment of the “Ritsuryo State” on the Chinese continent.
 I am beginning to be motivated by this realization.
 It is from this perspective that I have come to be fascinated by the title of this book, “Names of Persons”. I am completely knocked out by the names of these women in the Kojiki (laughs). I have learned that she, the wife of Niniginomikoto, is the origin of the word “sakuya,” which eventually became a symbol of Japanese culture, “sakura. More than that, however, I am overwhelmingly impressed by the sense of sound, the frankness and simplicity with which it is expressed.
 I feel that her name expresses, to the utmost limit, the sense of the original Japanese language and the “spirit” of the people who have lived in the archipelago with its climatic climate.
 I believe that the joy of this cultural society is condensed in its splendor. Such a strong feeling has not left my mind for a moment. I may be in trouble (laugh).

【明治40年代木造住宅、必死の「不燃化」金属外壁痕跡】



 この家は江戸期に「日本書紀」を徹底探究した本居宣長の家系が暮らしていた家。三重県松阪市の城郭公園のなかに移築保存されている。以前は街中に建てられていたのだが、明治末期に大火が松阪を襲い、そのとき先祖の本居宣長さんが日本民族のコア歴史とも言うべき「古事記」の研究に生涯を捧げてその貴重な資料類一切がこの家に保存されていることに危機意識を持たれた子孫の方が、民族のためにこれを末永く保存すべきと考え、結果として街中から、この城郭地域に移築保存させた。
 そういった来歴を持った建物だと言うこと。
 わたし自身も「古事記」という民族の最初の記録書には特別な思いがある。書き言葉を持っていなかった縄文由来の列島人には、しかし独自の伝承記録があったのだとされる。口述伝承者としての稗田阿礼の言説などを元に、最古の列島史がまとめ上げられていった。輸入された書き文字としての漢字を使って、記録されていったのだとされる。メディアというものを仕事として取り組んできた人間として、古事記には特別の思いがある。古事記の時代、それは本格的に日本人が「日本語の創始」ということに取り組んだのだと理解できるのだ。江戸期にはほとんど興味も持たれていなかった古事記を日本の原典として発掘した本居宣長さんの仕事は、まことに深く頭が下がる思い。
 で、ごらんの写真はその本居家の住宅の外壁。仔細に見ているうちに「スギの檜皮葺き」素材の隙間に不思議な白銀面が表出してることに気付いた。ちょっとさわってみて、それはスギの檜皮のその下地としてトタン金属板が確認できたのです。
 記録によればここに移築保存されたのは明治の末年だという。その年代には「家屋の外皮の不燃化」というような基準はなかっただろう。江戸幕府は市街化地域では「屋根の不燃化」として茅葺きから瓦屋根へと強制的に変更させたことは事実としてある。しかし、この建物では外壁の不燃化への工法探究を実験的先端的に行っていたのではないか。
 たしかに金属板で外皮を覆えば、防火の一定の効果は望めたかも知れない。
 しかし、この明治末年にそれだけのことを本当に行ったのか、判然としない。本居宣長記念館の方にこの旨尋ねたところ、この点について情報はないとのこと。ただ、本居家側の本意としての永続保存の方策として「不燃化」は松阪市大火の経験から非常に強かったことは確実とされていた。もしそうだとすると、そういう金属トタン外壁のさらに上にスギ檜皮を重ねたのには、「意匠性」への配慮までがあったのだとも思われる。
 いまのところ、こういう本居家の意向と現実の住宅の外壁下地にトタンのような金属材が張られていた事実だけを確認できたところで、これから因果関係・記録を確認したいと思っていますが、きわめて興味深い事例だと思いました。

English version⬇

[Wooden house in the 1907’s, traces of a desperate metal “noncombustible” exterior wall.
The “Kojiki” is the result of the work to record and preserve the written records of the early days of the Japanese language. Is this an architectural challenge by the descendants who sought to preserve a record of their ancestors’ labor? …

This house was the home of the family of Nobunaga Motoya, who thoroughly researched the “Chronicles of Japan” during the Edo period. It has been relocated and preserved in the castle park in Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture. The house used to be built in the city, but at the end of the Meiji period (1868-1912), a huge fire broke out in Matsusaka, and the descendants of the ancestor, Nobunaga Motoya, who devoted his life to researching “Kojiki,” the core history of the Japanese people, felt threatened that all the precious materials were preserved in this house. They thought that it should be preserved for the sake of the people, and as a result, it was moved from the city to the castle area for preservation.
 This is the history of this building.
 I myself have a special feeling for the “Kojiki,” the first written record of a people. It is said that the Jomon-derived archipelago people, who did not have a written language, had their own unique record of oral traditions. The oldest history of the archipelago was compiled on the basis of the discourses of Hieda-Arei and other sources as oral traditions. It is said that the oldest history of the archipelago was recorded using imported written Chinese characters. As someone who has worked in the media, I have a special interest in the Kojiki. I understand that during the time of the Kojiki, the Japanese people were seriously engaged in the “creation of the Japanese language. The work of Mr. Nobunaga Hon’i, who unearthed the Kojiki as the original source of the Japanese language, which was of little interest in the Edo period, is truly a work that makes me deeply bow in admiration.
 The photo below shows the exterior wall of the Hon’i family’s residence. As I looked at it in detail, I noticed a mysterious silvery-white surface appearing in the crevices of the “cedar cypress bark thatch” material. After a bit of touching, it was confirmed that it was a tin metal plate as its base of cedar cypress bark.
 According to the records, it was moved and preserved here in the late Meiji period. In those years, there would have been no such standard as “noncombustibility of the outer skin of the house. It is a fact that the Edo Shogunate forced people to change from thatched roofs to tiled roofs in urbanized areas as “noncombustibility of roofs. However, this building may have been an experimental, cutting-edge exploration of construction methods to make the exterior walls noncombustible.
 It is true that covering the exterior skin with metal plates may have had a certain effect on fire prevention.
 However, it is not clear whether they really did that much at the end of the Meiji period. When we asked the museum staff about this, they told us that they had no information on this point. However, it is certain that the Hon’i family had a strong intention to make the building “nonflammable” as a measure for its permanent preservation, based on the experience of the Great Matsusaka Fire. If this is the case, then it is likely that the cedar cypress bark overlaid on the metal tin exterior walls was done out of consideration for “design” as well.
 At this point, we have only been able to confirm the intentions of the Honyi family and the fact that a metal material like tin was used as the base of the exterior walls of the actual house.

 
 

【中世ニッポン、奥州藤原氏の「仏国土」思想】




 きのうの「仏像」ブログからの流れで、先日まで東京国立博物館で展示されていた中尊寺について。
 日本社会の一般常識では「北海道東北」というカタチで一体表現される北部ニッポン地域だけれど、北海道は明治以降の日本の国防意識が発露した地域という特色であるのに対して、東北はこの奥州藤原氏の盛衰という要素が象徴的な対中央関係だったのだと思う。
 日本の歴史の中で平泉政権ほど独立的な「地方政権」というものも珍しい。戦国期の地域政権のさきがけというようにも理解できるし、鎌倉政権には「独自権力のありよう」を具体的に提示した存在。こうした半ば独立した政権が中央からも認められて存立し得たのは「仏国土」思想を実践するという平和思想が創設者・藤原清衡によって高々と謳われていたことが大きいのだろう。
 中央貴族・藤原氏との「同姓」という要素も活用しながら、平泉に具体的な黄金楽土を現実化したことで日本社会に独立色を容認させたように思える。
 中尊寺金色堂は東北を駆け巡って仕事していた当時、ちょうど東北の中で中心的な位置にあって、どこへ移動するにせよ、ふと、こころに生起させられる地理的な場所だった。「ちょっと寄るか」。
 そんなことだったので、相当の頻度で訪れているように記憶している。たぶん2度や3度ではない。メイン参道の終末近く、印象的な能舞台も右奥にある場所に金色堂はある。そこに至る専用の参道から見上げながら、たどりつく建物自体が黄金で彩られている様子が神々しい。
 中尊寺金色堂の展示会が東京国立博物館で行われると聞いて、「え、あの建物はまさか持ってこられないでしょう」とやや驚かされていた。どうやら、内陣の仏像群が展示されるのだということだった。で、東北に縁のある者として、全国のみなさん,東京のみなさんがどこまで関心を持っていただけるか、なかば以上、地元民意識でハラハラとしていた。
 ところが、実際に行って見ると「入場制限」の大行列(!)。たしか開場からほどない時間に向かったのだけれど、すでに「2時間ほどの行列」ということで、驚くやらうれしいやらという心理でした。わたし自身は数回これらの御尊像たちとは対面している記憶があるので、今回は諦めて、東京のみなさんに機会を譲らせていただいた(笑)。って、上から目線ではなく思って、それできのうご紹介した「東洋館・仏像」の方に向かったという経緯であります。
 でもまぁ、ちょうど平成館から本館に移動する位置で「NHK/8K展覧会」が行われていて、そっちは立ち見でしたが、ごらんのように撮影もできた次第。
 ほとんど仏像にはふれていないブログだけれど(笑)、上の2体の持国天像が戦乱の結果による平泉の成立を物語っているようにわたしには思えた次第。

English version⬇

The “Buddhist Land” philosophy of the Oshu Fujiwara clan in medieval Japan
I went to the Tokyo Museum to see the Chuson-ji Konjikido exhibition, but there was a huge line. I was disappointed and happy, but I felt like a “mixed bag. I told them that I would see the oriental Buddhist statues, so they should all see it. I was so excited.

Continuing on from yesterday’s “Buddhist Statues” blog, I would like to talk about Chuson-ji Temple, which was on display at the Tokyo National Museum until the other day.
 The northern part of Japan is often referred to as “Hokkaido-Tohoku” in the common sense of Japanese society, but while Hokkaido is characterized as the region where Japan’s sense of national defense emerged after the Meiji period, I think that the rise and fall of the Oshu Fujiwara clan was symbolic of the Tohoku region’s relationship with the center of the country.
 In the history of Japan, it is rare to find a “local government” as independent as the Hiraizumi government. The Hiraizumi administration can be understood as the pioneer of the regional governments of the Warring States period, and it was a concrete example of the “independent power” of the Kamakura administration. The fact that such a semi-independent regime was recognized by the central government and was able to exist is probably due in large part to its founder, Fujiwara no Kiyohira, who highly advocated the peaceful ideology of practicing the “Buddha Land” philosophy.
 It seems that the Fujiwaras, while utilizing the “same family name” as the central aristocratic Fujiwara clan, also made Japanese society more accepting of their independent color by creating a concrete golden paradise in Hiraizumi.
 Chuson-ji Konjikido was at the center of the Tohoku region at the time when I was working all over the region, and it was a geographical place that would suddenly arise in my mind wherever I was going. I thought, “Let’s stop by for a while.
 So I remember that I visited there quite often. Maybe not two or three times. Konjikido is located near the end of the main approach to the temple, with the impressive Noh stage to the far right. Looking up from the dedicated approach to the temple, the building itself, which you reach while looking up from the approach to the temple, is decorated with gold, which is a divine sight.
 When I heard that an exhibition of Chuson-ji Konjikido was to be held at the Tokyo National Museum, I was somewhat surprised, saying, “Oh, they couldn’t possibly bring that building. Apparently, a group of Buddhist statues in the inner sanctuary will be exhibited. As someone who has ties to the Tohoku region, I was more than a little concerned about the level of interest that people from all over Japan and Tokyo would have in the museum.
 However, when I actually went to the exhibition, I found a huge line of “limited admission” (!). I was surprised to see the line of people waiting to enter the exhibition. I was surprised and pleased to see that the line had already been long for two hours, even though I arrived not long after the doors opened. I remember that I myself have seen these statues several times, so this time I gave up and let the Tokyo visitors have their chance (laugh). So I gave up this time and let the people of Tokyo have the opportunity to see the statues (laugh).
 But just as I was moving from the Heiseikan to the Honkan, the “NHK/8K Exhibition” was being held, and although I was standing in the audience, I was able to take pictures as you can see.
 Although this blog is mostly about Buddhist statues (laugh), the two statues of Mochikokuten above seem to me to tell the story of the establishment of Hiraizumi as a result of the war.

【仏像の表情、ふと気付くアジア人の相違】





 加齢してくるとだんだん仏教などの世界に近づきたくなる(笑)。いま「家整」しているカミさんの実家には仏壇があるので、仏道の初歩の初歩くらいは修行している般若心経を諳んじているわが身としては(笑)、行く度にお詣りいたしています。多少の宗派の違いによる「南無・・・」の相違については聞かないでいただきたいという身勝手さではありますが、衆生の身としては許していただけると思っています。
 般若心経を諳んじられるようになったのは、父母の死にあたって兄姉弟で「千願心経」を代わる代わる唱えたことがきっかけでした。以来30-40年以上経っても忘れない。それをまた習慣化させると記憶力の老化防止という意味でもありがたいのではないかと思っています。
 ということで、そういう方面には知らず知らず興味が向かっていて、だんだん「仏像」の表情などに面白みを感じるようになっています。
 東京国立博物館・東洋館でアジア世界の仏像を展示しているので、先般はじめて心理的に「見比べ見る」機会を得ることができました。
 いちばん上が中国のものでその下にくわしい素性説明も付けました。中国の地域名はご確認ください。で、こういう表情で表現されておりました。一方、その下には東南アジアと韓国(朝鮮)の仏像であります。東南アジアの仏像のお顔はやはり、明瞭に現地のひとびとの表情に似つかわしくなっている。
 「おお、やはり表情に違いがあるんだ」と率直に受け止めていました。
 このあたりは個人の主観でしょうからわたしの受け止め方としていただければ幸い。
 仏像って、その制作者にしてみるとその心象がそのままあらわれるようなものだろうと思います。わたしは飛鳥大仏や法隆寺のご本尊を造形した止利仏師の表現に感嘆してこころが奪われた経緯があって、以降、こういう仏像の表情を鑑賞することにハマっている。

 これが止利仏師さんの飛鳥大仏。止利さんってたぶん渡来人なのだと思いますが、この飛鳥大仏の造像で高い評価を得たと見えて、その同時代の法隆寺の本尊造像も依頼されたのだと思います。想像ですが、造像にあたってその「依頼者」と当然、顔を合わせて「願い事」の心象を取材したに違いないと思っています。そうすれば残影としてその依頼者とその心象が製作にあたって「反映」することが自然でしょう。蓋然性で考えれば聖徳太子の残影が感じられもする。
 アジア各地域でそういった製作経緯は共通だっただろうことを考えれば、それぞれの地域の事情や風土性などが仏像の表情に反映していくことは間違いがない。
 その願い事が仏教という世界宗教であることで、こういう地域ごとの文化が比較対照できることもごく自然に受け止められる。ときどきこの写真群を見て、歴史時間を楽しんでおります。
 おお、やばい、だんだん浄土世界と縁が近づいて行ってしまう(笑)・・・

English version⬇

The expressions on the faces of Buddhist statues, and the differences between Asians that I suddenly notice.
Since visiting the Great Buddha of Asuka, I have been fascinated by the way the creator of the statue, Buddhist monk Tori, looks at human beings. I have been thinking about the differences and similarities in the expressions of world religions and Buddhist statues. I am also fascinated by the differences and commonalities in the expression of Buddhist statues of world religions.

As I get older, I want to get closer and closer to the world of Buddhism (laugh). My wife’s parents have a Buddhist altar at their home, so I pay my respects there every time I go there, because I can recite the Heart Sutra, which I have practiced at least the rudiments of the Buddhist Way (laugh). I am selfish enough not to ask about the difference in “Namu…” due to some differences in religious sects, but as a sentient being, I believe that I can be forgiven for this.
 I came to be able to recite the Heart Sutra when my siblings and I took turns reciting the “Sengan Shinkyou” after the death of our parents. More than 30-40 years have passed since then and I have not forgotten it. I believe that making it a habit again would also be gratifying in terms of preventing the aging of my memory.
 So, my interest has been growing in this direction without my knowing it, and I am gradually becoming more and more interested in the expressions on the faces of “Buddhist statues”.
 The Toyokan (Asian Gallery) of the Tokyo National Museum exhibits Buddhist statues from around the world, and recently I had the opportunity to “compare and contrast” them psychologically for the first time.
 The top one is from China, and below it I have added a detailed description of its background. Please check the names of the regions in China. The top one is from China, and below it is a detailed description of the region. On the other hand, below them are Buddha images from Southeast Asia and Korea. The faces of the Southeast Asian Buddha images clearly resemble the expressions of the local people.
 I was frankly impressed by the difference in facial expressions.
 This is a matter of personal taste, so I hope you will accept it as I do.
 I think that Buddhist statues are something that express the creator’s mental image of the statue as it is. I have been fascinated by the expressions of the Asuka Daibutsu (Great Buddha) and the main image of Horyuji Temple, which I admired so much that I have since become addicted to appreciating the expressions on the faces of Buddhist statues.

This is Asuka Daibutsu (Great Buddha) made by Buddhist priest Shuri. I believe that he was commissioned to create the main image of Horyuji Temple in the same period. I imagine that he must have met with the client and interviewed him about his wishes. It would be natural that the client and his image would be “reflected” in the creation of the statue as an afterimage. If we think of it in terms of probability, we can also feel the afterimage of Prince Shotoku.
 Considering the fact that the process of production would have been the same in each region of Asia, there is no doubt that the circumstances and climate of each region would be reflected in the expression of the Buddha statues.
 Since Buddhism is a world religion, it is quite natural that we can compare and contrast the cultures of different regions. Sometimes I look at this group of photos and enjoy the historical time.
 Oh, no, I am getting closer and closer to the Pure Land world (laugh)…

【家をつかいやすく「整える」ということ】


 義母の死後、なかなか着手できなかったセカンドハウスとしての家の整理整頓作業に取り組み始めて2週間以上経過。
 この間、家庭大型ゴミ搬入として「破砕センター」という札幌市の施設に通うこと、7−8回以上に及んでいるし、そのほか硝子製品。陶器専門の廃棄施設にも2回通っている。最初の「打合せ」段階でも紛糾に紛糾を重ねて、夫婦ケンカがかまびすしく展開したけれど、やや平穏な状況に移ってきている(笑)。
 まぁ現状変更というのには、おおまかな「方針」が絶対必要で、その方針に沿って空間利用の目的性が定まってきて、使いやすさの着地点が家人間で共有できるようになってくる。いずれにせよ、まずは断捨離の基本目標の設定が大切ですね。
 で、どんどん進展してくると、こういう家の整理整頓ということが、いかに「家の雰囲気・空気感」のなかで「キモ」であることかと痛感させられる。極言すれば、家の造作とか設計などという領域にとっても、この「家整」ということがいかに決定的に影響するかと思い知らされる。
 「家整」と書いたけれど、これはたぶん「修身斉家」というような意味合いとも重なるようなわたしの実感的な新語であります。修身斉家とは、〜自分の行いを修め正して、家庭をととのえ治めること。 ▽「斉」はととのえ治める意。「身を修め家を斉のう」と訓読する。 儒教の基本的な政治観を表す「修身、斉家、治国、平天下」(身を修め、家庭をととのえ、国を治め、天下を平和に導く)の中の語。〜
 一方でよく知られている「家政学」は〜衣・食・住を中心に生活全般を科学的に捉えて、その向上を追究する学問。〜とある。
 実際に体感していると、この両方の語感を行きつ戻りつしながら、やっていると思う。
 直感だけれど、たぶん中古住宅を購入してリフォームして住む、という選択がある程度多数派になってくると、こういう住宅についての新しい解析要素領域が浮かび上がってこざるを得ないように思う。
 既存の住空間を「どうしたら快適に、使いやすく活かせるか?」みたいな領域。
 もちろんこれは非常に個別的で具体的な対応作戦なので、共通言語化が可能かどうかも見えない。
 そういえば不思議な実感なのだけれど、こういう「家整」作業にあたっていると夫婦関係的にも微妙な変化があって面白い。ちょっとした所用で近傍のスーパーに買い出しに出掛けたのだけれど
 「新婚時代に戻ったみたいだな」「うん」っていうような実感が共有されていた(笑)。
 盛大な夫婦ケンカの結果、動き出してみるとそういう思わぬ「成果」が出たことに新鮮に驚かされる。
 さてこういうこと、共通言語化できるのだろうか?

English version⬇

To “arrange” a house to make it easy to use.
The key to renovation of existing houses is to make use of the architecture in a rational and usable way, going back and forth between “house arrangement” and “house management”. This is also the key to remodeling existing houses. I am sure this is the key to remodeling existing houses as well.

More than two weeks have passed since we started to organize our house as a second home, which we had not been able to start since the death of my mother-in-law.
 During this period, we have visited a facility called “Shredding Center” in Sapporo City more than 7-8 times to bring in large household garbage, and we have also visited a facility specializing in glassware and ceramics twice. We have also been to a disposal facility specializing in glassware and ceramics twice. The initial “meeting” was fraught with confusion, and the couple had a heated fight, but things are now somewhat more peaceful (laughs).
 Well, when changing the current situation, it is absolutely necessary to have a rough “policy,” and according to that policy, the purpose of space use is determined, and the point where the ease of use is reached can be shared among the household members. In any case, it is important to first set a basic goal of decluttering.
 As we make more and more progress, we realize how important it is to organize the house in such a way that it is the “key” to the “atmosphere and atmosphere of the house. To put it another way, I am reminded of the decisive influence of this “house arrangement” on house construction and design.
 I wrote “家整”, but this is a new word that I have come to realize may also mean “shumin sai ke” (to train oneself and one’s family). Shushin sai jia” means to correct one’s own conduct and to set up and govern one’s family. The “Qi” means to control and govern. The word “qi” means to control and govern. The word “qi” is used to express the basic Confucian political philosophy of “shujin, qijie, jiguo, pingtianxia” (to discipline oneself, discipline one’s family, govern the nation, and bring peace to the world). ~.
 On the other hand, the well-known “domestic science” is a study that pursues the improvement of all aspects of life from a scientific perspective, focusing on clothing, food, and shelter. 〜The two are the same.
 When I actually experience it, I think I am going back and forth between these two words.
 It is my intuition, but I think that when the choice to buy an existing house, renovate it, and live in it becomes a majority choice to some extent, this new area of analytical elements for housing will have to come into the picture.
 How can we make the existing living space comfortable and easy to use? This is, of course, a very specific area.
 Of course, this is a very specific and individualized strategy, so I am not sure if it is possible to create a common language.
 It is a strange feeling, but it is interesting to see the subtle changes in the couple’s relationship when they are engaged in this kind of “home organization” work. We went to a nearby supermarket to do some errands, and I said to myself, “It’s like we’re back in our honeymoon days.
 We shared the feeling that we were back to our honeymoon days (laugh).
 (Laughs.) After a big fight between the couple, I was freshly surprised to see such unexpected “results” when we started to work.
 Now, I wonder if we can make this kind of thing into a common language?
 

【YouTuve動画に初出演・・・恥ずかしいなぁ(笑)】

Screenshot


 先般東京でのある住宅イベント開催時に、旧知のオーガニックスタジオ新潟の相模社長から「三木さん、YouTuveに出て」と言われて、会場の近くで撮影されました。内容についてはすべて相模さんの方の興味テーマと言うことでまったくのお任せ。撮影された動画はこちらです。
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_OZTEnAzB8
 オーガニックスタジオ新潟さんは新住協にも加入され、その活動ぶりはいろいろな機会で交流してきているし、会社の方にもお邪魔したことがあり、弊社社屋にも数回お見えいただいたりもしている。要するに勝手知ったるお相手なので、わたしのような人間がこういった動画表現で、どういうお役に立てられるのかは不明だけれど、謹んで(観念して)承った次第。
 ただ、わたし自身は立場の変動などもあったので、YouTuve動画には興味はあるけれど、あまり積極的に活用しようという気分と機会がなかった。そういう意味では動画では相当の実績を上げられているオーガニックスタジオ新潟さんからのご縁でお誘いいただいて、その先進的な活用ぶり「やり方」を観察させていただく機会と考えたというところであります。
 内容については動画本編をごらんいただきたいのですが、一応は「家づくりの知識:北海道住宅は最先端 ⁉ 知ればわかる未来の本州の家」というテーマ骨子。北海道の住宅性能向上は少なくとも30〜50年以上の経験知の蓄積の結果であり、そもそもそれを強く希求するユーザーの存在があって住宅を巡る「産・官・学」総体として実現してきた一種の「地域運動」。地域住宅メディアとしては、そういった地域総体の運動と「協働」すると言う立場で、その息吹を伝えてきたと思っています。
 一方で本州地域では、いまのところ先導的な地域ビルダーや一部のハウスメーカーなどが業界全体を「引っ張って」動き始めているところ。
 そういう先導的なビルダーさんにとっては住宅性能を超えていくNEXTという方向性を探ってきている段階なのだろうと思われます。動画内の話題としては、いま北海道の先進的なビルダーさんたちがどういう志向性を持って動いているのか、さらに住宅性能がなかば「標準化」された市場の中で「ユーザーはどう動いていくのか」というのが主要な探求ポイントなのだと思いました。
 わたし的には「北欧とドイツ」の対比というポイントをひとつの視点だと考えているところ。
 たぶん北海道はドイツのようにがんじがらめの数字的な「向上」を目指すのではなく、むしろそういう部分は北欧のふつうの感覚、「人権的」な要素として、より人間的な方向での住宅の発展が希求されるように思っています。
 まずは恥ずかしながら、動画デビュー戦をご覧いただければ幸いです(笑)。

English version⬇

[First appearance in a YouTuve video… I’m so embarrassed (laughs).
What’s the point of being embarrassed now (laughs)? I am the one in the video and I am the one who observes, so there are many things I can notice. … .

At a recent housing event in Tokyo, Mr. Sagami, the president of Organic Studio Niigata, an old acquaintance of mine, asked me to “appear on YouTuve, Mr. Miki,” and was filmed near the venue. The content of the video was left entirely up to Mr. Sagami, as it was all about his own interests. Here is the video that was filmed.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_OZTEnAzB8
Organic Studio Niigata is a member of Shinjyukyo, and I have had the opportunity to interact with them on various occasions, and I have also visited them at their office, and they have visited our company several times. In short, I know them well, and I am not sure how a person like me can be of any help to them with this kind of video expression, but I respectfully (and with a sense of resignation) accept their offer.
 However, due to changes in my position and other factors, I have been interested in YouTuve videos, but I have not had the opportunity or inclination to actively use them. In that sense, I was invited by Organic Studio Niigata, which has made considerable achievements in the field of video, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to observe their advanced utilization “how to do it”.
 The video is entitled “Knowledge of House Building: Hokkaido Housing is Cutting-Edge⁉ The Future of Honshu Houses”. The improvement of housing performance in Hokkaido is the result of at least 30 to 50 years of accumulated experience and knowledge, and it is a kind of “regional movement” that has been realized through the collective efforts of “industry, government, and academia” surrounding housing due to the existence of users who strongly desire it. As a regional housing media outlet, we have been “collaborating” with such a regional movement and have been conveying the spirit of the movement to the public.
 On the other hand, in the Honshu region, at the moment, leading regional builders and some housebuilders are beginning to “lead” the industry as a whole.
 For these leading builders, I believe they are in the process of exploring the direction of NEXT, which goes beyond housing performance. The main topics in the video are the aspirations of Hokkaido’s leading builders, and how users will move in a market where housing performance has become a “standard”.
 In my opinion, one point of view is the contrast between Scandinavia and Germany.
 I think that Hokkaido is not aiming for numerical “improvement” as Germany does, but rather, the development of housing in a more humanistic direction is desired as a “human rights” element, which is a common feeling in Scandinavia.
 First of all, I am embarrassed to say, but I would be happy if you could take a look at my video debut (laughs).

【札幌街区の「昭和レトロ」な空気感建築】


 最近よく札幌市中心部をクルマで走っています。わたしがいま住んでいるのは札幌の最初期に近い「新興」住宅地。昭和、それも戦後期からのものですが比較的に新しい建物が多かったり、どんどん「手を加えている」更新された住宅が多い。一方で、原・札幌市とでも呼ぶべき札幌市中央区の市街地とはやや時代的に違いがある。
 わたし自身は3才からの札幌市民で、原・札幌の景観にある種のノスタルジーを感じる世代。
 で、写真のような木造建築がそのまま令和の現代まで生き延びている様子につい反応してしまう。「あ、街んなかの家だ」と懐かしがる自分がいるワケです。
 この建物は街中のそれも目抜き通りに面した建物だけれど、いわゆる「繁華街」とは少し遠い立地。けれど角地なので非常に「目立つ」。屋根は入母屋で木製の「雪止め」が「これでもか」と時代感を見せてくれる。1階はほぼ全面的な開放間取りのようで、道路側面は出入り口も含めてすべてが窓・開口部になっている。窓枠を見るとどうも木製造作窓で単板硝子窓と見受けられる。たぶん最初から「店舗」用として建てられた建物に違いない。
 現状有姿もまんま、店舗のように見受けられる。派手な出入り口上部看板などから想像できる。一見して「昭和レトロ」そのものなワケですが、これはこれでそういう「吸引力」を持っている。
 わたしみたいな年代の人間とか、そういった趣味傾向を持った人には、ある雰囲気が伝わってくるのでしょう。そういう種類の商品店舗としては、独特のアピール力がある。ただしかなりマニアックに絞られるとは言えるでしょう。
 札幌は200万都市であり、こういう特殊なマーケット層というのもけっこう厚めに存在すると思われる。それに似合ってしかも高付加価値の商品・サービスであれば、成立するかもと妄想をかき立てられる。ただし、小さいマーケットサイズを狙うとすれば遠隔地からの来客を狙っての駐車場設備が必須だろうから、その辺がネックになるかもしれない。中心街とはいえ、歩いてこの場所にたどりつくには交通ネットワークとの利便性がやや劣っている。さて、といったところでしょうか。
 都市の魅力・吸引力というものにはこういう部分もあると思う。なにもかもが現代的な空間性に収まりきっていない、時間的なタイムスリップ感というのもあり得るのだと思う。
 現代日本人にも「古民家」へのノスタルジーというものは存在する。消え去りつつあるものへの愛着というような部類のものだろうか。ただ「北海道開拓の村」に入れるにはちょっと早いか、というところ。まだ、明確に時代イメージが確定していないけれど、わたし的には北海道的「古民家」とも思える。いかがでしょうか?

English version⬇

Showa-retro” atmospheric architecture of Sapporo city block.
Remnants of the original landscape architecture of Sapporo. The snow stops on the roofs, which are a showpiece of the area, convey a sense that traditional Japanese store architecture has “survived in Sapporo”.

Recently, I have been driving around the central part of Sapporo. I currently live in a “new” residential area near the beginning of Sapporo. There are many relatively new buildings and houses that have been updated and “modified” since the Showa period (postwar period). On the other hand, it is somewhat different from the urban area of Chuo-ku, Sapporo, which should be called the “original Sapporo City” in terms of time.
 I myself have been a Sapporo resident since I was 3 years old, and I am of the generation that feels a certain nostalgia for the landscape of the original Sapporo.
 I am of the generation that feels a certain nostalgia for the landscape of the original Sapporo, and I am struck by the fact that wooden buildings like the one in the photo have survived to the present day, in 2022. I find myself thinking nostalgically, “Ah, it’s a house in the city.
 Although this building faces a main street in the city, it is located a little far from the so-called “downtown area. However, it stands out because of its corner location. The first floor seems to be almost entirely open, with windows and openings on all sides of the street, including the entrance. Looking at the window frames, it appears to be a wooden window with a single-pane glass window. The building was probably built as a “store” from the beginning.
 The building as it is now looks just like a store. This can be imagined from the gaudy signboard above the entrance and exit. At first glance, the building looks very “Showa-era retro,” but it has its own kind of “attractiveness.
 People of my age and those who have such tastes will probably be able to sense a certain atmosphere. It has a unique appeal for that kind of product store. However, it can be said that it is quite maniacally focused.
 Sapporo is a city of 2 million people, and this particular market segment is also considered to be quite large. If the product or service is suitable for this market and has high added value, it may be feasible. However, if the market size is small, parking facilities would be necessary to accommodate visitors from remote areas, and this may be a bottleneck. Even though it is located in the center of the city, the transportation network is not convenient enough to reach this location on foot. Well, that’s about it.
 I think this is part of the attraction of a city. I think it is also possible to have a sense of time slip, where everything is not fully contained in modern spatiality.
 Nostalgia for “old private houses” exists even among modern Japanese. It may be a kind of attachment to something that is disappearing. However, I think it is a little early to include them in the “Hokkaido Kaitakushi no Mura” (Village of Hokkaido Settlement). Although the image of the period has not yet been clearly defined, to me it seems to be an “old house” in the Hokkaido style. What do you think?

【建築が醸し出す「空気感」と人間の受け止め】


 いろいろな場所に行って、そこで感じる、とくに建築や住宅への感覚についてこころが向かうようになっていった。職業的に住宅メディアというものを作ってきたことが、そういう自分に仕向けていったということなのだろうか。いわば習い性、ということか。
 それともその建物を愛してきたひとの思いというものが木霊のように、訴えかけている。それがたまたまわたしという個性に対して、より強く迫ってくるということなのだろうか。
 人間は家を建てるという機会がひとつの人生の「目標」でもあると言われてきた。
 日本人というのは、そういう意識がとくに強い民族性を持っているように感じる。それはその個人が生きてきた空間への「感受性」を「表現」することができる機会だったのだろう。
 そういう感性をとくに強く持っていないケースでも、立地環境を選択するなどの「機会」で、自分自身の中のある「選択基準」を重視するというカタチで人生時間を過ごす空間への好みは発揮されるだろう。
 いわんや、注文住宅に於いておや。
 建物を作り出すのは人間であり、それを享受するのも人間。どんなに「創造性」に鈍い感受性を持った人でも、ある好みはそこに反映させているのだと思うのです。そういう「場の空気感」というようなものを、自分で選択したり、あるイメージを実現できる機会というのは稀有。
 取材者として空間に向かい合うときに、そんな内語的な部分が起動している。
 写真は千葉県市川市にある「市川法華堂」のなかの一建築。正しくは「正中山法華経寺」。
 そのなかの宝殿門といわれる建物のようです。以下HPより要旨。
 〜法華経寺祖師堂のちょうど裏側、祖師堂と荒行堂の間にあり、門の下の石段を昇ると聖教殿へと続きます。石段の上左側には毛塚静枝の歌碑「聖教殿へ霜一枚のいしだたみ」があります。また、宝殿門は太客殿、荒行堂、祖師堂を結ぶ回廊でもあります。〜
 まさに「回廊」という建築意図通り、左右に空中回廊がつながっている。正面には豊かな庭園の景観が見えている。なにかに誘っているかのようなプロポーションが見えてくる。
 わたしは宗派が違うので遠慮しながら空間を見させていただいていたけれど、ほかの大建築群のなかでこの建物に、いちばんこころが反応してしまっていた。「お、いいじゃん、これ」。
 その心理反応がなにに由来するのかはよくわからないけれど、全体の「空気感」が訴えかけてくるように思えるのですね。回廊のなかでの「句読点」的な建築になっているのかもしれない。修行僧たちが、ここで一拍こころにスイッチを入れる、みたいな。結果としてこの建築が果たしてきた役割が透明に響いてくるものかも知れない。
 住宅建築でも、こんなこころの句読点という要素は大きいだろう。オモシロいのですね。

English version⬇

The “atmosphere” created by architecture and the human perception of it.
I felt “Kirei – Kodama” in the architecture of the Lotus Sutra temple, which is a different sect from my own. I was taught about the architectural element of “kodama,” or the opportunity for the heart to rest. The “atmosphere” and human reception that is created by the architecture of the Lotus Sutra Temple

I have been to many places, and my mind has been drawn to the sensations I experience there, especially with regard to architecture and housing. I wonder if it is because of my professional experience in creating housing media that I have become this way. Is it a habit, so to speak?
 Or is it that the thoughts of those who have loved the building are appealing to me like the spirit of a tree? Is it that it is more strongly appealing to me as an individual by chance?
 It has been said that the opportunity to build a house is one of the “goals” of human life.
 I feel that the Japanese have a particularly strong sense of this. It was an opportunity for them to “express” their “sensitivity” to the space in which they lived.
 Even those who do not have such a strong sense of sensibility may still demonstrate their preference for the space in which they spend their life time by emphasizing certain “selection criteria” within themselves when they have the “opportunity” to choose the location of their home.
 In the case of custom-built housing, of course.
 It is human beings who create buildings, and it is also human beings who enjoy them. I believe that no matter how dull one’s sensitivity to “creativity,” certain preferences are reflected there. It is a rare opportunity to be able to choose such “atmosphere of a place” and realize a certain image by oneself.
 When I face a space as an interviewer, such an internal narrative is activated.
 The photo shows one of the buildings in the “Ichikawa Hokke-do” in Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture. The correct name is “Shonchuzan Hokkekyo-ji Temple.
 It seems to be a building called “Hodenmon” within the temple. The following is a summary from the website.
 〜It is located between the Soshido and Aragyo-do, just behind the Soshido of Hokkekyo-ji Temple. At the top of the stone steps, on the left side, there is a monument by Shizue Kezuka, entitled “Seikyoden e frost ippai no ishidatami” (“A piece of frost ishidatami to the Seikyoden”). Hodenmon also serves as a corridor connecting Taiga-den, Aragyo-do, and Soshido-Do. ~.
 Exactly as the architectural intent of “corridor” suggests, there is an aerial corridor connecting the left and right sides of the building. In front of the hall, there is a view of the lush garden. The proportions of the building look as if they are inviting us to something.
 I was reserved in looking at the space because I belong to a different religious sect, but among the other large buildings in the complex, this one was the one that most struck my heart. I thought to myself, “Wow, this is nice.
 I don’t know what the psychological reaction was derived from, but the overall “atmosphere” of the building seemed to appeal to me. Perhaps it is the “punctuation point” of the architecture within the cloister. It is as if the monks who are practicing asceticism turn on their minds for a beat here. As a result, the role played by this architecture may resonate transparently.
 Even in residential architecture, such an element of mental punctuation may be significant. It is omoshiroi, isn’t it?