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【1795⇒1896年「一族の家」100年の推移 旧岩崎邸探訪-9】



この旧岩崎邸は明治29年(1896年)建築とされている。いまから127年ほど前ですが、日本人というのは「家系」としてのイエ意識が非常に強く意識するもの。
岩崎弥太郎の生家は土佐の高知から40kmほど東に位置する安芸市に保存されている。〜岩崎彌太郎の先祖は安芸国虎の家臣だったようで、のち長宗我部の安芸支配の時代は長宗我部に仕え、山内氏が土佐入国後は開墾に従事し農業を営んでいました。〜という市のHPでの記述。写真もそちらから参照した。
で、この「生家」は以下のような経緯でいまから228年前、1795年に建てられた。〜この家は、彌太郎の曽祖父 弥次右衛門が郷士の株を売って1795年ごろ建築したもの。〜
いかにも「郷士の株を売って」帰農した経緯を体現したような農家住宅。土佐では旧国主の長宗我部家の家臣たちは、占領軍として入国した山之内家家臣(上士)からは一段、家格の低い「郷士」という特殊な身分とされた。そうだけれど、武士階級ではあるということで、江戸期にはその身分が株として売買されたのですね。
身分を売ったことで得られた金額が家一軒に相当したということなのですが、普通に考えれば農家としては領主に対して年貢を負担する役務を負った自作農なので、そういった身分ごと入手したことになる。住宅としての家の建築費用とは言えないのでしょう。そもそも江戸期には地方の藩の支配構造のなかでは、家の建築費が商品化されることはなかっただろう。弥太郎の曾祖父はそういう経緯で家を得たのでしょうね。
その後、岩崎弥太郎は実家に加えられた理不尽に憤って反抗して罰を受けることになるけれど、この「郷士の身分を売った」ことが屈折した身分意識への感情として潜在・持続し続けていた家系だったのではないか。
ふつうの感覚から言えば素朴なたたずまいが感じられる農家住宅であり、ステキだと思うけれど、弥太郎さんにはこのような屈折した心情が、想像すればあったのかもしれない。
安芸市の農家住宅は、建坪約30坪の藁葺きの平屋。表が8帖、その脇に4帖半2間、茶の間9帖になっていて、その左が通り庭、通り庭から茶の間の床下をのぞくと芋壷(芋貯蔵穴)がみえる。また風呂と便所は別棟に設置されている。
一方の100年後に一族が入手した上野の邸宅は、建築面積531.5m2、二階建、煉瓦造地下室付(撞球室及び大広間との接続部を含む)、玄関部塔屋付、スレート葺という大豪邸。

そういう意識を持った上で「おまんは経済をやれ」と言われ、強烈な家系意識を燃やし続け、そこから100年後に東京上野の高台に広大な邸宅地を購入したように思える。住居と家系の日本人的「イエ」意識の心理的な相関関係が立ち上ってくるように思える。
こういった施主としての心理領域みたいなものはあんまり記録がないだろうけれど、岩崎弥太郎さんという人物と一族の経歴から類推すると、こんな消息が浮かんでくるように思えてならない。

English version⬇

1795⇒1896 “The Family’s House” 100 Years of Transition: Exploring the Former Iwasaki Residence – 9
Residence architecture and the Japanese people’s strong sense of “Ye”. The strong attachment to his birthplace, which he obtained by “selling” his samurai status, and his subsequent economic success. …

This former Iwasaki Residence is said to have been built in 1896 (Meiji 29). It is about 127 years old now, but Japanese people are very conscious of their yeh consciousness as a “family lineage”.
Yataro Iwasaki’s birthplace has been preserved in Aki City, about 40 km east of Kochi in Tosa Prefecture. 〜Yataro Iwasaki’s ancestors were vassals of the Aki Kunitora, and later served Chosokabe during Chosokabe’s rule of Aki. 〜The description on the city’s website. The photo was also taken from there.
The house was built 228 years ago in 1795 as follows. 〜The house was built around 1795 by Yataro’s great-grandfather Yajiemon, who sold his shares in a local merchant family. 〜The house was built around 1795 by Yajiemon, Yataro’s great-grandfather.
This farmhouse embodies the story of how Yataro returned to farming after selling his shares in his hometown. In Tosa, the vassals of the Chosokabe family, the former feudal lord of the country, were considered “goshi,” a special status that was a step lower than that of the Yamanouchi family vassals (joshi) who entered the country as part of the occupying forces. Yes, but they were still of the samurai class, and their status was traded as stocks during the Edo period.
The amount of money obtained by selling the status was equivalent to a house. If we think about it in a normal way, as a farmer, you are a tenant farmer who owed tribute to the lord, so you obtained the entire status as such. It would not be the cost of building a house as a residence. In the first place, the cost of building a house would not have been commercialized in the ruling structure of a local clan during the Edo period. Yataro’s great-grandfather must have obtained a house through such a process.
Later, Yataro Iwasaki would be punished for his rebellion against the unreasonableness inflicted on his parents’ family, but this “selling of the status of a township samurai” must have been latent and persistent in the family as a refracted emotion toward status consciousness.
From an ordinary point of view, this farmhouse is a beautiful and simple house, but Yataro may have had these refracted feelings, if we can imagine them.
The farmhouse in Aki City is a straw-thatched one-story house with a building area of approximately 30 tsubo. The front room is 8 square meters, flanked by two 4.5 square meters rooms and a 9 square meter tea room, and to the left is the street garden. The bathroom and toilet are located in separate buildings.
On the other hand, the Ueno residence acquired by the family 100 years later is a large mansion with a building area of 531.5m2, two stories, brick construction with a basement (including the connection with the chess room and the hall), an entrance tower, and a slate roof.

With this awareness, he was told to “take care of the economy,” and it seems that he continued to burn with a strong sense of family lineage, from which he purchased a vast mansion site on high ground in Ueno, Tokyo, 100 years later. The psychological correlation between the residence and the family’s Japanese “yeh” consciousness seems to emerge.
Although there are probably not many records of this kind of psychological realm as a client, by analogy with Yataro Iwasaki and his family’s background, it is hard not to think that such a story might come to mind.

【明治期建築テラス「異世界」と和館 旧岩崎邸探訪-8】


旧岩崎邸では表玄関側の表情以上に、庭園に面した裏側の外観表情がまことに異国風。
いかにも西洋人の建築デザインの素性を表しているのではないかと思う。日本建築でも庭園との視覚的な一体感というのは追究されてきたけれど、それは「よく似た」感覚であっても西洋には「高さ」への強い希求があって、その高い地点から「広大に見晴るかす」という心情への強い思いを感じる。
庭から見る洋館外観には建物全面にテラスが回され江戸から変貌しつつある首都東京の街並みが広大に、江戸城から目的変化した皇居までもが一望されたに違いない。
明治期に来日した多くの西洋人たちは江戸期の統一された屋根瓦の街並みを見て、その美感に圧倒された感想を「ためいき」にも似た感覚で伝えてくれている。いくつか残っている街並み写真には、たしかに日本人とその社会が大切にしてきた価値感が凝縮されているように思える。
そういう江戸の街を見晴るかし見下ろす心理、いわば征服者的な視線が西洋社会の「支配的」感覚であったのか。このテラス外観からはそういった思いが迫ってくる。
一方で日本建築での庭園との一体感には、庭木と同じ目線でいわば「自然と共生する」感覚への追究心が強く感じさせられる。


岩崎家は日常生活は「和館」と名付けられた別棟で起居していたと伝わる。この上の写真はその和館での庭園との「一体感」の様子。一方、そのすぐ下の写真は洋館2階からの眺望。
見比べてみれば、和洋の建築とその使い方・生活目的性において明確に違いがあると思える。
「おまんが経済をやれ」と明治の志士たちからその才能を認められた三菱創業家として、このビジネス上の応接接待専門館で西洋のビジネスマンに対しては「わたしたち日本社会はこういうあなたたち西洋の価値感を共有できますよ」とアナウンスし、同時にごく少数の文化理解者に対しては、「和館」にも特別に招待することもあったように想像できる。
「そういうわたしたちですが、ホンネとしてはこういった価値感を大切にしてきたのです」と、現代にまで至る日本社会の2面性を伝えたように思うのです。

このような明治人の西洋の受容にかかわる心情について、夏目漱石の心理に即して司馬遼太郎は「街道をゆく〜本郷」において深層分析している。西洋文明が十数世紀かけて作ってきた価値感を、人間世代1世代ほどで柔軟に受容するということの日本人の屈折した心情に迫っている。
しかし文学者・夏目漱石ともまったく違う日本人類型として、岩崎家はいわば「先覚者」としての成功を築き上げていったのだと思える。
応接が終わったあと、和館にもどった岩崎家当主は、湯漬けなどを食しながらこの灯籠の火明かりに映える静かな庭木たちと、どんな対話をしていたのだろうか。

English version⬇

Meiji Period Architectural Terrace “Another World” and Japanese-style House: Exploring the Former Iwasaki Residence-8
A Meiji man who meets for business overlooking the old Edo district from the Western-style building of reception and entertainment that amazes the eye, and returns home at midnight to view the garden lanterns. …

The exterior of the former Iwasaki residence looks more exotic on the back side facing the garden than it does on the front entrance side.
I believe that this is a true expression of Western architectural design. Japanese architecture has also pursued a visual unity with the garden, but even though this is a “similar” feeling, there is a strong desire for “height” in the West, and I sense a strong desire for a “vast view” from a high point.
The exterior of the Western-style building, viewed from the garden, must have had terraces all around the building, offering a vast view of Tokyo, the capital city that was being transformed from Edo to the Imperial Palace, which had changed its purpose from Edo Castle to the Imperial Palace.
Many Westerners who came to Japan during the Meiji period (1868-1912) expressed their overwhelming impression of the beauty of the uniform roof tiles of the Edo period (1603-1912). The few remaining photographs of the cityscape seem to reflect the sense of values that the Japanese people and their society have cherished.
The “conqueror’s” view of the city of Edo, so to speak, may have been the “dominant” sense of Western society. The exterior of this terrace gives us such a feeling.
On the other hand, the sense of unity with the garden in Japanese architecture strongly suggests the pursuit of a sense of “coexistence with nature” from the same perspective as the garden trees.

It is said that the Iwasaki family lived in a separate building named “Wadokan” for daily life. The photo above shows the “unity” of the Japanese-style house with the garden. On the other hand, the photo immediately below shows the view from the second floor of the Western-style building.
Comparing the two, there seems to be a clear difference between the Japanese and Western architecture and their usage and purposefulness in daily life.
As the founding family of Mitsubishi, whose talents were recognized by the Meiji era patriots, who were told by the Meiji era patriots to “do business with the economy,” this building specializing in business reception and entertainment was used to announce to Western businessmen that “we Japanese society can share your Western values,” and at the same time, to the very few who understood the culture, the “Japanese-style building” was also used as a special place to entertain guests. At the same time, it seems that a small number of people who understood Japanese culture were invited to the “Japanese-style pavilion” as a special guest.
I think he was conveying the duality of Japanese society that has continued to the present day: “We are such people, but in truth we have cherished these values.

Ryotaro Shiba analyzed in depth the sentiments of the Meiji people regarding the acceptance of the West in “Kaido yuku – Hongo” in line with the psychology of Soseki Natsume. In “Hongo,” Ryotaro Shiba examines the Japanese people’s refractory feelings of flexibly accepting values that have been created by Western civilization over more than a dozen centuries in the span of one human generation or so.
The Iwasaki family, however, seems to have built their success as “pioneers,” so to speak, as a type of Japanese that is completely different from Soseki Natsume, a literary scholar.
After the reception, what kind of conversation did the head of the Iwasaki family have with the quiet garden trees reflected in the firelight of the lanterns as he returned to the Japanese-style house to eat hot-spring pickles and other dishes?

【父命日に実家にて、仏像・伝承品】


連載で旧岩崎邸探訪記を続けているなかですが、本日は閑話休題であります。
きのうは9月9日重陽。父の祥月命日でして長兄の実家にて参拝。残念ながらお坊さんが例の流行病に罹患されたということで、ひさしぶりに兄弟だけで近況報告会。
なんですが、そういうことだったので久しぶりに実家の仏壇と正面から向かい合って、きれいなお顔のお仏像とじっくり対面させていただいていました。幼少期からずっと見ていたはずの仏像ですが、お経を小声で上げさせていただきながら、拝顔。
わが家は1905年(明治38年)、いまから118年前に北海道に渡って来ている。それまで広島県福山市近郊・今津の地で営んでいた商家の経営が幕末から明治の時期に傾いて、その挽回のために当主であった祖父が一念奮起して北海道移住を決意した。
この仏壇・仏像は「仏壇背負って」という本家意識をあらわす言葉が残っているように、祖父の家系への使命感そのものとして北海道に渡ってきたと伝えられる。祖父としては北海道の地で衰退した家運を盛り上げたいという希望を持っていたに違いないので、この仏像も「本家」の証として、来道したに違いない。少なくとも118年前からはわが家にあり続けている。ご本尊仏像は、なかなかに美麗。
下に小さい像があるけれど、これは真言の開祖、空海さんの仏像だと聞かされている。たぶん、江戸期のご先祖の祖母が四国八十八箇所巡礼したといわれ、記念に入手したものだろうか。
わたしは末っ子なのでこういった「家意識」はそう濃厚ではないけれど、加齢とともにご先祖様の思念と徐々に親しさの念が強まってくる。南無大師遍昭金剛・・・。


また、きのうは兄からこんな「塗り物」を受け取った。漆塗りの食器。
「阿」と「三」の文字が金字で屋号として描かれている。伝承では、家系は江戸期に「あがや・三木家」として商家を営んでいて、その時期に一種の「贈答品」として作らせたものだと言われている。
あがや、というのは兵庫県姫路市の「英賀保」の「あが」とされて、戦国期の秀吉に攻められ落城した「英賀城」なのだと伝わっている。落城後、三木の一族は各地に分散し、そのうちの一統が瀬戸内の商都・尾道で商家になって名乗ったという家系伝承。
兄も高齢になったので、お裾分けとして弟たちにということなのか。
ほかの話題に終始していたので、この分配についてきちんとした話は聞いていなかった。お坊さんが不在だったので、つい話すきっかけを失ったのかも知れない(笑)。
こういった漆塗りの食器を使っての格式的な会合とか、食事会とかとは無縁で人生を過ごしてきたので、まことに「猫に小判」のような気持ちでありますが、ありがたく受け取ってきた次第。
ちょっとご先祖さまたちと近づいたような気分で、神妙にしております・・・。

English version⬇

At my parents’ house on the anniversary of my father’s death, a Buddha image and a traditional artifact.
The soft expression on the face of the main Buddha image conveys the feelings that my grandfather and father held so dear to their hearts. As the youngest child, I was forced to talk with myself, who had lived a life of wild abandon. The statue is a symbol of the Buddha’s life as the youngest child.

In the midst of my continuing series of articles on the former Iwasaki Residence, I would like to take a break today.
Yesterday was Chou-you, September 9. It was the anniversary of my father’s death, and I paid my respects at my eldest brother’s parents’ house. Unfortunately, the monk had contracted an epidemic disease, so for the first time in a while, we had a status report meeting with just my siblings.
I was facing my parents’ Buddhist altar for the first time in a long while, and I had a good look at the Buddha statue with a beautiful face. I must have been looking at this Buddha image since I was a child, but I was allowed to whisper sutras while I worshipped the face.
My family came to Hokkaido in 1905, 118 years ago now. My grandfather, who was the head of the family, decided to move to Hokkaido to recover from the financial difficulties of his family’s business in Imazu, a suburb of Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, during the late Edo and Meiji periods.
As the phrase “carrying the altar on his back,” which expresses the family’s awareness of its importance to the family, remains, it is said that this Buddhist altar and statue came to Hokkaido as a part of the grandfather’s sense of mission to the family. My grandfather must have hoped to revitalize his family’s declining fortunes in Hokkaido, and this Buddha image must have come to Hokkaido as a sign of his “head family. It has been in our house for at least 118 years. The main Buddha image is quite beautiful.
There is a smaller statue below, which I am told is of Kukai, the founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. It is said that the grandmother of one of my ancestors in the Edo period made a pilgrimage to 88 temples in Shikoku and probably acquired this statue as a commemorative gift.
I am the youngest child in the family, so I do not have a strong sense of “family” as such, but as I get older, I gradually feel more and more close to the memory of my ancestors. Namu Daishi Hensho Kongo…

Also, yesterday I received this “lacquered” item from my brother. Lacquered tableware.
The characters “a” and “three” are painted in gold letters as a store name. According to tradition, the family was a merchant family during the Edo period (1603-1868), and the tableware was made as a kind of “gift” during that period.
Agaya” is said to be the “Aga” of “Egaho” in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, and is believed to be the name of “Ega Castle,” which was attacked by Hideyoshi in the Warring States period and fell. After the castle fell, the Miki family dispersed to various places, and one of the families became a merchant family in Onomichi, a commercial city in the Seto Inland Sea, and took the name of the family tradition.
The older brother is now old, so he has decided to pass the family legacy on to his younger siblings.
Since I was occupied with other topics, I did not hear a proper story about this distribution. The monk was away, so I may have lost the chance to talk about it (laugh).
Since I have spent my life without having any formal meetings or dinners using such lacquered tableware, I felt like a “cat with a pair of koban,” but I was grateful to receive it.
I feel as if I have become a little closer to my ancestors.

【西洋的階段フェッチ・財閥版「鹿鳴館」 旧岩崎邸探訪-7】




日本建築では城郭建築でも、階段というのはほぼ機能性空間とだけ考えられているように思う。そもそも城郭とか、塔の建築などはそれ自体がある機能に特化した建築であって、そのなかで人間が暮らすということを想定していないのでしょう。居住が目的の建築の場合は、おおむね平屋で2階というのはあまり想定していない。たぶん地震国であってまた建築はほぼ木造文化であったことが大きい。
日本建築ではむしろ「廊下」などへのフェッチは強く感じるけれど、それは庭の景観を楽しむという生活文化に立脚しているものの要素が要因なのだと思う。
一方で西洋の住宅建築ではあんまり地震の被害が少ない地域性もあるので石造の文化が主流。その伝統があるせいか、高さへの潜在欲求が強くて室内要素としての階段への思いが強いように思う。
この旧岩崎邸の洋館では、社交の場という側面に大きな力点が置かれて、これでもかと装飾性が強調されている。階段室では、その荷重を支える柱も重厚にデコレーション処理されているし、階段の上り方向も回遊的動線が採用されている。上りやすさと装飾性のバランスがコンセプトか。
そして天井にも格天井のようにデコレーションされ、手を触れられる手すりと支柱などでも家具的な装置として考えられている。まぁ完全に「見せる建築」ということに徹しているのでしょう。
岩崎家の家族生活は、接続して建てられた「和館」の方で営まれていたということで、台所などの生活装置もこの洋館では参観できなかった。公開されていない地下階などでそういう応接料理は用意されていたのかもしれない。現代の和洋折衷の日本住宅で一般的な家族が集まる「居間」という概念は、歴史的にも比較的に新しく、大正から昭和にかけてなのだとされる。そう考えるとこの洋館建築って、いわば財閥家としては一種の城郭建築であるのかもしれない。
社交というカタチでの「営業活動」拠点であって、その最上級顧客の応接、そういうかれらの「目を奪う」ということが最優先された建築だったと結論づけられる。

英国人建築家コンドルは鹿鳴館の設計でも知られている。明治16(1883)年、政府や貴族の社交場として建設されたが鹿鳴館は現存していない。政府の直接管理建築だったのでさまざまな政争の具にもなり、政治外交の舞台としてはドロドロの政争の舞台でそれなりの機能は果たしたのだろうけれど、明治20年にそうした役割を終えたといわれる。その後明治23年からは華族会館として使用されたけれど1941年(昭和16年)に取り壊された。建物があったのは現在の帝国ホテルと日比谷U-1ビルの境目。
この建物は鹿鳴館とほぼ同じ設計コンセプトだったのだろう。財閥家として、鹿鳴館的な営業接待活動は民間経済のことなので政争的に批判を受けるということはなかったのだろう。
鹿鳴館の雰囲気を追体験するという意味で、旧岩崎邸は日本建築の句読点に位置するのだと思う。

English version⬇

Western-style stair fetch zaibatsu version of “Rokumeikan,” the former Iwasaki residence
The name “mansion” suggests a residence, but its function is that of a high-class “reception” building. The function of the building is to serve as a high-class “reception” building. It is appropriate as a place for business for a political and commercial zaibatsu of the Meiji era. The building was built in the late 1880s.

In Japanese architecture, even in castle architecture, staircases seem to be considered almost exclusively as functional spaces. In the first place, castles and towers are buildings that specialize in a certain function and are not intended for human habitation. Buildings intended for residential use are generally one-story buildings, not two-story buildings. This is probably due to the fact that Japan is an earthquake-prone country and its architecture is almost exclusively wooden.
In Japanese architecture, there is a rather strong fetish for “corridors” and the like, but I think this is due to the fact that it is based on the lifestyle culture of enjoying the view of the garden.
On the other hand, in Western residential architecture, masonry construction is the norm in regions that are less prone to earthquakes. Perhaps because of this tradition, there is a strong latent desire for height and a strong desire for staircases as interior elements.
In this Western-style building of the former Iwasaki Residence, great emphasis is placed on the aspect of a place for socializing, and the decorative aspect is emphasized as much as possible. In the stairwells, the pillars that support the load are heavily decorated, and the staircase has a circular flow. The concept of the staircase is to strike a balance between ease of ascent and decorativeness.
The ceiling is also decorated like a coffered ceiling, and even the handrails and pillars that can be touched are considered as furniture-like devices. Well, it is completely devoted to “architecture for show,” isn’t it?
The family life of the Iwasaki family was conducted in the “Japanese-style building,” which was built in connection with the house, so the kitchen and other living devices could not be observed in this Western-style building. It is possible that such a reception area may have been prepared on the basement floor, which is not open to the public. The concept of a “living room” for family gatherings, which is common in modern Japanese houses with a blend of Japanese and Western styles, is relatively new historically, dating from the Taisho and Showa periods. In that sense, this Western-style building may have been a kind of castle architecture for the Zaibatsu family.
It was a base for “business activities” in the form of socializing, and it can be concluded that the building was designed to receive the highest level of customers and to “catch their eyes” as a top priority.

English architect Conder is also known for his design of the Rokumeikan. Built in 1883 as a social gathering place for the government and aristocracy, the Rokumeikan is no longer extant. As a building under the direct control of the government, it was the scene of various political disputes, and although it may have served a certain function in the sordid political and diplomatic arena, it is said to have ended such a role in 1887. The building was used as the Kakuza Kaikan from 1890, but was demolished in 1941. The building was located on the border between the Imperial Hotel and the Hibiya U-1 Building.
The design concept of this building was probably almost the same as that of the Rokumeikan. As a zaibatsu family, the Rokumeikan-like business entertainment activities were probably not subject to political criticism because of the private economy.
In the sense of reliving the atmosphere of Rokumeikan, the former Iwasaki residence is a Japanese punctuation mark.

【金唐革紙/日本の国産壁紙技術 旧岩崎邸探訪-6】




さてきのうは、明治期ニッポンの旺盛な西洋文明受容ぶりに着目したけれど、もう一方で、旧岩崎邸には明治の職人魂、日本のものづくりの痕跡も刻印されている。
壁紙という文化は江戸期までの日本住宅文化では、茶室などでの壁面下部に使い古しの和紙、多くは手紙などがそのまま張られる事がある程度。なんですが、あれはあれで非常に面白い日本文化だと思っています。実用としては茶室に座ったときに、着衣が塗り壁に直接触れてこすれることを防止する役割だったと思うのですが、まことに日本人らしい実用性と、茶室での会話の切り口として、亭主のセンスも表現していたのだろうと思える。まことに茶亭での会話にふさわしそう。
で、こちらの旧岩崎邸では、基本デザインは「洋館」であり英国人建築家による空間イマジネーションになるものですが「壁紙」が各室毎に違いがあって特徴的な空間性を醸し出している。
で、2階の解説コーナーで、説明が加えられていた。
〜この旧岩崎邸では壁紙として「金唐革紙ーきんからかわし」が使われている。これは江戸期にオランダとの貿易で交易船がもたらした金唐革を和紙で模造加工した「擬革紙」の一種です。17世紀後半期に袋物用として渋紙あるいは油紙を活用した小判の擬革紙つくりがはじまり、江戸末期には浮き凸模様を打ち出して、顔料・油・漆・金属箔などで高度に装飾加工したものが作られるようになっています。
そして明治初期には壁装用として大判の擬革紙を創製して明治6年のウィーン万国博覧会に「金革壁紙」として出展。海外輸出の道が開かれました。昭和初期から「金革革紙」の名前が定着した。いずれにしてもメイドインジャパンの当時最高の加工技術を施した和紙工芸品であり、東西文化交流を象徴する文物といえるでしょう。〜

革紙というのは、動物皮革で壁面を装飾するものとされる。わたし自身はそういう実物建築例を見たことはない。「革紙」というコトバでググっても「擬革紙」と自動変換されてその情報しか得られないほどに、希少例なのだろうと思います。しかし江戸期の交易で得られた実物を見ながら、それを和紙で変換してあらたな製品を生み出していく江戸期日本のものづくり魂は素晴らしい。
そしてそういう壁紙技術に着目した英国人建築家コンドルは、この極東の最高級住宅建築に、各室毎に違うデザインの壁紙として採用させている。1896年建築のこの邸宅で、すでに日本のものづくりの実力にリスペクトしてくれたコンドルの審美眼に感謝したくなる。いや、コンドルはこうした日本の技術に魅了され世界最高品質と認めて、ごく自然に利活用したのだろうか。
圧倒的な西洋文化の移植の明治期にあっても、優れた日本の職人技術はすでに世界レベルを超えるものが数多くあったということなのだろう。深く頭が下がる思い。

English version⬇

Kinkarakawakami / Japanese Domestic Wallpaper Technology: A Visit to the Former Iwasaki Residence-6
Inspired by animal hide leather paper traded with the Dutch during the Edo period, Japanese craftsmen created “imitation leather paper” using Japanese paper, which drew the respect of the English architect Conder. The…

Yesterday, I focused on Japan’s vigorous acceptance of Western civilization during the Meiji period, but on the other hand, the former Iwasaki residence also bears traces of Meiji-era craftsmanship and Japanese manufacturing.
In the Japanese residential culture until the Edo period, wallpaper was used in tea ceremony rooms and other places where used Japanese paper, often letters, were stretched over the lower part of the wall. I think this is a very interesting aspect of Japanese culture. I think that the practical purpose was to prevent the clothes from rubbing directly against the painted walls when sitting in the tea room, but I think that it had a very Japanese practicality and also expressed the sense of the owner as an opening for conversation in the tea room. It seems to be a very appropriate for a conversation at a tea ceremony house.
The basic design of the former Iwasaki Residence is a “Western-style house,” and the space was imagined by a British architect, but the wallpaper in each room is different, creating a distinctive spatiality.
The wallpaper is different in each room, creating a distinctive spatial effect.
〜The wallpaper used in the former Iwasaki Residence is “Kin Karakawashi” (gold-embossed paper). In the latter half of the 17th century, the production of imitation koban leather paper began using astringent or oiled paper for bags, and by the end of the Edo period, highly decorated paper with raised and convex patterns was produced using pigments, oil, lacquer, metal foil, and other materials. By the end of the Edo period, koban fukigami was being made with raised and convex patterns and highly decorated with pigments, oil, lacquer, and metal foil.
In the early Meiji period (1868-1912), large-size imitation leather paper was created for wall coverings and exhibited as “gold-leather wallpaper” at the Vienna World Exposition in 1873. This opened the way for overseas exports. Since the early Showa period, the name “gold-leather leather paper” has been established. In any case, it is a Japanese paper craft product made in Japan with the best processing technology of the time, and is a cultural artifact that symbolizes the cultural exchange between East and West. ~ (Japanese only)

Leather paper is a type of wall decoration made of animal hides. I myself have never seen such an actual architectural example. I think it is so rare that even if you Google the word “kakawakami,” it is automatically converted to “pseudo-hide paper,” and that is all the information you can get. However, it is wonderful to see the spirit of Japanese craftsmanship during the Edo period, which saw actual products obtained through trade and converted them into new products using washi paper.
It is a great honor for the British architect Condor to have such wallpaper technology used in the Far East’s finest residential buildings, with each room having a different wallpaper design, and we should be grateful to his aesthetic eye for respecting Japanese craftsmanship in this 1896 residence. Or perhaps Condor was fascinated by such Japanese technology, recognized it as the highest quality in the world, and utilized it very naturally.
Even during the Meiji period, when Western culture was overwhelmingly transplanted to Japan, there were already many excellent Japanese craftsmen’s techniques that exceeded the world’s level. I am deeply humbled.

【土佐藩士から経済人へ岩崎弥太郎 旧岩崎邸探訪-5】




現代の中国を見ていると、ちょうど幕末期の江戸幕府体制を見ているような錯覚にとらわれる。
現代世界というのは西欧文明の自由・平等という人権概念と、自由競争の資本主義によって基盤が形成されている。やはり人類発展の方向性の基本だろう。
そういう文明を受容するのに、日本は明治という時代を持ち、圧倒的なその文明総体を受け入れていった。その明治の日本の状況が現代の中国ではかなり異質に追体験されているように思える。
日本では基盤になる経済というものはあくまでも民間にその主体を委ねた。たしかに官による公共投資財の払い下げなどで不正があったりはしたけれど、そのことをきちんと告発し、不正をただすという常識的ルールが社会に浸透していった。基本的には政治はあくまでも制度の設計・立法に専念し、経済主体としては産業資本の育成を図っていった。
明治新政権は発足前後、大阪の大商家・資本から資金提供を受けたりして、それがその後の三井住友などの財閥形成に向かっていく。一方で、この岩崎邸の当主である三菱創業家・岩崎家は土佐郷士層の出自。幕末当時、志士としての活動家であり、坂本龍馬の海援隊にも関係している。そして一時期は藩から投獄されたりもしている。しかし獄中で同房の商人から算術や商法を学んだことが、後に商業の道に進む機縁となったと言われる。そんなことから志士たちの結社活動などでも財務関係専門家となっていた。
志士たちから「おれたちは倒幕・政治を担うけれど、おまんは経済をやれ」と言われていたという説話が語られる。少なくとも、政治と経済を分離して理解し国家発展には経済の自立性が不可欠だという共通認識が幕末期の人びとにはあったとされるのだ。
現代中国のいまの状況を見ていると、どうもこのあたりの彼我の相違を感じさせられる。
日本では1868年の明治維新の成立から、1890年(明治23年)7月1日に第1回の衆議院選挙が行われた。維新の混乱期から22年ほどで「民主主義」が成立した。近代国家としての自立的経済発展にはこういう政治の民主化は基本要素だろう。一方の中国ではそういう志向性は常に弾圧される。いまの政権の状況を見ていると、こういう「世界標準」を受容するには相当の距離感がある。危機の根は深く、同じアジアの隣国として深く憂慮させられる。安定した平和な国家社会の実現を願うばかり。
もちろん日本もその後の戦争をはさみ順調ではなかったけれど、基本的価値感として民主主義を受容し、経済は国民の自立性に委ねられ続けてきた。

この岩崎家(洋館)でも設計は英国人建築家にすべて委ねられ、いかにも西洋的価値感が全面的に受容されている様子が伝わってくる。写真はサンルーム的な空間と1階の洋間、階段コーナーなど。西洋木造建築的のディテールデザインが正調で展開する。
ただし、この洋館に接続して「和館」と名付けられた和風建築が建てられてもいる。日本社会というのはさすがに「和の国」らしく、新文明を受容しつつ、伝統的な美感というものも大切にしたいと考えてきたのだと思う。和館についても、いずれ写真で触れていきたい。

English version⬇

Yataro Iwasaki, from a Tosa Clan Soldier to an Economist: Exploring the Former Iwasaki Residence-5
The social situation in the neighboring country is worrisome. The former Iwasaki family is like a political merchant among Japanese capitalist zaibatsu. However, the fundamental principle of the separation of politics and economics has always been conscious in Japan. …

Looking at China today is like looking at the Edo shogunate system at the end of the Edo period.
The modern world is based on the human rights concepts of freedom and equality of Western civilization and the free competition of capitalism. This is, after all, the basis of the direction of human development.
Japan had the Meiji period (1868-1912) to accept such a civilization, and it accepted the overwhelming totality of that civilization. The situation in Japan during the Meiji period seems to be being experienced quite differently in modern China.
In Japan, the economy, which is the foundation of the country’s economy, was left to the private sector. Although there were certainly some irregularities in the government’s use of public investment funds, the common sense rule of properly prosecuting and correcting such irregularities permeated the society. Basically, the political system concentrated on designing and legislating systems, while the economic system sought to nurture industrial capital.
Around the time of its inauguration, the new Meiji government received funding from large Osaka merchant families and capital, which later led to the formation of zaibatsu such as Sumitomo Mitsui. On the other hand, the Iwasaki family, the founding family of Mitsubishi, the head of the Iwasaki Residence, came from the Tosa Goshi class. At the end of the Edo period, they were active as Shishi (patriotic samurai) and were associated with Ryoma Sakamoto’s Kaientai. He was also imprisoned by the clan for a time. However, it is said that while in prison, he learned arithmetic and business from a merchant in the same cell, and this is said to have been an opportunity for him to later pursue a career in commerce. Because of this, he also became a financial expert in the activities of the Shishi, including their associations.
It is said that he was told by the Shishi, “We are in charge of the overthrow of the shogunate and politics, but you are in charge of the economy. At the very least, it is said that people in the final days of the Tokugawa shogunate had a common understanding that politics and economics were separate and that economic independence was indispensable for national development.
Looking at the current situation in modern China, one is reminded of the difference between the two countries.
In Japan, the first election for the House of Representatives was held on July 1, 1890 (Meiji 23), following the establishment of the Meiji Restoration in 1868. About 22 years after the turmoil of the Restoration, “democracy” was established. This kind of political democratization is a basic element for independent economic development as a modern nation. In China, on the other hand, such an orientation is always suppressed. Looking at the current situation of the current administration, there is a considerable distance between it and the acceptance of such “global standards. The roots of the crisis run deep, and as a fellow Asian neighbor, I am deeply concerned. We can only hope for the realization of a stable and peaceful national society.
Of course, Japan has not had a smooth transition since the war, but it has accepted democracy as a fundamental value and has continued to leave the economy to the independence of the people.
The design of the Iwasaki House (a Western-style house) was entrusted to a British architect, and it is clear that Western values were fully embraced. The photo shows the sunroom-like space and the western-style room on the first floor. The detailed design of the Western-style wooden structure is developed in a formal style.
However, a Japanese-style building named “Wakan” was also built in connection with this Western-style building. Japanese society is indeed a “country of harmony,” and while accepting the new civilization, it has also sought to value traditional aesthetics. I would like to discuss the wagwan in the near future.

【暖炉にみる明治の懸命な文化導入 旧岩崎邸探訪-4】




明治の初年に北海道の開拓が進むにつれて、欧米からの暖房機器の輸入、国産化がすぐに開始されていった。幕末〜明治初期の志士たちは「北門の鎖鑰(さやく〜外敵の侵入を防ぐ重要な場所の意)」というコトバを交わし合っていた。日本国家として帝国主義列強、もっとも具体的脅威としてロシアによる「南下占領」を警戒し、それへの最大の国防作戦として北海道島への殖民、日本領土化の実質を担保しなければならないということが熱病のように国民の多くの意識を駆け巡っていた。
明治維新という政変にとってこの「北門の鎖鑰」論は大きな動機要因を形成していたと思う。武力によって国家を支配してきた徳川政権の正統性が、外圧によって大きく揺らぐことになったのだ。「イヨッ“征夷”大将軍!」と、直接、徳川将軍の行列に対して罵倒した記録もある。
幕末期に諸藩は北辺防備のために北海道沿岸部各地に「陣屋」を築いて越冬滞陣していたが、日本の通風重視の建築では寒さに対して決定的に破綻して、多くの病死者を続出させた。ロシアと戦う前に北海道の過酷な寒さによって軍事も戦略破綻を来していたのだ。
そういった危機感から、のちに総理大臣にも就任する明治初期の箱館戦争での新政府側指揮官・黒田清隆は自ら寒冷風土に適応した建築を研究するに至る。そういう建築研究が極まって、自ら屋根に上って現場工事に突然参加するほど没入していたとされる。日本建築の寒冷への不適合を肌身で知って欧米の先進的建築を導入しようと、明治という時代は総力を傾けた。今日に残る札幌のマザー都市景観は、そういった建築技術の展示場機能を果たしていたとも思われる。
今日に至っても北海道が日本人にとって一種エキゾチズムを感じさせるのは、こういう明治期由来の寒冷地対応建築群の欧米風の景観印象が、その心理の基底にあるからなのでしょう。
この旧岩崎邸建築には、そういった同様のデザインコンセプトが投入されている。
なんといっても暖炉への異常なまでの数寄こころが発揮されている。英国人建築家としてもこれでもかと暖炉を多用する住宅建築というのは王侯貴族住宅並みであって、「一回、やってみたかった」建築だったかも知れない(笑)。

北海道住宅ではこうした暖炉は工事価格的に庶民にはまったく無理であり、一般的にはストーブ暖房の採用に向かっていった。ルンペンストーブというように浮浪者、乞食を表現する名詞を冠されて卑語されるような、低価格で実用性重視のものが導入された。
一方で「お雇い外国人」として本国にいて得られる報酬の数倍と言われるギャラで来日した英国人建築家が、東京上野の高台の家で社会の最上流人士のために、贅沢にも各室毎に設置した暖炉には、その石材に重厚なデザイン加工までもが施されている。その設計指導の下で明治の職人たちは必死に「生きた」近代住宅建築の技術習得に励んだに違いない。
この旧岩崎邸には、近代国家への懸命なキャッチアップを志向する明治日本のある種の凄みを感じさせられてならない。
その後、日本人建築家という存在を育てたルーツ文化がここにはあるのでしょう。

English version⬇

The introduction of the Meiji Era’s culture of hard work in fireplaces.
Introduction of the concept of indoor climate control. Brilliant masonry sculpture design. Under the guidance of an English architect, Meiji craftsmen worked hard to master their skills. …

As the development of Hokkaido progressed in the first years of the Meiji era, imports of heating equipment from Europe and the United States and domestic production soon began. The samurai of the late Edo period and early Meiji period exchanged the phrase “the key to the northern gate” (meaning an important place to prevent the invasion of foreign enemies). The Japanese nation was wary of the “southward occupation” by the imperialist powers, most concretely Russia, and as the greatest national defense strategy against this threat, it was as if a fever was running through the consciousness of many of its citizens that the colonization of Hokkaido Island and its territorialization as Japanese territory must be secured.
I believe that the “lock on the northern gate” theory was a major motivating factor for the political change known as the Meiji Restoration. The legitimacy of the Tokugawa regime, which had led the nation by force, was greatly shaken by external pressure. There is a record of a Tokugawa shogun directly cursing a procession of his subordinates, saying, “You are a barbarian general, aren’t you?
In the final days of the Tokugawa shogunate, clans built “camps” along the Hokkaido coastline to protect their northern fronts during the winter, but Japan’s ventilation-oriented architecture failed decisively against the cold, resulting in many deaths from disease. Before fighting the Russians, the harsh cold of Hokkaido had already caused a strategic failure in the military.
This sense of crisis led Kiyotaka Kuroda, the commander of the new government during the Hakodate War in the early Meiji period, who later became prime minister, to conduct his own research on architecture adapted to the cold climate. It is said that he was so absorbed in his architectural research that he even climbed onto the roof himself and suddenly participated in on-site construction work. Knowing firsthand that Japanese architecture was not suited to the cold, the Meiji period (1868-1912) saw a concerted effort to introduce advanced architecture from the West. The mother city landscape of Sapporo, which remains today, is thought to have served as an exhibition hall for such architectural technology.
The reason why Hokkaido still evokes a kind of exoticism for Japanese people today is probably due to the exotic landscape impression of the cold-weather-responsive architecture of the Meiji period that lies at the base of their psychology.
This former Iwasaki Residence building also incorporates such a similar design concept.
The fireplace is a symbol of the extraordinary “sukiyoko” spirit. Even for an Englishman, a residential building with so many fireplaces is comparable to a residence for royalty and aristocracy, and it may have been something he “wanted to try at least once” (laughs).
In Hokkaido housing, such fireplaces were not feasible for the average person due to the cost of construction, and the general trend was toward the use of stoves. Low-priced, utility-oriented stoves were introduced, such as the lumpenstove, a derogatory term with a noun to describe a hobo or beggar.
On the other hand, a British architect who came to Japan as a “hired foreigner,” paid several times what he would have been paid in his home country, lavishly installed fireplaces in each room of a house on a hill in Tokyo’s Ueno district for the highest-ranking members of society, and even had the stone materials heavily processed in a profound design. Under the guidance of these designers, Meiji craftsmen must have worked hard to master the techniques of “living” modern residential architecture.
The former Iwasaki Residence gives one the impression of a certain kind of awesome Meiji Japan, which was eager to catch up with the modern nation.
Here must be the root culture that subsequently nurtured the existence of Japanese architects.

【武将榊原氏〜明治政府〜三菱創業家へ 旧岩崎邸探訪-3】



この旧岩崎邸の説明資料にはこの広大な邸宅敷地について以下のような説明記述。
「本庭園敷地は江戸時代には越後高田藩・榊原氏の屋敷であり、その後明治政府に上地され薩摩藩閥などの所有を経た後、1878(明治11)年、三菱の創業者・岩崎弥太郎が買い取った。往時は約16,000坪もの敷地を有していた。」
日本の政治体制がわかりやすく武権の交代であったとも見られる明治維新を経た後、以降、経済的自由競争の時代が始まる中で、政商的側面を大きなテコとして大財閥へと進化した日本資本主義の一財閥に移譲された。権力と経済が分化していった状況が反映される。ついでに言えば、それが現在は公共の歴史的施設として存続していることは、この150年間の日本社会の変容を映し出してもいると思える。
いずれにしても、日本の政治経済の権力の推移がこの広大な敷地空間には凝縮している。
そして建築は明治社会が導入した「文明開化」によって洋館のデザインが導入されていった。一方で、同時期に対露の国防の最前線であった北海道では、殖産移民によって国土支配の実効性を高め国土利用を高度化させる必要性が求められた。そのことを実現させる寒冷地での居住環境獲得のために、用の役に立たない「夏を旨とした」日本建築に代えて、積極的に居住環境性能の優位性の側面に着目して洋風住宅が広く普及していった。
北海道人としてはこの旧岩崎邸は、北海道各地に残る明治の古建築、なかには皇室御用達の建築もあるけれど、そういう建築とのデザイン的共通性を強く感じる。
そうではあるけれど、一方で北海道住宅はその後の進化方向が居住性能に向かったのに対して、同様に、しかも最先端のイギリスの建築家をのちの東大工学部に教授として、いわば国家として迎え入れた首都地域では、北海道の志向性とはやがて乖離していったのはなぜという疑問を持つ。


ジョサイア・コンドルという建築家は、多くの日本人「建築家」を生み出す父性に昇華されていったわけだけれど、北海道が求めたような発展の方向には至らなかった。この時代の世界の住文化、その主流にはやはり「住性能」という位置付けは必ずしも明確ではなかったのでしょう。
ただし、そのように見ているといくつかの萌芽的証拠は感じられる。
上の写真は、この高級住宅の各エリア・部屋ごとに設置されている暖炉の様子。驚くばかりの装飾性がきらびやかだけれど、実用性としての意図は十分に感じられる。この当時(明治中期)の東京上野で、高級洋館建築にはこのような「暖房設備」が各室毎に設置すべきであるという建築家としての明示がある。
さらにその下の写真には、今日の温水パネルに繋がってくるようなふく射暖房装置も置かれていた。このふく射暖房を示す装置が、いつの段階で設置されたか、までは現場では館員の方から確認はできなかったけれど。

English version⬇

Former Iwasaki Residence: From the Warlord Sakakibara to the Meiji Government to the Founding Family of Mitsubishi – Visit to the Former Iwasaki Residence – 3
As a result of the transition from the tyrannical military regime of the Edo period to the capitalist system of free competition, the mansion was transferred to a successful, albeit quite politico-commercial, individual. …

The explanatory material of the former Iwasaki Residence describes the grounds of this vast residence as follows: “The grounds of this garden were the residence of the Sakakibara clan of the Echigo Takata domain during the Edo period.
In 1878, Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi Corporation, purchased the property. At the time, the estate covered an area of about 16,000 tsubo.”
After the Meiji Restoration, which can be seen as the change of military power in Japan’s political system in plain sight, the company was transferred to one of the zaibatsu of Japanese capitalism, which evolved into a large zaibatsu with the political and commercial aspects as a major lever in the beginning of the era of economic free competition that followed. This reflects the situation in which power and economy were differentiated. Incidentally, the fact that it now survives as a public historical institution also seems to reflect the transformation of Japanese society over the past 150 years.
In any case, the transition of Japanese political and economic power is condensed in this vast site space.
And as for architecture, the “civilization and enlightenment” introduced by the Meiji society led to the introduction of Western-style building designs. At the same time, Hokkaido, which was at the forefront of national defense against Russia during the same period, needed to increase the effectiveness of land control and sophistication of land use through colonization and immigration. To achieve this, Western-style houses were widely used in the cold region, focusing on their superiority in terms of living environment performance, instead of the useless “summer-oriented” Japanese architecture.
As a Hokkaido native, I strongly feel that the design of the former Iwasaki Residence has much in common with other old Meiji-era buildings in various parts of Hokkaido, some of which were built under the Imperial Household Law.
That being said, however, I wonder why the direction of evolution of Hokkaido’s housing was toward residential performance, while that of the capital region, which welcomed a cutting-edge British architect as a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Engineering, eventually diverged from Hokkaido’s orientation.

The architect Josiah Conder was sublimated into paternity that produced many Japanese “architects,” but he did not go in the direction of development that Hokkaido sought. The world’s housing culture of this period, and the positioning of “housing performance” in the mainstream of that culture, was still not necessarily clear.
However, looking at it that way, some budding evidence can be sensed.
The photo above shows the fireplaces installed in each area and room of this luxury home. Although the decorative features are surprisingly glittering, one can sense that they were intended to be utilitarian. At this time (mid-Meiji period) in Ueno, Tokyo, the architect clearly stated that such a “heating system” should be installed in each room in a high-class Western-style building.
In the photo below, a radiant heating system similar to today’s hot-water panels was also installed. Although the museum staff was not able to confirm when this radiant heating system was installed at the site, it was not clear when it was installed.

【初源は徳川四天王・榊原邸 旧岩崎邸探訪-2】


東京には半世紀前頃に(笑)、8年間いたのでそれなりの土地勘もあるのですが、案外上野周辺というのは馴染みがほとんどなかった。逆に最近東京出張すると必ず美術館巡りをしたいのでその行動拠点として上野というのは、東京国立博物館をはじめとして文化施設が集中していて、利便性が高い。
そういった土地勘からすると不忍池近くの高台にこの邸宅は望まれて、それが「旧岩崎邸」という三菱財閥の創始者の名が冠せられていることもあって、現在は国有資産で公園化していると言われても縁遠いと感じていた。70年安保闘争期の元新左翼少年としては「資本家」の象徴みたいに感じていたのかも知れません(笑)。
そもそも日本歴史好きだけれど、現代日本人特有な特性として近現代史については歴史授業でほとんど学ぶことがなくて基礎的な知識レベルが低い。戦後、現代史はなるべく触れないことにしようというオカシなコンセンサスが成立している。結果、東京都内という非常に街並み変化の激しい土地柄もあって、その直接的な来歴、歴史については断片的な情報に留まらざるを得ない。そういうこともあって他の地方と大きく違って、情報が少なく縁遠く感じてしまうのでしょう。また、首都地域であるので地域独自性というのも顕在化しにくい。
しかしそういうバイアスを消去してみると、この旧岩崎邸は大名屋敷の後継敷地・建築であることは容易に気付くことができる。
この上野不忍池周辺は江戸に入府した徳川家として、仮想敵勢力としての東北・伊達家、会津・上杉家地域などへの街道に面した要衝であり、最初にその防衛役を担ったのは、いまの大河ドラマで出てくる榊原康政だという。
その屋敷が置かれたのがこの敷地であり、やや高地に立地しているのは物見の用でもあったと推測できる。東京都内であるのに、上の写真では建物の背景にビル群の映り込みもないのは、立地適性を物語っている。
明治以降、東北本線の起点として上野が選択されたのには、当然ながらこういった要衝地であったことが反映したのでしょう。現代に至っても灯籠などに榊原家時代の痕跡が見られる、とも言われている。


現代に残されているこの明治29年建築という洋館は、岩崎家2代当主がイギリスの建築家ジョサイア・コンドルに依頼して建築させたもの。現在重要文化財指定。
コンドルは明治10年に工部大学校(現・東京大学工学部)の造家学(建築学)教師として来日して西洋建築学を教えた。傍ら明治期洋館の建築家として活躍し、上野博物館や鹿鳴館、有栖川宮邸などを設計。辰野金吾をはじめ創成期の日本人建築家を育成し、明治以後の日本建築界の基礎を築いた。<あしたへ続く>

English version⬇

Hatsugen is the residence of the four Tokugawa kings, Sakakibara.
A defense base against virtual enemies in the Tohoku region. On the hill adjacent to Shinobazuno Pond, a natural moat in the low marshy area of Ueno, Yasumasa Sakakibara, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Tokugawa, had his residence and commanding presence. The city was also known as

I was in Tokyo for eight years around half a century ago (laugh), so I have a reasonable familiarity with the area, but surprisingly, I had little familiarity with the Ueno area. On the contrary, when I travel to Tokyo these days, I always want to visit art museums, so Ueno is a convenient base for such activities because of its concentration of cultural facilities, including the Tokyo National Museum.
As a former New Leftist boy during the 70-year Security Treaty struggle, I may have felt like a symbol of “capitalists” (laugh). As a former New Leftist boy during the 70’s Security Treaty struggle, I may have felt it was a symbol of “capitalists” (laugh).
Although I love Japanese history to begin with, modern and contemporary history is a characteristic of modern Japanese, and I rarely learn about it in history class, so my basic knowledge level is low. There is a strange consensus that postwar and contemporary history should be avoided as much as possible. As a result, due to the rapidly changing nature of the Tokyo metropolitan area, the direct history of the city is limited to fragmentary information. This is one of the reasons why, unlike other regions, there is very little information about the city and it seems remote from the rest of the country. In addition, because it is a metropolitan area, the uniqueness of the region is not readily apparent.
However, when such biases are eliminated, it is easy to realize that the former Iwasaki Residence is the successor site and architecture of a daimyo’s mansion.
The area around Ueno Shinobazunoike Pond was a strategic point for the Tokugawa family, which entered Edo, facing a road leading to the areas of the Date family in Tohoku and the Uesugi family in Aizu, which were the hypothetical enemy forces.
The first person to take charge of its defense was Yasumasa Sakakibara, whose residence was located on this site, and it can be assumed that the slightly elevated location was used as a place to view things. The fact that there is no reflection of buildings in the background of the building in the photo above, even though it is located in Tokyo, shows the suitability of the location.
The fact that Ueno was chosen as the starting point of the Tohoku Main Line after the Meiji era (1868-1912) must naturally reflect the fact that it was such a strategic location. It is said that traces of the Sakakibara family period can still be seen in the lanterns and other structures even today.

This Western-style house, built in 1896, was commissioned by the second head of the Iwasaki family to British architect Josiah Conder. It is currently designated as an Important Cultural Property.
Condor came to Japan in 1877 as a teacher of architecture at the School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, where he taught Western architectural studies. He was also active as an architect of Western-style buildings during the Meiji period, designing the Ueno Museum, the Rokumeikan, the Arisugawa-no-miya Palace, and others. He fostered the development of Japanese architects such as Kingo Tatsuno, and laid the foundation of Japanese architecture after the Meiji era. .

【いま考える日本資本主義の草創 旧岩崎邸探訪-1】


本日から東京上野にある「旧岩崎邸」探訪記をシリーズで始めたいと思います。弊社では関東地域での「関東の工務店と建てる」別冊企画を無事出版しましたが、それをきっかけとして、住宅の最大消費地・関東について俯瞰的な視点で地域性のようなものを捉えてみたいという願望からであります。
あまりにテーマが大きすぎてとても敵わないだろうとは承知していますが、利根川東遷、東国三社というように関東地域探究を重ねてみて、巨視的な掘り下げに挑戦はしてみたいと思ったのです。住宅の地域的文化性、時代的文化性など多様な視点があるので、地獄の釜を覗くような心境であります(笑)。でもまぁ、別に誰に迷惑にもならないだろうから、個人的に深掘りしたいのであります。
また一方、現在の状況は世界史的に非常にセンシティブな状況でもあると思います。隣国・中国の状況は非常に難局に至っていると考えられる。そういう状況を見るに付け、日本では資本主義、民間資本というものが経済の主人公であり、隣国では現在に至るもそうではないことがいちばん大きなテーマと思われるのです。
しかし、日本もつい150年前当時はそういった経済社会の揺籃期であった。それまでの武家による「専制」政治経済体制がさまざまな矛盾の爆発によって危機に至り、欧米の開かれた資本主義による開国要求と調和するように体制転換していった。そういう歴史経緯を経験してきている。
その時期に、いわば「政治と経済」の主体の独自発展・分化が進展した。経済は民間が主導し政治は制度の設計に専念するような近代国家志向が形成されていった。
住宅文化遺産としてはこの旧岩崎邸というのは、こういったテーマにとって象徴的な存在と思えるのですね。そんなテーマ意識ではじめて訪問させていただいた次第。


旧岩崎邸は、東京上野公園・不忍池にほど近い場所に立地している。こちらの敷地に隣接して「国立近代建築資料館」という施設があり、そちらで建築家住宅展が開催されていて、道に迷った結果、研究員の方から、この旧岩崎邸に直接ご案内いただいた、というのが訪問のきっかけでした(笑)。
研究員の方から伺ったのですが、旧岩崎邸敷地は徐々に国の施設が浸食してきているとのこと。都心に残る広大な土地ということでそのような経過状況なのでしょうね。ご案内いただいてようやくいちばん上の外観ポイントに立つことができました。

でもこの正面からいったん受付のある坂下までおりていく必要があった(笑)。裏口入園みたいな入り方だったので、入園料をお支払いするのに窓口に行き、そして戻って来たのであります(汗)。
ということで明日から、日本の資本主義が明治開国から創始していった様子を岩崎弥太郎(三菱の創業者)の邸宅をモデルに内観・外観などの写真と共に探訪したいと思います。

English version⬇

The Pioneering of Japanese Capitalism: Exploring the Former Iwasaki Residence-1
Ryoma Sakamoto and other samurai were keenly aware of the “separation of politics and economics” during the Meiji Restoration. This report includes the historical background of the residence of Mitsubishi founder Yataro Iwasaki, a native of Tosa. …

Today, we would like to start a series of articles on the “Former Iwasaki Residence” in Ueno, Tokyo. We have successfully published a separate volume of the “Building with Kanto’s Construction Companies” project in the Kanto region, and this is the beginning of our desire to take a bird’s eye view of the Kanto region, the largest consumer of housing in Japan, to see what the regional characteristics are.
Although I am aware that the theme is too large to be competitive, I would like to try to explore the Kanto region from the perspective of the Tone River eastward transition and the three shrines in the eastern part of the country, and to try to delve into the region from a macroscopic viewpoint. I have a diverse range of perspectives on the regional and historical culture of housing, so I feel as if I were peering into a cauldron of hell (laughs). But, well, I would like to dig deeper personally, because I am sure it will not bother anyone.
On the other hand, I think the current situation is very sensitive from a global historical perspective. The situation in China, our neighbor, is considered to have reached a very difficult point. The most important theme of this situation is that in Japan, capitalism and private capital are the protagonists of the economy, while this is not the case in the neighboring countries to this day.
However, Japan was in the infancy of such an economic society just 150 years ago. The previous “tyrannical” political and economic system of the samurai class had reached a crisis point due to an explosion of various contradictions, and the system was transformed to harmonize with the open capitalist demands of Europe and the United States. This is the historical background of the past.
It was during this period that the independent development and differentiation of the “political and economic” actors progressed. The economy was led by the private sector, and politics was devoted to the design of the system.
As a residential cultural heritage site, the former Iwasaki Residence seems to be symbolic of these themes. It was with this thematic awareness that I visited the house for the first time.

The former Iwasaki Residence is located near Shinobazu Pond in Tokyo’s Ueno Park. Adjacent to this site is a facility called the National Museum of Modern Architecture, where an exhibition of architects’ houses was being held, and as a result of getting lost, I was guided directly to this former Iwasaki residence by a researcher, which was the reason for my visit (laugh).
The researcher told us that the former Iwasaki residence site is gradually being encroached upon by government facilities. I guess such a situation is inevitable for such a large area of land remaining in the heart of the city. We were finally able to stand at the top of the exterior of the building.

But we had to go down to the bottom of the hill where the reception desk was located once from this front entrance (laugh). (Laughs). It was like entering the park through the back entrance, so I had to go to the counter to pay the entrance fee, and then came back (sweat).
So, starting tomorrow, I would like to explore how Japanese capitalism was founded from the opening of the country to the Meiji era, using the residence of Yataro Iwasaki (founder of Mitsubishi) as a model, along with photos of the interior and exterior of the house.