法隆寺宝物館「聖徳太子絵伝」記事、第16回目は推古天皇と聖徳太子による政権構造について。このシリーズの第一回はこちら→端正なモダニズム「法隆寺宝物館」探訪。

日本史が中国の歴史とも朝鮮半島の歴史とも大きく相違するのは、天皇という王権の存在。列島に統合的政治権力が発生して以来、国家統合の中核として存続してきた。
中国では易姓革命によって前王朝を暴力をもって倒した政権が変遷し続けてきた。朝鮮半島でもそもそも統一政権というものの方が稀有なように地域別に国家権力が乱立して権力が推移してきた。世界を見ても日本の権力構造はきわめて特殊で例外的な存在と言うことができるだろうと思う。辛うじてイギリスの権力構造が近似的だということがいえる。チャールズ国王の即位式で示された天皇家への配慮にはそういう意思が示されている。明治の大転換に際して、ヨーロッパ的な「皇帝型」権力というように転換したけれど、日本史の普通からすれば、明治以降戦前までの体制の方が特異的であって、むしろ敗戦後の占領軍統治以降の「象徴天皇制」の方がより普遍に近いと思える。敗戦後の混乱時、日本はギリギリの「国体護持」を計った様子がわかる。
そういった国体感覚の始原として聖徳太子の時代の権力構造が示唆的なのではないか。
写真は奈良で復元された平城京の「大極殿」のなかにある「高御座」。最近の令和の即位式でも今上天皇が座られたことが記憶に新しい。聖徳太子の時代でも太子22才の時に推古天皇が即位され、それと同時に「摂政」として聖徳太子が就任したことが「絵伝」に記録されている。
絵としての表現として、微妙な描き分けがあって面白い。２枚目の絵伝の図は法隆寺宝物館収蔵の皇室に寄贈された法隆寺本のもの。こちらでは、高御座に推古天皇が座られ、その脇に群臣とは高さを一段高くした座に聖徳太子が、やや体勢を「ナナメ」にして「殿上人」の群臣に対座されている。群臣たちはその位階に応じて高さの違う板敷きの間に座っている。そのなかから蘇我馬子がひとり進み出て天皇の詔勅を承っているところが描かれている。一方の「橘寺本」では同様の配置関係ながら、絵としては聖徳太子が正面に描かれている。構図に込められた意図の違いが興味をそそられる。
聖徳太子が摂政として国政を担当するに際しての事情が、奈良国立博物館での1965年の聖徳太子絵伝展の図録では以下のように解説（要旨）。
〜天皇は太子が摂政として政務を執ることを勅せられた。太子は身の不肖を理由に再三固持されたが、天皇はこれを容れられず、押して強く要望された。ここで太子は摂政となることを受諾した。民人はこれを聞いて慈父母に逢ったようだと悦んだという。〜
天皇自身が「三顧の礼」を尽くすというカタチで摂政権力・施政権への敬意を表すことで、いかにも「和を以て貴しとなす」ということを示されたのだろうか。いかにも倭国・和国。

English version⬇

Japanese Structure of Power: The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures-16
The creation of a national structure that separates kingship and government, where harmony is the key to nobility, from an imperial dictatorship and a system of vassal disputes within power. Is this the wisdom of the Japanese people? The wisdom of the Japanese people.

The 16th article in the “Shotoku Taishi E biography” series of the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures is about the structure of the government by Emperor Suiko and Shotoku Taishi.

What makes Japanese history so different from both Chinese history and Korean history is the existence of the royal power of the emperor. Since the emergence of unified political power in the archipelago, it has remained at the core of national unity.
In China, the Yi Surname Revolution led to the violent overthrow of the previous dynasty, and the regime has continued to change over the years. On the Korean Peninsula, too, unified government is a rarity. Looking at the rest of the world, Japan’s power structure can be said to be very unique and exceptional. The power structure of the United Kingdom is a close approximation. The consideration for the Emperor’s family shown at the coronation ceremony of King Charles indicates this intention. Although the Meiji Era brought about a major transition to a European-style “emperor-type” power, from the perspective of ordinary Japanese history, the system from the Meiji era to the prewar period was more unique, and the “symbolic emperor system” that emerged after the defeat of the Occupation forces in World War II is more universal. In the chaos that followed the defeat, we can see how Japan tried to “protect the national polity” at the very last minute.
The power structure of Prince Shotoku’s time may be suggestive as the origin of such a sense of national identity.
The photo shows the “High Imperial Throne” in the Daigoku-den Hall of Heijo-kyo, which was restored in Nara. It is fresh in our memories that Emperor Imagami sat in this seat at the recent accession ceremony of 2025. In the reign of Prince Shotoku, Emperor Suiko ascended to the throne at the age of 22, and at the same time, Shotoku Taishi assumed office as “regent,” as recorded in the “Pictorial Biography.
The second illustration in the pictorial biography is from the Horyuji version donated to the Imperial Household and housed in the Horyuji Treasury. In this painting, Emperor Suiko is seated on a high throne, flanked by Prince Shotoku, who is seated at a higher level than the courtiers, facing the courtiers, who are slightly “nana-mae” in their posture. The courtiers are seated on wooden floorboards of different heights according to their ranks. Among them, Soga no Umako is depicted as he steps forward to receive the emperor’s imperial decree. In the “Tachibana-ji” version, the same arrangement is used, but Prince Shotoku is depicted in the front. The difference in the intention behind the composition is intriguing.
The following is an explanation (abstract) of the circumstances surrounding Prince Shotoku’s assumption of national government as regent, as given in the catalogue of the 1965 exhibition of the pictorial biography of Prince Shotoku at the Nara National Museum.
〜The Emperor ordered that the Prince should administer the affairs of state as regent. The Prince repeatedly insisted on the appointment on the grounds that he was not worthy of the position, but the Emperor refused and insisted on the appointment. The Taishi accepted the request to become regent. When the people heard this, they rejoiced as if they had met a loving mother and father. ~ The Emperor himself said, “I will give you three blessings.
By showing his respect for the regent’s power and administrative authority in the form of the Emperor’s own “three-part courtesy,” was the Emperor demonstrating how “harmony is the key to nobility”? This is very Japanese and Japanese-style.

Posted on 6月 14th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

法隆寺宝物館「聖徳太子絵伝」記事、第15回目は聖徳太子27才の時の妻問い。ほぼ同時に世を去った愛妃「膳部菩岐々美郎女〜かしわで の ほききみのいらつめ」との出会い。このシリーズの第一回はこちら→端正なモダニズム「法隆寺宝物館」探訪。

この６−７世紀の飛鳥時代で27才での妻問いというのはやや「奥手」かと思う。聖徳太子自身も50才で死去しているので、王族であることも考えればこの女性以外にも妃はいただろう。３人、妃はいたとされているので、その中で最後に見初めた存在がこの女性だったのだろうか。この絵伝が忠実に準拠したと言われる917年成立の「聖徳太子伝暦」には「此の人は頗る合ぐ」という記述があるように、オシドリのように相思相愛だったという。
ついには太子が死ぬ前日に亡くなり、死ぬときはいっしょにとまで添い遂げた存在とされる。
膳部という氏族出身者で、膳村の近くに行幸されたときに、道端で野草のセリを摘んでいた３人の娘がいた。そのうちの２人は太子の行啓を知ると走り寄って奉迎したが、残る一人は顔も上げずにセリを積むばかりだった。太子は不審に思われて従者にその理由を問わせると「わたしは赤子の時にこの村の老女に拾われて育てられました。きょうはこの春はじめてセリ摘みに来ました。なるべく多くのセリを摘んで少しでも養育の恩に報いたく、太子をお迎えする余裕がございません」と言った。
太子はこの話を聞いてこころに留められ、娘を近くに召されてご覧になると、その麗質は玉のようで深くこころに恋情を抱かれた。ついにその娘を妃として迎えるべく、その夜、娘の家を訪ねることを約された。妻問婚。
村人たちは半信半疑だったというが、遅くなったけれど太子はこの娘宅を訪れ３日にわたって歓談されて、その後、輿を整えて娘を宮中に迎えられた。
太子とこの愛妃には四男四女ができたというから男女の相性も抜群だったのだろう。太子は「死後は共に埋葬されよう」と言ったと伝えられる。622年聖徳太子と共に病となり、太子が亡くなる前日に没した。聖徳太子の墓所である磯長陵（しながりょう）に合葬された。
膳という部民出身であり、膳氏は朝廷の食事を司る存在だったとされる。彼女がセリを摘んでいたのもそういう氏族としての当然の行為だったのだろう。膳氏は膳所など畿内周辺に地名としても残っている。
こういう男女としての愛情生活、そして動物への愛護のこころなど、聖徳太子という人物の傾向がうかがえてくる逸話だと思う。この女性が余念なくセリ摘みに打ち込んでいる様子に「惹かれ」たり、国内外から動物を贈られることが多かった事実を重ねたりしてみると、かれの内面のある部分が見えてくると思う。単純に言えば「まっすぐなるもの」への愛がポイントなのではないか。
その後の日本史が聖徳太子の個性を愛し続けたひとつのカギであるのかも知れない。

English version⬇

The Love of Prince Shotoku, the Daughter Picking Seri, The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures-15]
This work conveys the character of Prince Shotoku, who loved animals and honesty and frankness in his love affairs with men and women. The smiling love between a man and a woman lasted until his grave. …

The 15th article in the “Shotoku Taishi Pictorial Biography” series from the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures is about Shotoku Taishi’s wife questioning him when he was 27 years old. The 15th article in the “Shotoku Taishi Pictorial Biography” series, published by the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures, is about his encounter with his beloved wife, Kashiwade no Hokikiminoiratsume, who passed away at about the same time as Shotoku Taishi.

I think it is a bit “reserved” to ask for a wife at the age of 27 in the Asuka period of the 6th-7th century. Since Prince Shotoku himself died at the age of 50, there must have been other wives besides this woman, considering that he was royalty. The “Shotoku Taishi Denryaku,” which is said to be based on this pictorial biography, states that “this person was very compatible with each other like a mandarin duck,” as in the description “This person is very compatible.
It is said that they were as affectionate as mandarin ducks, and that they even died together the day before the death of the prince.
He was from a clan called Zenbu, and when he went to a place near Zen village, there were three daughters who were picking wild parsley by the roadside. Two of them ran to greet the Taishi when they learned of his visit, but the remaining one simply piled up the parsley without looking up. The Taishi became suspicious and asked the attendant why he was there. Today is the first time this spring that I have come to pick parsnips. I want to repay her for her kindness by picking as many parsnips as I can.
When the prince heard this story, he was deeply moved by her beauty and fell deeply in love with her. He promised to visit the daughter’s home that night in order to take her as his wife. Wife-questioning marriage.
The villagers were skeptical, but the Taishi visited the daughter’s home and spent three days talking with her, even though it was late, and then he arranged a carriage and welcomed her into the palace.
The prince and his wife had four sons and four daughters, so it is said that they must have been an excellent match. In 622, she became ill with Prince Shotoku and died the day before his death. He was buried in Isonaga-ryo, the grave site of Prince Shotoku.
She was from a tribe called Zen, and it is said that the Zen clan was in charge of the food of the imperial court. It is likely that her picking parsley was a natural part of her duties as a member of such a clan. The name “Zen” also remains as a place name in the Kinai region, such as Zensho.
This anecdote reveals the character of Prince Shotoku in his affectionate life as a man and a woman, and in his love for animals. If we are “attracted” to the woman’s devotedness to picking cherries, or if we compare it with the fact that he often received gifts of animals from home and abroad, we can see a certain part of his inner life. Simply put, his love for the “straight and narrow” is the key point.
This may be one of the keys to the continued love of Prince Shotoku’s individuality in subsequent Japanese history.

Posted on 6月 12th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

法隆寺宝物館「聖徳太子絵伝」記事、第13回目は飛鳥大仏の制作者・鞍作止利と国家寺院建築の発注者・聖徳太子の機縁について。このシリーズの第一回はこちら→端正なモダニズム「法隆寺宝物館」探訪。

聖徳太子絵伝について掘り下げて見てみてようやく鞍作止利と聖徳太子の直接的な場面と遭遇できた。絵伝探索の迷路の中で発見できた明瞭な図柄。このシリーズ３回目で紹介した記事【聖徳太子がモデル？仏像２体 法隆寺宝物館-3】の増補版でもあります。
上の写真はわたしが飛鳥周辺を散策するようになった最大の吸引力である飛鳥寺の大仏さん。この日本最初期の仏像の制作者が鞍作止利さんで、その作風がいかにもこころに響いてきたのです。その作リ手と聖徳太子との縁起が絵伝のワンシーンとして表現されているのですね。学究ではない凡百の身としては仏教導入最初期の日本社会の空気感に対して確信を持つのに十分と、一種のカタルシスを得られた（笑）。
２枚目の絵では右側に端座する聖徳太子が側近と談笑している。一方、左の別室では止利仏師とおぼしき人物と協力者が仏像の構想模型制作に取り組んでいる様子。丈六仏とは4.8mほどの大きさの「大仏」であり、この絵で表現されているのは、その構想モチーフを人間サイズで表現した試作品・雛形だったと想像できる。発注責任者である聖徳太子はその雛形をもとに作者の鞍作止利と、細部にわたっての綿密な打合せを重ねていた様子なのでしょう。太子の表情がきのう見た動物へのやさしい視線にも似てやわらかく感じる。数寄だったのではないか。
そして仏師の衣類には「異国風の衣装」の特徴があると、1965年奈良国立博物館での「聖徳太子絵伝展」での図録のなかで解説されている。博物館学芸員の専門的な意見として説得力を感じる。仏教導入というものがどんな社会背景であったのか、そのリアリティが伝わってくる。


一方でこの丈六仏を安置する寺院、のちに移転して奈良・元興寺となる飛鳥寺の建築風景も活写されている。この絵からは礎石は使われず、柱は土中に埋め込む掘立工法だったように見える。クギが多用されない「木組み」工法の時代の建築手法の手掛かり。先日紹介した「工人」木造大工職人さんたちの現場労働風景でしょう。
飛鳥寺の創建譚では仏師が作った丈六の大仏をこの建物に入れる段になって、寸法の相互連絡が不足していて「中に入れられません」という建築事故が発生したと伝えられている。それを鞍作止利は絶妙の機転を利かせて解決、問題突破したと言われている。＜しかしどうやったの？という方法は伝わっていない（笑）＞
また奈良朝のころの絵には大工さんが烏帽子をかぶっているのが多く見られるけれど、これも当時、外来の建築文化ファッションであったとも言われる。こういう部分も掘り下げて見ると面白そうですね。
時空を超える飛鳥の時代のものづくりの様子。共感を持ってその空気感が迫ってくる（笑）。

English version⬇

Shotoku Taishi had Kurusaku Tadatoshi create the Jorokubutsu (Jorokubutsu).
A meeting with the creator of the Jorokbutsu, which can be assumed to be the Great Buddha of Asuka, at the time of its creation. Construction site. Report on Asuka’s “monozukuri” site. ・・・・.

The thirteenth article in the “Shotoku Taishi Era Biography” series from the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures discusses the relationship between Kuramatsuki-Tsumari, the creator of the Asuka Great Buddha, and Shotoku Taishi, who ordered the construction of the national temples.

After delving into the pictorial biography of Prince Shotoku, I finally encountered a direct scene between Kurusaku Toritoshi and Prince Shotoku. A clear pattern found in the maze of pictorial biography search. In the third article in this series [Modeled after Shotoku Taishi? Two Buddhist statues: The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures-3].
The photo above is of the Great Buddha of Asukadera Temple, the biggest draw for me to explore the Asuka area. The creator of this first Buddhist statue in Japan was Mr. Toritoshi Kuramasaku, and the style of his work really resonated with me. The connection between the creator and Prince Shotoku is expressed in a scene from the pictorial biography. As an ordinary person who is not a scholar, I felt cathartic enough to be convinced of the atmosphere of Japanese society at the time when Buddhism was first introduced (laugh).
In the second picture, Prince Shotoku is seated on the right side, chatting with his entourage, while in another room on the left, a person who appears to be a Buddhist priest and his collaborators are working on the ancestral model of a Buddhist statue. The Jorokubutsu is a 4.8-meter statue of the Great Buddha, and we can imagine that what is depicted in this painting is a human-sized prototype or model of the motif that was conceived. It is likely that Prince Shotoku, who was in charge of placing the order, had detailed discussions with the artist, Kuramasaku Tomotoshi, based on the prototype. The expression on Prince Shotoku’s face is soft, similar to the gentle gaze toward animals we saw yesterday. It must have been a sukiyomi.
And the clothing of the Buddhist priests has the characteristics of “exotic costumes,” as explained in the catalogue of the 1965 exhibition of the pictorial biography of Prince Shotoku at the Nara National Museum. I find this a convincing professional opinion from a museum curator. It conveys the reality of the social background of the introduction of Buddhism.

On the other hand, the picture also shows the construction of Asukadera Temple, where the Jorokubutsu was enshrined, and which was later relocated to become Gankoji Temple in Nara. This painting shows that foundation stones were not used and that the pillars were dug into the ground. This is a clue to the architectural technique of the “wooden frame” method of construction, in which nails were not used extensively. This is probably a scene of wooden carpenters, such as the “Koujin” (artisans) introduced the other day, at work.
In the story of the founding of Asukadera Temple, it is said that when the time came to put the Joroku Buddha, which was made by a Buddhist priest, into this building, there was a construction accident because of a lack of intercommunication between the dimensions of the Buddha and the building. It is said that Kurusaku Tadatoshi solved the problem with his exquisite ingenuity and overcame the problem. ＜But how did he do it? The method of how he did it has not been handed down.
In paintings from the Nara period (710-794), carpenters can be seen wearing crow-shaped hats, which is said to have been a foreign architectural cultural fashion at the time. It would be interesting to delve deeper into this aspect of the art.
The scene of manufacturing in the Asuka period transcends time and space. The atmosphere of the time comes to me with sympathy (laughs).

Posted on 6月 10th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 住宅取材＆ウラ話, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

法隆寺宝物館「聖徳太子絵伝」記事、第11回目は小野妹子派遣などの東アジア世界との関わりについて。このシリーズの第一回はこちら→端正なモダニズム「法隆寺宝物館」探訪。

聖徳太子絵伝という壁面画についてはながく法隆寺の「秘伝」的なものとして所蔵され、戦後になって皇室に献上されたことから一般の目に触れることなく、一部の研究者のみが閲覧・見学できる存在だった。
なので全部で60にも及ぶという各シーンについて詳細な研究というのは行われなかった。公開されている研究論文でも絵画史としての分析が主で、多くの一般人の興味、歴史事実に対するその発生時に近い社会反応という分析興味があまり感じられない。
法隆寺宝物館デジタル展で、高精細な画像分析が公開されたことでたくさんの研究が今後、進展するように思う。わたしはその他凡百として、聖徳太子の事跡を表現するのにその時代が画家の手を通してどのように描かれたか、のほうに強く興味を持って見ています。
今回は聖徳太子の事跡のなかでもいちばん多い「外交」事跡。画面の剥落などでなかなか詳細ではないけれど、比較的に構図的にもわかりやすい２例。
百済国との関係というのがやはりもっとも多発する。日本という国家にとってこの朝鮮半島の地域国家はきわめて重要だったのだと思う。盛時はもちろん滅亡後の移民群も日本史に大きく変化要素を与えた。
上の画は「百済より駱駝など献上」とされたシーン。日本史上ではときどきゾウとかの国土に存在しない珍重動物が都の大路をデモンストレーションした記録がある。
動物園というものがなかった時代、庶民が世界の動物種を直接目に触れる機会というのはほとんどなかった。駱駝というのは西アジアの砂漠地帯を原産地域とする動物であり、東アジア一帯では棲息していない。その希少動物が隋では頻繁に隊商などを通して見られていただろう。それが極東の朝鮮半島・百済国を経て日本社会にもたらされたワケだ。
聖徳太子29才の時代の空気感がどうであったか想像力を刺激。シーンでは建物内部から庭先に駱駝が置かれている様子。太子は他でも富士山に黒駒にまたがって登頂したり、各地から馬を献上されたシーンもあるので、動物に関心が高かったように思う。
こういう希少動物との出会いなどが対外的な交流、外交の重要性を心理的にも強めたとも思える。仏教導入という基本政策の背景的心理要素を表しているのかも知れない。
そして次にあるのが、小野妹子の帰朝の様子。画面はそう鮮明ではないが左方に小野妹子一行があり、右手前方向に出迎え側が描写されている。聖徳太子はその出迎えの中に「微行」と書かれている。本来は権力者として帰朝した小野妹子を公式の場で「引見」するのだろうけれど、その外交交渉にあたっていかに心を砕いていたか、そのあまり、つい「出迎え」したと解すべきなのだろう。
随行した隋の国使はその様子に驚いて「拝す」ことになったものと思える。
「日出ずる国・日沈む国」外交書簡というギリギリ外交を展開して，その後の日本と中国国家の関係性の基底をつくった太子にして見ると、その任務を果たした小野妹子には強い信頼感・自らの外交選択の達成感をもったのだろう。時代の空気感を伝えてくれる。

English version⬇

[Prince Shotoku’s Diplomacy in the East Asian World: The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures-11
Rare animals raised many citizens’ awareness of the Japanese nation in the world. The thoughts of Prince Shotoku to Ono Imoko, the ambassador who created the basis of Japanese diplomacy. …

The wall paintings of Shotoku Taishi were kept in the “secret” collection of Horyuji Temple for a long time, and were presented to the imperial family after the war, so they were never seen by the general public, and only a few researchers were able to view them.
Therefore, no detailed research was conducted on each of the 60 scenes in the paintings. Even the research papers that have been made available to the public are mainly analyses of the history of the paintings, which is of little interest to the general public, nor to the analysis of social reactions to historical facts close to the time of their occurrence.
The digital exhibition at the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures has made high-resolution image analysis available to the public, and I believe this will lead to more research in the future. I am more interested in how the period was depicted through the hands of the artist in order to express the traces of Shotoku Taishi.
In this exhibition, we will focus on “diplomacy,” the most common of Shotoku Taishi’s events. Although the details are not so detailed due to the loss of images, the two examples are relatively easy to understand in terms of composition.
The relationship with the Baekje Kingdom is the most frequent. I believe that this regional state on the Korean peninsula was extremely important to the Japanese nation. The immigrant groups that came to Japan not only during the period of its prosperity, but also after its destruction, greatly changed the course of Japanese history.
The above picture shows the scene where “a camel and other animals were presented from Baekje. In Japanese history, there are records of demonstrations of elephants and other rare animals that did not exist in Japan.
In the days when there were no zoos, common people rarely had the opportunity to see the world’s animal species in person. The camel is an animal native to the deserts of Western Asia and does not live anywhere in East Asia. In the Sui Dynasty, this rare animal would have been frequently seen by traders. This is why they were brought to Japanese society via the Korean Peninsula and Baekje Province in the Far East.
The film stimulates the imagination of what the atmosphere was like in the age of Prince Shotoku, who was 29 years old. In the scene, a camel is placed in the garden from inside the building. In other scenes, Prince Shotoku climbed Mt. Fuji astride a kurokoma, and horses were offered to him from all over Japan.
It seems that encounters with rare animals like these may have psychologically strengthened the importance of external exchanges and diplomacy. This may represent a background psychological element of the basic policy of introducing Buddhism.
And next is the scene of Ono Imoko’s return to Japan. Although the picture is not so clear, the group of Ono-no-Imoko is on the left, and the welcoming party is depicted in the right foreground. Prince Shotoku is described as a “slight movement” in the welcoming group. Although Prince Shotoku would normally have “met” Ono-no-Imoko on her return from the Sui Dynasty as a powerful person in an official capacity, he was so devoted to the diplomatic negotiations that he should be understood to have “greeted” her in a rather “slight gesture.
The Sui Dynasty envoys who accompanied him were surprised at the situation and decided to “pay their respects” to him.
The Taishi, who developed the “Land of the Rising Sun, Land of the Setting Sun” diplomatic letter, a last-minute diplomacy that laid the foundation for the subsequent relationship between Japan and China, must have felt a strong sense of trust and accomplishment in Ono-no-Imoko, who fulfilled her mission and made her own diplomatic choices. This letter conveys the atmosphere of the times.

Posted on 6月 8th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類 | No Comments »

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

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


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

English version⬇

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

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

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

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

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