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【飛鳥時代の対東国、蝦夷認識 法隆寺宝物館-8】




「法隆寺宝物館「聖徳太子絵伝」についての記事、第8回目の今回は、この時代ようやく開発が進み始めていたとされる吾妻・板東地域とさらに東北の対蝦夷認識についてです。
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。

古代国家ヤマト政権というのは、どういった「国土」地理認識を持っていたのかというのは後世のわれわれにはわかりにくい。聖徳太子執政の時代、600年代の初頭時期には対大陸国家、対朝鮮半島国家への外交・国体認識に比較して、日本列島地域への関心程度は十分に伝わってこない。
そういった興味で聖徳太子絵伝のエピソード群を子細に見ているけれど、いわゆる関東地域を指す東国や、その「奥地」である東北・蝦夷への関与テーマはそれほど存在しない。
東国については現在の群馬県・栃木県地域である「毛野」地域は王朝国家としても認識はあったはずだと思う。この時代を少し下る663年の白村江海戦では上毛野稚子という「将軍」が総勢2万7千軍勢を率いて海外戦争を戦っている。当然ながら、ヤマト政権の有力な地方勢力として活躍しているワケだ。
この上毛野氏は実在が確実であるとされる10代天皇の崇神帝の血筋が関東に下って勢力を築いたとされる。この聖徳太子の世の天皇は33代推古天皇であるので、天皇在位年から考えても200-300年はヤマト王権による関東経営の実質はあったことが推察できる。それも海外派遣軍の一司令官になるほどには軍勢をまとめていたことを考えれば、相当有力な王権内勢力ではあっただろう。
聖徳太子絵伝ではかろうじて「富士登山」とか、甲斐国から黒駒が贈られてきたとか、蝦夷の記述とかが出てくる程度。蝦夷の記述に至っては上半身裸の姿で描かれていて、いかにも野蛮で化外なるものとして描かれている。
やはり仏教導入とか遣隋使の派遣などの大陸・半島などの海外との交渉が日本という国体を整備する基本的な志向性だったことが伝わってくる。富士についても、事実として太子が現地に赴いたというよりも、絵伝が成立した1069年段階の国土範囲認識のために後世に挿話されたように思える。
やはりヤマト王権としては、大陸・半島との外交が喫緊な対応課題であって、国土領域の東進拡大というテーマは、むしろ前時代のヤマトタケル派遣時代よりも後退していたのかも知れない。やはり王権維持のためには朝鮮半島からの輸入に頼っていた鉄製品が最重要な戦略物資であって、国内で安定的な鉄生産が開始される奈良期まで東国やその北方の蝦夷社会への関心は薄かったということだろうか。
初期のヤマト王権のこうした認識を改めて探究していて、アヅマという地域表現は、サツマという表現と対応的だったという説と遭遇した。大和平野と関西地域、環瀬戸内海、九州北部地域がこの時代の基本的な国土範囲認識であり、その領域外へのこうした呼称にその残滓が残っているという説。
はじめてじっくり考えて見る聖徳太子絵伝、いろいろな日本社会像を教えられる。

English version⬇

Recognition of the East and Emishi in the Asuka Period (The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures-8)
In the picture biography of Prince Shotoku, Mt. Fuji is the “Far East” in terms of land area recognition, and the Emishi were recognized as a truly foreign nation. The emphasis continued to be on the dense foreign relations with the continental peninsula.

In this eighth installment of our series of articles on the “Shotoku Taishi Eiden” in the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures, we focus on the Agatsuma and Bando areas, which are believed to have finally begun to develop during this period, as well as the perception of Emishi in the northeastern part of Japan.

It is difficult for us to understand how the ancient Yamato regime perceived “national land” and geography. During the time of Prince Shotoku’s regency in the early 600s, the degree of interest in the Japanese archipelago was not fully understood in comparison to the diplomatic and national awareness of the continental and Korean peninsula states.
With this interest, I have been looking closely at the episodes in the Shotoku Taishi Eaden, but there are not so many themes involving the Eastern Province, which refers to the so-called Kanto region, or the Tohoku and Emishi, which are the “back regions” of the Kanto region.
As for the eastern provinces, I believe that the “Kono” region, which is the area of present-day Gunma and Tochigi prefectures, must have been recognized as a dynastic state as well. A little later, in 663, at the Battle of Hakuchon River, a “shogun” named Kamomono Wakiko led a total of 27,000 troops to fight an overseas war. Naturally, he was a powerful local force in the Yamato regime.
The Kamomono clan is said to have been descended from the lineage of the 10th emperor, the Emperor Sojin, who is believed to have existed and built up his power in the Kanto region. Since the emperor of Prince Shotoku’s reign was the 33rd Emperor Suiko, it can be inferred that the Yamato royal authority had a substantial presence in the Kanto region for 200 to 300 years, considering the years of the emperor’s reign. Considering the fact that he was able to organize his forces to the extent of becoming a commander of an army dispatched overseas, he must have been a very powerful force within the royal authority.
In the pictorial biography of Prince Shotoku, there are only a few references to “climbing Mount Fuji,” a gift of Kurokoma from Kai Province, and a description of Emishi. In the description of Emishi, they are depicted with their upper body naked, and are depicted as barbaric and ungodly.
This shows that the introduction of Buddhism and the dispatch of envoys to Sui Dynasty China and Sui Dynasty Japan were fundamental to the development of Japan as a nation. Fuji, too, seems to have been a story that was inserted in later times in order to recognize the extent of the land in 1069, when the pictorial record was compiled, rather than the fact that Taishi actually visited the site.
The Yamato royal authority had the urgent task of diplomacy with the continent and peninsula, and the theme of eastward expansion of the land area may have been more of a regression from the previous era of Yamatotakeru’s dispatch. Iron products, which were imported from the Korean peninsula, were the most important strategic commodity for the maintenance of royal power, and the Yamato Takeru had little interest in the eastern provinces or the Emishi society to the north until the Nara period, when stable domestic iron production was initiated.
In my renewed exploration of these perceptions of the early Yamato kingdom, I came across a theory that the regional expression Azuma corresponded to the expression Satsuuma, which was used to describe the Yamato Plain, the Kansai region, and the Rim of Japan. The Yamato Plain, the Kansai region, the Seto Inland Sea, and northern Kyushu were the basic land areas recognized during this period, and this theory suggests that the names for areas outside of the Yamato Plain still retain traces of the Yamato Plain.
The pictorial biography of Prince Shotoku, which is being looked at carefully for the first time, gives us a variety of images of Japanese society.

【権力掌握後「憲法・冠位」の立法 法隆寺宝物館-7】



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

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


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

English version⬇

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

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

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

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

【聖徳太子四天王に祈願 崇仏派内戦勝利 法隆寺宝物館-6】




「法隆寺宝物館「聖徳太子絵伝」についての記事、第6回目の今回は、587年、聖徳太子16才の時に勃発した仏教導入を進める「崇仏派」と、それに反発する「排仏派」と呼ばれた勢力との戦い「丁未の乱」。
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。
当時の朝廷内では蘇我氏と物部氏がそれぞれの立場の頭目だった。蘇我氏を外戚に持つ時の天皇・用明は崇仏派であり仏法を重んじ王朝において仏教を実質公認した。一方、危機感を持った廃仏派の筆頭である物部守屋は、欽明天皇の皇子の一人の穴穂部皇子と通じていた。用明天皇は天然痘のため在位2年足らずの587年4月9日(古事記では4月15日)に崩御した。権力の真空状況が生まれた瞬間にこの武力衝突は起こった。
用明帝崩御から3ヶ月後の587年7月、蘇我馬子は物部守屋追討軍を派遣し厩戸皇子(聖徳太子)などの皇族や諸豪族の軍兵を率いて河内国渋川郡の守屋の館へ進軍。大和国から河内国へ入った蘇我軍は餌香川の河原で物部軍と交戦し、戦後の河内国司の言によれば双方合わせての戦死者は数百に上った。
この激戦の中、厩戸皇子は仏法の加護を得ようと四天王像をつくり、戦勝を祈願し勝利すれば仏塔をつくり仏法の普及に努めると誓った。激戦の中、守屋は矢に当たって死亡し総大将を失った物部軍は総崩れ。この好機に追討軍の寄せ手は攻めかかり守屋の一族を皆殺しにした。
蘇我氏勢力は親子2代にわたって対立してきた宿敵・物部氏の勢力を中央から完全に排除することに成功し、厩戸皇子と連携してさらに権勢を強めていく。物部氏を中心とした仏教反対派の発言力が衰え、仏教の国内浸透も本格化した。戦後厩戸皇子は摂津国に四天王寺を建立した。<以上、Wiki記述から要旨抜粋>

いちばん上の映像はデジタル聖徳太子絵伝展で公開されていたビジュアル画像。多数のエキストラを動員し野外ロケも行っていた様子。あるいはテレビ番組制作などの機会に撮影されたものを法隆寺宝物館が利用していたのかも知れない。正面に見える柵が物部氏勢力のもので手前側が蘇我氏側。現代で考えられている時代考証を踏まえての各種設定だろうと思える。
聖徳太子はこの戦いに参陣しているのでまさに生々しい。それこそ聖人君子とて「覇道」を持って権力闘争を勝ち取った状況が見て取れる。この世はきれい事ではないのだ。物部守屋の領地は戦後、蘇我氏と四天王寺に両分されたといわれている。現在にまで残る四天王寺の伽藍の初源の様子が描かれている。
こうしていろいろな研究者の整理分析に基づいて聖徳太子絵伝をじっくりと解析していくと、太子の生きた時代(572〜622年)や絵伝成立時代(平安後期・1069年)の空気感が再生されてくる。聖徳太子絵伝によって、これまで知ることのなかった時代に気付かされその吸引力に強く惹かれている(笑)。・・・

English version⬇

Prayer to Prince Shotoku’s Four Heavenly Kings Victory in the Civil War of the Chōbutsu Faction The Gallery of Horyu-ji Treasures-6
The “Dingmi Rebellion,” an armed struggle within the regime that I did not know much about. A civil war during the period of the introduction of Buddhism. At the boiling point of the times, bloody battles decided the fate of the nation. …

In this sixth installment of the series of articles on “Shotoku Taishi Eiden” in the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures, we will look at the “Chomi no Rebellion” that broke out in 587, when Shotoku Taishi was 16 years old, between the “Chobutsuha” who promoted the introduction of Buddhism and the “Chobutsuha” who opposed the introduction.
Click here for the first article in this series→Exploring the neat modernism of the “Gallery of Horyuji Treasures.→端正なモダニズム「法隆寺宝物館」探訪。
The Soga and Monobe clans were the heads of their respective positions within the Imperial Court at that time. Emperor Yomei, who had the Soga clan as his relatives, was of the Buddhist sect and respected Buddhism. On the other hand, Monobe no Moriya, who was the leader of the abolitionist faction, had a sense of crisis and was in communication with Prince Anahobe, one of Emperor Kinmei’s princes. Emperor Yomei collapsed on April 9, 587 (April 15 in the Kojiki), less than two years into his reign, due to smallpox. This armed conflict occurred at the moment a power vacuum was created.
In July 587, three months after the fall of Emperor Yomei, Soga Umako dispatched an army to pursue Monobe Moriya, and led a military force of the imperial family, including Prince Umamado (Prince Shotoku), and various powerful families to march on Moriya’s mansion in Shibukawa-gun, Kawachi Province. The Soga army entered Kawachi Province from Yamato Province and engaged Monobe’s army on the banks of the Yakka River, and according to the Kawachi provincial governor after the war, the combined death toll on both sides was several hundred.
In the midst of this fierce battle, Prince Umayato made statues of the Four Heavenly Kings to pray for victory and to obtain the blessings of Buddhism, and vowed that if he won the battle, he would build a pagoda and work to spread Buddhism. In the fierce battle, Moriya was hit by an arrow and killed, and Monobe’s army, which had lost its general, was crushed. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the pursuing force attacked and killed all of Moriya’s family members.
The Soga clan succeeded in completely eliminating the power of their archrival Mononobe clan, which had been at odds with the Soga clan for two generations, from the center of the country, and further strengthened their power in cooperation with Emperor Umato-no-mikoto. The Mononobe clan and other opponents of Buddhism waned in power, and the penetration of Buddhism into the country began in earnest. After the war, Prince Umayato built Shitennoji Temple in Settsu Province.

The top image is a visual image that was shown at the Digital Shotoku Taishi Eiden exhibition. It appears that a large number of extras were mobilized and outdoor filming was conducted. The image may have been filmed for a TV program, and then used by the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures. The fence in the front is for the Mononobe clan, and the one in the foreground is for the Soga clan. It seems likely that the various settings were made based on the historical research considered in the present day.
Prince Shotoku was present at this battle, so it is very vivid. We can see how even a saintly prince won the power struggle with his “high road”. This world is not a pretty one. It is said that after the war, Monobe Moriya’s domain was divided between the Soga clan and Shitennoji. The first source of the Shitennoji temple complex, which remains to this day, is depicted.
When the pictorial biography of Shotoku Taishi is carefully analyzed based on the organized analysis of various researchers, the atmosphere of the period in which Taishi lived (572-622) and the period in which the pictorial biography was established (late Heian period, 1069) can be reproduced. The pictorial biography of Shotoku Taishi makes me aware of an era that I had never known before, and I am strongly attracted to its attractiveness (laugh). Laughs.

【12才の太子、百済高官(二重スパイ?)と密談 法隆寺宝物館-5】




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

English version⬇

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

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

【少年聖徳太子 同時に10人の話を理解? 法隆寺宝物館-4】



さて、聖徳太子絵伝の中身・内容に分け入ってみよう。
写真のこのシーンが有名な「同時に10人の話をそれぞれに明瞭に聞き分け、理解していた」という常人を超えた太子の天才能力の発露とされる説話。子ども同士の会話であり内容自体はたわいのない日常的話題だっただろうから大略の内容は把握していたことはわかるけれど、しかし10人というのはやはり驚く。現代では「聞く力」をキャッチに使う人物もいるが(笑)。
そしてこういう説話を壁画全体の中でいちばん最初の隻に配置させたことで、聖徳太子の事跡全体にインパクトを一気通貫させる意味合いが込められたのだろう。後世の人間としては、太子没後400年近くになった平安時代の人びとにこのようにアナウンスして、それが以後の民族史全体に情報拡散されて一定の信用性を持っていた事実が面白い。


上の写真は全体として5隻10幅(5せき10ぷく。壁面絵画として3面の壁面に各部が配置されている)である壁面画のうちの第1隻。このなかで矢印の位置に、聖徳太子11歳のときの事跡として子どもたちと車座になって談笑している様子が描かれている。
この日本社会に登場した「絵伝」というものが果たした役割として、始原的な「情報メディア」であったことがよくわかる。絵伝という情報伝達形式は四天王寺などがこの時代までに活用していたという。仏教というものが日本社会に深く根付いていった過程で、このような伝達ツールについても独自開発・進化していったものと考えられる。
はじめは中国仏教の絵画形式が日本社会に導入されたといわれるけれど、やがて日本独自の「やまと絵」スタイルが確立してこのような形式に至っていたとのこと。そのように見てみると、この全体的な「迷宮のような事跡ニュース配置形式」は、現代の新聞などのメディアの「記事配置」と照合しているというようにもとらえることができるかと。
識字普及率が江戸期のようには高くないことがあきらかな平安時代、こういったメディアスタイルの採用には蓋然性が高いと思う。先日、迷宮のようなユニークな形式と絵伝について評した米識者の意見を書いたけれど、現代の新聞メディアでもそれぞれの情報について印象操作するために紙面に大きくバランス付けをしている。よく似ているのではないだろうか。雑誌人としては意図がよくわかる。
じっくり見てくるとここのように情報メディアである意味合いがつよく感じられてくる。日本で鎮護国家思想が貫徹され成功裡に仏教が国民に根付いていった過程には、こういう情報伝達についての進化発展が大きく与っていたと言えるのだろうと思う。
もちろん印刷拡散という段階ではなく法隆寺の一建築内でのコーナー展示であり、それもたぶん一般民衆よりも支配階級向けのものであったとはいえ、太子の少年らしい表情の表現は深い好感をひとびとに、体験型のメディアとして時間を掛けて情報拡散されていったのではないか。

English version⬇

Shotoku Taishi: Understanding Ten People’s Stories at the Same Time? The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures-4
I was tempted to say, “Really?” (laugh), but the expression on the cute boy’s face was so deeply favorable that it permeated the history of the people. …

Now, let’s take a look at the contents of the Shotoku Taishi Pictorial Biography.
This scene in the photo is the famous story of Prince Shotoku’s genius, which is said to have been manifested in his ability to hear and understand 10 people’s conversations at the same time, which is beyond ordinary people. The conversation was between children, and the content itself was probably a trivial everyday topic, so it is clear that he had a general grasp of the content, but 10 people is still astonishing. In modern times, some people use the “power of listening” as a catchphrase (laugh).
The placement of these stories on the first ship in the entire mural painting is probably meant to convey the impact of the whole of Prince Shotoku’s life. As a person of later generations, it is interesting to know that this kind of announcement to the people of the Heian period, nearly 400 years after the death of Prince Shotoku, was spread throughout the entire history of the people and had a certain degree of credibility.

The photo above shows the first of the five vessels (5 seki-10puku, each section of which is arranged on three walls as a wall painting). The photo above shows the first of the five vessels and ten panels (5 seki 10 puku, each section of which is arranged on three walls as a wall painting). In this painting, the arrow indicates that Prince Shotoku was 11 years old when he was sitting in a circle with his children and chatting with them.
The role played by the pictorial tradition in Japanese society can be clearly seen as a primitive form of “media. The pictorial tradition was utilized by Shitennoji Temple and others by this time. As Buddhism became deeply rooted in Japanese society, it is thought that such a communication tool was developed and evolved in its own way.
It is said that Chinese Buddhist painting styles were first introduced into Japanese society, but eventually a uniquely Japanese “Yamato-e” style was established, leading to this form of painting. In this way, the overall “labyrinthine news layout” can be seen as a reference to the “article layout” of modern newspapers and other media.
In the Heian period, when it was clear that the literacy rate was not as high as in the Edo period, it is highly probable that this kind of media style was adopted. The other day, I wrote about the opinion of an American expert who described the unique labyrinth-like format of the pictorial traditions, but even today’s newspaper media heavily balance their pages to manipulate the impression of each piece of information.
If you take a closer look at it, you will realize that it is a media of information. I think it is fair to say that the development of this type of information transmission contributed greatly to the process by which the idea of the state as a guardian nation was carried through in Japan and Buddhism successfully took root among the Japanese people.
Of course, the exhibition was not at the stage of being printed and disseminated, but rather it was a corner exhibition within a building of Horyuji Temple, and although it was probably intended for the ruling class rather than the general public, the boyish expressions on the Taishi’s face were deeply appreciated by people, and the information was disseminated over time as an experiential medium.

【聖徳太子がモデル?仏像2体 法隆寺宝物館-3】



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

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

English version⬇

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

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

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

【デジタル「聖徳太子絵伝」 in 法隆寺宝物館-2】


昨日建築を紹介した「法隆寺宝物館」。東京上野の東京国立博物館敷地の奥にある展示施設。明治11年に法隆寺から皇室に献上された宝物群を展示公開。いわば国民共有の文化財産。当然、私的所有という概念には似つかわしいものではなく、すべて共有されている。歴史的に貴重な知的文化資産を民が共有し、その価値感を進化発展させるのは民主主義の基本だと思う。
宝物館には多数の仏像などの品々が展示されているけれど、ちょうど訪問したとき「聖徳太子絵伝」のデジタル公開が行われていた。日本人と法隆寺、そしてその核心に存在する「聖徳太子信仰」がいきなり直球で展示されていた。
日本の王権が諸外国のような革命政変ではなく、比較的に温和なカタチで王権と政権の分離というような柔軟な政権交代を実現してきた根源には「鎮護国家」思想の成功、広い民衆の支持があると思う。「篤く三宝を敬え」とされる仏教政策を順守してきたことで、社会崩壊の危機を乗り越えてきた。皇統が少なくとも千数百年存続してきたことは、世界の奇跡。聖徳太子はその実在について論争があるけれど、王権の正統性根拠において枢要な存在だと思う。


その太子の生涯を伝える「聖徳太子絵伝」は1069年・平安時代に制作された絵画。上の絵はデジタル処理された現存の絵伝の内の一幅。多数の太子の事跡が時系列がやや前後しながらまるで迷路のように描画されている。アメリカの哲学者、ネルソン・グッドマン氏によると「全体として60の事跡がねじれた物語として構成されている」。不思議な絵画構成感覚といえるだろうか。
法隆寺創建(607年)からは相当の歴史経過を経ている。この時期に法隆寺では「舎利殿」とともに「絵殿」が新設され、その絵殿にこの絵画が障壁画のようにぐるっと一覧展示されていたのだとされる。

いまは模画が法隆寺絵殿に写真のように展示されているという。法隆寺の記録にはこの制作経緯についても明確な記述があり、絵師は摂津国大波郷の住人・秦致貞と明記されている。
まことにタイムトラベル風に時代回想を呼び起こされる(笑)。世は藤原氏の摂関政治全盛期ということができる。天皇家王権は象徴的存在であり、それを統御するシステムとして貴族層の頂点に藤原氏が存在していた時代。ただ、そういう藤原氏の政権独占に対して院政を対置して王権の執政回復を狙った白河帝がこの時期、皇太子になっている。やがて武士の興隆を招く直前の時代だろう。
そういう時代の中で、法隆寺としては日本仏教の根源地として、その創建に深く関わった聖徳太子の事跡を広く広報することで、日本社会での格別な地位を維持発展させようとしたものだろうか。また、平安後期には成立していた「郷絵師」秦致貞という存在にも強く興味を掻き立てられる。〜以下つづく。
<参考/金沢美術工芸大学紀要・大田昌子氏「法隆寺絵殿本・聖徳太子絵伝の語りの構造」>

English version⬇

Digital “Shotoku Taishi E biography” in The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures-2
The miraculous acceptance of Buddhist thought in Japanese society as a “state of tranquility and protection”. What is the “faith” of Horyu-ji Temple and its founder, Prince Shotoku? …

The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures, whose architecture was introduced yesterday. This exhibition facility is located at the rear of the Tokyo National Museum grounds in Ueno, Tokyo. The museum exhibits and displays a group of treasures presented to the imperial family by Horyuji Temple in 1878. In other words, the treasures are the common property of the people. Naturally, it does not resemble the concept of private ownership, but is entirely shared. It is the basis of democracy for the people to share historically valuable intellectual and cultural assets and to evolve and develop their sense of value.
The Treasure House has many Buddhist statues and other items on display, and when I visited the museum, the “Shotoku Taishi Eden” was being digitally displayed. The Japanese people, Horyu-ji Temple, and the “Shotoku Taishi faith” that exists at the core of the temple were suddenly on display in a direct manner.
I believe that the success of the “Shinko-no-Kokoku” philosophy and the broad support of the people are at the root of the flexible change of government in Japan, where the separation of power and administration has been achieved in a relatively mild manner, rather than through revolutionary changes of government as in other countries. The adherence to the Buddhist policy of “reverence for the three treasures” has helped the country to overcome the crisis of social disintegration. The fact that the imperial lineage has survived for at least a thousand years is a miracle of the world. Although there is some controversy over the existence of Prince Shotoku, I think he is a pivotal figure in the basis of the legitimacy of royal authority.

The “Shotoku Taishi E biography” tells the story of the life of Prince Shotoku, a painting created in 1069 during the Heian period (794-1185). The painting above is one of the existing digitally processed paintings. It is a labyrinth of numerous traces of the Taishi, with the chronological order of events slightly backward and forward. According to Nelson Goodman, an American philosopher, “Sixty events are arranged as a whole in a twisted narrative,” which is a curious sense of composition.
A considerable amount of history has passed since the founding of Horyuji Temple (607). It is said that the paintings were exhibited in the E-den (Picture Gallery), which was newly built along with the Shariden (Hall of Relics) at Horyu-ji during this period, and that the paintings were displayed in the E-den like a wall painting.

A reproduction of the painting is now on display in the Horyuji Picture Hall, as shown in the photo. The Horyuji record clearly describes how the painting was created, and the painter is clearly identified as Hata Chisada, a resident of Ohnami, Settsu Province.
It is truly a time traveler’s recollection of the times (laughs). The era can be said to be the heyday of the Fujiwara family’s regal government. The emperor’s royal authority was symbolic, and the Fujiwara clan existed at the top of the aristocratic class as a system to control it. However, the Emperor Shirakawa, who aimed to restore the royal regency by countering the Fujiwara’s monopoly of power with the Insei government, became the crown prince during this period. This was probably the period just before the rise of the samurai.
In such an era, Horyu-ji Temple, as the root of Buddhism in Japan, may have sought to maintain and develop its exceptional status in Japanese society by widely publicizing the memory of Prince Shotoku, who was deeply involved in its founding. The existence of Hata Chisada, a “goeji” painter who was established in the late Heian period, also arouses strong interest. To be continued.
<Reference: Kanazawa College of Art Bulletin, Masako Ota, “Narrative Structure of the Illustrated Biography of Shotoku Taishi in the Horyuji Eden Hon” >.

【端正なモダニズム「法隆寺宝物館」探訪-1】


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


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

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

English version⬇

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

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

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

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

【木質・自然系デザイン in 新木場駅周辺】


先日の東京ビッグサイトでのAIイベント出張時、都内と会場との往復移動でどうしたらいいかと考えた結果、はじめて「新木場駅」を経由することにした。ちょうど会場往復後の訪問先のことを考慮してクルマを借りていたので、新木場駅周辺での駐車場に入庫後、往復に出掛けた。
で、駐車場が地下だったのでいったん1階に上がって駅に向かおうとしたら、上の写真のようなフロントディスプレイに遭遇した。一見して、皇居のような巨大な森が窓越しに見えるかと錯覚した。
しかしよく見ると、これは木製の額縁で仕切って壁面緑化手法で自然の植物なのだと気付かされた。その生命感が新鮮で、単に自然から切り取って貼り付けました,という様子ではない。しっかりとこの体勢で「根付いて」いて、その状態で新鮮な発芽があり枝葉が生育しているのだと望見できた。
壁面緑化という手法によってコンクリートで固めた現代建築が醸し出す空気感に「うるおい」を与えようという試みをよく見聞きしていたけれど、それは一定の自然光受容があって成立すると思っていた。それに対してこれはものすごく「自然」に馴染んでいるのだけれど、どう考えても室内なのでよく考えると「不思議」感はあった。
そう考えてさらによく見てみると、どうも採用されている植物群は玄関のガラス面からの微弱な太陽光でもそれなりに生育可能なものなのかも知れないと想像できた。
壁面緑化というのは、東京のような極度密集地域では面積を必要としないで自然を復元させていくためのひとつの「解」でもあると思うので、こういった試みは大変有意義だと思った次第。少なくともわたしのようなエトランゼにも、強い好感として伝わった。

このビルを出てみたら、今度はとなりのビルではこんな試みも行われていた。木質建材によるコンクリート建築への「付加」外皮の様子。機能としては日射遮蔽のひとつの手法なのだろうと思える。コンクリートだけが外皮を構成するのと比べると、やはり人間の目にうるおい感は感じさせられる。
たぶん都の防火の規定でも一定の「外壁後退」が確保されれば木質建材使用は条件クリアすることができるのだろう。
壁面緑化にせよ木質外皮にせよ、こういった試みは大いに盛り上がって欲しい。昔の江戸の街では町人街で植木鉢などの連続などのちょっとした工夫で緑の演出がされていた様子が伝えられている。最近のこういった都市緑化の挑戦は、江戸期からのDNAが復権してきているようにも感じる。

English version⬇

Woody and natural design in Shinkiba Station area
In the tenement district of Edo (1603-1867), flowerpots were lined up along the street to ensure greenery that was easy on the human eye, based on the concept of mutual aid. There is no reason why such wisdom and ingenuity cannot be applied today. …

On a recent business trip to an AI event at Tokyo Big Sight, I wondered what I should do when traveling to and from the venue in Tokyo, and decided to go via “Shinkiba Station” for the first time. I had rented a car in consideration of my destination after the event, so I parked at a parking lot around Shinkiba Station and went out for the round trip.
As the parking lot was underground, I went up to the first floor to go to the station and encountered a front display like the one in the photo above. At first glance, I was under the illusion that I could see a huge forest like the Imperial Palace through the windows.
However, upon closer inspection, I realized that these were natural plants, partitioned by wooden frames and using the wall-greening technique. The sense of life is fresh and fresh, and it does not look as if it were simply cut from nature and pasted on the wall. It was firmly “rooted” in this position, and I could see fresh germination and growth of branches and leaves in this state.
I have often seen and heard of attempts to give “moisture” to the atmosphere created by modern concrete-framed buildings through the use of wall greening, but I had thought that such attempts were only possible with a certain amount of natural light. In contrast, this work is very much in tune with “nature,” but it is indoors, so when I thought about it more closely, I felt a sense of “strangeness.
After thinking about it and looking at it more closely, I could imagine that the plant group employed might be able to grow to a certain extent even in the weak sunlight coming from the glass surface of the entrance.
I think that wall greening is one of the “solutions” to restore nature in extremely dense areas such as Tokyo without requiring a large area. At least, even for an étranger like myself, I felt a strong positive impression of the project.

When I left this building, I found that the building next to it was also experimenting with the following. This is a view of an “added” exterior skin to a concrete building using wood building materials. It seems to me that this is a method of shielding the building from the sun. Compared to a building with an exterior skin composed only of concrete, it still gives a sense of lusciousness to the human eye.
Perhaps the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s fire prevention regulations also allow the use of wooden building materials as long as a certain amount of “exterior wall setback” is secured.
Whether it is wall greening or a wooden skin, I would like to see these kinds of attempts gain a lot of momentum. In the old days in Edo (old name for Tokyo), the streets of the townspeople’s districts were decorated with greenery through a series of flowerpots and other small efforts. I feel that these recent attempts at urban greening are restoring the DNA that has been present since the Edo period.

【ゲリラ開催、社長食堂・臨増「カツオたたき篇」】




さて住宅についてのわかりやすい情報の編集・加工生産プロセス、大車輪で作業中であります。わが社は感染症以降、リモートワークを積極的に導入して「あたらしい働き方」に移行してきていて、そういう環境下での生産性のコントロールに取り組んできています。
それはそれでいいのですが、社長食堂というような取り組みはなかなか再起動させるのがスムーズには行かない。全スタッフが一堂に会してワイワイというのはリモートワーク体制ではなかなか調整がたいへん。しかし、仕事のONのコミュニケーションはそれでいいとしても、いわば意識をOFFにしての会話機会も得がたい全的コミュニケーションが可能。
そういうことなので、ムリせず「できるときにやる」ということにしての臨時開催。
わたし自身はリモート体制下でも、魚の捌き方を余市の魚屋さんに弟子入り(笑)して、手ずから教えていただき、見よう見まね、たのしく修行中。お魚は常時買い置き、解体、さばいているので、急遽開催でも対応可能。
そういうことなので、きのうは全部で9名のスタッフが出社しているなか、お昼ご飯にカツオたたき&ソイ刺身&ドデカおにぎり製造・提供いたしました。
カツオたたきでは、わたしはぜひ「藁焼き」に挑戦したいと思っているのですが、カミさんと娘から「そんなメンドいことはやめよ!」という厳しいレッドカード警告。やむなくキャンプ用のバーナー装備での焼きこがしという手法で取り組んでみました。しばらくぶりでYouTube動画にアップしてリンクを張っておきましたが、見ていただけるものかどうか。早送りでご覧ください。
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KI0Kxq0fRs
カツオは先日札幌市内のお店でかわいい姿を見かけて、その愛らしさと値段の手頃さ(たしか記憶では1匹7-800円)に惹かれて、動画解説をみながら解体して、冷凍保存させていました。家族で食べまして、準備訓練はしていたので、急遽対応でも問題なし。バーナーでの炙りはカツオの皮の焼けっぷりが楽しいのでスタッフを呼んで見てもらった次第。煉瓦と網だけのワイルド調理。
久しぶりのスタッフの屈託ない笑顔を見られました。これからもときどきゲリラ的に好き勝手に臨時開催で料理の腕を少しずつ上げていきたいと思います。やるぞ!

English version⬇

Guerrilla event, President’s Dining Hall, Rinzou “Katsuo-no-Tataki” (Bonito Tataki)
The straw grill is a mendacious thing, and a camp burner-like device can be used for multiple purposes. The smiling face of food that supports information production. The smile of food that supports the production of information.

We are working hard on the process of editing and processing easy-to-understand information about housing. Since the infection, our company has been actively introducing remote work and moving to a “new way of working,” and we have been working to control productivity in such an environment.
That is all well and good, but it is not easy to smoothly restart such an initiative as the president’s cafeteria. It is difficult to coordinate a remote work system where the entire staff can get together and have a good time. However, while this is fine for on-the-job communication, it is also possible to have a conversation with the staff with their minds off the job, so to speak, and have a chance to communicate with the entire staff in a way that is unobtainable.
Therefore, I decided to hold this event on a temporary basis when I could, without being unreasonable.
Even though I am working remotely, I have apprenticed myself to a fishmonger in Yoichi, who taught me how to process fish, and I am learning as I go along. We always have a supply of fish on hand, so we are always ready to serve even if we need to hold a party on short notice.
So yesterday, with a total of nine staff members at work, we made and served bonito tataki, sashimi of sea bream, and huge rice balls for lunch.
As for the bonito tataki, I would love to try the straw-roasted bonito, but my wife and daughter gave me a stern red card warning: “Don’t do such a tedious thing! I was given a stern red card warning by my wife and daughter, “Don’t do such a tedious thing! I had no choice but to try it with a camping burner. I uploaded the video on YouTube and put a link to it, but I’m not sure if you can watch it or not. Please watch it in fast forward.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KI0Kxq0fRs
I saw a cute little bonito at a store in Sapporo the other day and was attracted by its loveliness and affordability (7-800 yen per fish, as I recall), so I dismantled it and had it frozen while watching the video commentary. We ate it as a family, and since we had done the preparation training, it was no problem to deal with it on short notice. Searing the bonito on the burner was a fun way to see how the skin of the bonito was burned, so I called the staff over to watch. Wild cooking with only bricks and nets.
It had been a while since I saw the carefree smiles on the staff’s faces. I would like to continue to improve my cooking skills little by little by holding occasional guerrilla-style events as I please. Let’s do it!