どんな時代でも女性は美を探求する。人間の本然として異性へのアピールというものが存在し、人間文化の中核に位置し続けている。日本では和服というファッションが成立し、それに似合った髪型が独特に発展して、江戸期女性は上のような結髪を施し、その重要なパーツとして鼈甲（べっこう）製品での髪飾りが盛況を究めていた。
髪に挿す櫛や「かんざし」の歴史は古く、すでに縄文の晩期頃には用いられていたという。奈良期ころまでは髪は束ねられ「結う」ことが行われた。平安時代以降、女性は垂髪となった。〜垂髪（すべらかし）とは、婦人の下げ髪の一種で十二単（じゅうにひとえ）を着る時の後ろに長く垂れ下げた髪型のこと。〜
室町時代末期からはまた「結い上げ」始め江戸時代には一般に広まって多数の独特の「髪型」というものが登場し「流行」現象が見られ始めたのでしょうか。それに伴ってさまざまな材質や形のものが一世を風靡するようになる。「房総のむら」では「小間物屋くる里」という店舗として紹介されていました。

日本の産業史としては北海道のニシン漁と北前船交易の大きな起動要因として、綿花栽培の魚肥として必要とされて本州地区の農家の畑で重厚に施肥された。その綿花を使って女性服が仕立てられ、最大のファッション産業が成立したのだとされる。それは主に上方・京呉服というブランドを成立させ、消費都市江戸に「下って」いった。下らないという言葉はこういう日本文化事情から出現していった。まことに女性美の探求は日本文化最大の起爆剤ですね、あな怖ろしや（笑）。

櫛・笄（こうがい）・簪（かんざし）などの髪飾りや白粉・紅などの化粧品をはじめ、塗り物の器や箱物、眼鏡、刃物、袋物、煙草入れ、根付など、こまごまとした日用品を商った。これらの商品は小間物問屋に集荷され小売りの小間物屋がそれらを仕入れた。主に女性生活用品なので客は女性が多く、小間物売りも女性が多かったといわれる。近代に入って次第に化粧品・服飾品などの種類が増え需要増加に伴い、小間物屋の多くは洋品店・化粧品店など専門店分化した。
小間物屋では中程度の小間物屋には、常時番頭を含めて４～５人の店員がいたという。座売りを主体としていた。同時に行商として竹カゴ数個を重ねて中に小間物類を入れて風呂敷に包み、背負って家々を訪ね売ることもした。当時は櫛や簪類も本物のべっ甲を使っており、虫がつきやすいので売れるまで虫除けの樟脳を入れるなど、気を使うことが多かったのという。
それにしても和服とこうした髪型という独自の審美眼というのは、非常に面白い日本女性美文化。こういう美の極限文化を持ちながら、西洋の審美文化も旺盛に取り入れたワケだ。そこにさまざまなフュージョンが生成したことも疑いない。

English version⬇

Edo Period, Boso Townhouse-5] “Hair Decoration & Hairdressing” – An Exploration of the Beauty of Japanese Women
The culture of hairstyles is like a pole point created by the aesthetic sense of Japanese women. The sublime search for beauty is deeply felt. The hair of the Edo period

Naturally, women in every age search for beauty. Appeal to the opposite sex exists as human nature, and it continues to be at the core of human culture. In Japan, the fashion of kimonos was established, and hairstyles that matched kimonos developed in a unique way.
The history of combs and “kanzashi,” or hairpins, is long, and they were already in use as early as the late Jomon period (710-794). Until around the Nara period (710-794), hair was bound and “tied”. After the Heian period (794-1185), women began to wear their hair in a slicked-back bun. 〜The term “slicked-back hair” refers to a type of lowered hairstyle worn by women when wearing the junihitoe (twelve-layered kimono), in which the hair hangs down long in the back. ~.
The “yuiage” hairstyle began to appear again at the end of the Muromachi period (1333-1573) and spread to the general public in the Edo period (1603-1867), and many unique “hairstyles” appeared and became “fashionable. In the Edo period, a variety of materials and shapes came to dominate the market. In “Boso no Mura”, it was introduced as a store called “Komono-ya Kururi”.

In Japan’s industrial history, the herring fishery in Hokkaido and trade with the Kitamae-bune were major factors in launching the industry, and it was heavily fertilized in the fields of farmers in the Honshu area, as it was needed as fish manure for cotton cultivation. It is believed that women’s clothing was tailored using this cotton, and the largest fashion industry was established. It is said that the greatest fashion industry was established using the cotton to tailor women’s clothing, which was mainly branded as Kamigata/Kyo kimono, and then “went down” to the consumer city of Edo. The word “shitaoranai” emerged from this Japanese cultural context. The search for feminine beauty is truly the greatest catalyst of Japanese culture.

They sold hair ornaments such as combs, Kougai (hairpin) and hairpins, cosmetics such as Shiroko (white powder) and rouge, and other daily necessities such as lacquered vessels, box goods, glasses, cutlery, bags, tobacco pouches, and netsuke (ornamental diapers). These goods were collected by koyomono wholesalers and purchased by retail koyomono shops. Since these goods were mainly women’s daily necessities, many of the customers were women, and it is said that many of the komono sellers were also women. In the modern era, the variety of cosmetics and accessories gradually increased, and as demand for these items grew, many komamono shops became specialty stores such as Western-style clothing stores and cosmetics stores.
A medium-sized haberdashery shop always had four to five staff members, including a watchman. The main business was selling goods on the floor. At the same time, they also peddled by carrying several bamboo baskets stacked one on top of the other, wrapped them in furoshiki (wrapping cloth), and sold them from house to house on their backs. In those days, combs and hairpins were made of real tortoiseshell, which was prone to attract insects, so they had to be carefully packed with camphor to keep insects away until sold.
The unique aesthetic sense of kimono and hairstyles is a very interesting part of the Japanese women’s beauty culture. While maintaining such an extreme culture of beauty, they also vigorously adopted Western aesthetic culture. There is no doubt that a variety of fusions were created in this culture.

Posted on 1月 12th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

唱歌で「村の鍛冶屋」という歌が歌われていた。あれは江戸期を過ぎて明治になって国民皆教育制度が始まったときに音楽の題材として取り上げられたもの。このブログの前シリーズでも「鍛冶屋」は取り上げたが、この時代までは確実にこのように庶民の暮らしのなかに存在していたのだ。
歴史的には日本列島に水田農耕が導入された3000年前くらいから、鉄製農具は産業利器として欠かせない存在であり補修も含めて鍛冶屋はきわめて枢要な社会的存在だっただろう。音楽唱歌を定めたとき日本人として、この生業を外すことは常識では考えられなかったのだと思う。
唱歌での謳われ方も、非常に活動的で「活気」そのものの社会存在として活写されていた。「ふいごも休まず」という一生懸命さは日本社会のダイナミズムの象徴でもあったのだろうか。
農機具は毎日のように使用するものであり、相手にする田畑から石などが露出してきて刃先が欠けるなどは日常的に発生しただろう。高価だったことが自明なその農具は人びとの命とくらしにとってかけがえのない存在。村の鍛冶屋はその「命綱」として有用だった。子どもたちにとってもワクワクする作業ぶりだっただろうし、またそういう職人仕事の見事さにこころが奪われてもいただろう。おとなの人間の職業としてリスペクトを強く感じさせてくれる存在だった。

この房総のむらではひとつの「町家」として展示され、また写真のように実演もされているので子どもたちを中心にたくさんの見物を集めていた。鉄製品を加熱して加工しやすいようにして、叩いて成形していく。その変形していく様子は、役立つものが目に見えて生産されていくプロセスを目に焼き付けさせる。
職人さんの周りにはたくさんの「依頼品」が持ち込まれていて、「ああ、あれはこんなふうに傷んでいるんだ」「どうやって直していくのだろう」というように製造補修の「想像力」を大いに刺激してくれる。そしてそれが目の前で直されていく。自分の想像通りのプロセスであれば「そうかやっぱり」と納得できるし、意外な補修がされていくと「おお、こんな考え方、やり方の方が合理的なんだ」というように社会教育されていく。
こういう社会教育には教科書はたぶん意味がない（笑）。また教えられたことについてテストの点数評価もできにくいだろう。職人さんには独特のスタイルがあり、そのひとなりの合理性根拠があってやり方はたぶん千差万別。ただ目的に対して真摯に向き合っていく生き方とか姿勢とかが、見る者に伝わっていくものだろう。子どもたちはそういう大人の姿を見て、さまざまにこころでピンナップしていく。いわばこころを育てる教育なのだろうか。

English version⬇

The town’s blacksmith” and “fugo (blowtorch)” never rests.
The wisdom and ingenuity of adults who provided social educational opportunities for children from the Edo period to the early Showa period. It conveys the importance of being useful to others.

The song “The Village Blacksmith” was sung in Shoka. That was taken up as a subject for music when the universal education system started in the Meiji era after the Edo period. The “blacksmith” was also discussed in the previous series of this blog, and up until this time, it certainly existed in the daily lives of the common people in this way.
Historically, iron agricultural tools were indispensable as industrial tools from around 3,000 years ago when rice paddy farming was introduced to the Japanese archipelago, and the blacksmith, including repair work, was probably an extremely important social presence. When the Japanese people wrote the musical shoka, it would have been unthinkable to exclude this occupation from their lives.
The way it was described in the shoka was also very active, and depicted a social existence of “vitality” itself. The “Fugo mo mo yasumu” (Never rest, no matter how hard you work) may have been a symbol of the dynamism of Japanese society.
Farm machinery was used daily, and chipping of the cutting edges would have occurred on a daily basis due to exposure to stones and other debris from the fields they were working in. It is obvious that these expensive farming implements were irreplaceable for people’s lives and livelihoods. The village blacksmith was useful as a “lifeline. The work must have been exciting for the children, and they must have been fascinated by the beauty of such craftsmanship. It was an existence that made me feel a strong respect for it as a profession for adults.

At this Boso no Mura, it was displayed as a single “machiya” (townhouse) and was also demonstrated as shown in the photo, attracting many spectators, especially children. Iron products are heated to make them easier to process, and then beaten and shaped. The deformation of the products makes the process of producing useful things visible to the eye.
Many “commissioned products” were brought in around the craftsmen, which greatly stimulated the “imagination” of manufacturing repair, such as “Oh, that is damaged like this,” and “I wonder how they will fix it. And then, it is repaired right in front of my eyes. If the process is as I imagined, I am convinced, and if the repair is done in an unexpected way, I am socially educated to think, “Wow, this way of thinking and doing things is more rational.
Textbooks are probably meaningless for this kind of social education (laughs). It would also be difficult to evaluate test scores on what was taught. Craftspeople have their own unique styles and rationale, and their methods probably vary widely. However, the way of life and attitude of sincerely facing one’s objectives will be conveyed to those who see them. Children will see such an adult figure and pin up their hearts in various ways. In other words, it is an education that nurtures the heart.

Posted on 1月 10th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

江戸期の千葉県、房総での商家の街並み「見える化」野外博物館探訪。
現代と江戸期のいちばん大きな違いは、現代では日本の基本的な「ものづくり」の実相を日常生活的にこどもたちが体感する機会が失せていること。江戸期までの社会ではどんなものづくりも基本的にその労働ぶりが公開される機会が多く提供されていた。こどもたちは現実の街中で具体的な職人仕事を見聞できていたので「ひとの仕事」についての豊かな想像力が刺激されていた。
写真は木工についての専門職の仕事ぶりが町場ですべて公開されていた様子の再現。「樽づくり」が行われていたけれど、樽の素材の木材の加工からそれを竹のリングで「締め上げていく」工程が衆人の見守る中で行われていた。具体的な手順がわかると同時に、真剣なものづくりへの「姿勢」も子どもたちは教えられることになっていた。一心不乱に作業に取り組む様子がこどもたちに仕事への「誇り」のようなものを感受させ植え付けていったことは想像に難くない。
そういうことが基盤となって、明治以降の急速な近代工業化社会の実現に大きく与っていたのではないか。ごく自然な「国民教育」の基盤を形成していたのではないかと考えられる。上の写真で言うと、部材の形状、その管理ぶり、そしてそれが手際よく組み上げられていく手順の合理性、段取り仕事の大切さなど教えられることは大きかったに違いない。職人にとっても自分の作業工程を包み隠さずに公開しているということは、正直に生きるということにも繋がっていたに相違ない。

個人的に面白く感じていたのは、長時間の労働であり「座って」の作業であるのに竹の輪での樽の締め上げ工程でも職人さんの「力の入れ方」がムリもムダもなく見えていたこと。で、職人さんが席を外したときにその座っている椅子を撮影してみた。そうしたら案の定、微妙に前傾姿勢を継続できるような角度が付けられていて、対面する樽に対して力の入れ具合にきわめて合理的なのだということに気付かされた。おそらくこの職人さんの体格的特徴に合わせて、微細な「工夫」が積層しているに違いなく、いわば段取りについての知恵を見る者にわかりやすく伝えてくれていた。

こういった「社会教育」が各職人仕事として「商家」という場で多くの人びとに公開され共有してきたことが、職人仕事への日本社会の強いリスペクトを生み出していたのだと感じさせられる。この房総のむらの現代でも参観に訪れていた多くの子どもたちが興味深そうにその仕事ぶりを見続けていた。
ひるがえって、今日の日本社会ではどうだろうか。どうもひとの手業での知恵と工夫の伝達が疎かになって、表面的な「点数稼ぎ」的な価値感が優勢になってしまってはいないだろうか。それは社会の活力にとってどうなのだろうかと、ふと疑問を感じさせられた。

English version⬇

Visible Manufacturing Industry “Woodworker-1” Bustling Bossou Townhouse, Edo Period – 2
Craftsmen’s work was open to the public in the town. It stimulated their own “devotion” and functioned as social education for the viewer. …

Visible” open-air museum visit to the streets of merchant houses in Boso, Chiba Prefecture, during the Edo period.
The biggest difference between today and the Edo period is that today, children no longer have the opportunity to experience the reality of basic Japanese “monozukuri” in their daily lives. Until the Edo period, any kind of craftsmanship basically provided many opportunities for the public to see how the work was done. Children were able to see and hear the work of craftsmen in the real world, which stimulated their rich imagination about “people’s work.
The photo shows a reproduction of a woodworking workshop where all the work of woodworking professionals was on display in the town hall. The “barrel making” was being performed, and the process of processing the wood for the barrels and “tightening” them up with bamboo rings was being carried out under the watchful eyes of the people. The children were able to understand the specific procedures and at the same time, were taught a serious “attitude” toward manufacturing. It is not difficult to imagine that the children’s single-minded devotion to their work instilled in them a sense of “pride” in their work.
This may have been the foundation that contributed greatly to the rapid realization of a modern industrialized society after the Meiji era. It is thought that this may have formed the basis for a very natural “national education. In the photo above, there must have been a great deal to be taught about the shapes of materials, how to manage them, the rationality of the procedures for assembling them in an efficient manner, the importance of work arrangements, etc. For craftspeople, too, there must have been a great deal to be taught about the importance of wrapping up their work processes. For the craftsmen, the fact that they were able to disclose their work processes without concealment must have been linked to their honesty in life.

What I personally found interesting was that even in the process of tightening up the barrels with bamboo rings, despite the long hours of labor and “sitting down,” I could see the craftsman’s “exertion” without any unreasonableness or waste. When the craftsman left his seat, I took a picture of the chair he was sitting on. Sure enough, the chair was slightly angled so that the craftsman could continue to lean forward, and I noticed that the angle was extremely reasonable in terms of the amount of force applied to the barrels he was facing. The craftsman’s fine “ingenuity” must have been layered according to his physique, and he was conveying his wisdom about the arrangements to the viewer in a way that was easy to understand.

The fact that this kind of “social education” was shared with many people in “merchant houses” as the work of various craftsmen made us feel that Japanese society had a strong respect for artisanal work. Even here in the present day village of Boso, many children who had come to observe the work of these craftsmen continued to watch with great interest.
What about today’s Japanese society? Hasn’t the transmission of wisdom and ingenuity through people’s handiwork been neglected, and a superficial “point-scoring” sense of value has prevailed? It made me wonder how this would be good for the vitality of society.

Posted on 1月 8th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

国立歴史民俗博物館での旧石器・縄文・弥生・古代までの展示大革新。
その興奮の余韻冷めやらず都合60回もブログを書き連ねてきた。通常の「住宅ブログ」テーマからはかなり飛躍かも知れませんが、住宅取材していると必然的に現代人の「生き方・暮らし方」という根源的テーマから目を背けるわけに行かない。いわば「こころのありよう」という領域では歴史が教えてくれる人びとの生き様にルーツを辿りたくなる。ということですが、途中何回か建築の根源的テーマにも触れてきた。本日は日本列島史のなかで画期になった仏教伝来と、寺院建築文化ということを探ってみたい。

上の写真は大阪四天王寺の南大門から、正面に仁王門・五重塔を見た外観と、五重塔裏手に静かに建っている「番匠堂」のなかに端座されている聖徳太子のお姿像。太子はなんと差し金・曲げ尺を手に持たれている。番匠というのは大工職という意味であり聖徳太子は日本の大工職にとっての最高の守護神とでもいえる存在なのだ。
そういう伝承をいまも大切に守って四天王寺創建に当たって半島から先進木工技術を伝えた日本最古の「工務店組織」金剛組が幟にその名を記している。それまで農業土木技術の進化形ということで古墳造営が最大の「宗教的象徴」であったものが、仏教という新宗教にすべて置換されて、四天王寺・飛鳥寺・法隆寺と国家プロジェクト仏教建築が世を覆っていく。


古墳の造営はいろいろに推理されるけれど、しかしある時期にまったく造営されなくなるということにむしろ強い必然性を感じる。仏教導入と同時に寺院建築という当時の社会に取ってみたら驚天動地の「建築的技術革新」が一気に舶来してきたということなのでしょう。もちろん藤原京などの王宮建築は先端的に出現したけれど、それ以上に宗教施設として衆生にも開放される建築空間、その文化に庶民は度肝を抜かれたに違いない。古墳には衆生救済というような側面はなくたぶん支配権力の象徴という側面が強い強制的「宗教」だったと思える。それに対して仏教は来世に向かって救済されるという福音的な香りを感じさせたに違いない。そして建築では見たこともない五重塔のような高層建築もあって日本人にわかりやすく現世救済思想を可視化してくれた。

曲げ尺を持った聖徳太子というのは、まことに象徴的。というのは最新の建築工学・技術が四天王寺などで全面開花して日本の建築技術は飛躍的な発展を見せたに違いないのだ。ときの最高為政者が自らこの最先端技術の先導者でもあったのだろう。現在で言えばIT産業の育成者・未来先導者が政治改革も引っ張っていた、みたいに思われる。
この四天王寺・法隆寺で実質が始まった日本の先端的木造建築技術は、今日、東アジア世界の中核を形成している。繰り返し独裁権力による排仏運動が起こった大陸国家では伝統的木造技術が文化破壊され、木造技術者たちは日本に支援を求め日本もそれに応えてきている。太子の産業育成の努力が今日に至る日本の技術基盤を形成したと言えるだろう。

長かったブログ連載「列島37,000年史」シリーズは今回で中締め。でもまだ書き残しもあるので、ゲリラ的にやるかも知れません。それまでしばし連載小休止。悪しからず。あ、ブログは年中無休で継続します、よろしく。

English version⬇

The Great Religious Transformation from Kofun “Civil Engineering” to Buddhist “Architecture” (The 37,000 Year History of the Archipelago, Vol. 60)
The construction of Shitennoji Temple and Horyuji Temple was a national project that allowed the people of Asuka and Hakuho to visualize the world of cutting-edge technology. …

The exhibition at the National Museum of Japanese History was a great innovation, covering Paleolithic, Jomon, Yayoi, and Ancient times.
I have conveniently written 60 blogs in the aftermath of that excitement. This may be quite a leap from the usual theme of a “housing blog,” but when you are covering housing, you inevitably cannot turn your eyes away from the fundamental theme of the “way of life and living” of modern people. In the area of “the state of mind,” as it were, we are tempted to trace our roots back to what history has taught us about people’s way of life. This means that I have touched on the fundamental theme of architecture several times along the way. Today, I would like to explore the introduction of Buddhism and temple architecture culture, which was a landmark period in the history of the Japanese archipelago.

The photo above shows the exterior of Shitennoji Temple, Osaka, from the Nandaimon gate looking toward the Nioimon gate and the five-story pagoda, and a statue of Prince Shotoku seated in the “Banshodo” quietly standing behind the five-story pagoda. The statue of Prince Shotoku is seated in the Banshakudo, which stands quietly behind the five-story pagoda. The word “bansho” means “carpenter,” and Prince Shotoku is the supreme guardian deity of carpentry in Japan.
The Kongo-gumi, Japan’s oldest “construction company” that introduced advanced woodworking techniques from the Peninsula to build Shitennoji Temple, still holds this tradition in high regard, and its name is written on a banner. The construction of ancient tombs, which until then had been the greatest “religious symbol” as an evolution of agricultural and civil engineering technology, was replaced by the new religion of Buddhism, and the world was covered with state projects of Buddhist architecture such as Shitennoji, Asuka, and Horyu-ji temples.

The construction of kofun tumuli has been theorized in various ways, but the fact that they ceased to be built at all at a certain point in time seems rather strong and inevitable. This may be due to the introduction of Buddhism and the simultaneous importation of temple architecture, an astonishing “architectural innovation” for the society of the time. Of course, the royal palace architecture of the Fujiwara-kyo Capital was at the forefront, but the common people must have been even more astonished by the architectural space and culture that was open to sentient beings as a religious facility. Kofun tombs did not have the aspect of salvation for sentient beings, but were probably a forced “religion” with a strong symbolic aspect of ruling power. Buddhism, on the other hand, must have had the evangelical flavor of salvation toward the next life. In terms of architecture, Buddhism, with its five-story pagodas and other skyscrapers that the Japanese had never seen before, made the idea of salvation in this life visible and easy for the Japanese people to understand.

Prince Shotoku with a bending scale is truly symbolic. The latest architectural engineering and technology must have flourished at the Shitennoji Temple and other such structures, and Japanese architectural technology must have made great strides forward. It is likely that the highest political leader of the time was himself a pioneer of this cutting-edge technology. In today’s terms, it would be as if the IT industry’s nurturers and future leaders were also leading the way in political reforms.
Japan’s cutting-edge wooden architectural technology, which began with the Shitennoji and Horyuji temples, today forms the core of the East Asian world. As traditional wooden construction techniques were repeatedly destroyed in continental countries by dictatorial movements to eliminate Buddhist monuments, woodworkers turned to Japan for assistance, and Japan responded. It can be said that Taishi’s efforts to foster the industry formed the technological foundation of Japan up to the present day.

Posted on 1月 6th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 住宅マーケティング, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

仏像に興味を持ち始めるというのは高齢化の進展なのでしょうか（笑）。
歴史の古道を訪ね歩くようになると徐々にその魅力に引き込まれるのかなぁ。
写真の石像と銅造はそれぞれ奈良県桜井市・石位寺の「薬師三尊石仏」と、奈良県明日香の「飛鳥大仏」。どうもこの２体の仏像の表情に完全にトリコにされている。
２枚目の飛鳥大仏は日本最初の仏教寺院とされる飛鳥寺の本尊で、産経新聞にはこんな紹介。「飛鳥大仏は609年には完成し、鋳造年が絞れる仏像としては日本で最古級。面長の顔やアーモンドのような形をした目は大陸の影響が色濃く、江戸時代に飛鳥大仏と対面した国学者、本居宣長（もとおりのりなが）は「菅笠日記」に「げにいとふるめかしく、たふとく見ゆ」との一文を残している。」
わたしが歴史に興味を持ち始めた小学校の社会科の授業で、いちばん最初に覚えた美術家の名は「止利仏師」だった記憶が鮮明にある。はるかに時間を超えてその作家の実物と間近く接して、作り手やそのモデルとなった人物の表情の豊かさに完全にノックアウトされた。最古級であるのに国宝には指定されていない。それは幾度か火災にあって補修されてきていることが原因とか。しかしそれは同時に歴史的に多くの人びとの尊崇を集め続けてきたことをも如実に語っていると思う。・・・まぁ国宝であるかどうかそんなことはどうでもいいけれど。

一方、最近拝見した１枚目の写真の「薬師三尊石仏」。こちらは無住寺「石位寺」にあり、今は桜井市忍阪区の住民が交代で維持管理していてWEB申込みして拝観することができる。白鳳時代(644年〜710年)に製作された薬師三尊石仏でわが国最古の石仏として国の重要文化財指定。写真は拝観したときに購入させていただいたプリント写真。この石仏さんは天武天皇の妃であった額田王が願主として伝わっている。2020年初頭にはじめて「東京国立博物館」で展示公開されてスターダムに押し上げられた（笑）という。

わたしは最近その存在を知り石位寺で参観させていただいた。お寺に行くのに狭い道に迷ってしまった苦い記憶もある（泣）。しかしこのご尊顔を拝見して、一気にゾッコンにさせられてしまった。なんといっても「美しい」。石仏ということで正面写真と紹介文を読んでいただけの印象では「ふーん」と思っていたものが、現物をじっくり見て前後左右からその美顔を拝ませていただいて完全KO（笑）。
よくみると唇にはうすい紅までほどこされた残照があって、ふくよかな肌の優美さまでが伝わってくる。白村江に海外派遣された兵士たちを鼓舞する彼女の歌が万葉に残されている。「熟田津に船乗りせむと月待てば潮もかなひぬ今は漕ぎ出でな」。月明かりのなか朗々と歌い上げる美女の姿に、多くの兵士が奮い立ったとされる。その歴史美女の印象がこの石仏からリアリティを持って伝わってきた。

高齢化のせいで仏像趣味が・・・と思われたけれど、むしろ逆で石や金属という物質に乗り移った魂魄のようなものに気付けるようになった、そんな豊かさを深く感じさせられている。

English version⬇

Asuka Hakuho’s Buddhist Statues with Light Lipstick and Fragrance (The 37,000 Year History of the Archipelago, Vol. 58)
The ancient beauty who sang “I want to go sailing to Mukidazu,” is a reality with a faint lipstick. A girl who transcends time. A girl who transcends time.

I wonder if it is the aging of the population that begins to take an interest in Buddhist statues (laughs).
I wonder if I am gradually drawn to their charms as I begin to visit and walk along the ancient paths of history.
The stone and bronze statues in the photo are “Yakushi Sanzon Ishibutsu” at Ishiiji Temple in Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, and “Asuka Daibutsu” in Asuka, Nara Prefecture, respectively. Apparently, I am completely tricked by the expressions of these two Buddhist statues.
The second one, Asuka Daibutsu, is the principal image of Asukadera Temple, which is considered to be the first Buddhist temple in Japan. Asuka Daibutsu was completed in 609 and is one of the oldest Buddhist statues in Japan for which the year of casting can be narrowed down. The long face and almond-shaped eyes are strongly influenced by the continent, and the national scholar Motoori Norinaga, who met the Great Asuka Buddha in the Edo period, wrote in his “Sugakasa Nikki” (Diary of Sugakasa), “It is a very beautiful and beautiful statue.
I have a vivid memory that the name of the first artist I memorized in my elementary school social studies class, when I first became interested in history, was the “Buddhist priest Toryo” (止利仏師). Having come into close contact with the artist’s actual works of art far beyond time, I was completely knocked out by the richness of the expressions on the faces of the creators and their models. Although it is one of the oldest, it is not designated as a national treasure. This is due to the fact that it has been repaired after several fires. However, I think it also shows that it has been historically revered and respected by many people. Well, I don’t care whether it is a national treasure or not.

On the other hand, I recently saw the “Yakushi Sanzon Ishibutsu” in the first photo. This one is located in “Ishiiji,” a non-resident temple, and is now maintained by the residents of Oshizaka-ku, Sakurai City, who take turns maintaining it, and you can apply on the web to view it. It is the oldest stone statue of Yakushi Sanzon (three images of Buddha) in Japan, and is designated as a national important cultural property. The photo is a print that I purchased when I visited the temple. The stone Buddha is said to have been the wish-fulfilling deity of King Nukata, the Empress of Emperor Temmu, and was elevated to stardom when it was exhibited for the first time at the Tokyo National Museum in early 2020 (laugh).

I recently learned of its existence and was able to visit it at Ishiiji Temple. I have a bitter memory of getting lost on a narrow road to the temple (tears). However, when I saw his face, I was instantly attracted to him. After all, it is beautiful. I had only read the introduction and seen the front photo of the stone Buddha and thought, “Hmmm,” but after seeing the actual statue and admiring its beautiful face from the front, back, left and right, I was completely smitten (laugh).
Upon closer inspection, one can see that her lips are covered with a light crimson color, and even the gracefulness of her plump skin can be felt. Her poem, which was written to inspire the soldiers who were dispatched overseas to the Hakumura River, is preserved in Manyo. The poem is a poem written in Manyo to inspire the soldiers who were sent overseas to the Hakumura River: “Wait for the moon to come and sail to Kyu-ta-tsu, the tide is coming in. It is said that many soldiers were inspired by the sight of this beautiful woman singing in the moonlight. This stone Buddha conveys the impression of this historical beauty with reality.

Although it was thought that the aging of the population had made people less interested in Buddhist statues, I was deeply impressed by the richness of the spirit of the Buddha, which has been transferred to the material of stone and metal.

Posted on 1月 4th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »