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【厩戸王・聖徳太子とキリスト、動物愛護精神 法隆寺宝物館-12】




法隆寺宝物館「聖徳太子絵伝」記事、第12回目は「厩戸王」＝聖徳太子の出生時の場所と動物の深い縁について。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。

西洋ではキリスト教が宗教文化として広く信仰されているけれど、よくキリスト生誕の場が馬小屋・家畜小屋に強い縁があるとされている。そのことは日本人としてそれほど興味を持ってはいないけれど、聖徳太子が別名でその出生時の場所が「馬小屋」であったことから厩戸王と名付けられたことは常識レベル。そして、キリストと聖徳太子の縁起に類縁性があることに興味を持っています。
上の絵は聖徳太子生誕の場面描写で、右側に馬が描かれている。「おお、この場所でか」とにわかな産気づきに驚く侍女たちの様子が人間的共感を呼ぶ。
聖徳太子の事跡が法隆寺で聖徳太子絵伝として描かれた時代は1069年とされている。この時代に、キリスト教世界との対比性を意識することはあり得ただろうか、と考えると腑に落ちない。
たしかに後世の聖徳太子信仰によって脚色が増えていくことは当然としても、名前については事実だろうから、キリストとの類似性を強調する蓋然性は乏しいと思う。日本社会の受け取り方としては、旺盛に西洋と接触した戦国期・大航海時代まではキリストに強い興味を持っていたとは考えにくい。
２番目の絵は太子28才の時に百済から贈られた「駱駝・驢馬・羊・白雉」の図。そして富士登山でも黒駒に乗馬して登っている。動物との縁の深さを印象づけられる。さらにのちには、遠方から荷を背負って都まで旅していた馬が沿道の稲を食べてしまい、それを怒った農民が馬主とその馬を打ち据えていたのを，聖徳太子は静かに諭したという説話もある。「たまたま現世では畜生に生まれているけれど、しかし人間も同じイキモノなのだから、憐れみこころを持ちなさい」と。

どうも、動物愛護の精神は聖徳太子には満ちあふれていたことが伝わってくる。出生時の機縁から厩戸王と名付けられたことにも、かれ自身は深く受容し、そのことに愛情も持っていたように感じられる。
こういった自然な受け取り方からすると、キリストとの類似性はやはり偶然性が高いのだろう。むしろ西洋世界とコミュニケーションを活発にするようになって、キリストとの類似性がわかって、日本社会、仏教の側でも太子信仰により加速度が加わったのではないか。
宗教という精神性の核心に動物愛護のこころは非常に親和性高く存在しているのでしょうか。２番目の絵での太子の動物たちを見つめる目線にはいかにもそういったこころが感じられる。

English version⬇

King Umayato-oh, Prince Shotoku, Christ, and the Spirit of Animal Protection The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures-12
The similarity between the birthplace of Christ and the birthplace of Prince Shotoku. Are there similarities between religious beliefs and the spirit of animal protection? …

The twelfth article in the Horyuji Treasure Museum’s “Shotoku Taishi Eaden” series, “King Umayato” = Shotoku Taishi’s place of birth and his deep connection to animals.

In the West, Christianity is widely believed as a religious culture, and it is often said that the birthplace of Christ has a strong connection to a stable or livestock barn. As a Japanese, I am not so interested in this fact, but it is common knowledge that Prince Shotoku was named “King Umato-oh” because the place of his birth was a “stable” under an alias. And I am interested in the parallels between Christ and Shotoku Taishi’s auspiciousness.
The picture above is a depiction of the scene of Prince Shotoku’s birth, with a horse on the right. The scene of the maidens’ surprise at the birth of Shotoku Taishi, which is depicted on the right side of the painting, evokes human sympathy.
The date of the depiction of the birth of Prince Shotoku in the picture biography of Prince Shotoku at Horyuji Temple is believed to be 1069. It is hard to understand how anyone could have been aware of the contrast with the Christian world at that time.
It is true that the later belief in Shotoku Taishi led to the use of more and more legends, but the name is a fact, so there is little probability that the similarity with Christ would be emphasized. In terms of the reception of Japanese society, it is difficult to believe that they had a strong interest in Christ until the Warring States Period and the Age of Exploration, when they had vigorous contact with the West.
The second painting is of a camel, ass, sheep, and white pheasant, a gift from Baekje when the prince was 28 years old. He also rode a black horse up Mt. This shows the depth of his connection with animals. Later, there is a story that a horse traveling to the capital with a load on its back from a distant place ate rice along the way, and that when angry farmers beat up the owner and his horse, Prince Shotoku quietly admonished them. Prince Shotoku quietly admonished them, “Though you happen to be born as a beast in this life, you should have compassion for humans because we are all animals in the same way.
This tells us that Prince Shotoku was full of the spirit of animal protection. He himself seemed to have deeply accepted and loved the fact that he was named “King Umato-oh” (King Umato-oh) because of the circumstances of his birth.
From this natural reception, the resemblance to Christ is probably highly coincidental. Rather, it is likely that the discovery of the similarity with Christ, as a result of their active communication with the Western world, accelerated the Taishi faith in Japanese society and on the Buddhist side.
The way the Taishi gazes at the animals in the second painting suggests such a spirit.

Posted on 6月 9th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

【東アジア世界での聖徳太子外交 法隆寺宝物館-11】



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 »

【「伎楽」と韓国「河回村」仮面劇 法隆寺宝物館-10】



「法隆寺宝物館「聖徳太子絵伝」記事、第10回目は聖徳太子治政の当時、百済から伝わった仮面舞踏劇「伎楽」と韓国「河回村」仮面劇との関係について。
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。

きのうは四天王寺建設事業で来日した金剛組のことに触れました。仏教導入ということは寺院建設が当然ワンセットで進行していく。そのことが多くの人びとにとってわかりやすい文化「革命」として聖徳太子の治政の実質を伝えたものだったのでしょう。
瓦というそれまでの日本社会では見たことのない装飾装置がその生産システムが一体となって輸入され、建築デザインとしても塔などの象徴性の高い建築がもたらされた。その寺院内では聞いたこともない宗教音楽、銅鑼や読経音声、木魚の音などが響き渡った。
そういった「世界宗教文化」をこうした仏教寺院はひとびとにわかりやすく伝えていった。日本社会はさまざまな海外との出会いを経験してきたけれど、幕末期の「黒船」以上にこの仏教・寺院との出会いは日本人社会に根底的な変革として認識されたに違いないと思います。喉元過ぎれば、ではないけれどその驚きがあまりにも巨大体験すぎて、いまやその開始時点に気付くことにも忘れているのだと思うのです。
たぶん聖徳太子の日本社会改革は明治の開国と同等以上に衝撃的だった。
そしてこの時代はそれ以外にも海外文化の導入がなされていた。その後、能などに昇華していった東アジア的な仮面劇・伎楽もそのひとつだと思います。歴史の教科書で学習した記憶はあるけれど、その後の日本社会では能などに変容していって、伎楽としては存続しなかったので印象が薄いと感じる。
なんですが、わたし的には韓国「河回村〜ハフェマウル」訪問のときに触れた仮面劇のことがまるでそっくりすぎて鮮烈な印象として蘇ってきた。


わたしのブログ過去記事で河回村〜ハフェマウルについては【東アジアの建築と人間性 韓国河回村追想-19】で取り上げていますので参照いただければ幸いです。2016年の韓国訪問でしたが2020年に書いた記事。
伎楽の仮面はひとつだけ掲載しましたが、法隆寺宝物館でこの「伎楽」の数十点と多数の仮面群を参観して韓国のこの仮面劇との強い文化的共通性を感じた次第なのです。河回村では村の入口近くにまるで結界魔除けのように木に彫像された「仮面」が置かれています。日本でも日本海文化圏の東北秋田で近似した村境の「魔除け」を見ていた。またナマハゲ文化にも繋がってくる。環日本海文化圏としての共通性を強く感じた。また2016年当時のことを思い返すと、韓国訪問から帰ってすぐに秋田に取材出張している・・・。
そういった文化交流の生きた見本体験のように感じた次第ですが、その上さらに聖徳太子絵伝にもいわば証拠として発見できたことから、まことに目の覚めるような思いをしています。
凡人でもながく「建築と歴史・文化」の接点で探訪し続けていると、思わぬ「符合」が訪れてくれるものかも知れません。こういう機縁を大事にしたい。

English version⬇

“Gigaku” and the Korean “Hahoe Village” Mask Play: The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures-10]
The Sea of Japan Rim Cultural Area, Korea and Japan, and the mask culture of Namahage and “Noh” that remains in Akita. Masked drama in an ancient Korean village. A planetary direct line of coverage experience…

In this 10th article of the “Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku” series from the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures, we look at the relationship between Gigaku, a masked dance drama introduced from Baekje during the reign of Prince Shotoku, and the masked drama of Hahoei Village in Korea.

Yesterday, I mentioned the Kongo Corporation, which came to Japan for the Shitennoji temple construction project. The introduction of Buddhism naturally meant that the construction of temples proceeded as one set. This must have been an easy-to-understand cultural “revolution” that conveyed the substance of Prince Shotoku’s reign to many people.
Tiles, a decorative device never before seen in Japanese society, were imported along with their production system, and the architectural design of pagodas and other highly symbolic structures were also brought in. In the temples, religious music, gongs, sutra chanting, and the sound of wooden fish echoed through the air, which had never been heard before.
These Buddhist temples made it easy for people to learn about the culture of world religions. Japanese society has experienced various encounters with foreign countries, but I believe that this encounter with Buddhism and temples must have been recognized as a fundamental change in Japanese society, even more so than the “Black Ships” of the late Edo period. I think that the surprise was so great that we have forgotten how to recognize the beginning point of the transformation.
Perhaps Prince Shotoku’s reform of Japanese society was as shocking or more so than the opening of the country to the outside world in the Meiji era.
And other foreign cultures were also introduced in this period. I think that East Asian-style masked drama and gigaku, which later sublimated into Noh and other forms, is one such example. I remember learning about it in history textbooks, but I feel that I have little impression of Gigaku because it was transformed into Noh and did not survive as Gigaku in Japanese society after that.
However, for me, the masked drama that I saw during my visit to Hahoe Village in Korea was so similar that it came back to me as a vivid impression.

I wrote about Hahoe Village in my previous blog post [Architecture and Humanity in East Asia: A Reminiscence of Hahoe Village in Korea – 19].
I have only shown one Gigaku mask here, but I visited the Horyuji Treasure Museum and saw dozens of Gigaku masks and many other masks, and felt a strong cultural similarity with the Korean masked theater. In Hahoe Village, wooden masks are carved near the entrance to the village as if to ward off evil spirits. In Japan, too, I saw “amulet” at the village boundary approximated in Tohoku Akita in the Sea of Japan cultural area. It is also connected to the Namahage culture. I strongly felt the commonality as a Japan Sea Rim cultural area. Also, thinking back to 2016, I went to Akita on a research trip immediately after returning from my visit to South Korea….
I felt as if I was experiencing a living example of such cultural exchange, and on top of that, I was able to find evidence of this in a picture biography of Prince Shotoku, which was truly an eye-opening experience.
Even an ordinary person may find unexpected coincidences when he or she continues to explore the connection between architecture, history, and culture. I would like to cherish these opportunities.

Posted on 6月 7th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

【大工集団「金剛組」百済から来日、四天王寺建設 法隆寺宝物館-9】



「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 »

【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.

Posted on 6月 5th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

【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.

Posted on 6月 4th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

【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.

Posted on 6月 3rd, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

【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.

Posted on 6月 2nd, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

【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.

Posted on 6月 1st, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

【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.

Posted on 5月 31st, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

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