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” >.

Posted on 5月 30th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

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.

Posted on 5月 28th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

さて長く間宮林蔵さんの事跡に沿って連載記事になってしまいました。人間と住宅、それも北海道に深く関係した歴史的人物についてのことだったので、実際に現地を訪れられたことをきっかけにして思わず深掘りすることになりました。
で、間宮林蔵生家から歩いて数分の場所には間宮家の菩提寺「専称寺」もあって一隅にある「間宮家」の墓参することもできた。要するにその人物の誕生から墓場まで一覧できたという印象を持てた。
ながく待望されてようやく授かったひとり息子。愛情に恵まれて育ったかれは神童と呼ばれ、幕府の土木工事に際して才気あふれる提案をして採用されると同時に、その器量を見込まれて、幕府に出仕してその理工系の才気を活かして、折からの北辺の危機状況の打開のための調査活動に身命を捧げ、日本を救うような決定的な事跡を残した。そして幕臣としての定めに生きて江戸で死去した。
この墓は、かれが樺太探検に向かう前に専称寺の一隅に生前葬というようなカタチで自分の墓を建てたものだという。墓に記された「間宮林蔵墓」の文字はかれが自筆したものだと伝わっている。ひとり息子でありながら家を継ぐことができない親不孝をわび、生家には親族からの養子を取って継がせて、自分は「死んだ」ことにして墓を建てた。ということか、あるいは北辺の樺太探検に向かうのにその「決死」の覚悟から、そのようにしたのか。伝わってくる心事はどちらもあったのだろう。ただ間宮林蔵には北海道でアイヌ女性との縁があって、その子孫も現存されているという。最近明らかになったとのこと。
この墓の隣には両親の墓も建ててある。生まれ育った家で与えられた愛情に深く感謝し、その両親と共に眠っている様子がなんともほほえましくもあり、一方でその無念の心事も伝わってくる。
しかし、人間、その生まれた家の近くの土地、ふるさとの景色の中に土塊となって眠るというのは、ひとつの理想型でもあるように思える。林蔵少年はこの専称寺の住職から読み書き算盤を学んだのだという。地域の中で人材を育んだ様子もわかる。写真に見えるお寺の生け垣の外には川が流れ、その川は絶えることなくこの地の農業を支え続けているのだろう。そしてこの川で魚を捕ったりもしたことだろう。まさに故郷。

住宅メディアの仕事をしてきている自分ですが、こういういわば揺りかごから墓場までという、家と人間のルポというタイプの「取材」は得がたい体験。家は人間のくらしの器であり、そのこころを揺籃するものだということが現実体験できた気分。
自分が加齢してくるとだんだんこういう住宅行脚、ルポが興味深くなってくる。

English version⬇

The Soul Returns to the Soil of the Hometown – Rinzo Mamiya’s Birthplace – 11
The soil of his hometown, where he learned to read, write, and do arithmetic and where his character was nurtured, concludes his life. The scene of his eternal rest, embraced by the love of his parents and the land. …

Well, it has been a long series of articles along the trail of Rinzo Mamiya. Since it was about a historical figure who was deeply related to human beings and houses, and also to Hokkaido, it was a good opportunity for me to actually visit the site. So, within a few minutes’ walk from Rinzo Mamiya’s birthplace, there was also a family temple of the Mamiya family called “Sensho-ji,” and I was able to visit the grave of the Mamiya family in a corner of the house. In short, I had the impression that I was able to see the entire history of the Mamiya family from its birth to its gravesite.
After a long wait, he finally had a son, an only child. He was called a child prodigy, and was called a child prodigy when he proposed a brilliant idea for a civil engineering project of the Shogunate, which was adopted. He left a decisive mark that saved Japan. He died in Edo (Tokyo), living up to his destiny as a shogunate vassal.
This tomb is said to have been erected in a corner of Senjyo-ji Temple before he left for Sakhalin expedition, as a kind of a prenatal burial. The words “Mamiya Rinzo Tomb” inscribed on the grave are said to be in his own handwriting. Rinzo Mamiya was sorry for his lack of filial piety as the only son who could not take over his family, so he adopted a son from his relatives to take over his family of birth and built his own grave, pretending that he was “dead”. Or, did he do this because he was determined to “die” on his way to explore Sakhalin on the northern frontier? Both of these may have been the message conveyed to the audience. However, Rinzo Mamiya had a connection with an Ainu woman in Hokkaido, and some of her descendants are said to be alive today. This has recently been revealed.
His parents’ graves were also erected next to this grave. It is heartwarming to see her resting with her parents, deeply grateful for the love they had given her in the house where she was born and raised, and at the same time, it conveys her regret.
It is an idealistic image of a human being to be laid to rest as a lump of earth in the landscape of his hometown, the land near the house where he was born. Rinzo learned to read, write, and do arithmetic from the priest of Senjyo-ji Temple. It also shows how the temple nurtured human resources in the community. Outside the walls of the temple, which can be seen in the photo, is a river, which continues to support the agriculture of the area. The people must have caught fish in this river. This is truly a hometown.

I have been working in the housing media, but this type of “reportage” on houses and people from cradle to grave is a rare experience for me. I felt as if I could actually experience that a house is a vessel for human life and a cradle for the soul of a person.
As I get older, this type of house tour and reportage becomes more and more interesting.

Posted on 5月 26th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 住宅取材＆ウラ話 | No Comments »

幕末期以降に北海道に寄せられた日本国家・国民からの熱視線はすさまじいものだった。相次いだ列強諸国からの開国・侵略圧力の中で、日本社会は明治以降の開拓のための国民世論醸成を進めていたとも言える。いまに至っても北海道が一種「特別な地域」認識を持たれていることのルーツには、こういった心情の部分にあるのではないだろうか。いわば独立と国運を左右する寒冷気候との日本民族の戦い、その最前線的な。
間宮林蔵は「出世」を願ったとされるけれど、その出世とは沸騰する海外からの圧力に対して「国のために身を捧げたい」という内心からの発露だったと思える。
かれの北方探索の事跡は樺太の測量の成功と、その後のデレンでの対外接触によって一段落を迎えることになった。20歳からひたすら北方探索・測量に捧げた時間が32歳になった時点で「東韃地方紀行」「北夷分界餘話」「北蝦夷ヶ島地図」などが作成・報告書提出された。
写真は上梓された報告書。また、北方探索に当たってかれが愛用したとされる頭巾や毛布。いずれも温暖地・日本社会にとって異界ともいえる北海道・樺太・北東アジアの旅に欠かせない「防寒」グッズたち。単純に日本列島とは隔絶した寒帯気候に立ち向かった足跡が伝わってくる。
1811年、32歳になった段階で、これらの報告資料を幕府に提出して幕臣としての立場からの退職を願い出たとされている。・・・当時の「世論」のなかでかれの北方探索の功績を称える雰囲気は強かったに違いない。後に水戸藩主・徳川斉昭が自藩での北海道開発を構想したとき、その情報の第一人者である間宮をいわば師範として招聘した事実が残っている。たぶんかれの事跡に対しての賛辞が世論として盛り上がっていたことが想像される。
一方でこうした国事への「奉公」に一段落付けたいという心情には父母の様子が気に掛かる、農家の一人っ子としての心情があったようにも思える。

この書簡はかれが国事に奔走するに当たって保証人・養父の立場として支援した隣村の有力者・飯沼甚兵衛に宛てて幕府奉公して６年後、任地蝦夷地から送ったもの。故郷に残った父母を心配する心情が書かれていると。かれの経歴を見るとこの翌年、23歳時点で一度「病気」で職を辞している。そしてその翌年には「病が癒えて」復職している。
想像だけれど、両親の健康と家の存続のことなどに悩んでその整理整頓を果たそうとしたのではないかと。故郷の「間宮家」には養子縁組がされ、かれ自身は江戸に本拠を移している。
・・・どうも間宮林蔵の事跡を辿ると熱が入ってしまう（笑）。本来は住宅がテーマのブログですが北海道人としてこの地に多くの人が住み始めた始原期のことが自然に知りたくなる。以前明治期の北海道開拓と寒冷地住宅事始めみたいなブログ探究をした経緯から、この間宮林蔵たちが活躍した先史部分にも、つい熱が入ってしまう次第です。ご容赦を。

English version⬇

Public Opinion and Love for Parents Boosted by Success of Northern Expedition – Rinzo Mamiya’s Birthplace – 9
The results of the Sakhalin expedition that reached Edo. The results of the survey that prevented Russian invasion. Amidst the outpouring of praise, Rinzo Mamiya’s heart yearns for the relatives he left behind in his hometown. …

Since the end of the Edo period, Hokkaido has been the focus of intense attention from the Japanese nation and its people. Amidst the pressure from a succession of powers to open the country to the outside world and invade, it can be said that Japanese society was fostering public opinion for the development of Hokkaido from the Meiji era onward. The fact that Hokkaido is still recognized as a “special region” may have its roots in this kind of sentiment. Hokkaido is the front line in the Japanese people’s battle against the cold climate, a battle that would determine the nation’s independence and national destiny.
Rinzo Mamiya is said to have wished to “rise in the world,” but it seems to me that his desire to rise in the world was an expression of his inner desire to “devote himself to the service of his country” in the face of the boiling pressure from abroad.
His exploration of the north came to an end with the successful survey of Sakhalin and his subsequent contact with the outside world in Deren, and at the age of 32, after devoting his entire time to exploring and surveying the north since the age of 20, he produced and submitted reports such as “Travels in the Eastern Lands,” “Hokiibunkai Buwa” and “Map of Northern Yezo Islands.
The photo shows the published reports. Also shown are the hoods and blankets he is said to have used during his exploration of the north. All of these “winter protection” goods were indispensable for his travels in Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and Northeast Asia, which were considered a different world from the warmer climate of Japanese society. They show the footprints of his efforts to confront the frigid climate, which was simply isolated from the Japanese archipelago.
It is said that in 1811, at the age of 32, he submitted these reported materials to the shogunate and asked for his retirement from his position as a shogunate retainer. …There must have been a strong atmosphere of admiration for his northern explorations in the “public opinion” of the time. Later, when Tokugawa Nariaki, the feudal lord of the Mito domain, conceived the idea of developing Hokkaido in his domain, he invited Mamiya, who was a leading authority on the subject, to serve as his mentor. It is likely that public opinion was in favor of Mamiya’s work.
On the other hand, it seems that Mamiya’s desire to settle down in his “service” to national affairs was also motivated by his concern for the condition of his parents as the only child of a farming family.

This letter was sent from Ezo to Iinuma Jinbei, an influential man from a neighboring village who supported him as a guarantor and foster father in his efforts to take care of national affairs, six years after he was appointed to the shogunate. The letter is said to express his concern for his parents who remained in his hometown. According to his biography, he resigned from his post the following year at the age of 23 due to an “illness. The following year, he “recovered from his illness” and returned to work.
I imagine that he was concerned about his parents’ health and the survival of the family, and tried to put things in order. He was adopted by the Mamiya family in his hometown, and he himself moved his home base to Edo.
I am very enthusiastic when I trace the history of Rinzo Mamiya (laugh). Although the theme of this blog is originally housing, as a person from Hokkaido, I naturally want to know about the early days when many people started to live in this area. I have previously written a blog about the development of Hokkaido in the Meiji period (1868-1912) and the beginning of cold-weather housing in Hokkaido, so I am also very passionate about the prehistoric period in which Rinzo Mamiya and his family were active. Please forgive me.

Posted on 5月 24th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
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近代国家にとってその領土の地理を把握することは、統治の正当性を担保する重要な基盤情報。正確な地理認識がなければ、権力行使の総合的実効性があり得ない。国土領域の防衛についてもその交通についても、さらに産業育成、国民の人口増加、定住の推進確保などの「国土支配」の基礎になる。
そういった「民政」への統治実績こそが近代国家概念そのものであるという国際常識に対して、日本の江戸幕府は非常に正しい認識を持って対処していたといえる。
江戸幕府体制は領土確定の基礎としていち早く北海道島の測量を推進し、その後、ロシアとの国境紛争に備えて、樺太、千島列島などの探査を進めていた。
間宮林蔵はこの樺太の測量に於いて国家的な巨大な貢献を果たした。樺太と北東アジア大陸が地続きではなく、島嶼であることを国際的に確定させたことで、世界地図情報にも画期をもたらせた。「国家的特殊任務」としてそれらは遂行され、江戸幕府の鎖国方針のなかでそれらは「国家機密」ともされていた。幕府としてはオランダ人医師シーボルトに対してのこの国家機密「漏洩」事件に際して、日本側情報提供者に極刑を科し、シーボルトに対しては国外退去させた。
しかしいちばん上のような地図情報がシーボルトによって欧米世界に情報共有されることで、日本の政体機構がこのような正確な情報に対しリスペクトする近代国家としての基本要件を持っていると認識されていった。このことは当時の国益にとって非常に効果があったのだと思える。少なくとも情報についての日露「戦争」において欧米が日本に優位性を認めたひとつの根拠となったのだろう。たぶん他のアジア諸国とは違う近代国家の基本資格を日本は持っていると認識した。日本は独立国家たることを死守できたのだ。江戸幕府と北辺領土探検者たちの「国家情報力」の営為が明治以降の日本を救ったといえるのだろう。
司馬遼太郎が繰り返し、日露戦争に至るこの時代の日本人について探究したことには、こういった背景へのリスペクトがあったのだと思っています。
間宮海峡を発見してのち、間宮林蔵は樺太が向き合うアジア大陸北東端地域、黒竜江の河口地域に対しての「北方外交」にも取り組んでいく。樺太地域在住の地域住民を組織して海峡を越えて、それまで「山丹」と呼ばれたり「韃靼」と呼称されていた河口・流域地域を黒竜江を遡って探査する。
日本の歴史記録ではこれら地域との直接交渉の記録に乏しい。かろうじて奥州藤原氏以前の安倍氏支配時代に、その当主家系が訪問したという断片記録に触れた程度。ただ、ながく日本中央権力地域との「交易」関係で奥州地域が特異な地位を占めていたのには、こうした北辺地域との交流が基礎にあったのに違いない。間宮林蔵の外交には、これらの地域とのかかわりを再認識させた側面もあったことだろう。

English version⬇

Hokkaido and Sakhalin further to the Heilongjiang River estuary area – Mamiya Rinzo’s birthplace – 7
The scientific rationality of territorial grasp and geographical recognition was established as the basis for territorial domination of the northern part of Japan. From this achievement, Mamiya Rinzo further advanced into northern diplomacy. …

For a modern state, understanding the geography of its territory is important fundamental information that ensures the legitimacy of its governance. Without accurate geographical awareness, the overall effectiveness of the exercise of power is impossible. It is the basis for “land rule,” including the defense of the territory and its transportation, as well as the development of industry, population growth, and the promotion and securing of settlement.
It can be said that Japan’s Edo shogunate had a very correct understanding of the international common sense that such “civil administration” is the very essence of the modern concept of the state.
The Edo shogunate system was quick to promote the surveying of Hokkaido Island as the basis for territorial determination, and later, in preparation for border disputes with Russia, it promoted exploration of Sakhalin Island, the Kuril Islands, and other areas.
Rinzo Mamiya made a huge national contribution in this survey of Sakhalin. He established internationally that Sakhalin and the continent of Northeast Asia were not connected to the land, but were islands, and this led to a breakthrough in world map information. The “special national missions” were carried out and were considered “state secrets” under the Edo Shogunate’s policy of national seclusion. In the case of the “leak” of state secrets to the Dutch physician Siebold, the Shogunate imposed a maximum penalty on the Japanese informant and had Siebold deported from Japan.
However, as the above map information was shared with the Western world by Siebold, it was recognized that Japan’s political structure had the basic requirements of a modern nation that respected such accurate information. This was very effective for the national interest at the time. At the very least, it was one of the grounds for the West to recognize Japan’s superiority in the Russo-Japanese “war” regarding information. Perhaps it was the recognition that Japan possessed the basic qualifications of a modern nation, different from other Asian nations. Japan could defend its independence to the death. It can be said that the efforts of the Edo shogunate and the explorers of the Northern Territories in the “national intelligence power” saved Japan from the Meiji era onward.
I believe that Ryotaro Shiba’s repeated exploration of the Japanese in this period leading up to the Russo-Japanese War was based on his respect for this kind of background.
After discovering the Mamiya Strait, Mamiya Rinzo also engaged in “northern diplomacy” toward the region at the mouth of the Heilongjiang River, the northeastern tip of the Asian continent that Karafuto faced. He organized local residents living in the Sakhalin region to cross the strait and explore the estuary and basin areas of the Heilongjiang River, which had previously been called “Shantan” or “Tadatoku.
Japanese historical records are scant on direct negotiations with these regions. There is barely a fragmentary record of a visit by a family member of the head of the Abe clan during the period of Abe rule before the Oshu Fujiwara clan. However, the fact that the Oshu region occupied a unique position in “trade” with the central power regions of Japan for a long time must have been based on such exchanges with the northern regions. Mamiya Rinzo’s diplomacy must have had some aspect of reaffirming the relationship with these regions.

Posted on 5月 22nd, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
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