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【世界が驚愕した浮世絵文明-1 江戸期・房総町家-10】



さてこの房総のむらでもいちばん魂を揺さぶられる江戸文化の精緻の町家店舗。「本・瓦版」の店・葛飾堂のご紹介であります。わたしどもの主領域・出版は江戸の浮世絵文化の大興隆、大衆文化大革命を見ずには語ることができないと思う。出版に主要な人生時間を費やしてきた人間として、町家建築としてこういう業態の店舗を参観できる機会に恵まれて心躍る思いがした。
出版、それも木版印刷の歴史について、京都の先達「竹笹堂」さんのHPから要旨引用。
〜戦国の世を家康が統一し泰平が訪れ文化の中心が町民に移行した江戸時代。初頭に京都で商業的な出版が行われ本を取り扱う「本屋」が誕生した。瞬く間に市中に数多くの本屋が並び、続いて大阪に本屋が登場して上方で出版文化が育まれていった。寛永(1624-1645年)には江戸でも本屋が開業。のちに美人画の名手喜多川歌麿や、役者絵の奇才東洲斎写楽などの錦絵を出版して一大版元となる蔦屋重三郎も吉原に書店を構えた。〜
〜伝統木版画技法の確立 大量印刷物を限られた時間と費用で生産するため無駄をそぎ落とし、表現方法をシンプルにすることで浮世絵木版画独特の構図の妙や色彩表現が生まれた。制作工程を分化させ、下絵を描く「絵師」、版を彫る「彫師」、色を摺る「摺師」、それぞれ専門職として作業する三者分業制印刷が確立した。一般に知られる葛飾北斎や喜多川歌麿は絵師で大手版元のお抱えや独立して活動した。素材や色彩、表現全てが独自性に富んだ日本の木版多色カラー印刷は、当時世界最高峰の技法。のちにゴッホをはじめとする多くの芸術家たちに影響を与え世界中を驚愕させた。【豆知識】世界に日本の高度な木版印刷技術が知られたのは、印刷に失敗した木版画を陶器や磁器などの他の輸出品の緩衝材として海を渡ったからだという。〜


いやはや、紙くずとして梱包材に浮世絵を使ったというさりげない事実から江戸期社会の大衆芸術の浸透ぶりに驚かされる。宗教芸術や貴族層の趣味生活に奉仕させられる存在であったヨーロッパ芸術に対して、無造作に紙くずとして利用された木版印刷ニッポン芸術が、まさに文明的驚愕をもたらせたことは日本人として誇らしい。けっして豊かではない都市住民の生活の中で、それでも多色印刷の絵画が各家庭に飾られて、夕餉の一家団欒に話題を提供していたのだろう。その絵画のテーマに則して旅の話題であったり、有名歌舞伎スターのゴシップであったり(笑)、大いに平和な家庭のいっときを彩っていた。もちろん識字率の高さから活字本で学習・情報収集にも余念がなかっただろうけれど、多色印刷のわかりやすさは、ひとのこころに強烈なインパクトを与え続けた。わたし自身はテレビという映像文化に染まった最初期世代だけれど、この江戸期の浮世絵文化にはじめて触れた人びとも、どうも似たような文化革命体験世代だったのではないだろうか。この空気感が愛おしい。

English version⬇

Ukiyo-e Civilization that Astonished the World -1 Edo Period, Boso Townhouse-10
Europeans were horrified by the culture shock of Ukiyo-e paintings being used as packaging cushioning material (laugh). Nippon, a society leading the popularization of art. …

The most soul-stirring store in the village of Boso is a machiya store that is an exquisite example of Edo culture. I would like to introduce Katsushikado, a “book and tile edition” store. Our main area of business, publishing, cannot be described without referring to the great rise of Ukiyo-e culture in Edo, the great revolution in popular culture. As someone who has spent a major part of my life in publishing, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to visit this type of store, built as a machiya (traditional townhouse).
The following is a brief history of publishing, especially woodblock printing, from the website of Takezasa-do, one of Kyoto’s forerunners in this field.
〜The Edo period (1603-1868) was a time of peace and prosperity as Ieyasu united the warring states, and the center of culture shifted to the townspeople. In the beginning of the Edo period, commercial publishing took place in Kyoto, and “bookstores” that dealt in books were born. In no time, numerous bookstores lined the streets of the city, followed by the appearance of bookstores in Osaka, which fostered a publishing culture in the Kamigata region. During the Kan’ei period (1624-1645), bookstores also opened in Edo. Tsutaya Shigesaburo, who later became a major publisher of nishiki-e prints by artists such as Kitagawa Utamaro, a master of beautiful women paintings, and Toshusai Sharaku, a prodigy of actor pictures, also had a bookstore in Yoshiwara. 〜The first woodblock print shop in Yoshiwara was established by Tsutaya Shigsaburo.
〜Establishment of Traditional Woodblock Printing Techniques In order to produce large quantities of prints in a limited amount of time and at a limited cost, the ukiyo-e woodblock printing method was simplified to eliminate waste and create the unique composition and color expression unique to ukiyo-e woodblock prints. The production process was differentiated, and a three-person division of labor system was established, with the “painter” drawing the preliminary sketches, the “engraver” engraving the plates, and the “printer” printing the colors, each working as a specialist. Katsushika Hokusai and Kitagawa Utamaro, both well-known artists, were either employed by major publishers or worked independently. Japanese woodblock multicolor printing, with its unique materials, colors, and expressions, was the world’s most advanced technique at the time. The technique later influenced many artists, including Van Gogh, and astonished the world. Trivia: Japan’s advanced woodblock printing technology became known to the world when woodblock prints that failed to print were shipped across the sea as buffer material for other exports such as ceramics and porcelain. ~.

The casual fact that ukiyo-e prints were used as packing materials for paper scraps is surprising in its permeation of popular art in the Edo period society. In contrast to European art, which had been a form of religious art or an object of service to the aristocracy’s lifestyle, Japanese woodblock-printed art, which was used carelessly as paper scraps, was a civilized wonder, and as a Japanese, I am proud to say that it brought about a sense of wonder. In the not-so-affluent lives of city dwellers, polychromatic paintings were still displayed in each household and provided a topic of conversation for the family dinner table. The paintings were often about travel or gossip about famous Kabuki stars, depending on the theme of the painting (laugh), and they added a lot of color to the peaceful family life. Of course, the high literacy rate in Japan meant that people probably had to learn and gather information from printed books, but the ease of understanding provided by multicolor printing had a powerful impact on people’s hearts. I myself am of the first generation to be imbued with the visual culture of television, but I suspect that the people who first came into contact with the Ukiyo-e culture of the Edo period were of a similar generation that experienced a cultural revolution. I love this atmosphere.

【街並み魅力の主役「甘味店」-2 江戸期・房総町家-9】



日本の街の成立は、農業を基盤としたムラの境界の道に沿って出来上がっていったと言われる。生産手段であり、生き延びていく基本である農的生活のなかで非日常の点景として出現したのだろう。農業生産生活・暮らしに不可欠な職人仕事などがきらびやかに示された。
そういう町家店舗のなかでも甘味を売る店は、格段の集客力を持っていたに違いない。日本人の味覚としての甘みというのはきわめて貴重なものであり、それがわかりやすい店舗として具現化していることはそこにキラキラした世界の明確な入口として示されていたのだろう。しかしそれは法事や特殊な行事を飾る非日常感の象徴でもあったように思われる。日本史でも特権階級であったり、寺院での嗜好品としてきわめて特殊な存在だったとされている。江戸期のような大衆社会化状況が盛り上がりがあって、こういうふうに「大衆化」してきたものだろうと思う。
それでも砂糖は長崎からの海外交易で輸入され続けてきたものであり、その流通も含めて特殊な権益構造によって社会的に維持されてきた。需要は十分に予測可能だけれど総量規制されたようなマーケットであり、資本主義的な需要と供給の自由な交易が十分ではない社会の中で、特殊に存在してきた。


菓子屋は朝が早い。「朝ナマ」といわれる大福・団子・饅頭などは、朝のうちに作る。これは必ずその日のうちに売り切るべき日持ちのしない菓子。朝ナマを作り終わって一息つくと、干菓子や飴などにとりかかりる。練切などは集中力が必要なため、夜に作る場合もあった。概して寒い時期に忙しく夏は菓子が売れなくなる。人生儀礼や年中行事に結び付いた需要が多く冠婚葬祭の引き出物、初節句や七五三の配り菓子などを頼まれると、徹夜となることさえあったという。
寺社の門前で参詣客に土産の菓子を売る菓子屋には安定した売り上げがあった。寺の得意となってお供物の菓子を納める場合もあり、祭りに特別な注文が入ることもあったことから、菓子屋にとって寺社はないがしろにできない存在だった。
店舗建築としては店頭で製造工程そのものを展示するスタイル。明治以降は「ガラス建材」で仕切りを作って清潔を維持したことだろう。菓子箪笥が階段下にあるけれどここには干菓子を入ている。菓子が湿気ないように桐製だという。菓子箱には大福やきんつば、羊羹、しおがま、おこしなどが入れられ赤い漆塗りで粉がしかれて商品管理されていた。せいろには湿度管理が大切な小麦まんじゅうが入っている。日本人のライフスタイルとしての甘味と暮らしの関係を想起させる店舗建築。

English version⬇

The star attraction of the townscape “Sweet store”-2 Edo Period, Boso Machiya-9
The largest star store in the group of machiya stores. It was an industry that regulated the total amount of its material “sugar”. The function of decorating the “Hare” (ceremonial occasions) of weddings and funerals. ・・・・.

It is said that Japanese towns were established along the boundary paths between villages based on agriculture. They probably emerged as an extraordinary landscape in the midst of agricultural life, which is the means of production and the basis of survival. The artisans’ work, which is essential to agricultural production and daily life, was displayed in a glittering manner.
Among these machiya stores, those that sold sweet foods must have had an exceptional ability to attract customers. Sweetness is an extremely precious part of the Japanese palate, and the fact that it was embodied in a store that was easy to understand must have been a clear gateway to the glittering world of sweetness. However, it also seems to have been a symbol of the extraordinary sense of decorating for legal and special events. In Japanese history, it is said to have been a very special item for the privileged classes and as a luxury item in temples. I believe that it became “popular” in this way when the mass socialization of the Edo period was in full swing.
Even so, sugar has continued to be imported through overseas trade from Nagasaki and has been socially maintained by a special interest structure that includes its distribution. It is a market where demand is sufficiently predictable but the total quantity is regulated, and it has existed uniquely in a society where free trade between capitalist supply and demand is not sufficient.

Confectioners are early in the morning. Daifuku, dango, and manju (steamed buns), known as “asanama,” are made in the morning. These are sweets that do not last long and must be sold out by the end of the day. After finishing the “morning nama,” they take a break and start working on dried confections and candies. Nerikiri, for example, required a lot of concentration, so it was sometimes made at night. Generally, they were busy during the cold season, and sales of confections were slow during the summer. Many of the confections were related to life ceremonies and annual events, and when asked to make gifts for weddings and funerals, or confections to be given out on New Year’s festivals and the 75th and 75th birthdays, the confectioners even had to stay up all night.
Confectionery shops selling souvenirs to visitors at the gates of temples and shrines enjoyed steady sales. They sometimes became the specialty of temples and delivered sweets as offerings, and they sometimes received special orders for festivals, so temples and shrines were an existence that confectionery shops could not ignore.
The style of store architecture was to display the manufacturing process itself in the storefront. After the Meiji period, partitions would have been made with “glass building materials” to maintain cleanliness. A chest of confectionery is located under the stairs and used to store dried confections. They are said to be made of paulownia wood to prevent the sweets from getting damp. Daifuku, kintsuba, yokan jelly, shiogama, okoshi, etc. were stored in confectionery boxes, which were lacquered in red lacquer and covered with powder to keep them in good condition. In the “Sei” box, there are wheat manjus (wheat buns), for which humidity control is very important. The store’s architecture evokes the relationship between sweetness and daily life as part of the Japanese lifestyle.

【甘味・お菓子の民族史-1 江戸期・房総町家-8】



家は希望する人がいて成立する。住宅雑誌・メディアって建築要素把握と生活の関連にスポットを当てる役割。住宅の意味はそこでシアワセな暮らしが営めるかどうか、が最大ポイント。もちろん作り手の紹介は大きい要素ではあるけれど、家を希望する人にとって本当の最大助言者は、すでに建てたひとの実感だろうと思います。それを第3者的な視線で「取材」して表現していくことがメディア最大の役割。シアワセな「だんらん」生活が実現しているのかどうか、取材センサー機能を働かせて、これから建てる人に伝える役割が社会機能の中核。
そんな意識を持つと連綿と繋がってきている昔人の暮らしから現代と通底する普遍的な価値観が自然に浮かび上がってくる。ちょっと(笑)以前の時代の人間生活・民俗の歴史とか、古民家群から発掘できてくる。生活の「だんらん」には実に多様な要素、シアワセのカタチがあると思わされる。そんなことがら・ものごとを深掘りしてみたいということで、いまは江戸期房総の商家群をピックアップ中。
本日はひとを蕩けさせる甘味の世界・町家の「お菓子屋」さんであります。甘いものは実はその甘味料・砂糖の歴史からして実は新しい部類の人間体験だと気付かされる。


財団法人・農畜産業振興機構のHPに甘味の歴史が詳述されている。以下要旨抜粋。
〜砂糖がもたらされる以前の庶民の甘味料は、ヨーロッパでは蜂蜜であり日本では飴であった。飴はもち米などのデンプンを麦芽(麦もやし)で糖化して作られる我が国古来の甘味料。『日本書紀』において初代の天皇とされる神武天皇の即位前紀に「飴(たがね)」が記されているほか『延喜式』には平安時代の都に「糖(あめ)」の店があったとされる。
江戸時代の初めまでは餡といえばもっぱら味噌味や塩味だった。長崎に来航する唐船・オランダ船により砂糖が大量輸入されるようになると、金平糖などの南蛮菓子のほか従来の飴に加え新たに砂糖を用いた飴が作られるようになる。嘉永6年(1853)の『近世風俗志』の「饅頭」の項では「昔は菜饅頭・砂糖饅頭の二制あり。何時よりか菜饅頭は廃れ今は砂糖饅頭のみなり。今の饅頭、表は小麦粉を皮とし、中に小豆餡を納る。小豆は皮を去り砂糖を加ふ。砂糖に白黒の二品あり。昔は諸国ともに菜饅頭廃しその後は塩饅頭と云ひて小豆餡に塩を加へたり。近世は鄙といへども皆専ら砂糖饅頭なり。文化以来やうやうかくのごとくなり」とある。〜
いずれにせよ、家庭で甘味の菓子を作ることは珍しく、このような商家・町家店舗で専業的に作られて購入されていたのが実態だっただろう。砂糖の普及に伴って徐々に家庭でも正月の餅つきで「あん餅」がつきあげられるように変化していった。昭和中期までのわたしの生家でも賑やかに多量のあん餅を作っていた。その餅つきの製造場所は深く記憶に残っている。前日までの材料仕込みから家族総出での餡作り、餅つき、手ごね作業の隅々まで、深く記憶に残り続けている。年越しを飾るメインイベントとして、甘味は日本人にとって「だんらん」の豊かさを実感できる大きな機会だったことだろう。

English version⬇

Ethnographic History of Sweetmeats and Sweets -1 Edo Period, Boso Machiya-8
It was in the merchant and townhouse houses of the Edo period that “sweet foods” were first offered to the common people in their homes. The merchants and merchant houses of the Edo period were the first to offer sweet foods to the common people, enriching the Japanese home life.

A house is established when there are people who wish to live in it. Housing magazines and media are responsible for highlighting the relationship between the understanding of architectural elements and living. The most important point of a house is whether or not it is possible to live a happy life there. Of course, the introduction of the builder is a major factor, but I believe that the greatest advisor for people who want to buy a house is the experience of those who have already built one. The greatest role of the media is to “report” and express this from a third-party perspective. The core of the social function of the media is to use its sensor function of reporting on whether or not a “happy home” life has been realized, and to tell people who are going to build their own homes about it.
With such an awareness, universal values that are common to the present day naturally emerge from the lives of the ancients, which have been connected to the present day. The history of human life and folklore of an earlier era can be unearthed from the old houses. The “communal living” of daily life has a variety of elements and forms of happiness. In order to delve deeper into such things, I am now picking up a group of merchant houses in Boso during the Edo period.
Today, we are going to visit a sweets shop in a machiya, a world of sweetness that can make you fall in love with sweets. I realize that sweet food is actually a new kind of human experience, given the history of its sweetener, sugar.

The website of the Organization for Promotion of Agriculture and Livestock Industry details the history of sweetness. The following is an excerpt.
〜Before the introduction of sugar, the sweetener for the common people was honey in Europe and candy in Japan. Ame is an ancient Japanese sweetener made by saccharifying glutinous rice and other starches with malt (barley sprouts). In the “Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan),” “tajane” is mentioned in the pre-century of Emperor Jinmu, the first emperor of Japan, and in the “Engishiki (Engi Shiki),” it is said that there was a “sugar” store in the capital during the Heian period.
Until the beginning of the Edo period (1603-1867), red bean paste was usually miso or salt-flavored. When sugar was imported in large quantities by Chinese and Dutch ships that arrived in Nagasaki, new candies made with sugar began to be produced in addition to traditional candies, such as kompeito (kompeito) and other Nanban confections. In the section on “Manju” in the “Kaei 6 (1853)” (Kasei Fuzoku Shi), it is written, “In the past, there were two types of buns: na-manju and sugar-manju. From some time ago, the greens buns were abolished, and now only sugar buns are available. Nowadays, the front of the bun has a flour crust and the inside is filled with azuki bean paste. The azuki beans are removed from the skin and sugar is added. There are two kinds of sugar, black and white. In the old days, many countries abolished the “naeba-manju” and later it was called “shio-manju” (salt buns). In modern times, all the local people have been making sugar buns. It has been like this since the Bunka era. ~…~…~…~…~…
In any case, it was rare to make sweet confections at home, and the reality was that they were made and purchased exclusively at merchant houses and townhouse stores like this one. With the spread of sugar, the home cook gradually began to make “anmochi” at the New Year’s rice-cake pounding. Until the mid-Showa period, my family was making large quantities of anmochi in a lively atmosphere. The place where the rice cakes were made remains deeply in my memory. From the preparation of ingredients up to the day before, to the family’s concerted efforts to make red bean paste, to the pounding of the rice cake, to every detail of the hand-kneading process, all remain in my deepest memories. As the main event that decorates the New Year’s Eve, sweetness must have been a great opportunity for Japanese people to experience the richness of “Danran” (gather together).

【商家の仕掛け「木製シャッター・配送車」 江戸期・房総町家-7】



さて房総のむら「小間物屋くる里」さんシリーズ。主要な扱い商品としての髪結い関連製品、櫛・かんざしなどの「小間物」を見てみたが、本日は店舗の建築面の機能性について。
商家・町家は人通りのある街道筋などに対して間口を開けてその開口部はフルにオープンして顧客の誘導を図るのが一般的。2階建ての場合、1階は商品展示スペースとして活用して2階を商談専用、あるいは高額商品などのスペースとして利用する。ただし、その業態によって千差万別に対応が分かれていく。この小間物屋の場合、玄関間口は3間となっている。京町家など商家に対しての税は、間口の広さに相応して決められていたという。従って商家では間口が狭く、奥行きが長いという形式が多くなる。税負担軽減の知恵と工夫(笑)。それと密集感が「にぎわい」を自然に醸し出すので意図的にそうしていたのだろう。織田信長はかぶき者としてこうした町家群をぶらつく習性があったと言われる。重商主義的な権力の性格はこのような町家群の空気感が好みである権力者によってもたらされた。
ショーウィンドウとしての1階スペースがフルオープンで開放されるためには開口部建具は省略したいけれど、夜間などは閉めておきたいということで、シャッターのような機能を木製建具に担わせたい。ということからご覧のような「揚戸」「上げ下げ戸」という夜用出入口付きの木製シャッター。


さらに面白いのが荷車とショーケース的な台車。はじめこの車を見たとき、ひょっとして髪結いを終えた良家の奥方・令嬢がその姿を帰り道にこれみよがしに町の人に披露するパレード用のクルマか?と誤解したのですが(笑)、説明をしっかり見ると、どうやらタバコの煙管などの出店販売用のものとのこと。煙管の導管部のことをラオと言うそうで、これは「ラオ車」でキセルの販売やヤニ落とし修理などの行商に使った。そうするとこの1階の店舗三和土(たたき)部分は一種の駐車場でもあったワケで、それこそ昭和に至るまでの町家店舗の原型としての姿が浮かび上がってくる。
実際に昭和中期の戦後社会でわたしの生家ではこの台車の代わりに「オート三輪」車で配送・行商活動を行っていた。駐車場は実際には店の前の空き地を使っていたけれど、まさに商家の生き様の「つながり」を強く感じさせられて懐かしい。日々の営業活動に必死に取り組んで余念がなかった父母の日々の様子が強く香り立ってくる。取り扱う商品は違っても、日本の商家の基本のありようがピンナップされている。時代劇ドラマなどではサムライが主役だけれど、圧倒的多数の庶民はこのような暮らし方で連綿と今日社会まで生き延びてきているのだ。

English version⬇

Wooden shutters and delivery wagons, a contrivance of a merchant house, Edo period, Boso Machiya-7
Desperate for business, the front of the store was fully opened as a show window. Wooden fittings were constructed with wisdom and ingenuity, and a mobile car for peddling was also stored. The shop was built with wisdom and ingenuity.

Now, let’s take a look at the Boso no Mura “Komono-ya Kururi” series. We have looked at their main products, such as hairdressing-related products, combs, and ornamental hairpins, but today we will look at the architectural functionality of the store.
Generally, merchants’ houses and townhouses open their frontage to busy streets and other areas and fully open their frontage to lead customers in. However, the response will vary in a thousand ways depending on the type of business. In the case of this komomono shop, the front door has a 3-ken entrance. Taxes on merchant houses, such as Kyoto townhouses, were determined according to the size of the frontage. Therefore, merchant houses often have a narrow frontage and a long depth. This is wisdom and ingenuity to reduce the tax burden (laugh). The dense feeling of the building naturally creates “liveliness,” so it must have been done intentionally. Oda Nobunaga is said to have had a habit of hanging around these clusters of town houses as a kabuki actor. The heavy mercantilist character of power was brought about by the airy atmosphere of these machiya clusters by a few powerful men.
In order to fully open the first floor space as a show window, we wanted to omit the opening fittings, but we also wanted to close them at night, so we wanted the wooden fittings to function like shutters. This is why the wooden shutter with a nighttime entrance called a “lift door” or a “raised door” was designed, as you can see.

What is even more interesting is the cart and the showcase dolly. When I first saw this car, I mistakenly thought that it was a parade car for the wives and daughters of good families who had finished getting their hair done to show off their appearance to the townspeople on their way home (laugh). (Laughs) However, a closer look at the description reveals that it is a vehicle used to sell tobacco pipes and other items at tobacco stalls. The conduit part of a smoking pipe is called a “rao,” and this was a “rao car” used for peddling kiseru (tobacco pipe) for sale and repairing burnt tobacco. The first floor of the store was also used as a kind of parking lot, and this is the prototype of the machiya store that existed until the Showa period (1926-1989).
In fact, in the postwar society of the mid-Showa period, my family used an “auto three-wheeler” instead of this cart for deliveries and peddling. Although we actually used the vacant lot in front of the store for parking, it was a nostalgic experience that gave me a strong sense of “connection” in the way of life of a merchant family. The daily activities of the father and mother, who were desperately engaged in their daily sales activities, strongly remind me of their daily life. Even though the products handled are different, the basic way of being of a Japanese merchant family is pinned down. Samurai are the main characters in historical dramas, but the overwhelming majority of ordinary people have survived in this way of life for a long time until today.

【おシャレ髪結い櫛・かんざし  江戸期・房総町家-6】



商家の町家群展示、千葉県の「房総のむら」で出会った「小間物屋」。町家建築はその時代の「消費動向」を把握できる。日本女性の美感探究のオリジナル性というのは有史以前から連綿と続いていたでしょう。一見奇妙な形態を見せる縄文土偶の一部にはそういう「髪結い」が反映されていたのかも知れない。きのう江戸期の髪結いの文化について見て改めて気付かされた。どうして日本列島社会ではこういうふうに髪結いが発展して、きわめてオリジナル性の高い髪結い習慣に発展したのか。考えて見ると日本人のナゾ。女性のファッション感覚が作り上げてきた歴史の重要なパーツだけれど、あまり考察してみたことはなかった。言ってみれば「美感の歴史」だけれど、美術作品の流れみたいなものは跡づけることができても、こういう感覚の歴史、あるいは流行の歴史というものは跡づけにくいのかも知れない。決定的なのはむしろこういう日常的な部分だろう。
個人的には娘の成人式での髪結いを思い出す。美容師さんがいろいろに髪型を考えてくれて「もっとこの辺を盛り上げましょうか」「いいね、それ」みたいなやり取りがあって、大いに盛り上がった記憶がある。やはり日本女性のDNAに触れる部分で奥深い審美眼が刺激されているように感じた。彼女たちの目の光のキラキラ感には思い出す度に微笑させられる(笑)。

こういう文化の結晶として櫛やかんざしの類は日本の工芸分野で独特の位置を占めていった。江戸期の職人図でも座っての手先作業ぶりが描かれている。手先に注意が集中する特殊な手工芸の世界。背景としての髪の色が日本民族の場合、黒が基調色になるので、赤と白がポイントカラーとして選択されてきたのだと思う。用途としては髪のデザイン造形をまとめ上げて美感を強調する役割。やはり黒い長髪で風土条件にも反応した質感というのがこの髪結い伝統の基板を形成してきたと思う。
この条件を活かしていくヘアデザインを長時間、およそ37,000年考え続けてきて、オリジナルの髪結い習慣に結晶してきたように思う。その後、明治に至って西洋文化を完全に受容したとき、和服に対して活動機能性に優れた洋服にファッションの背景条件が大変化した。このことで和の髪結い習慣は主流からは外れた。
しかしこのような手工芸の感覚世界は、その後の産業興隆の基盤になっていったと思う。日本独特のものづくり要素としてディテールへのこだわりがあるけれど、その文化風土は日本女性の黒髪が大いに関係していたという大胆な推論も可能に思う(笑)。

English version⬇

Oshare hair comb and hairpin, Edo period, Boso-machiya-6]
Japanese women have black hair. The hair quality nurtured by the climatic conditions also created a unique sense of beauty. The props and workmanship that suited the hair created the foundation for the manufacturing industry that followed.

Exhibition of a group of merchant townhouses, “komono-ya” (booth shop) encountered in the “Boso no Mura” in Chiba Prefecture. The originality of Japanese women’s search for aesthetics has probably been continuous since prehistoric times. Machiya architecture allows us to grasp the “consumption trends” of its time. Some of the seemingly strange forms of Jomon clay figurines may have reflected such “hairdressing. Yesterday, I was reminded of this when I looked at the Edo period’s hairdressing culture. I wondered why the custom of hairdressing developed in this way in the Japanese society and developed into a highly original custom. It is a puzzle for Japanese people. It is an important part of the history of women’s sense of fashion, but I have never given it much thought. It is a “history of aesthetics” in other words, but while we can trace the flow of art works, it may be difficult to trace the history of this sense or the history of fashion trends. However, what is decisive is the everyday part like this.
Personally, I recall my daughter’s hair at her coming-of-age ceremony. The hairdresser came up with various hairstyles, and there was a lively exchange of ideas such as, “Shall I make this part of her hair more lively? I felt that this was a part of Japanese women’s DNA that stimulated their deep aesthetic sense. The sparkle in their eyes makes me smile every time I recall it (laugh).

As a fruit of this culture, combs and hairpins occupied a unique position in the field of Japanese crafts. Even the Edo period craftsmen’s drawings depict the way they worked with their hands while sitting down. This is a special kind of handicraft in which attention is concentrated on the fingertips. The color of the hair as a background is black for the Japanese people, and red and white have been chosen as the point colors. The purpose of this technique is to emphasize the beauty of the hair by bringing it together in design and modeling. I believe that the texture of long black hair that responds to the climate conditions has formed the basis of this hair-tie tradition.
The hair design that makes the most of these conditions has been thought about for a long time, about 37,000 years, and has crystallized into the original custom of hairdressing. Later, when Western culture was fully embraced in the Meiji period (1868-1912), the background conditions for fashion changed drastically, with Western clothes having superior activity and functionality in contrast to Japanese clothes. This meant that the Japanese custom of tying hair fell out of the mainstream.
However, the sensory world of handicrafts became the foundation for the subsequent rise of industry. One of the unique elements of Japanese craftsmanship is the attention to detail, and it is a bold inference that the cultural climate had a lot to do with the black hair of Japanese women (laughs).

【日本女性美探究「髪飾り&結髪」  江戸期・房総町家-5】



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.

【大雪直撃(泣)のなかの新年本格始動】


昨日10日より通常業務が開始という会社は多いだろうと思います。わたしはちょっと札幌を離れていたのですが、昨日帰還。いきなりの大雪の風景が出迎えてくれました(泣)。
知人の北海道内の住宅研究者のTさんからは住宅系時事ネタ復帰へのブロックサインも出ていました。北海道の住まいと暮らしにとって「雪との付き合い方」は永く続くテーマ。札幌は年間積雪が6mを超えるという世界で稀な多雪地域の大都市圏。参考までに「札幌を東京地域に重ねたら」地図が以下。

〜https://hokkaido.press/sapocan/より引用。〜
東はほぼ千葉市近くまで及び、西は横浜市をも飲み込む勢い。さらに北はさいたま市を包囲している。関東を動き回るときこういうルートで動くと、高速を使っても相当の時間が掛かる。渋滞まで計算したら丸1日程度、移動するのに掛かるのではないか。これほどに都市面積がデカいので「除雪」のために費やさなければならない費用コストが巨大。この冬はそう大きな降雪がなく、やや安心していたのではありますが、そうは問屋が卸してはくれない。

なんですが、わが家の周辺には夜の間に除雪が来てくれて、ご覧のようなスッキリ感であります。札幌を離れていたけれど建物周辺の雪処理も家人スタッフがやってくれていて感謝であります。罪滅ぼしにこれから雪処理を一生懸命やっていきたいのですが、チョコチョコと出張予定も入ってくる。そうするとその日程を狙ったように降雪があるのが困ったものなんですけど・・・。


さてこの除雪費用について、なんとかコスト削減を図っていくのが札幌市のサスティナビリティ優先度高めテーマ。市民生活の利便性と除雪費用の費用対効果を見定めて安定的な着地点を展望する必要がある。現状では合計で215.8億円程度掛かっているのですね。最近話題になっているコスト削減策というのは、徹底的に除排雪するのではなく「ほどほどの圧雪状態」で「やりすごそう」という作戦。
昨年あたりから市民の話題になってきているのですが、この施策も運用がなかなか難しい。タイミングとバランス配分次第では市民からの苦情爆発も避けられないのであります。

予報では本日から週末に掛けて今度は気温高めなんだとか。そうすると今度は道路面の圧雪が「グチャグチャ」雪に変貌する可能性が高い。今年も忘れずやってきた大雪さん、お久しぶりであります。まぁ切っても切れない関係なので気長に末永いお付き合い。なまあたたかく、よろしくであります(笑)。

English version⬇

The New Year started in earnest in the midst of a heavy snowstorm.
General Winter took advantage of the moment when I was away from Sapporo for a little while. We will welcome him warmly this year as well. The New Year is just around the corner.

I am sure that many companies have started their normal business operations since yesterday, the 10th. I was away from Sapporo for a while, but returned yesterday. I was suddenly greeted with a heavy snow scene (tears).
Mr. T, a housing researcher in Hokkaido, who is an acquaintance of mine, gave me a block sign to return to the housing-related current affairs. For housing and living in Hokkaido, “how to deal with snow” is an enduring theme. Sapporo is a metropolitan area with an annual snowfall of over 6 meters, which is rare in the world for a metropolitan area with heavy snowfall. For reference, the map below shows Sapporo superimposed on the Tokyo area.
To the east, it extends almost to Chiba City, and to the west, it is threatening to swallow Yokohama City. It also encircles Saitama City in the north. When moving around the Kanto region along these routes, it takes a considerable amount of time even if you use the expressway. If traffic jams are included in the calculation, it would take about a full day to travel around. The cost of “snow removal” is huge for such a large city. We were somewhat relieved that there was no significant snowfall this winter, but that is not the case with us.

However, the snow plows came to the area around our house during the night, and as you can see, it is very clear. Although I was away from Sapporo, my wife’s staff took care of the snow around our building, and I am very grateful to them. I would like to make up for my sins by doing my best to clean up the snow from now on, but I also have some business trips coming up. I am also planning to go on a few business trips, but it’s a problem that the snow falls on the same dates as my business trips….

Now, the city of Sapporo’s sustainability priority theme is to somehow reduce the cost of snow removal. It is necessary to determine the cost-effectiveness of snow removal costs in relation to the convenience of citizens’ lives, and to look for a stable landing point. Currently, the total cost is about 21.58 billion yen. A cost-cutting measure that has been talked about recently is the strategy of “getting by” with “moderately compacted snow” instead of thorough snow removal.
This has been a topic of conversation among citizens since last year, but it is also quite difficult to implement this measure. Depending on the timing and the distribution of the balance, an explosion of complaints from citizens may be inevitable.

According to the forecast, the temperature will be higher from today through the weekend. If this happens, there is a high possibility that the compacted snow on the road surface will turn into “squishy” snow. It has been a long time since we have had a heavy snowfall this year. We are inseparable, so please be patient with us for a long time to come. I wish you a long and fruitful relationship with us.

【「町の鍛冶屋」ふいごも休まず  江戸期・房総町家-4】




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.

【店舗POP広告「木工屋-2」 江戸期・房総町家の賑わい-3】



古民家でも商家となると現代の資本主義的なビジネス感覚と相似するカタチがみえてくる。写真は「木工屋」の店先・隅柱に掛けられた「下駄」のPOPと先日紹介の「めしや」の看板。昨日「樽つくり」の様子も見たけれど、木を使って造作することは生活に密着した手工業だった。化学素材が出現するより前の時代には、木のような自然素材が生活領域すべてをほぼ覆っていた。化学素材でのものづくりでは必然的に工業化された集中生産が進展し、一般社会からの「疎外」が当たり前になる。現代生活での日常必需品では手づくりというのはむしろ少数派で、大部分はどこで誰がつくっているか想像力が及ばないのが普通。言われてみてはじめてそれが他国でつくられていることを知るのが一般的。
一方で木のような自然素材の日用品が主体の江戸期までの社会では、それこそ製造業が「家内制」であって、需要地域に深く根ざして存在していた。江戸期までは履物といえば下駄が主流であっただろうから、このようなPOPが木工の主用途を表現したのだろう。「なんでも木で作るモノならつくりますよ」というメッセージが伝わってくる。
わたしは昭和中期に生まれた年代だけれど、都市居住ではこのような「◎◎屋」という存在が日常語として頻繁に使われていた。それが街のランドマークでもあり、向こう三軒両隣のような範囲でふつうの空気感として存在していた。八百屋・魚屋など生業が明確な存在が街の表情を形成していた。それがスーパーというような流通形態が主流になって企業規模が拡大していって「近代化」が進んだ。こういったありようにはノスタルジーが感じられ、独特の人間くささも薫っている。
こういったPOPの表現にはわかりやすさと同時にその作り手の個性、人間性も伝わる部分があるのではないか。まるで擬人化・マンガ文化力のようなものも感じさせられる。店に入るときに、その人となりの幾分か、応答内容が予測されるものがあると思える。


街並み再現構成のカタチとしてイマドキの子どもたちにもわかりやすいように、店頭には木割りの模型とか、樽の実物展示などがされている。木造住宅でも現代では構造が隠される「大壁」的な仕上げが多いので、柱梁が直接露出している方が少数派。現代住宅で育った子どもたちにはこういった部分から「構造を知らせる」きっかけを働きかける必要もあるでしょうね。またそもそも「樽」などという実物を見る機会もほとんどないだろう。化学素材製ではないモノの個性の豊かさというものに大いに驚いて欲しいと思う。化学素材製品のさらなる発展のためにも、その創造の原点としての自然素材の「肌ざわり・質感」というものがバネとして働くと思う。現代の子どもたちの新鮮な感受性を刺激するには、こういう機会を大人たちがもっと意識的に作って行くことが大切ではないか。

English version⬇

Store POP advertisement “Woodwork shop-2” Bustling townhouse in Bossou, Edo period – 3
Humorous POP with a strong message. The cradle of Japanese sensibility, which is connected to manga culture. Appealing to children’s hearts and minds. The “Bosho Machiya-2” and “Bosho Machiya-3” are the most popular.

Even in old private houses, when it comes to merchant houses, one can see forms that resemble the capitalistic business sense of today. The photo shows “geta” POP hanging on the corner post of a woodworking shop and the signboard of “meshiya” introduced the other day. I also saw a scene of “barrel making” yesterday, and the use of wood in manufacturing was a handicraft closely related to daily life. Before the advent of chemical materials, natural materials such as wood covered almost all areas of daily life. Manufacturing with chemical materials inevitably assumes industrialized, intensive production, and “alienation” from general society becomes the norm. In modern life, handmade products for daily necessities are in the minority, and it is common for people to have no idea where most of them are made. It is only when they are told that they are made in other countries that they realize that they are made in other countries.
On the other hand, until the Edo period, when daily necessities were mainly made of natural materials such as wood, the manufacturing industry was a “cottage industry” that was rooted in the area of demand. Until the Edo period, geta (wooden clogs) would have been the most common type of footwear, so this type of POP would have represented the main use of woodworking. It conveys the message, “We can make anything out of wood.
I was born in the mid-Showa period (1926-1989), and in urban areas, this kind of “◎◎ shop” was frequently used as an everyday word. It was a landmark of the town, and existed as a common atmosphere in the neighborhoods across the street from each other. Grocers, fishmongers, and other businesses with clear lines of business formed the face of the town. Then, supermarkets and other forms of distribution became the mainstream, and the scale of business expanded, which probably contributed to the “modernization” of the town. This way of being is nostalgic, but it also has a unique humanistic flavor.
This kind of POP expression is not only easy to understand, but also conveys the individuality and humanity of the owner. It is like the power of anthropomorphism and manga culture. When you enter a store, some of the responses of the owner’s personality can be predicted.

In order to make it easy for children of today’s generation to understand the form of the townscape reproduction composition, models of wood splits and actual barrels are displayed in the storefront. In modern wooden houses, many of them are finished with large walls, so exposed pillars and beams are more common in the minority. It is probably necessary to encourage children who have grown up in modern houses to learn about the structure from these types of structures. In the first place, there are probably few opportunities to see actual “barrels. I would like them to be surprised at the richness of individuality of products that are not made of chemical materials. For the further development of products made of chemical materials, the “feel and texture” of natural materials as the starting point of their creation will act as a springboard. In order to further stimulate the fresh sensibilities of today’s children, it is important for adults to consciously create such opportunities.

【見える製造業「木工屋-1」 江戸期・房総町家の賑わい-2】



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.