昨日九州から帰還。借り上げていたレンタカーも全12日間ということ。福岡の空港の支点で借りていたのですが途中、カーナビが故障してしまってまったく別の支点、大分の駅前の支点でクルマを交換していただき、その別のクルマで帰着という波瀾万丈ぶり。カーナビの故障って、はじめて遭遇しましたが、突然画面がフリーズしてしまう特殊なもの。はじめて訪問するところばかりのレンタカー移動にとっては、致命的に困ってしまう。「ここはどこ？　わたしは誰？」状態。
　そういうことでクルマが変わったので距離メーターは記憶ですが、途中では福岡県宗像から広島県への電撃訪問往復700kmもあり、おおむね3,000kmを突破していた。高齢期の自動車運転の個人的な記録領域（笑）。
　そういうことで九州の２県、佐賀・大分の２つの未踏破地域も無事に完走。
　写真は、6/1に最後の早朝散歩で歩いていた久留米市の「高野産八幡神社」境内地に鎮座されていた狛犬さんですが、先日ご紹介した狛犬とはまた一変して丸々としてかわいらしい風情。どうもこの久留米の狛犬には愛嬌があって楽しい（笑）。個人的には「おお、あんたか。どうだ、ここは気に入っただろ？　ぜひまた来いや」と話しかけてくれるようでした。
　九州北部のど真ん中・久留米を縦貫する「筑後川」には、夕景でも朝焼けぶりでも堪能させられていたのですが、その筑後川を鎮護しているような風情は、なかなかに情感的。
　高齢期の人間の九州行脚なので、下の写真のように各地の神社をたずねて神札を求めていましたが、それぞれの神さまもたいへんあたたかくお迎えいただいた。どうも加齢とともにこういった「思い」に弱くなってきているのでしょうか（笑）。
　札幌に帰着して家族のための整理整頓も行って、本日以降、ゲットしてきた情報もアタマのなかで整理統合させて個人的な探究心の栄養素にさせていただきたいと思います。まずは無事を感謝。

●お知らせ
拙書「作家と住空間」幻冬舎から電子書籍で発刊
お求めはAmazonで。
https://amzn.asia/d/eUiv9yO

English version⬇

[The deep, rumbling voice of the Kyushu gods saying, “Come back again!” (lol)]
I find solace in the “divine will” resonating from the komainu. Traveling abroad is nice, but I find the layers of Japanese history and culture infinitely more endearing. …

　I returned from Kyushu yesterday. My rental car was booked for a total of 12 days. I picked it up at the Fukuoka Airport branch, but halfway through the trip, the car’s navigation system broke down. So, I had to swap cars at a completely different branch—the one in front of the station in Oita—and made my way home in that replacement vehicle. It was quite an eventful journey. This was the first time I’d ever encountered a navigation system failure; it was a peculiar one where the screen suddenly froze. For a road trip where I was visiting places I’d never been to before, this was a major problem. I was in a total “Where am I? Who am I?” state.
Since I had to switch cars, I’m relying on memory for the mileage, but I did make a whirlwind round trip from Munakata in Fukuoka Prefecture to Hiroshima Prefecture—a 700 km journey—and I think I ended up driving over 3,000 km in total. That’s definitely a personal record for driving in my golden years (lol).
　And so, I successfully completed my journey through the two uncharted prefectures of Kyushu: Saga and Oita.
The photo shows a pair of komainu (guardian dogs) enshrined on the grounds of Takano-san Hachiman Shrine in Kurume City, which I visited during my final early morning walk on June 1. Unlike the komainu I introduced the other day, these have a plump, adorable charm. There’s just something charming and delightful about these Kurume komainu (lol). Personally, it felt as though they were saying to me, “Oh, it’s you. How’s it going? You like it here, don’t you? Be sure to come back again.”
The Chikugo River, which runs right through the heart of northern Kyushu in Kurume, treated me to stunning views whether at sunset or sunrise, and the atmosphere of the river—as if it were being protected by the deities—was quite moving.
　Since this was a pilgrimage through Kyushu by an elderly man, I visited shrines in various places, as shown in the photo below, to collect amulets, and each deity welcomed me very warmly. Perhaps I’m becoming more susceptible to these kinds of “feelings” as I get older (lol).
Now that I’ve returned to Sapporo and tidied things up for my family, starting today, I’d like to organize and integrate the information I gathered in my mind and let it simmer as nourishment for my personal curiosity. First and foremost, I’m grateful for my safe return.

● Announcement
My book, “Writers and Living Spaces,” has been published as an e-book by Gentosha.
Available on Amazon.
　
　
　

Posted on 6月 2nd, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類