「四百年間のいのちの履歴書」というテーマを決めて、家系の慶長年間以降の生き様をたどる「ライフワーク」に取り組んできていますが、次兄からバトンタッチされたこのお役について、やはり自分としては可能な限りのリアリティを求めて、その土地、その空間になるべく近づいて「息づかい」を感受したいと思っています。
　400年前当時に「紀州から」移転してきて住み着いた「故地」にはたぶんいろいろな機会を捉えて、もう７−８回レベルで探訪してきています。その地形の特徴から生業の実相、信じた生き方の痕跡、時代状況の中でどのような「桎梏」に遭遇し、どのようにわたしに繋がってくるいのちのリレーが生成してきたのか、という一連の空気感を追体験したいと念じているわけです。
　写真はいまのわたしの住環境のなかで，毎日10,000歩越えの散歩のひとつのルート景観。
　散歩は毎日同じルートを歩くのが好きな方もいるでしょうが、わたしは家の周りでいくつかの「基本ルート」を定め、この写真ルートは「自然に親しむ」系のもの。
　先祖の生き様を想像し続ける日々では、やはり「山の景色」は近景・遠景のコントラストを意識するのに欠かせない。そしてそこに「水」が流れているのは人間の基本のように思える。たぶん時空を超えて共有できる基本。
　こういう現代社会が実現した環境の美感のなかで、毎日を過ごせている「シアワセ」感が沸き起こって来る。そして血脈が自分のいまを導いてきてくれたことにも、シンプルに感謝したくなる。
　故地は広島県東部地域で複数箇所にわたっている。家系の人びとは厳しい蒸暑気候の夏を過ごしていただろうけれど、120年ほど前に祖父以降の一統はこのカラッとしたさわやかな夏の地に新天地を開いた。
　たしかに冬の寒さ・雪の困難は隔絶するが、現代では自分もその運動に関わった「住宅性能進化」が困難を克服した。さらに人間が暮らす街区としての「幸福感」はかなりのハイスペックに到達している。
　散歩で歩ける範囲にこういう自然環境もあり、同時に新千歳空港までも１時間以内で到達し、札幌市中心部にも地下鉄利用で10数分以内の利便性。さらに歩いて買い物出来る1km以内に生活を豊かにする大型スーパー・ドラッグストア類が10を超えて存在し、かつ公共図書館は家の目の前。
　長尺スパンで生き様を考えるとき、より天国に近づいている、という実感がある。

●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⬇

[Living Environments: “Home Is Where the Heart Is” and Each Person’s Sense of Happiness]
From a sweltering climate to a place with dry, crisp air. One’s personal perception shifts toward the idea of “the place closest to heaven.” In old age, one traces the path their family has walked over the generations. …

　Having chosen the theme “A 400-Year History of Life,” I have been working on a “life’s work” that traces the lives of my family line from the Keichō era onward. Regarding this role, which my second older brother has passed on to me, I naturally seek as much realism as possible; I want to get as close as I can to that land and that space to sense its “breath.”
　I’ve probably visited my “ancestral home”—the place where my family settled after moving “from Kishu” 400 years ago—seven or eight times now, taking advantage of various opportunities. I’m eager to relive the overall atmosphere of that place: from the characteristics of its terrain to the realities of their livelihoods, the traces of the way of life they believed in, the “shackles” they encountered amid the circumstances of their time, and how the relay of life connecting them to me has unfolded.
　The photo shows a view along one of the routes I take on my daily walks—which exceed 10,000 steps—in my current living environment.
　While some people prefer to walk the same route every day, I’ve established several “basic routes” around my home, and the route in this photo is one designed to “connect with nature.”
　In my daily life, as I continue to imagine how my ancestors lived, “mountain scenery” is indispensable for appreciating the contrast between near and far views. And the fact that “water” flows there feels like a fundamental aspect of being human—perhaps a fundamental truth we can share across time and space.
Amid the beauty of this environment, made possible by modern society, a sense of “happiness” wells up within me as I spend each day here. It also makes me want to simply express my gratitude for the bloodline that has guided me to where I am today.
My ancestral homeland spans several locations in the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture. While my ancestors likely endured harsh, sweltering summers, about 120 years ago, my grandfather and his descendants carved out a new life in this dry, refreshing summer climate.
　Admittedly, the harsh winter cold and the challenges of snow are a world apart, but in modern times, the “evolution of housing performance”—a movement in which I myself was involved—has overcome those difficulties. Furthermore, the “sense of happiness” as a residential community has reached a remarkably high standard.
　This natural environment is within walking distance, yet New Chitose Airport is less than an hour away, and downtown Sapporo is just over ten minutes away by subway. Furthermore, within a 1-kilometer walking radius—convenient for shopping—there are more than ten large supermarkets and drugstores that enrich daily life, and the public library is right in front of my house.
　When I consider my way of life over the long term, I truly feel that I am getting closer to paradise.

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

Posted on 8月 8th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類