8/26の出発時点では確証は得られないと覚悟していましたが、昨日28日までの３日間で、なにかに導かれているような邂逅の旅路になりました。
　上の写真は井原からクルマで神石高原町の役場に向かう途上、福山から国道182号線を北上して役場方向に左折した後「チラッと」見えていた「顕彰碑」。祖母の故地を探索する旅で、その出自の姓「渡辺」に意識が高まっていたのか、気になって、いったん通り過ぎた後、引き返して確認した次第。石碑は地域の「来見公民館〜くるみふれあいプラザ」に建てられていた。この渡辺大一氏は地域の産業（コンニャクいも生産）に多大な功績がありその後地域の首長も務められた人物ということが判明。わたしの祖母から見てその子どもほどの年齢差の「一族」である可能性が高い。
　そして役場で奇跡的に祖母と曾祖母の戸籍謄本を入手できたのですが、昨日はその戸籍の情報を元に古い住所古地図を地元の図書館でゲットできた次第。その該当地域の拡大図が写真の下。
　ここには祖母の姓・渡辺と同姓の家が、都合５軒確認できた次第。
　わたしの主義として情報と空間認識を重ね合わせることで、深層意識が「目覚める」ことを祈念して、その住宅群の所在地をクルマで巡り歩いた。そこでは特段の変化は出来しませんでしたが、石碑のある公民館に戻ったら、ちょうど館のスタッフの方とさまざまな情報交換ができた。さらにちょうど開催されていた会に多くのお元気な高齢者がいたので「情報が聞けるかも知れませんから」ということでみなさんに紹介までしてくださった。
　そのなかのお一人の女性が「あなたの顔、渡辺の◎◎さんの系統の顔だから（笑）その人に話を聞いてみて上げる」とまで言ってくださった。わたしとしてはまことに望外のお言葉。ありがたく連絡先をお渡しした次第。さらなる「つながり」があるかも知れません。
　こういった家系探査には紹介してくれたスタッフの方も同じ思いを抱かれていると同意されていましたが、いまの日本人は徐々に、信長だ秀吉だという定番「歴史」に飽き足らず、自分の血肉の、生きた家系史に思いが集まってきていることに深く同感されていた。
　あたって砕けろ精神での旅路。すこし暖かい気持ちでジワジワ進んできました。・・・

●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⬇

[Visiting My Grandmother’s Hometown 148 Years Later. A Glimpse of Its Present Day…]
The “jump before you look” spirit. The world, surprisingly, responds to that mindset in a quiet, profound way. A journey tracing my grandmother’s memories…

　When I set out on August 26, I was prepared for the possibility that I might not find any concrete evidence, but over the past three days—up until yesterday, the 28th—my journey turned into a series of serendipitous encounters, as if I were being guided by some unseen force.
The photo above shows a “commemorative monument” that I caught a “glimpse” of while driving from Ihara toward the town hall in Jinseki Kogen Town. I had been heading north on National Route 182 from Fukuyama, turned left toward the town hall, and spotted it briefly. Perhaps because I was on a journey to explore my grandmother’s ancestral home and my awareness of the family surname “Watanabe” had heightened, I became curious. After driving past it once, I turned around to take a closer look. The monument was erected at the local “Kurumi Community Center—Kurumi Fureai Plaza.” I discovered that this Mr. Daiichi Watanabe had made significant contributions to the local industry (konjac potato production) and later served as the town’s mayor. It is highly likely that he was a member of the “clan”—someone roughly the same age as my grandmother’s child.
　I was miraculously able to obtain certified copies of my grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s family registers at the town hall, and yesterday, based on the information in those records, I managed to get my hands on an old address map at the local library. The enlarged map of the relevant area is shown below the photo.
　I was able to confirm a total of five households in this area bearing the same surname as my grandmother: Watanabe.
　In keeping with my philosophy of overlaying information with spatial awareness—in the hope that this would “awaken” my subconscious—I drove around the area where those houses were located. Although I didn’t find anything particularly noteworthy there, when I returned to the community center where the stone monument is located, I happened to exchange various pieces of information with a staff member. Furthermore, since there were many lively elderly people attending a meeting that was taking place at that very moment, the staff member even introduced me to them, saying, “You might be able to get some information from them.”
　One of the women there even went so far as to say, “Your face looks like you’re related to Mr. ◎◎ Watanabe (laughs), so why don’t you go talk to him?” For me, those words were truly beyond my wildest expectations. Gratefully, I gave her my contact information. There may be further “connections” to be made.
　The staff member who introduced me agreed that she shares the same passion for this kind of family history research. She also deeply concurred that modern Japanese people are gradually growing tired of the standard “history” centered on figures like Nobunaga and Hideyoshi, and are increasingly turning their attention to the living family histories that are part of their own flesh and blood.
　It’s been a journey guided by a “try and fail” spirit. I’ve been making steady progress, feeling a little warmth in my heart along the way. …

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

Posted on 8月 29th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類