昨日も書きましたが、祖母の出生当時の曾祖母を中心にした「直系尊属」についての除籍謄本申請を行っている様子をみて、わが家の親族・次兄から「あのご先祖も、幕末〜明治の活動期なので、ギリギリ、公的な戸籍制度記述に記録が残っているのでは？」という提起。
　話し合いの結果、日本戸籍制度の最初期のわが家系の状況を再度深掘り探査することにしました。
　ダメであればまぁ仕方ないけれど、せっかく方法論は出来上がってきて、またノウハウもできてきている中で、チャレンジすることは意義があると思い、その準備活動を本日朝、クリアしました。
　５月には故地の寺院を訪ねて江戸期の過去帳の記載内容について「問合せ」を行ったことで、300年以上前の「一統」と思える方からの感動のコンタクトが実現したりした。そういった「響き」はまことに高齢期の人間の心情を激しく刺激する。実際に認知機能の活性化をもたらすようにも思える。個人的にわたしは、一時期健康面で危機がありましたが、その後、回復期に次兄から家系史探究「業務引継」命令を受けたことで、健康面により一層前向きに努められるようになってきて、気分が高揚しているとも思える。
　歴史好きな日本人の多くにとって従来の「信長だ、秀吉だ、家康だ」というステージ意識環境は相対的に比重が低下してきて、こういう戸籍制度の充実を活用するニューステージが大きく開かれてきているように思えています。「脳活」にも非常に好適な領域だと思う次第。
　・・・一方、そういう脳味噌のヒートアップを静めるには写真のような自然風景が癒やしてくれる。
　こちらは、ときどきお邪魔する北海道中部の「美唄」の日帰り温泉施設の周辺の環境。夏の終わりから秋のイマドキですが、普段の散歩歩数と比べて少ないと考えての散歩道中。
　無事にきのうも12,000歩ほどの歩数確保できましたが、道すがらセミの合唱が盛大に聞こえておりました。また飛び交うトンボたちは、みなほぼ「オスメスつがい」で群舞していた。
　いかにも「いのちの絶叫」感があって、家系史探究とも響き合っていると感じられた。
　いまできることをやる、という単純なことが人間の変わらぬさだめ、なのでしょうね。

●お知らせ
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https://amzn.asia/d/eUiv9yO

English version⬇

[Exploring Family History with a “Just Go for It” Attitude When Applying for a Certified Copy of a Discharged Family Register]
As I sit face-to-face with the entries in the family register, lost in deep thought, there are moments when I suddenly have an epiphany. Is this the “echo of life”? Even cicadas and dragonflies teach me profound lessons. …

　As I mentioned yesterday, after seeing me apply for a copy of the family register extract focusing on my great-grandmother—who was alive when my grandmother was born—a relative from my family, my second older brother, suggested, “Since that ancestor was active during the late Edo to Meiji periods, might there be records of her in the official family register system, just barely?”
After discussing it, we decided to delve deeper into the circumstances of our family line during the very early days of Japan’s family registration system.
　If it doesn’t work out, well, that’s just how it goes—but since we’ve already developed a methodology and gained the necessary know-how, I felt it was worthwhile to take on the challenge, and I completed the preparatory work this morning.
　In May, I visited a temple in my ancestral hometown to inquire about entries in the Edo-period death registers, which led to a deeply moving connection with someone who appears to be a direct descendant from over 300 years ago. Such “resonance” truly stirs the emotions of an elderly person. It actually seems to help stimulate cognitive function. Personally, I went through a health crisis for a while, but afterward, during my recovery, my second older brother ordered me to “take over” the family history research project. This has allowed me to approach my health with an even more positive attitude, and I feel my spirits have been lifted.
　For many history-loving Japanese people, the traditional focus on figures like “Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu” has become relatively less significant, and it seems a new stage—one that makes full use of the improved family registry system—is opening up. I believe this is an area particularly well-suited for “brain stimulation.”
　…On the other hand, natural scenery like the one in the photo soothes and calms that mental excitement.
　This is the scenery around a day-trip hot spring facility in “Bibai,” in central Hokkaido, which I visit from time to time. It’s currently late summer turning into early fall, and I was taking a walk, though I kept the distance shorter than my usual daily step count.
　I managed to reach about 12,000 steps again yesterday, and along the way, I could hear the cicadas singing in full force. Also, the dragonflies flitting about were almost all dancing in groups of “male-female pairs.”
　It felt very much like a “cry of life,” and I sensed a resonance with my exploration of family history.
　Doing what we can right now—that simple act is, I suppose, humanity’s unchanging destiny.

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

Posted on 9月 6th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類