本日も家系史深掘り探訪「四百年間のいのちの履歴書」シリーズ。
　いまから423-4年前、1603年頃に紀州から移住し広島県河内町入野に入植したわが家先祖の故事を書き残してくれた六世の祖・三木寛蔵は、1815年に一族の「故地」入野を訪ねている。そこで書き残したのが「原氏由来の事」文書なのですが、その起点に以下のように書いている。
　「往昔､紀州にて仕官たる処､慶長年中､故有りて浪人と相成る。兄弟四人､内男三人､女一人。（中略）
　芸州豊田郡入野村え住居（すまい）す。女子のち同郡田万里村砂畑といへるに嫁ぎ､
　母方の姓を以って家となされ、原氏を名乗る。」
　という記述であります。実際に隣村の田万里（現在は広島県竹原市田万里町）では、江戸期を通じてこの原氏が庄屋職を務め、現在の国道２号線である山陽道の本陣を営んできた。これは芸藩通史など古記録にも記述。
　ナゾ、なのであります。
　嫁をもらってその嫁さんの家の家名を名乗る、とはどういうことなのか？
　日本社会が基本として世界に冠たる戸籍制度を維持してきたのは、父系一系で維持されてきた天皇制という規範がすべての基底に存在したからと考えます。たしかに現代法では両性の合意があればどちらの姓を名乗ってもいいことになってはいますが、女子の家名をこの時代に名乗るのは・・・。
　ひとつ考えられるのは、芸州藩・浅野家からの強い強制。入野と田万里という古代以来の交通の要衝地を「固める」のに、紀州からの国替えに同行した原氏の一族に現地管理の任を期待した。婚姻関係での「同家化」によって一体的管理を強化したか。


　この田万里には、戦国期以来の古城がありその中心と言える「胡ヶ丸城」の防御的な石垣を想起させる地名「垣内」が複数確認できるのです。わが家系が入野で住居（すまい）した「北之垣内」と地名的に相応している。＜一昨日のブログで紹介した江戸初期と思える石垣写真も掲載。＞
　やはり「故有りて浪人と相成る」ということの真実の意味合いは、枢要の地を現地で強力に統制管理する役割を紀州から同行させた「もと仕官」の原氏一統に委ねたという支配者・浅野藩の狙いが浮かんでくる。だから後代には藩行政のカギになる「所務役」をも受け持たせたのかと。
　江戸初期の国替え、徳川最大の敵・旧毛利領の引継支配には浅野家の相当の策略があったのではないか。
　家系史探究の脂っこさ沸点（笑）かなぁ・・・。

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【The family that married into neighboring Tamari adopted the bride’s family name “Hara”…】
A puzzling passage in the family history. The husband’s family actually held the village headman position in neighboring Tamari throughout the Edo period. Was this part of the Hiroshima Asano clan’s regional control strategy? …

　Today continues our series delving into family history: “Four Centuries of Life’s Resume.”
Our sixth-generation ancestor, Miki Kanzo, who recorded the story of our family’s migration from Kishu to settle in Irino, Kawachi Town, Hiroshima Prefecture around 423-4 years ago (circa 1603), visited the clan’s ancestral home in Irino in 1815. The document he wrote there, titled “The Origin of the Hara Clan,” begins as follows:
“Long ago, while serving as retainers in Kishu during the Keicho era, circumstances arose that led us to become ronin. There were four siblings: three sons and one daughter. (…)
We settled in Irino Village, Toyoda District, Geishu. The daughter later married into a family in Sunahata, Tamari Village, in the same district.
They established a household using her mother’s family name and adopted the name Hara.”
This is the account. Indeed, in the neighboring village of Tamari (present-day Tamari-cho, Takehara City, Hiroshima Prefecture), this Hara family served as village headmen throughout the Edo period and operated the honjin (official inn) for the Sanyo Road, now National Route 2. This is also recorded in old documents like the History of the Gei Domain.
　It’s a mystery.
What does it mean to take a wife and then adopt her family name?
I believe Japanese society fundamentally maintained its world-renowned household registration system because the norm of the Emperor system, sustained through a single paternal lineage, existed as the foundation for everything. While modern law certainly allows either surname to be adopted with mutual consent, taking the wife’s family name in this era…
　One possibility is strong coercion from the Asano clan of the Geishu domain. To “secure” the ancient transportation hubs of Irino and Tamari, they likely expected the Hara clan, who had accompanied the transfer from Kishu, to take charge of local administration. Did they strengthen unified management through “same-family status” achieved via marriage?

　Within this Tanemari region, several place names evoking the defensive stone walls of Kogamaru Castle—a central stronghold dating back to the Warring States period—can be identified. The name “Kakuchi” corresponds geographically to “Kita-no-Kakuchi,” where my family resided in Irino.
　Indeed, the true meaning of “becoming a ronin for a reason” reveals the Asano domain’s strategy: entrusting the role of strongly controlling and managing this crucial location to the Hara clan, former retainers brought from Kishu. This explains why they later assigned them the key domain administrative role of “Sokumiyaku” (Office Duty Officer).
　The early Edo period domain transfer and the takeover of the former Mōri territory—Tokugawa’s greatest enemy—likely involved considerable strategy on the part of the Asano clan.
This genealogical research is reaching its boiling point of greasiness (laugh)…

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

Posted on 1月 13th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
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ここのところ、大雪に伴う本格的な雪かき非常態勢にかまけていましたが（笑）「四百年間のいのちの履歴書」シリーズ・深掘りは進めてきています。日本全国規模の信長だ、秀吉・家康だという歴史とは位相の違う歴史探究で、いわば血肉の感じられる「庶民史」という新規領域。
　前回ブログ（１月６日【故地・入野 入植210年で先祖が、420年で子孫が巡る】）以来、故地についてさまざまな書類に目を通し続けました。そのなかには著名な山陽地域史の研究者・西向宏介氏（当時・広島県立文書館研究職勤務）からの情報や、故地・入野を含む「河内町」の教育委員会・近貞氏からの現地聞き取り探索情報などを詳しく参照させていただいた。〜次兄の探究での大きな反応成果。〜
　わたしの世代として６代前の先祖（六世の祖と表現）が、その３代前の祖父で広島浅野藩の「所務役」を務めた祖先の事跡を故地・入野を尋ね書き残した記録書に基づいて家系調査を進めてきている。
　この探究を進めてきて最近気付かされているのが、当地で見続けていた「垣地」のこと。まるで城郭石垣と同様の石垣が家系の墓域と伝わっている場所の麓にあり、古い江戸期の地名にも「北之垣内」という名前が遺されているということ。
　上の写真はその麓の石垣。下の写真はわたしが先年訪れていた紀州・和歌山城。戦国から江戸初期、城郭造りの名人とされた武将・藤堂高虎の築城とされる「高石垣」の様子であります。わたしには土木についての知識はまったくありません。しかし上の写真の最底辺部分には現代の「石垣」が写っていますが、素人目で見ても石垣の造作に時代的な違いがあると思われ、どうも「高石垣」との相似も感じ取れる。


　こちらの写真は、GoogleMapから。右側の奥の山地から故地・入野を流れる入野川支流はがっちりと築堤された様子が見て取れる。やや高台の「垣地」といい紀州からこの地に入植した家系は、河川土木管理に対しての一定の技術力と知識をもっていたので転封で広島に国替えきた浅野藩としては、この水害も想定される要衝地に家系を人員配置したという想像。後の時代に関わることになる「塩田」土木技術とも符合する。
　「平安期律令制度での駅家が置かれ大宰府と都を結ぶ最重要官道・古代山陽道が通る要衝で、政治・経済・軍事の要として機能し物流・人の往来が活発な地域」であるこの入野の支配管理を重視して、わが家系をこの地に「管理人」として配置したという類推が浮かんできたワケです。

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Wandering through the 400-year-old ancestral lands of “Iri no” in Kawachi, Higashihiroshima City…
Guided by a Hiroshima Prefecture regional historian who rigorously scrutinized the materials, and focusing on local “insights” and observations. The precision of this flesh-and-blood chronological exploration gradually deepens…

Lately, I’ve been preoccupied with the full-scale snow removal emergency mode triggered by the heavy snowfall (lol), but I’ve been steadily progressing with the in-depth research for the “Four Hundred Years of Life’s Resume” series. This is a different dimension of historical inquiry compared to the nationwide narratives of Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu—a new frontier, so to speak, of “commoners’ history” where you can feel the flesh and blood.
　Since my last blog post (January 6th: [Homestead: Irino – Ancestors Return After 210 Years, Descendants After 420 Years]), I’ve continued reviewing various documents about the ancestral homestead. Among these, I have carefully referenced information from Mr. Kosuke Nishimukai, a renowned researcher of Sanyo regional history (then employed as a researcher at the Hiroshima Prefectural Archives), as well as field investigation and oral history information from Mr. Sadayoshi Chika of the Kawachi Town Board of Education, which includes my ancestral home, Irino. ~ Significant findings from my second brother’s research. ~
　As a member of my generation, I have been conducting genealogical research based on records written by my sixth-generation ancestor (referred to as the sixth-generation progenitor) who visited our ancestral home, Irino, and documented the deeds of his grandfather, three generations prior, who served as a “Sokumyaku” (administrative official) for the Hiroshima Asano Domain.
　What has recently struck me as I’ve pursued this research is the persistent presence of “kakuchi” (enclosed plots) in this area. Stone walls resembling castle ramparts exist at the base of locations passed down as family burial grounds, and an old Edo-period place name, “Kita-no-Kakuchi,” remains preserved.
The photo above shows the stone wall at that base. The photo below is Wakayama Castle in Kishu, which I visited several years ago. It shows the “Takaishigaki” (High Stone Wall), attributed to the warlord Todo Takatora, renowned for his castle-building skills from the Sengoku period to the early Edo period. I have absolutely no knowledge of civil engineering. However, even to my untrained eye, the very bottom section of the top photo, which shows a modern “stone wall,” appears to have a different construction style from the stone wall, and I can’t help but feel a similarity to the “Takaishigaki.”

　This photo is from Google Maps. You can clearly see the embankments firmly constructed along the tributary of the Irino River flowing from the mountainous area in the far right background through the ancestral lands of Irino. The family lineage known as “Kakiji,” who settled here from Kishu on slightly elevated ground, possessed a certain level of technical skill and knowledge in river and civil engineering management. It is conceivable that the Asano clan, transferred to Hiroshima as part of a domain transfer, strategically placed this lineage in this key location, anticipating potential flood damage. This also aligns with the salt field civil engineering techniques that would become relevant in later periods.
　This led me to infer that my family lineage was placed here as “administrators” precisely because of the importance placed on governing and managing Irino—a region that functioned as a political, economic, and military hub. It was a vital point where the ancient Sanyo Road, the most important official route connecting Dazaifu and the capital, passed through, established under the Heian period’s Ritsuryo system. It was a place of active logistics and human traffic.

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

Posted on 1月 11th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
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　さて昨日のブログで少年時代の「雪埋め」あそびで転がされた瞬間の写真を掲載してしまったワケですが、アップの時間は午前５時半ころ。
　で、その頃は雪はチョロチョロ降り始めた程度で、軽い感じで雪かきを始めておりました。しかし様子を見ているとどうも、降り止む気配がなくてどんどん激しくなってきて降り続く。一応１回目として、わが家の周囲と前面道路の通行確保、そして会社が借り上げている駐車場の近隣２箇所、延べ100坪ほどを利用可能なように除雪作業して、様子を見ようとしていました。激しい降雪が止む気配なく降り続く。・・・
　降り始めが朝６時頃だったので、公共の除雪体制はまったく「スキを付かれた」ようで、わが家前の中学校通学路には全然除雪が来ない。やはり除雪の体制は対応させるのに一定の準備時間が掛かるので、間に合わなかった。また契約している民間駐車場も午前８時には利用者が駐車し始めるので、その事前に除雪する決まりになっていて、そちらも体制がまったく間に合わず、終日機械除雪が入らないことになってしまった。
　どうもきのうの降雪は時間的に最悪のタイミングで大雪が降ってしまったようです。
　やむなく人力のみで、その後も本格的除雪を合計３回行っておりました。さすがに参った・・・。
　上の「歩数計」はわたしの昨日の歩数ですが、大雪対応の雪かきオンリーだったもの。通常散歩はしていない。それなのに8,690歩を計測しています。これはほぼ雪かき作業だけの「歩数」に相当。以前にも書きましたが、雪かき労務のエネルギー消費は散歩歩行に対して2〜2.5倍程度。実際の雪かきでは堆雪させる「雪山」に運んで排雪するので感覚的には「３倍程度」の疲労感なのですが、そうするときのうの運動量は歩数換算で17,000〜26,000歩程度。
　運動疲労に加えて、腰や背筋・上腕などの筋肉痛などもジワジワ感じられてくる。まぁ日頃10,000歩程度の散歩運動しているので、そこまでの筋肉痛はありませんが、やはり疲労感はハンパない。
　やはり個人的な感想としては、きのうの「雪埋め」写真が災いしてしまったのかと（泣）・・・。なにか運命の機微に触れてしまった感が強烈。深く反省しております。

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English version⬇

【Sapporo’s Heavy Snowfall: 43cm… Exhausted After Shoveling Three Times a Day…】
Public snow removal was caught off guard and failed to function. Citizens were forced to shovel snow alone, isolated and without support. This labor equates to 17,000 to 26,000 steps…

　Well, yesterday’s blog featured a photo of the moment I was rolled down a snow-covered hill during childhood “snow burial” play. I posted it around 5:30 AM.
　At that time, the snow had just started falling lightly, so I began shoveling with a casual attitude. However, watching the situation, it didn’t seem like it was going to stop anytime soon. Instead, it kept getting heavier and heavier, continuing to fall. As a first round, I cleared the area around my house, the front road to ensure passage, and two nearby spots in the parking lot leased by my company, totaling about 100 tsubo (approx. 330 sq m), to make them usable. I planned to monitor the situation. The heavy snowfall showed no sign of stopping and continued relentlessly. …
Since the snow started around 6 AM, the public snow removal system seemed completely caught off guard. The middle school route in front of my house hadn’t been cleared at all. The snow removal system clearly requires a certain amount of preparation time to respond, and they simply couldn’t keep up. Additionally, the private parking lot we contract requires snow removal before 8 AM when users start parking. Their system also completely failed to keep up, meaning no mechanical snowplows came all day.
It seems yesterday’s heavy snowfall hit at the worst possible time.
We had no choice but to do it all by hand, performing full-scale snow removal a total of three times afterward. Honestly, I was beat…
　The “pedometer” above shows my steps yesterday, but these were solely from snow shoveling to handle the heavy snow. I didn’t take my usual walk. Even so, it recorded 8,690 steps. This is almost entirely “steps” from snow shoveling work. As I’ve written before, the energy expenditure of snow shoveling labor is about 2 to 2.5 times that of walking during a stroll. In actual snow shoveling, you carry the snow to a “snow pile” to clear it away, so it feels like about “three times” the fatigue. When doing that, the exercise volume translates to about 17,000 to 26,000 steps.
On top of the exercise fatigue, muscle soreness in my lower back, back muscles, upper arms, etc., is slowly creeping in. Well, since I usually walk about 10,000 steps daily, the muscle soreness isn’t that bad, but the overall fatigue is absolutely brutal.
Personally, I can’t help but wonder if yesterday’s “snow burial” photo was the culprit (sob)… I have this intense feeling I somehow touched some subtle thread of fate. I deeply regret it.

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

Posted on 1月 9th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類 | No Comments »

　本日は連載テーマ「四百年間のいのちの履歴書」シリーズ、ひと休み。
　こういう歴史ネタでは大量の資料チェックが膨らんでくるので、縁辺的なデータの領域が広大で、１人の認識能力では、やや拡大しすぎでアタマのなかの整理整頓が一定時間で必要なんだと思います。
　なんですが、やはり生きているウチにこういう精神作業へ没入する時間は持ちたかった。ビジネスの第１線から少し離れて、内面的な深掘り系の領域。そういう時間を持てることに深いよろこびはある。でも過労は避けたい。
　写真はわが家周辺の発寒川河畔の様子であります。
　昨日はかなり冷え込んでいて、けっこうな「結氷」が見られています。本日早朝では気温はマイナス12度まで下がってきています。きょうは日中はプラス気温になって、やや暖かくなるようですが、この時期札幌は一進一退を繰り返しながら、徐々に「真冬」に突入して行くことになる。大雪なども、襲ってくる可能性が高まってきます。
　そうなると「雪かき」での運動量は通常の散歩の３倍程度とのこと。
　その雪かきの量がどれくらいになるか、カラダで感じる「冬のきびしさ」具合。住環境自体は、性能向上の結果、北海道人はそれほど「寒冷」を意識しなくなってきているかも知れませんから、雪かきの方がきびしさを実感させられる行為であるかも知れませんね。
　ということで、鬼がそれほど来ていないウチに、楽しい冬の散歩であります。最近はついに「スパイク靴」一択で、完全防備体制での散歩。ドカ雪は別にすれば、通常の氷結ツルツル道路も、積雪道路もまったく平気。
　そしてカラダは全身をダウンジャケット体制で防衛するので、顔をマスクで覆ってしまえば、戦国時代の鎧兜の武者姿並みの寒さ・ツルツルからの完全防備で出掛けております。
　子ども時代のような「寒さ」意識は北海道ではかなり消失してきているかも知れませんね。
　さて、本日も早朝の寒気の中、元気を盛り立てて行きたいと思います。

●お知らせ
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English version⬇

【Healthy Walking: Diligently Exceeding 10,000 Steps Over the New Year Holidays】
High insulation and airtightness have nearly eliminated the harsh northern winter indoors, and with down jackets fully equipped, mobility has also evolved. The lack of exercise factor is also resolved. …

　Today marks a break in our serialized theme, “A 400-Year Life Resume” series.
With historical topics like this, the volume of material to review swells, and the periphery of relevant data becomes vast. For a single person’s cognitive capacity, it feels a bit too expansive, requiring regular mental tidying up.
　Still, I truly wanted to carve out time to immerse myself in this kind of mental work while I’m alive. Stepping back a bit from the front lines of business to delve into deeper, more introspective territory. There’s profound joy in having that kind of time. But I want to avoid overworking myself.
The photo shows the banks of the Hassamu River near my home.
Yesterday was quite cold, and you can see significant ice formation. This morning, the temperature dropped to minus 12 degrees Celsius. While it’s supposed to warm up slightly above freezing during the day, Sapporo at this time of year moves forward and backward, gradually plunging into the depths of winter. The likelihood of heavy snowfall also increases significantly.
When that happens, the physical exertion of shoveling snow is said to be about three times that of a regular walk.
The sheer volume of snow to be shoveled is a physical reminder of winter’s harshness. While improved housing performance might mean Hokkaido residents are less conscious of the “biting cold” itself, shoveling snow might be the activity that truly makes you feel its severity.
So, while the real cold hasn’t fully arrived yet, it’s a pleasant winter walk. Lately, I’ve finally settled on “spiked boots” as my sole choice, walking in full protective gear. Barring heavy snowfalls, I’m completely fine on both normally icy, slippery roads and snow-covered roads.
　And since my body is defended by a full-body down jacket system, covering my face with a mask means I head out with complete protection against the cold and slipperiness, comparable to a warrior in full armor and helmet from the Warring States period.
The childhood awareness of “cold” might be fading quite a bit in Hokkaido.
Well then, today too, I’ll try to boost my energy in the early morning chill.

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

Posted on 1月 7th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類 | No Comments »

　ドラえもん的なタイムマシン家系探訪、時代は1603年から1650年、さらに1600年代後期へとさかのぼってくる。今（2026年）から423年の過ぎ去りし過去。
　1603年に芸州（広島）浅野藩が関ヶ原合戦後の恩賞で紀州から移封した当時、ときを同じくしてわたしの家系は芸州「入野」地域に入植している。家系の当時の苗字は「原氏」。家系伝承を伝える書物では「紀州で仕官」していたが「故有りて」土地に根ざす土豪層の立場でこの地に入植と。
　そこからすぐに入野村の庄屋を務めている。武家として仕官の立場からすぐに入植地で庄屋になる流れは、その入植自体が地域権力機構との強い紐帯・連携を想起させる。そこから３代の代替わりを経て「九世の祖」である先祖は、周辺地域の庄屋層を連合的に束ね統括する「所務役」という芸州藩地方支配機構の重要な役割を担うようになっている。苗字帯刀を許される特権層。
　管理する領地の当時の総石高は9,615石。１万石で「大名」となる社会でこの規模の地域支配役。武家支配社会で経済・農業生産を管理遂行する役とは、心臓部的な社会的役務だろう。
　そしてこの「管理地」のなかに現在の竹原市（当時は吉名村・木谷村）の塩浜・塩田が含まれていた。
　この塩浜では兵庫県の赤穂藩が取り入れて最新技術であった「入浜式塩田」が1650年に導入されたことが歴史的に明らかになった。そこから交易港・尾道で商家「竹原屋」が成立し、竹原の塩は一種ブランド化されていった。信州では北前交易で塩が到着すると「竹原が来た」と喜んだ伝承が伝えられている。
　・・・なにやら、先日まで深掘りしていた「松永の塩」との連想が強く働いてくる。
　松永では地域権力・福山藩が塩田テクノラート（本庄重正）をスカウトして開発したが、故あってわたしの家系はそこで「塩浜づくり」していた伝承記録。松永では先行の成功例としてこの竹原の塩田経営が手本とされ、家系はその経済文化を背に負って松永・今津に移動してきた蓋然性は非常に高い。
　上の地図は現代のものだが江戸期のルートに沿っている。入植した入野から竹原までは17km。そこから松永の塩田を見晴らして家系の痕跡が色濃い「今津宿」まで約40km。
　距離的にも経済活動情報の伝達範囲として非常に妥当性が高い。
　1600年代初期から、その後の家系の事跡・証拠がたくさん残る1730年ころまでの「ミッシングリンク」が非常に整合的に見えてきた。さらに深掘りしていきたい。

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English version⬇

【Development of Takahara Salt Fields: Administrative Land Managed by “Tokumiyaku” Officials After 1603 Settlement】
The lineage’s footprints remain unbroken until the early Edo period. Economic structures linking Takahara to Matsunaga and further to Onomichi through salt fields. Visualizing the missing link. …

　A Doraemon-esque time machine journey through my family lineage, tracing back to the era spanning 1603 to 1650, and further into the late 1600s. A past now 423 years removed from the present (2026).
　In 1603, when the Asano clan of Geishu (Hiroshima) was transferred from Kishu as a reward after the Battle of Sekigahara, my family settled in the “Iri no” region of Geishu at the same time. The family surname at that time was “Hara”. According to family tradition records, they had been “serving as retainers in Kishu” but “due to certain circumstances” settled here as local landowners rooted in the land.
Immediately thereafter, they served as village headmen (shoya) in Irino Village. This progression from samurai retainers to village headmen in the settlement suggests the settlement itself involved strong ties and collaboration with the local power structure. After three generations, the ancestor who was the “9th generation progenitor” assumed the crucial role of “Sokumiyaku” within the local governance structure of the Geishu Domain. This position involved uniting and overseeing the village headmen of the surrounding areas. They were a privileged class permitted to bear a surname and wear swords.
The total kokudaka (land yield) of the managed territory at that time was 9,615 koku. In a society where 10,000 koku defined a “daimyo,” this represented a significant scale of regional governance. In a samurai-dominated society, managing and executing economic and agricultural production was a core social function.
Within this “managed territory” lay the salt ponds and salt fields of what is now Takehara City (then Yoshina Village and Kitanimura).
It became clear that the “inlet-style salt fields”—a cutting-edge technique introduced in 1650 by the Akō Domain of Hyōgo Prefecture—were adopted at these salt ponds. From there, the merchant house “Takeharaya” was established in the trading port of Onomichi, and Takehara salt gradually became a kind of brand. In Shinshu, there is a tradition that when salt arrived via the Kitamae trade, people rejoiced, saying, “Takehara has come!”
…Somehow, strong associations with “Matsunaga Salt,” which I had been researching deeply until recently, come to mind.
　In Matsunaga, the regional power, Fukuyama Domain, recruited a salt field technocrat (Honjo Shigemasa) for development. Due to certain circumstances, my family lineage has records of “salt beach construction” there. Matsunaga likely used this earlier successful example of Takahara’s salt field management as a model. My family lineage, carrying that economic and cultural heritage, moved to Matsunaga and Imazu. The probability of this is very high.
　The map above is modern but follows the Edo-period route. From the settlement at Irino to Takehara is 17km. From there, looking out over the Matsunaga salt fields, it’s about 40km to “Imazu-juku,” where traces of the family lineage are particularly strong.
Distant-wise, it’s also highly plausible as a range for transmitting economic activity information.
　The “missing link” from the early 1600s to around 1730, when abundant evidence of the family’s subsequent activities remains, now appears highly coherent. I wish to delve deeper.

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

Posted on 1月 5th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
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