

5/28に訪問していた鹿児島県の「仙巌園」地域篇。この薩摩・島津家の屋敷地・磯に残っている邸宅は当然、島津家の建築遺構をベースにしたモノ。写真は「獅子乘大石灯籠」という石灯籠。
大名家の私邸ということで当然ながら、その「好み」のようなものが反映したエクステリア装置。由緒書きには以下の説明。
〜29代島津忠義が明治17年(1884)に造らせた園内最大の石灯籠です。灯籠の上部には、江戸時代の別邸、花倉御仮屋にあった飛獅子が乗っています。笠石はかつて磯浜の海岸にあったもので、たたみ 8畳ほどの大きさがある非常に大きなものです。〜
わたしは北海道で寒冷地での家づくりの様相を映し出す住宅雑誌を志してきた人間。北海道は全国各地から集まってきた人びとが、その積雪寒冷というキビシイ自然風土に耐えて生きていけるように、まずは防寒性を満たすことに意識を集中させて住文化を作ってきた。
そのプロセスでは基本的には住宅内部の居住環境要件に心底があって、冬場には積雪して屋根からの落雪による危険性もあって「庭園」文化へのこだわりは、それほどの興味は持たれなかった。せっかく丹精込めた庭を造作しても、北海道に似合う樹種選定やその保守管理を一生懸命にやったとしても、半年はその庭木の「越冬」保護のための作業に追われ、やっと半年の「楽しむ」時間はなかなか見出しにくかったと言えるのだろうか。やはり「雪対応」というのが北海道人の住宅についての半屋外部位での興味の大半を占めている。その機能的処理こそが屋外空間への興味の大半を占めているというのがホンネ。
そういう人間には、こういう「石灯籠」へのフェッチに「異国」感。
家臣である黒田清隆や永山武四郎などは北海道開拓と深く関係して、薩摩藩には強い繋がりを意識させられますが、こういう気候風土に根ざす住文化の隔絶ぶりには目が点にさせられる。
薩摩藩という存在は、藩主が「ところでオレはいつ将軍になれるのだ」と明治維新後、家臣に話した逸話が示すように、最後まで生き残った大名家ということなのでしょう。石灯籠に示される武家貴人の偏愛ぶり住文化に、思いが沈殿するような時間でした。
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English version⬇
[A Visit to the Satsuma Shimazu Clan: Kagoshima, Where the Afterglow of the Edo-Period “Han” Lingers]
The “smug” lifestyle of the samurai aristocracy. While the strong influence of their vassals remains in Hokkaido, a sense of unease creeps in…
This is the “Sengan-en” regional feature from my visit to Kagoshima Prefecture on May 28. The residence remaining on the Iso site—the former estate of the Satsuma Shimazu clan—is, of course, based on the architectural remains of the Shimazu family. The photo shows a stone lantern called the “Lion-Riding Large Stone Lantern.”
As the private residence of a daimyo family, the exterior features naturally reflect their personal tastes. The historical plaque provides the following explanation:
“This is the largest stone lantern in the garden, commissioned by the 29th head of the Shimazu clan, Tadayoshi, in Meiji 17 (1884). Perched atop the lantern is a flying lion that once stood at the Edo-period villa, Hanakura Okariya. The capstone was originally found on the coast of Isohama and is exceptionally large, measuring about eight tatami mats in size.”
I am someone who has dedicated myself to publishing a home design magazine in Hokkaido that reflects the characteristics of home construction in cold climates. In Hokkaido, people who have gathered from all over the country have built a housing culture focused first and foremost on meeting thermal insulation requirements, so that they can endure and live in the harsh natural environment of heavy snowfall and extreme cold.
In this process, the primary focus has always been on the living environment inside the home. Given the snow accumulation in winter and the danger posed by snow falling from the roof, there hasn’t been much interest in cultivating a “garden” culture. Even if one went to the trouble of meticulously crafting a garden and worked hard to select tree species suited to Hokkaido and maintain them, one would be so busy for half the year with tasks to protect those trees during the winter that it would be difficult to find even half a year to actually “enjoy” the garden. After all, “snow management” accounts for the majority of Hokkaido residents’ interest in the semi-outdoor aspects of their homes. The truth is that this functional approach is what drives most of their interest in outdoor spaces.
To people like that, this fascination with “stone lanterns” feels “exotic.”
While vassals like Kiyotaka Kuroda and Takeshiro Nagayama were deeply involved in the development of Hokkaido, reminding us of the strong ties to the Satsuma Domain, the sheer disconnect between their residential culture and the local climate and environment leaves one speechless.
The Satsuma Domain was, after all, one of the last daimyo families to survive until the very end—as illustrated by the anecdote in which the domain lord reportedly asked his vassals after the Meiji Restoration, “By the way, when am I going to become shogun?” It was a moment when my thoughts sank into the residential culture of the samurai aristocracy, as reflected in their particular fondness for stone lanterns.
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Posted on 6月 29th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
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