「旧木下家住宅(堺屋)」福岡県八女市

福岡県南部に位置する八女市の旧市街地中心部にある旧木下家住宅は堺屋という屋号で酒造業や山林業で財をなした豪商の屋敷兼店舗でした。現在、明治３９年に建てられた賓客をもてなすための離れ座敷棟が無料で公開されています。その離れ座敷の中でも一番奥にある枯山水庭に面した奥座敷は最も格式高く、屋久杉の一枚板を金箔で縁取った欄間、紫檀の床框(とこがまち)、など銘木づくしですが、その中でも特筆すべきは1.000本にひとつしかないと言われる黒渋柿の床柱です。この渋柿は突然変異により樹木内のタンニンなどの成分が柿の幹の内側の年輪などを黒く染めた黒渋柿と呼ばれる大変珍しいもので、まず何年も川の水に浸して幹の表側の柔らかい部分を腐らせ、残った硬い芯の部分だけを残して表面の凹凸を際立たせ、さらに表面を黒く磨き上げた銘木中の銘木で滅多に見られないとても貴重なものです。また砂鉄を混ぜた壁、小堀遠州由来の七宝模様、カッティング技法で絵を施したガラス、折り鶴をあしらった床柱の釘隠し、など当時の最高水準の技術でつくりあげた意匠が座敷の様々な場所に散りばめらています。なかでも折り上げ竿縁天井は見事の一言で、細い材が弓なりに高く持ち上げた天井は西洋のゴシック建築かと錯覚しそうです。またあえて一歩引き格天井にしなかったところが商人らしさの現れかもしれません。その代わりと言ってはなんですが、この座敷には縁起がよい「一富士二鷹三茄子」の意匠が部屋の三箇所に隠されています。招待された賓客はそれらを探して楽しんだのです。しかしそれで終わりではありません、「富士・鷹・茄子」は座敷の中だけでなく、外部の屋根の入り母屋にもあしらわれており、そこまで見つけられた客はそう多くはなかったでしょう。

　この座敷に面し枯山水庭があります。塀と建物に囲まれた裏庭的な空間ながらも、背後の白漆喰の築地塀にあけらた扇面窓など３つの窓越しにすぐ裏を流れる堀の水音が聞こえ、また窓を吹き抜ける風の効果によって裏庭的な閉鎖性を払拭し明るく居心地の良い空間となっています。地面には砂が敷かれ、飛び石がリズミカルに配され、背の低い置灯籠が一つ置かれています。また縁先手水鉢の下には水琴窟が設えられ涼やかな音を辺りに響かせています。またこの庭の主木は蘇鉄で遠い南の異国への憧れを掻き立てたことでしょう。この蘇鉄を含めてすべて庭木が大きくなりすぎた感は否めませんが、それはそれで作庭後１００年経過した古い庭ならではの風格を感じさせてくれます。

そのほかに、表通りに面する側には主庭である大きな枯山水庭があります。広い空間に白砂を敷き詰め広大な海を表している平庭には、手前中心に大きな雪見灯篭を、奥にも同型の小さな灯籠を置き目の錯覚を利用した遠近感を強調するテクニックが使われています。奥の石組の中心には奇岩とも言える大きな石をどんと据え、その左右に置かれた横長の二つの寝石の一つは軍艦のように見えます。この庭が作られたのは１９０８年ですが、その３年前の１９０５年に日本海海戦があったことを考えると、これは日露戦争の勝利に沸いた明治という時代ならではの軍艦型の舟石なのかもしれません。実際この離座敷には乃木将軍が滞在したそうです。またこの庭は八女市の中心部にありますが、景観に配慮した白漆喰を基調とした新旧の日本建築に囲まれ環境にも恵まれています。

■名称：旧木下家住宅（堺屋）

■住所：八女市本町184番地

■TEL：0943－23－7611

■公開時間：10:00～17:00 入館料／無料

■休館日：毎週月曜日

■料金：無料

■駐車場：有り、無料

■身障者対応可能温水便座付きトイレがあります

■アクセス：西鉄、堀川バス福島下車徒歩12分

　　　　　八女ICから車で１０分

"Kyu Kinoshita Ke Jutaku" Yame city, Fukuoka pref

The Kinoshita family is a wealthy Yame merchant who has made a fortune in the sake brewing and timber industries since the Edo period. A luxurious building built by the Kinoshita family in the old town of Yame City in 1897 to entertain guests is open to the public.

The tatami room at the back of the building is made of the most prestigious, luxurious and expensive wood. Among them, the most notable is the symbol of the room "Tokobashira", which emphasizes the unevenness of the surface by immersing the black persimmon tree, which is only 1000, in the water of the river for many years and rotting the soft part, leaving only the remaining hard core part. It is a very valuable thing that can rarely be seen.

In addition, there are various types of tatami mats created by the highest level of craftsmanship at the time, such as walls mixed with iron sand, cloisonne patterns derived from Kobori Enshu, glass painted with cutting techniques, and nail hiding of floor pillars with folded paper cranes. It is scattered in the place. As an architectural design, the ceiling that is raised high by drawing a radius with thin wood is wonderful. In this tatami room, the design of "Mt. Fuji, hawk, eggplant", which has been said to be auspicious in Japan since ancient times, is hidden somewhere in the room. The guests found them and enjoyed them. However, that is not the end. "Mt. Fuji, Hawk, Eggplant" is displayed not only in the tatami room but also on the roof outside the building, so not many customers could be found there.

There is a small dry landscape garden facing this tatami room. Although it is a backyard-like space surrounded by walls and buildings, you can hear the sound of the moat flowing immediately behind from the fan-shaped window opened in the white plastered Tsukiji wall behind, and due to the effect of the wind blowing through the window. It is a very cozy space that eliminates the closedness of the backyard. The ground is covered with sand representing the sea, stepping stones are rhythmically arranged, and one low lantern like a lighthouse is placed. In addition, the water base is filled with water and moisturizes our hearts. Also, the main tree in this garden would have aroused a longing for a foreign country in the distant south with cycads. It is undeniable that all the garden trees, including this cycad, have grown too large, but it makes us feel the unique style of an old garden 100 years after the garden was built.

In addition, there is a large dry landscape garden, which is the main garden, on the side facing the main street. A large Yukimi lantern is placed in the center of the front and a small Yukimi lantern of the same type is placed in the back in the flat garden where white sand is spread over a large space to represent the vast sea. Is used. A large, interestingly shaped stone is placed in the center of the stone set in the back, and one of the two horizontally long stones placed on the left and right looks like a warship. This garden was created in 1908, and considering that there was the Battle of Tsushima in 1905, three years before that, this is a warship-shaped funaishi unique to the Meiji era when the Russo-Japanese War was victorious. It may be. In fact, the hero of the Russo-Japanese War, General Nogi, stayed in this building. Although this garden is located in the center of Yame city, it is surrounded by old and new Japanese architecture based on white plaster that takes the landscape into consideration and is blessed with an environment. This garden is full of features unique to the Meiji era.

■ Name: Former Kinoshita House (Sakaiya)

■ Address: 184 Motomachi, Yame City

■ TEL: 0943-23-7611

■ Opening hours: 10: 00-17: 00 Admission / free

■ Closed: Every Monday

■ Fee: Free

■ Parking: Yes, free

■ There is a toilet with a warm water toilet seat

■ Access: Nishitetsu, get off at Horikawa Bus Fukushima and walk 12 minutes

10 minutes by car from Yame IC

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