江戸の世から現代に到るまで職人たちが代々受け継ぎ、今もなお下町に根差す町人文化。その中には在りし日に華やかに咲き誇った彫り物に関する流儀も含まれており、伝統を重んじたスタイルが守られ続けている。
芳柳氏はそうした知見豊かな職人たちを師と仰ぎ、彫り物についての心構えや約束事を彼らから学んできた。かくして培われた氏の明快で力強い作風は、古典を今に伝える大変貴重なものである。
From the Edo period to the present, artisans have handed down the culture of the townspeople that is still deeply rooted in the traditional districts in Tokyo. This includes the manner of horimono that bloomed so gloriously in the past, and the traditional style has been preserved.
Houryu looks up to those knowledgeable artisans as his mentors, and has learned the attitude and rules of horimono from them. His clear and powerful style which he has cultivated in this way is very valuable in conveying the classics to the present.
背中を彩る史進は、中国の四大奇書のひとつである『水滸伝』に登場する英傑。総身に九匹の青龍の彫り物を纏っていたことから“九紋龍”の渾名で知られる。武術の達人である王進から武芸十八般の奥義を授かった屈強な美丈夫である。
若くして全身に彫り物を施しているその豪胆さが粋な江戸っ子たちに好まれ、浮世絵にも数多く描かれた。ここに見る上半身をはだけ棍を振るう姿はその典型であり、彫り物の題材としても広く定着している。
Shishin on the back is a hero from “Suikoden”, a classic series of novels originating from China. He is known by the nickname “Kumonryu” (nine dragons) because he wore a bodysuit tattoo of nine dragons. He was a strong and beautiful man who had been initiated into the eighteen mysteries of martial arts by the master Oushin.
His boldness in tattooing all over his body at a young age was favored by Edo people, and he was depicted in many ukiyoe prints. The figure seen here, swinging a long staff with his upper body bare, is a typical example of them, and has been widely used as a subject for horimono.
腹にはどっかりと坐する鬼の姿を見ることができる。鬼は人に危害を加える悪しき妖怪の代表格であり、酒呑童子や茨木童子など非常に強大な力を持った存在も古文書に記されている。
また一方で善行を行った鬼を称える伝承も日本各地で散見され、一概に悪や災厄の象徴としてのみ捉えることはできない。和建築の屋根の末端に据えられる鬼瓦がその好例であるが、鬼には魔除けとしての意味合いも持たされている。
You can see the figure of oni demon sitting on the belly. Oni is representative of evil demons that harm people, and some very powerful beings such as Shuten Doji and Ibaraki Doji are recorded in ancient texts.
On the other hand, there are many traditions throughout Japan that praise oni for their good deeds, so they cannot be regarded only as a symbol of evil or disaster. Oni is also used to ward off evil spirits, and oni-gawara tiles placed at the end of the roofs of Japanese-style buildings, especially temples, are a good example of this.
