文化財御林守河村家の歴史を、頼朝の時代から説き起こします。二十年の歳月を要した本格的な歴史論文です。
神奈川県山北町に国定史跡河村城趾が現存しています。その相模河村氏から静岡県島田市の御林守河村家に至るまでの数世紀にわたる歴史を、厳密な歴史考証によって解き明かします。 『蒼天のクオリア』『冑佛伝説』に続く河村隆夫の3作目をダイジェストでお贈りします。
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Kabuto-Botoke (Helmet Buddha) Legend Prologue (Excerpt from "Helmet Buddha Legend") The Helmet Buddha, or Kabutobotoke, is a deity our ancestors carried into battle within their helmets. This legend, handed down in the Kawamura family of Kanaya Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, was the starting p..
Kabuto-Botoke (Helmet Buddha) Legend Prologue (Excerpt from "Helmet Buddha Legend") The Helmet Buddha, or Kabutobotoke, is a deity our ancestors carried into battle within their helmets. This legend, handed down in the Kawamura family of Kanaya Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, was the starting p..
(Photo from "Bakumatsu Japan Illustrated" by Emile Amblard) The tea and the sword 13 Perri is in Hakodate. Following the treaty, he is immersed in a sense of satisfaction. He continues to survey and explore, investigating the state of Japan in preparation for trade and war. After Per..
(Photo: Ryoma Sakamoto) The tea and the sword 12 Culture is the essence of elegance. The end of the Edo period in Japan coincided with the American Westward Expansion and the Civil War era. The comportment of the samurai was far more refined than that of the Americans of the time. Ho..
(Pictured is Takasugi Shinsaku) The tea and the sword 11 Sugizo, journey forth. With the moon so pale and the wind crisp, Ascend the horse and travel three hundred leagues, For a dozen or so days. There should be wine to drink, And poems to compose. This was the preface written by ..
(The photograph depicts the Shōka Sonjuku) The tea and the sword 10 The forbidden allure. The young men of Hagi must have been drawn to Yoshida Shōin, as if they were compelled to touch the blade of a Japanese sword, gleaming blue and dangerously enticing. For this reason, their pare..
(The photo is of Shimoda Heigyu Prison Ruins) The tea and the sword 9 The tale of Yoshida Shōin's clandestine voyage is extensively documented in "Admiral Perry's Expedition to Japan." A considerable amount of ink has been spent on it. Shōin's audacity must have left a striking impressi..
(The image is of the flagship 'Susquehanna' ) The tea and the swords 8 In the seventh year of Kaei, American sailors stroll through Shimoda in spring, a privilege granted by the Treaty of Peace and Amity between the United States and Japan. Shadowed by Matsushin and his admirer, Shige..
(The photograph shows Yoshida Shoin) The tea and the sword 7 The modern tea industry in Japan was pioneered by swordsmen. Therefore, in order to understand the establishment of the modern tea industry, it is necessary to understand what the end of the Edo period was like, how the swords..
(The image is of British Minister Rutherford Alcock) The tea and the sword 6 We've strayed far from the topic of tea, but having introduced "The Expedition of Commodore Perry to China Seas and Japan" yesterday, I would like to continue by excerpting records from foreigners who visited Jap..
(The photograph is of Commodore Matthew Perry) The tea and the sword 5 Though we are jumping back in time, it is worth noting that even Commodore Matthew Perry, who arrived in Japan in the 6th year of Kaei, praised the conduct of the samurai. 'The officers and sailors aboard (the Americ..
(Photo: Bunkyū European diplomatic mission, wiki) The tea and the sword 4 Having digressed quite a bit from the topic of tea, let's further explore the state of affairs in the final days of the shogunate. In the first year of Bunkyū (1861), under the guidance of British Minister Rutherf..
(Photo: Hirobumi Ito, the first Prime Minister of Japan) The tea and the sword 3 In every age, it is the radical youth, who some might call rash, that bring about change in the world. Whether the radicals are right, or the conservatives are, it is for history to decide. Those who lived in ..
(The photograph shows Yoshida Shoin and Hashimoto Sanai) The tea and the sword 2 Chapter 1, Section 2 During his months of study in Tokyo, Sōhei received news of his younger brother Orihei's death. Like those who die young, Orihei had been pure and exceptional, a fact evident to an..
(Photo: Twelfth g…
A Confe…
( Friedrich Höl…
(Bizen Osafune Nagamitsu) Sword (Unsheathed) Takao Kawamura(22 years old) That night, The petals of the cherry blossoms on the other shore were falling. There was no moon. Along the mountain path that continued to climb, pale cherry blossom lights were lit here and there, and where the..
(The Certificate of License - The Transmission of the Flying Dragon Sword) The Flying Dragon Sword It's about the time when my great-grand…
佐藤泰志(Yasushi Sato) One autumn evening, upon my return, A Tokyo journalist awaited concern. Writing a biography, they sou…
Anoma…
(F6F) The Air Raid Shelter Within the designated cultural asset, the Kawamura Residence, Enclosed by stone walls, a higher section in prominence. At its core stands a rice s…
(Photo from my Hokkaido University days) Kanda River Upon hearing the news of Namie Amuro's retirement, I recalled the songs of my youthful fire, the sentiment. …
Nothing to Sell, No…
( Bizen Osafune Nagamitsu) Concealed Blades on the Wall After my parents' passing, …
( Articles I contributed to newspapers ) Kabuto-Botoke (Helmet Buddha) In a shrine's grand altar, nestled inside a small altar, there sat a tiny Buddha. A three-centimeter statue of the Buddha, known as "Kabuto-Botoke" as my grandmother had told me, fought battles enclosed within the hel..
( Articles I contributed to newspapers ) Blue Hour I witness the fleeting moment of dawn because I rise early. It's a brief period when everything is dyed cobalt blue. Between night and morning, a sudden otherworldly presence emerges, bathed in a blue light. If someone stands there, they..
Yamaoka Tesshu's Wooden Fan 9 (About Tokugawa Yoshinobu) The day before yesterday, upon uploading a wedding photo of my uncle (Ozeki Masao) at the Fugetsuro, I was reminded of "Tokugawa Yoshinobu Household Daily Diary," which detailed the life of Lord Tokugawa Yoshinobu who resided in the F..
(The following photo) Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden Fan 8 Far Left: Ozeki Kuniho (Former Vice-Chancellor of Hirosaki University, Gran…
(Photograph: The wedding ceremony of my great-grandfather's eldest son and Ichimatsu Ishii's eldest daughter,…
(Pictured: The license for the Shingyo tou-ryu sword technique that Kojiro Kawamura received from Katsutaro Kageakira Chujo) Yamaoka Tesshū…
(Pictured: Yamaoka Tesshū) Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden fan 5 To understand the magnitude of Yamaoka Tesshū's persona, this episode should suffice. When Katsu Kaishu decided on the peaceful surrender of Edo, Tesshū made his way to inform Saigo Takamori, the commander of the vanguard on the To..
(The photo here is of Katsu Kaishu) Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden fan 4 In the shadows of the people surrounding Yamaoka Tesshu, one can occasionally spot the figure of the great man, Katsu Kaishu. Katsu Kaishu learned swordsmanship from sword masters such as Otani Seiichiro and Shimada Toranos..