2025.03.13
伝検通信（メルマガ）週刊メールマガジン「伝検通信」 第49号
週刊メールマガジン「伝検通信」第49号をお届けします。
今年もまた「３．１１」が巡ってきました。今週のトップ記事は、福島県浪江町で、昨年、営業再開を果たした伝統工芸「大堀相馬焼」窯元の話題です。
「クイズで肩慣らし」は、前回クイズの答え・解説と、茶道・和菓子・日本茶分野の問題です。
第２回伝検は６月１日から実施します。申し込みは５月１日開始です。公式テキスト、オンライン講座を活用して、ぜひご準備ください。
伝検公式教材・参考書・サイト https://denken-test.jp/official_text/
目次
・ 産地復活願い郷里で再開＝「大堀相馬焼」窯元の近藤さん―東日本大震災１４年、福島・浪江町
・ 「クイズで肩慣らし」第48回＝「茶道・和菓子・日本茶」
・ 伝検協会だより
産地復活願い郷里で再開＝「大堀相馬焼」窯元の近藤さん―東日本大震災１４年、福島・浪江町
「走り駒」と呼ばれる馬の絵や「青ひび」が特徴の大堀相馬焼＝２０２４年１１月１６日、福島県浪江町（写真／時事通信）
東京電力福島第１原発事故後、長らく立ち入りが制限された福島県浪江町で昨年、伝統工芸「大堀相馬焼」の窯元の一つが営業再開を果たした。「ここには夢と希望がある」。周囲はまだ大半が帰還困難区域のままだが、「陶吉郎窯」窯主の近藤学さん（７１）は、産地の復活に希望を燃やしている。
大堀相馬焼は、同町大堀地区で江戸時代から３００年以上続く焼き物の総称で、「走り駒」と言われる馬の絵が描かれていることやひび割れ模様などが特徴。
「もう、俺の代で（大堀地区に）戻るのは無理だな」。原発事故後、仮の住居と工房で操業を続け、避難指示解除を待った近藤さんは、７年が過ぎたころに一度は帰還を諦めた。同県いわき市に本格的な工房を構え、設備も整えて焼き物作りに専念したが、大堀地区のことが頭から離れることはなかった。
２０２３年３月、同地区の一部で避難指示が解除されると、近藤さんは、地区に戻ることを決断し、昨年６月に営業再開を果たした。ただ解除された地域は、わずかな範囲にとどまり、原発事故前は２０以上あった窯元のうち同地区に戻ったのは、近藤さん１人だった。
ただ生活拠点を移すのは難しく、毎日いわき市から通う二重生活を余儀なくされている近藤さん。大堀地区での営業再開を「無謀だった」と冗談まじりに話すが、帰還促進には公的支援の必要性を訴える。
担い手不足やデジタル化の進展など伝統工芸の継承に向け課題は多いが、「夢と希望はこっち（大堀地区）の方がある」と前を向く。産地再興を目指し、窯元養成や人を呼び込むさまざまな企画に取り組んでいる。最近では首都圏からの来客も増えているという。近藤さんは「もう復興したと思っている人もいるがまだまだ。大堀地区や相馬焼のことを忘れないでほしい」と力を込めた。
（２０２５年３月３日 時事通信配信）
◎大堀相馬焼とは
大堀相馬焼は福島県浪江町の大堀地区で江戸時代から３００年以上続く焼き物の総称。「走り駒」と言われる馬の絵が描かれていることや、「青ひび」と呼ばれるひび割れ模様などが特徴だ。１９７８年に国の伝統的工芸品に指定された。２０１１年の東日本大震災では、工房や窯が被害にあっただけではなく、東京電力福島第１原発事故の影響で町自体への立ち入りが長く制限されていた。
「クイズで肩慣らし」第48回＝「茶道・和菓子・日本茶」
～伝検公式テキスト（好評発売中）の分野ごとに出題します～
松江市の観光名所でもある、不昧公ゆかりの茶室
第４８回
問題：松江で「茶の湯文化」の礎を築き、「大堀相馬焼」と呼ばれた藩主の松平治郷（はるさと）が29歳の時に造らせ、定石に頓着しない不昧公の好みが随所に見られる写真の茶室の名称は何でしょうか。（答えと解説は次号で）
【前回の問題と答え・解説】
問題：ヨーロッパの白磁に見られる「ブルーオニオン」という文様は、東洋から伝わった図案を参考にした際、そこに描かれていたある果物を、玉ネギと間違えたために生まれたといわれています。その果物とは何でしょうか。
答え：ザクロ
解説：果実に種子が多いザクロは、子孫繁栄といった縁起の良い植物として東洋の磁器によく描かれますが、ヨーロッパでは昔、知名度が低かったために玉ネギと間違えられてブルーオニオンと呼ばれるようになったといわれています。ドイツのマイセンなどが有名です。
伝検協会だより
「伝検公式テキスト」のプレゼントキャンペーン第2弾を3月10日、開始しました。メールマガジン「伝検通信」を５月１８日までに新規登録した方が対象で、抽選で５０名様に進呈します。ぜひ、お知り合いにメルマガ登録をお勧めください。
詳細はこちら
メルマガ（伝検通信）
【編集後記】
伝検通信第49号をお届けしました。東日本大震災のあの日、どこにいて、何をしていましたか。この時期、いろんな人とそんな話をします。あれから１４年が経過しましたが、記憶が薄れないよう記録を読み起こす必要を感じます。復興を支援しつつ、次に来るであろう災害への備えも大切ですね。
【English version】
Weekly e-newsletter Denken Tsushin No. 49.
We are pleased to present the 49th issue of our weekly e-newsletter, Denken Tsushin.
This year, ‘3.11’ has come around again. This week's top story is about the Ohori Soma Pottery, a traditional craft that reopened for business last year in Namie-cho, Fukushima Prefecture.
In the ‘Let's Practice with Quizzes’section, there are answers and explanations to the previous quiz, as well as questions on the tea ceremony, Japanese sweets and Japanese tea.
The second Denken will be held from 1 June. Registration starts on 1 May. Please use the official textbooks and online courses to prepare yourself.
Official Denken teaching materials, reference books and website https://denken-test.jp/official_text/
Table of Contents.
Mr Kondo, the potter of Ohori Soma Pottery, reopens in his hometown in the hope of reviving the production area - Namie-cho, Fukushima, 14 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
‘Let's Practice with Quizzes’ No. 48: “Tea ceremony, Japanese sweets and Japanese tea”.
Denken Association News
Kondo-san, the potter of ‘Ohori Soma Pottery’, reopens in his hometown in the hope of reviving the production area - 14 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, Namie-cho, Fukushima.
Ohori Soma Ware, characterised by the painting of horses called ‘running horses’ and ‘blue cracks’, 16 November 2024, Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture.
(Photo / Jiji Press)
One of the potteries of the traditional craft Ohori Soma-yaki reopened for business last year in Namie-cho, Fukushima Prefecture, where access was restricted for a long time after the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant. The town has dreams and hopes for the future. Most of the surrounding area is still in the difficult-to-return zone, but Manabu Kondo, 71, the owner of Tokichiro Kiln, is burning with hope for the revival of the production area.
Ohori Soma-yaki is a general term for pottery that has been produced in the Ohori area of the town for more than 300 years since the Edo period, and is characterised by its paintings of horses known as ‘running horses’ and cracked patterns.
The town's residents say that it is impossible for them to return to the Ohori area in my generation. After the nuclear accident, Mr Kondo continued to operate from his temporary residence and workshop and waited for the evacuation order to be lifted, but once seven years had passed he gave up on the idea of returning. He set up a full-fledged workshop in Iwaki City in the same prefecture, equipped it with equipment and concentrated on making pottery, but the Ohori area never left his mind.
When the evacuation order was lifted in parts of the area in March 2023, Mr Kondo decided to return to the area and reopened his business in June last year. However, the area where the evacuation order was lifted was only a small area, and Mr Kondo was the only one to return to the district out of more than 20 kilns in the area before the nuclear accident.
However, it is difficult to move his living base, and Mr Kondo is forced to lead a double life, commuting from Iwaki City every day. He jokingly refers to the reopening of his business in the Ohori area as ‘reckless’, but stresses the need for public support to encourage people to return.
There are many challenges to the continuation of traditional crafts, such as the lack of bearers and the progress of digitalisation, but he looks forward to the future, saying, ‘There are more dreams and hopes here [in the Ohori area]. With the aim of reviving the production area, they are working on various projects to train potters and attract people to the area. Recently, the number of visitors from the Tokyo metropolitan area has been increasing. Mr Kondo says: ‘Some people think the area has already recovered, but there is still a long way to go. I want people to remember the Ohori area and Soma pottery’.
(Jiji Press, 3 Mar 2025)
What is Ohori Soma pottery?
Ohori Soma-yaki is the general name for pottery that has been produced in the Ohori area of Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture, for more than 300 years since the Edo period. The pottery is characterised by its paintings of horses known as ‘running horses’ and a cracked pattern known as ‘blue cracks’, etc. It was designated as a traditional national craft in 1978, but the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake not only damaged the workshops and kilns, but also restricted access to the town itself for a long time due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. Restrictions were placed on access to the town itself.
‘Let's Practice with Quizzes’ the subject 48 = ‘Tea ceremony, Japanese confectionery and Japanese tea’
～Questions will be asked in each area of the official DENKEN textbook (now on sale).
Tearooms associated with Lord Fumai, one of Matsue City's most popular tourist attractions.
No. 48.
Question: What is the name of the tea house in the photograph, which was built by the feudal lord Matsudaira Harusato, who laid the foundations of ‘chanoyu culture’ in Matsue and was known as ‘Lord Fumai’, when he was 29 years old and whose tastes could be seen throughout the building, which was not bound by set rules? (Answers and explanations will appear in the next issue.)
Plate with blue onion pattern.
Previous question, answer and explanation.
Question: The ‘blue onion’ pattern found on European white porcelain is said to have been created because a certain fruit depicted on it was mistaken for an onion when a pattern from the East was used as a reference. What is this fruit?
Answer: pomegranate.
Explanation: Pomegranates, which have many seeds in their fruit, are often depicted on Oriental porcelain as a plant of good omen for prosperity of offspring, but in Europe they were not so well known in the past that they were mistaken for onions and called blue onions. Meissen in Germany is famous for this.
From Denken Association
On 10 March, we launched the second campaign to give away a copy of DENKEN's official textbook. The campaign is open to new subscribers to the DENKEN newsletter by 18 May, and 50 people will be selected in a drawing. Please encourage your acquaintances to register for the newsletter.
For more information, click here.
Textbook present campaign by registering for the e-mail magazine (DENKEN Tsushin)|Japanese Traditional Culture Examination
Editor's Postscript
We are pleased to present Denken Tsushin No. 49. Where were you and what were you doing on that day of the Great East Japan Earthquake? At this time of year, I talk about such things with many people. Fourteen years have passed since then, but I feel the need to read the records so that the memories do not fade. While supporting the recovery, it is also important to prepare for the next disaster.
カテゴリー: 伝検通信（メルマガ）