で紹介した大雪像以外に一般市民や外国人チームが作った雪像が展示されていた。世相を反映したものが多く、メジャーリーグで優勝したロサンゼルス・ドジャーズで活躍した日本人選手二人、大谷翔平と山本由伸の像や、昨年大阪で開かれた万博のキャラクター、ミャクミャクの像、更には、昨年全国で目撃情報が多々寄せられ、死傷者も出た熊の出没をテーマにしたものも。例年開かれる国際チームにより雪像造りコンクールでは、フィンランドチームが優勝した。（The 76th annual Snow Festival in Sapporo came to end yesterday, February 11. Besides giant snow sculptures as featured in the previous post, visitors could see small-sized snow sculptures produced by ordinary citizens or by some foreign teams. Some of them drew on recent or current topics such as two Japanese players of Los Angeles Dodgers, who won the Major League championship last year. Among other pieces that attracted my attention were that of MYAKUMYAKU, mascot of the international exhibition in Osaka last year, and the one that curicaturized frequent appearances of bear and subsequently caused hazards on humans throughout Japan last year. In the snow sculpture competition among international teams, the Finnish team won the championship.）
76回目を迎える今年の札幌雪祭りは衆議院総選挙の時期と重なったが、候補者が遠慮したためであろう。会場となった大通公園では街宣車からの連呼は聴かれなかった。小生は天気が良かった七日に赴いた。大通公園に建てられた大雪像の一つは、我が母校北海道大学構内に現存する古河講堂を模したもので、北大の前身である札幌農学校創設百五十周年を記念して作られた。古河講堂は明治四十二（1909）年に古河財閥の援助を受けて建設されたもので、国の登録有形文化財に指定されている。この日の午後、この雪像の前で北大の応援団と恵迪寮生によるパフォーマンスが披露され、校歌や恵迪寮歌の中で一番よく知られている『都ぞ弥生』の合唱などが行われた。他の大雪像の一つは、北海道の半世紀ほど前に発掘され現在国宝となっている中空土偶と、中空土偶が作られた当時の縄文人をイメージしたものである。「“縄文”日本文化の深層：自然と共生し一万年続いた先史文化」とのテーマの下、縄文時代の自然観や精神性が現代日本の文化に受け継がれていることを、土偶と縄文人のイメージを合わせて示すとしている。（76th Sapporo Snow Festival [1] Giant Snow Sculptures of Univ. Hokkaido Furukawa Hall & Ancient Clay Figure: The scheduled time period of this year's snow festival in Sapporo overlapped partially with the election campaign days leading to general election of the Japanese House of Representatives on February 8. Nevertheless, I could hear no loud speeches/appeals by candidates voiced from their van most likely because they avoided conducting their election activities in the Odori Park's festival site in downtown Sapporo, fearing possible adverse effects on their election results. I visited the park on February 7 when the weather was fine. One of the giant snow sculptures produced at the park was that of Furukawa Hall, an old building still standing in the campus of the University of Hokkaido, which is incidentally my alma mater. Festival organizers constructed this piece as a part of the project to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Sapporo Agricultural College--which later became Hokkaido Imperial University, and the University of Hokkaido after World War II--in 1876. The financial house of the Furukawa family aided the construction of this hall, which came to its completion in 1909. The Japanese national government later designated it as a tangible cultural asset. In the afternoon of February 7, audience who came to see the sculpture could enjoy watching performances by cheer leaders of the university and some students living in KEITEKI-RYOH--the university's dormitory that has a long history--such as group singing of school anthem and the most famous one of the songs composed by dorm students in the past. Among other giant snow sculptures is the one featuring an archaeological clay doll excavated about half a century ago in Hokkaido. The clay figure--designated by the national government as national treasure asset--dates back, by estimate, to the pre-historic period called JOMON [rope cord, named after patterns often seen on the surface of such dolls and pottery] period, i.e., ca14,000 to 8th century B.C. The sculpture combines the clay figure and what may have looked like a human of the JOMON period. Under the theme "JOMON as Deep Roots of Japanese Culture--Pre-Historic Culture That Co-Existed with Nature and Lasted 10,000 Years," the festival organizers, by combining image of the doll with that of the JOMON person, aim to show that modern Japanese culture has inherited the JOMON people's concepts of nature and their spirituality.）
Robert Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s eldest son, was present at 3 of the 4 presidential assassinations and was the only one of Lincoln’s 4 children to survive past 18 and outlive both parents...
The trauma of his father’s murder in 1865 shaped him deeply but his proximity to presidential death did not end at Ford’s Theatre. In 1881 he was standing just feet away from President James Garfield when Garfield was shot inside a Washington DC railway station. And in 1901 he was in Buffalo when President William McKinley was assassinated at the Pan-American Exposition. After that third event he famously refused future presidential invites saying in effect that tragedy seemed to follow him.
And there is another surreal twist. Years before Lincoln was murdered Robert Todd nearly fell between a moving train and the platform. A stranger reached out and pulled him to safety. That man was Edwin Booth. The brother of John Wilkes Booth.
歴史を振り返ってみると、同じ日に重要な出来事が起きているケースを間々目にする。一年は三百六十五（六）日しかなく、人間の歴史が進むにつれて重要な出来事も次々と起きるのだから、驚くには値しないかもしれないし、偶然の所産と一蹴することは可能である。それでも、そんな「特異日」を拾ってみると、面白いかもしれないと考えてまず目を付けたのが、ドイツ現代史に於ける一月三十日である。１９３３年のこの日、アドルフ・ヒトラーが首相に任命されている。ナチ政権下では、ナチ党が政権獲得に向けた重要な第一歩が記された日であったから、慶事が起きた日と目されていたであろうが、今では暗黒時代の始まりと見る向きが強いであろう。その十年後のこの日の前後、ドイツ軍は第二次世界大戦の転回点とも言える大敗北を喫している。スターリングラードでの第六軍の降伏である。当初三十万余りあった兵力は、この時までに九万余りとなっていたが、その全てが降伏し、戦後復員したのは六千名余りに過ぎなかったという。その二年後、ドイツの敗色が濃くなる中で、それまで占領していた東方地域からドイツ軍が退却していくに連れて、同地域に移住・入植していた民間人も本国への避難を余儀なくされる。ハンニバル作戦と銘打ったそれら軍民を退却させる計画の一環として、客船ヴィルヘルム・グストロフ号で東プロシアのゴーテンハーフェン（現ポーランド、グディニア）からキールへの避難民を運ぼうとした。一万六百名余りの軍人・民間人を乗せていた同船は一月三十日昼過ぎに出港したが、同夜九時過ぎにソ連の潜水艦が発射した魚雷四本の内三本が命中して沈没し、九千六百名余りが死亡した。これは、一隻の艦艇・船舶の沈没に因る犠牲者数としては海難史上最大である。この悲劇から三か月余り後に、ドイツは降伏する。（January 30--Day of Downfall for Germany [?]: Looking back at history, one may find that some important events transpired on the same dates in different years. One may dismiss it as mere coincidence since important events keep happening with the passage of time in the history of human-beings on either one of only 365 or 366 days of the year. Nevertheless, I felt it a little bit of fun to find such "unique dates," and picked up January 30 in modern German history as the first example. First, on this date in 1933, then German President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor. Although the Nazi authorities most likely regarded this date as a day of blessing since this event marked the first step for the Nazi Party to seize power, at the present most people tend to see the event as the starting point of dark age. Second, ten years later shortly after this date, the German Army suffered a catastrophic defeat that many commentators consider to be the turning point of World War II. About 90,000 troops of what remained of the German Sixth Army--original strength being some 300,000--surrendered to the Soviet Red Army in Stalingrad on February 2, 1943. Of those captivated, only about 6,000 could reportedly return home after the war. Third event occured two years later, as Germany's military fortune was increasingly in decline, and the German troops were retreating from the previously occupied eastern areas. As German civilians who had emigrated and settled there were compelled to return to the homeland, the German authorities attempted to transport refugees by passenger liner Wilhelm Gustloff from Gotenhafe in East Prussia [Gdinia, Poland, today] to Kiel in a part of the scheme dubbed Operation Hannibal. The ship left Gdinia shortly after noon on January 30, 1945, with military personnel and refugees totalling some 10,600 on board. Then, around 9 p.m., a Soviet submarine fired four torpedoes against Wilhelm Gustloff. The ship, struck by three of these, sank shortly afterward. Estimated number of fatalities in this incident amounted to some 9,600--the largest death toll caused by a single-ship sinking in the history of maritime disaster. Germany surrendered about three monts later after this tragedy.）
１９３３年１月３０日・・・
独大統領ヒンデンブルグ、ヒトラーを首相に任命。（On January 30, 1933, then President of Germany appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor.)
正確に一月三十日ではなかったが、（Although not exactly on January 30, . . .）
スターリングラードのドイツ第六軍、降伏。第六軍指導部が降伏を決意したのが１９４３年一月三十一日と言われる。（One day later in 1943, the German Sixth Army leadership decided to surrender to the Red Army in Stalingrad.)
そして、１９４５年１月３０日、・・・（Then, on January 30, 1945, . . .)
客船ヴィルヘルム・グストロフ号がソ連の潜水艦の雷撃で沈没。死者約九千六百名を数える。（German passenger liner Wilhelm Gustloff sank by torpedo attack by a Soviet submarine, killing 9,600 persons on board.)
で取り上げた二つの城跡を訪ねた十二月十三日には、二つの寺院にも足を運んでいる。その正源寺と信光寺の境内には、石幢と呼ばれる石造物があった。石幢の幢は旗章を意味し、インドではこれを石の表面に描いて仏塔や仏殿の前に建てた。中国に唐・宋の時代にこれが伝わると、石柱に経文を刻む形となり、更に日本に平安時代に伝来して以降は、傘や宝珠を冠した六角若しくは八角形の形状の石燈籠のような形状となって、地蔵菩薩などが彫られた。間近で見ることができた正源寺の石幢は延宝4（1676）年に作られたもので、市の有形文化財に指定されている。信光寺の石幢は石庭の中にあったために近付いて見ることができなかったが、境内の山門等とのコラボで見栄えが良い。寛文2（1662）年作製、矢張り市の有形文化財に指定されている。（Trip to Mizunami [6] Stone Poles with Buddha Sculptures: On December 13 last year--the date when, as featured in two previous article, I went to two locations where mountain fort used to be--I also visited two Buddhist temples in Mizunami, Gifu Prefecture. On the premises each of Shohgen-ji Temple and Shinkoh-ji Temple, one can see a stone pole with images of Buddha sculpted on its surface. Transcribed 石幢 [SEKIDOH] in Japanese, its origin is traceable to India, the birth place of Buddhism. In india, Buddhists erected a pole inscribed with banner logo--Chinese transcription of which is 幢, second symbol of 石幢--in front of stupa or temple hall. When the Chinese introduced this custom at the time of the Tang and Sung Dynasties, they inscribed quotes from Buddhist scriptures on the pole. Then, the Japanese Buddhists sculpted images of Buddha on either hexagonal or Octagonal pole by topping it with a shade or lotus-flower-like object on its top. As a result, its outlook resembles stone-made lantern often seen in Buddhist temples. The stone pole of Shohgen-ji Temple, at which I could take a very close look, dates back to 1676. The city of Mizunami has designated it as the city's tangible cultural asset. As for the one at Shinkoh-ji Temple, I could watch it only from some distance because it stands inside a rock-garden-like section. Yet, I was able to take some fine images which show the pole visible with some other objects such as temple gate. This one, produced in 1662, is lso the city's tangible cultural asset.）
で訪問記を綴った小里城跡から瑞浪市外にバスで戻った小生は、徒歩で鶴ヶ城跡に向かった。鶴ヶ城と言えば会津松平氏の居城であった城をまず思い浮かべる人が多いであろう。幕末の会津藩の新政府軍に対する抵抗の拠点として知られ、今年の札幌雪まつりで披露される大雪像の一つが会津の鶴ヶ城となる。美濃の鶴ヶ城も日本史上重要な役割を果たしている。鎌倉時代初期、美濃の守護に任じられた土岐光衡によって築かれ、その後土岐氏が美濃統治の拠点としていた。天正十年、織田信長が武田領内への進攻作戦を開始する際の拠点ともなっていたが、十七世紀初頭には廃城となった模様である。小里城のような石垣は見当たらないが、曲輪や井戸の跡等が散見される。（Trip to Mizunami [5] Remains of Fort Tsuruga: On December 13 last year, after visiting the mountain where Fort Ori used to stand, as narrated in the previous article, I returned to downtown Mizunami by bus. Then, I started walking to a location where another fort, Fort Tsuruga, used to be. Upon hearing the name Fort Tsuruga--pronounced TSURUGAJOH in Japanese--most Japanese nationals tend to think of a castle of the same name in Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan. It was the bastion of resistance by the domain of Aizu ruled by the house of Matsudaira against the newly established central authorities in the mid-19th century. In the annual Snow Festival in Sapporo this year, one of the giant snow sculptures now under construction at the festival site will be that of Tsuruga Castle in Aizu. As for Fort Tsuruga in Mizunami, it also played some pivotal roles in Japan's history. Its origin dates back to the early 13th century when then Japanese central warrior government in Kamakura, eastern Japan, appointed Toki Mitsuhira as the governor of Mino Province, central Japan. Thereafter, the fort served as the base of the Toki family's rule of the region. When Oda Nobunaga embarked on his military campaign against the warrior house of Takeda in 1582, Nobunaga used the fort as the staging point of the operation. Most likely, the fort became defunct around the outset of the 17th century. The remains of the fort do not contain any stonewalls as seen in Fort Ori's location. Visitors can, however, see some formations reminiscent of garrison structure and a hole that used to be a water well.）
岐阜県瑞浪滞在二日目の昨年十二月十三日、ホテルで朝食を済ませた小生は路線バスに乗って郊外へ向かった。この日の最初の目的地としたのは小里（おり）城跡。小里城は、かつて美濃で有力な大名であった土岐氏の支流である小里家の当主小里光忠が天文元（1532）年頃に築き、以後小里家の居城となったと伝えられる。織田信長と武田信玄との抗争が激しくなった1570年代初頭には小里家は織田方に与し、元亀三（1572）年の合戦では光忠の嫡男光次が討死にしている。その翌々年、信玄の跡を継いだ武田勝頼が美濃地方へ進攻してきた折に小里城では改修工事がなされ、信長は配下の池田恒興を同城に配している。関ケ原合戦後に御殿が建てられたが、元和九（1623）年に当主が急逝したことで小里家は断絶となり、小里城も廃城となった。現在、この山城跡の麓には御殿場跡の石垣や土塁が、山頂付近には本丸跡の石垣や曲輪などが残されている。（Trip to Mizunami [4] Remains of Fort Ori: On the second day of my stay in Mizunami, i.e., December 13 last year, I had breakfast at the hotel and went by a local bus to a suburban area of the city. My first destination on that day was a mountain area where a fort named Fort Ori used to be. Ori Mitsutada, lord of Ori family, which was a branch family of the house of Toki--an influential warrior family in this region--had the fort constructed around 1532. Thereafter, it reportedly served as residence of the Ori. When conflict between two mighty warlords in central Japan, Oda Nobunaga and Takeda Shingen, intensified in the early 1570s, the Ori family sided with the Oda. In a battle fought in 1572, Ori Mitsutsugu, Mitsutada's heir apparent, lost his life. Two years later, renovation/repair project of the fort was underway as the Takeda family under its new leader Katsuyori conducted offensive military campaign in the region. At the time, Oda Nobunaga assigned Ikeda Tsuneoki, one of his vassal generals, to the fort. Although the Ori family had private residential quarter constructed in the early 17th century, its domain rule ended in 1623 as the lord of Ori family deceased without any heir. As a result, the fort also ceased to function. At present, visitors can see some stonewalls and mound formations in what used to be the residential section at the foot of the mountain, and stonewalls and some remnants of engineering work of the main garrison at the mountain top.）
で紹介した化石博物館の直ぐ傍には、古来からの陶磁器の生産設備などを展示する陶磁資料館がある。特に目を惹くのは屋外に展示されている連房式登窯で、江戸時代から昭和二十年代まで使われていたものという。これ以外にも、陶磁器の原料となる岩石を砕くための水車や、水車に代わって大正期に導入されたトロンミルと呼ばれる機械が屋外展示されており、屋内には、そのような設備で作られた陶磁器が展示されている。（Trip to Mizunami [3] Ceramics Museum: Mizunami and its adjacent areas in the southern part of Gifu Prefecture is known for their traditional ceramic manufacturing industry. Located in the immediate vicinity of the fossil museum, as featured in the second previous article, is a museum exhibiting items relating to local ceramic industry dating back to pre-modern time. Among those in display outdoor, a climbing kiln consisting of multiple cells is particularly worthy of attention. It was in use starting the Tokugawa period [1600-1868] until the late 1940s. Other facilities available in outdoor exhibition space include water wheel for crushing rocks to produce clay, and device called Trommel [German word meaning "drum"] which made its debut to assume the same function in the 1920s. Among those items exhibited indoor are some ceramic wares manufactured with devices like these.)
で綴った化石博物館に赴く道中、一基の古墳に行き当たった。戸狩荒神塚古墳と名付けられたその古墳は、その傍らに建てられた掲示板に拠ると、直径約六十メートル、高さ約八メートルで、岐阜県下に点在する円墳の中でも最大級。中期古墳時代に同地に勢力を張っていた豪族が被葬されたものと考えられている。一部が欠損しているものの、大部分が元のままで未発掘のまま保存されている。化石博物館の傍にも大島一号古墳という名の古墳があったが、これはかつて8.5キロほど離れた場所にあったものを移設・復元したものだそうです。この説明を読んで、正直言って多少興趣が削がれましたが。恐らく復元は移設前の資料・画像などを基に忠実になされたものと信じたいです。（Trip to Mizunami [2] Two Mound Tombs: I came across a mound tomb dating back to ancient time on my way to the fossil museum featured in the previous article. According to an information board set up beside the tomb, which measures some 60 meters in diameter and about eight meters high, it is one of the largest round-shaped mound tombs--called ENPUN in Japanese--found in Gifu Prefecture. Constructed in the mid-KOFUN [mound tomb] period [ca. 5th century] in Japan's history, it is most likely a final resting place of a local chieftain in the area. Although a fraction of its original structure is missing, it remains mostly intact and unexcavated. I found another mound tomb close to the fossil museum. To be honest, I was a little disappointed to read the contents of its information board--its original location was about 8.5 kilometers away, and the current tomb is a relocated and re-constructed version. Of course, I believe that the personnel concerned conducted the reconstruction work by referring faithfully to documents/images of the original one.）
で綴った太平洋フェリー・きそでの二日間の船旅を終えて昨年十二月十二日に名古屋港に到着した小生は、バスとあおなみ線を乗り継いでJR名古屋駅に到着後、汽車で一路瑞浪へ。宿泊予定のホテルに荷物を置いた後に、歩いて駅北側地域へ向かった。瑞浪は化石が多く発掘される場所として知られ、化石博物館がある。まず、博物館近くにある「化石の地下壕」なる場所へ。その地下壕は、先の大戦末期に航空機の工場を地下に疎開させるべく掘削されたものだが、壕の内壁には貝の化石が多くみられる。博物館自体には、瑞浪及び周辺で発掘された主に哺乳類の化石が展示されている。（Trip to Mizunami [1] Fossil Museum in Mizunami: After the two-day voyage on board Taiheiyo [Pacific Ocean] Ferry KISO--as featured in the previous article--I arrived in the port of Nagoya on December 12 last year. Thereafter, I went to JR [Japan Railways] Nagoya Station by bus and commuter train, and traveled to Mizunami on a JR train. Once in Mizunami, I dropped my baggage at a hotel where I was to stay, and started walking to area in the north of JR Mizunami Station. Reports of fossil excavations have been abound in Mizunami, and the city has a museum to exhibit these items. I first visited a cave near the museum. The Japanese military authorities dug the cave toward the end of World War II to relocate aircraft manufacturing facilities underground. Inside, visitors can see many fossils of clam shells on the walls and ceiling. On display at the museum are some fossils, mainly of mammals excavated in Mizunami and its vicinity.)
