藤沢周平『暗殺の年輪』
馨之介が3歳の時、父は海坂藩の重役を暗殺しようとして失敗し、死んだ。それから彼は母と二人で暮らし、18歳になっている。その事件については今でも、だれも話さない。ある日、友人の金吾が彼を自宅にさそった。そこで打ち明けられたのが、藩の重役の暗殺への参加だった。しかしそれは、陰謀だった。馨之介に重役を殺させたあと、彼を殺そうとしたのだ。藩の権力闘争だった。
この小説に3人の女性が描かれている。父が死んだあとも家が取り潰されないわけを知る母親の波留、町の居酒屋で働く娘で馨之介に心をよせる幼なじみのお葉、陰謀を馨之介に知らせようとする金吾の妹・菊乃。凄惨な権力争いのこの小説、ここに女性たちが登場することで、単なる殺し合いでない、深みと愛のある小説になっている。藤沢周平の直木賞受賞作。
海坂藩は庄内・鶴岡の酒井氏14万石の庄内藩がモデルである。藤沢周平は鶴岡に生まれ、数多くの小説がこの町が舞台で描かれている。鶴岡市は日本海に面した城下町。出羽三山などの3つの日本遺産を有し、また、ユネスコ食文化創造都市にも認定されている。庄内平野、日本海、城下町、山々の豊かな自然、豊かな食などの魅力にあふれた町だ。来週から3日間、鶴岡と出羽山、酒田を訪ねます。
"Shuhei Fujisawa "Assassination
When Keinosuke was three years old, his father died in a failed assassination attempt on an executive of the Unasaka Han clan. Since then he has lived with his mother and is 18 years old. Even now, no one talks about the incident. One day, his friend Kingo invites him to his house. It was there that he confided in his participation in the assassination of a clan executive. But it was a conspiracy. After getting Keinosuke to kill the executive, they tried to kill him. It was a clan power struggle.
There are three women in this novel. Haru, a mother who knows why the family line will not be destroyed even after the death of the father. Oyo is a young girl who works at an izakaya in town and is a childhood friend who likes Keinosuke. Kingo's younger sister, Kikuno, tries to inform Keinosuke of the conspiracy. This novel of a gruesome power struggle has become a novel with depth and love, not just a story of killing each other, by the appearance of women here. Shuhei Fujisawa's Naoki Award winning work.
The Unasaka Han clan is modeled after the Shonai clan of the Sakai shi in Tsuruoka, Shonai, with 140,000 koku. Shuhei Fujisawa was born in Tsuruoka, and many novels are set in this town. Tsuruoka City is a castle town facing the Sea of Japan. It has three Japanese heritage sites such as Dewa Sanzan, and is also certified as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. It is a town full of attractions such as the Shonai Plain, the Sea of Japan, the castle town, the rich nature of the mountains, and the rich food.
Next week, I will visit Tsuruoka, Mt. Dewa, and Sakata for three days.