画像の長光磨上光徳（花押）は、重要文化財で個人が所蔵しております。見事な太刀です。本田安房守はじめ多くの者が所持し大切に守り、現在に伝えられております。文化財は、多くの家系、多くの人の力で守り続けられてきております。決して1つの家系、一人の人間が伝えてきたわけではありません。多額の金で購入したとはいえ、文化財は個人の所有物ではなく、国民の宝、皆の宝です。後世に伝えるため、ある期間の所持を許され、管理を委ねられたと考えるべきです。
以前、ある大きな製紙会社の元会長が有名な西洋絵画を数十億円で購入し、自分が死んだらその絵画を自分と一緒に荼毘に付すように遺言しました。日本国内だけでなく、世界中から批判されました。この元会長は、文化財を私物と勘違いし、何をしてもいいと思ったのでしょう。この元会長の評判は地に落ち、晩節を汚してしまいました。
渡辺三郎は、真逆の人です。私財を投じ行方不明になった三日月宗近はじめ多くの名刀を探し出し守り続け、その子息誠一郎氏が父の意をくみ三日月宗近を含む国宝2振りと重要文化財１１振りを東京国立博物館に寄贈しました。その際、誠一郎氏は、”長い歴史の中の一時期を無事にお預かりできたことは喜びである”と述べております。まさしく、立派な方々です。
文化財は有形、無形にかかわらず個人の所有物でなく、国民の宝、皆の宝です。私物化することがあってはなりません。
Nagamitsu in the image is an important cultural property and is owned by an individual. It is a wonderful sword. Many people, including Honda Awanokami, possessed it and carefully protected it, and it has been handed down to the present day. Cultural properties have been protected by the power of many families and many people. It was never transmitted by one family or one person. Even though it was bought with a large amount of money, cultural properties are not personal property, but national treasures, everyone's treasures. You should think that you have been allowed to possess it for a certain period of time and have been entrusted with management in order to pass it on to future generations.
Earlier, a former chairman of a large paper company bought a famous Western painting for billions of yen and left his last wish words to put it with him when he died and cremate. It was criticized not only in Japan but all over the world. This former chairman might have misunderstood a cultural property as a personal property and thought that he could do anything. The reputation of this former chairman has fallen to the worst.
Mr Saburo Watanabe is the exact opposite. He possessed and protected many famous swords including Mikazuki Munechika, and his son Seiichiro donated two national treasures including Mikazuki Munechika and 11 important cultural properties to the Tokyo National Museum with the intention of his father. At that time, Mr. Seiichiro stated, "I am delighted to have been able to safely take care of a period in the long history." They are really good people.
Cultural properties, whether tangible or intangible, are not personal property, but national treasures and everyone's treasures. It must not be personalized.
