Koriyama is located around 200km north of Tokyo. It was a post town on Oushu-kaidou highway which connected Edo(old name of Tokyo) and northern Japan. The water which is introduced from Inawashiro Lake changed this post town to an industrial city. There are few exhibits about entertainment, but we can see a lot of exhibits which show difficult farmers' life and relief projects.
Photography is prohibited. Images of exhibits are pictures on the brochure.
郡山市は、奥州街道の郡山宿であったが、猪苗代湖から水を引いた安積疎水によって大きく発展した街である。二本松藩に含まれる。人の楽しみについての展示は少なく、搾取された農民の苦しさの展示が多かった。その中でも、農民の救済策にほっとするものがあった。【全館撮影禁止、展示物の写真はカタログ掲載のもの】
<Difficult life of farmers in the Edo period>
Farmers
struggled against heavy tax at that time, so they rioted sometimes. The
letter, which mentioned that the daimyo lord admitted their requirement
and promised to return rice, is exhibited. On the other hand, rich merchants
and farmers had self-defense groups against the farmers' riots. Those are
written in the historical materials.
The
material which was written in 1835 mentioned one
poor village in which farmers of 35 families were
poor and 12 families of them didn’t have their houses. Mr. Heizo had four family
members, but three of them couldn’t work because of disease or old age. He applied
for money and rice to the lord office. It was a difficult era however relief
deals were done; I felt a bit happy when I knew it.
江戸時代以降の展示では、重税にあえぐ農民として、税金を割り当てた書状、一揆に対する処置を書いた藩の書状（要求通り夫食米を施すと記載）、江戸末期には豊かな豪農や商家に打ちこわしを行うようになった貧民に対して自衛団を組んだという古文書が展示されている。「駒谷村貧民申立帳」（天保6年）には、駒谷村の農民のうち、35軒161人が貧民で、12軒は家もない極貧民である。平蔵の家は4人家族であるが、病気や高齢で働き手が一人しかいない。金三朱、籾１石2とうの御救を願い出た、と書かれているという。救済制度もあったのか。
<Shukuba post town>
The
picture of the post town is exhibited. The town had Masugata at the both ends
which prevented an enemy from proceeding straight easily There was a lord
office in the center of the town. Old picture, which depicts merchants and
ladies who have sunshades in the busy town, shows me lively lives at that
time.
宿場町の絵には、宿場の両側に桝形があり、防衛機能を持っている。中央には、代官屋敷があり、町全体が城郭機能をもっていたのだろうか。錦絵には、傘をさした婦人や商人風の人など、にぎやかな様子が描かれている。
<Life of ordinary people>
 |
| Daily life goods in the old days |
In
this room, I found a photo of a family beside a fireplace. There were hens
behind them, and it is written “the air must be full of strong odor”. This
would be what Isabella Bird experienced more than one hundred years ago in
Japan. They were uncivilized.
However all of them looked happy. In front of the cage of hens, a
young man held a small girl on his lap while drinking sake (alcohol). A
middle-aged woman with a baby on her back sat down. Five adults and
three children gathered around the fireplace; a woman with a Japanese-style
apron took something from the kettle above the fire. This photo shows me typical
fun of the farmers.
Another photo about a girls' school sports day is interesting,
because they competed with sewing. Sewing is a sport? Now we don't have such event in sports anymore.
なつかしい生活用具の展示に中に、囲炉裏端の家族写真がある。その後ろには鶏小屋がある。「強い臭いが漂っていたはずである」と書かれている。イザベラ・バードの体験した世界だ。しかし、鶏は生きる仲間だし、その前で膝におかっぱ頭の女の子を乗せ酒をあおっているような青年、隣で赤子をおんぶしている中年の婦人、楽しそうではないか。大人五人子供三人が囲炉裏を囲う中で、割烹着の婦人が自在鉤につるしたやかんから何かを注いでいる写真だ。ほほえましい写真だ。
大正時代の写真展示に、女学校の運動会というのがあって、机の上に何かを載せて裁縫のような作業をしているものがある。おもしろい。
Thematic
exhibition: Risk management in the Edo period. Public support, neighbor’s
support and self-support which are written in the historical local materials.
企画展：江戸時代の危機管理～地方文書から見る公助・互助・自助～
Several
systems and cases were exhibited. Single elderly person who had a field adopted
a child and the child supported the old person. It was a good system, I think. On the
other hand, the farmer, who was going to kill their baby due to poor, could borrow money,
however they must return it with interest. And there was a rule to deal with a dead traveler on the roadside. Traveling is fun, but some died during
travel often at that time probably.
By
the way, the lord delivered to people 1.8 liter of sake and 750g of red rice
when he promoted in 1863. The lord felt in a financial difficulty so it was
daring, but it might enhance the people’s mind.
いくつかの事例が展示されている。田畑を所持していた独居老人には、養子縁組などの形で家族を持たせて扶養したとある。一つの仕組みだ。一方、貧しさから間引き（赤ちゃんの圧殺や堕胎）をする農民に対して、赤子養育仕法として養育資金を貸し付ける制度もあったが、利息もしっかり取られたようだ。また、行き倒れ人の処置のルールもあった。旅は楽しみだが、客死するものも多かったのだろう。
1863年の藩主の昇進のとき、慶賀として9月に全領民に酒一升と赤飯五合を給与したとある。藩は借金まみれだったそうだが、こんなこともあったのか。
This
museum has excellent exhibits; some of them were lent out to other museums. They
exhibit real historical materials and deliver various papers, however it is a bit pity for me that I couldn’t find fun of ordinary Japanese easily.
陶器など貸出し中の展示品がいくつかあり、古文書も複写でないものが多い。入場無料なのに資料も立派なのをいただけるのだが、人の楽しみをあまり見いだせなかったのが少し残念。
Visited in
March, 2018
Official website:
https://www.city.koriyama.lg.jp/bunka_sports_kanko/bunka/5/9445.html (Japanese),
accessed in September, 2020
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