歌碑5「渋谿の清き磯」-氣多神社 境内Monument No.5 “Shibutani’s beautiful rocky”-Inside Keta Shrine
2022年08月11日

宴が開かれた家持の館は、現在の高岡市伏木(ふしき)にあった越中国庁に隣接していた。歌の中の渋谿(しぶたに)はそこから3kmほど北西へ行ったところにある海岸で、海中に幾つかの岩がそびえる景勝地。現在「雨晴海岸(あまはらしかいがん)」と呼ばれ国定公園に指定されているあたりである。(撮影 : 黒田俊之「舞う波しぶき」)
Shibutani is located on the coast approximately 3km northwest of Takaoka and is a picturesque spot with views of a beautiful rocky shore. It is now known as Amaharashi Beach and is designated as a national park. (Photo : Toshiyuki KIRODA "Flying Splash of Waves")
解説
Commentary
渋谿の清き磯
Shibutani’s beautiful rocky
『万葉集』の3954番の歌。『万葉集』は、7世紀前半から8世紀後半にかけての約130年間の歌を収めた現存日本最古の歌集で、4500首余りの歌が収められている。この歌の作者は大伴家持(718?~785)、『万葉集』でも最も多くの歌を残す歌人である。
天平十八年(746)八月七日に、大伴家持の館で宴が開かれた。巻17・3943~3956には、その宴に集まった人々の歌が載る。家持はこの年の六月に越中国守となっており、『万葉集』を見る限りでは、国守着任後初めての宴の歌群である。ここに挙げたのはその中の一首。
宴が開かれた家持の館は、現在の高岡市伏木にあった越中国庁に隣接していた。歌の中の渋谿はそこから3kmほど北西へ行ったところにある海岸で、海中に幾つかの岩がそびえる景勝地。現在「雨晴海岸」と呼ばれ国定公園に指定されているあたりである(今の雨晴海岸という名は、源義経が雨の晴れるのを待ったという伝説による)。
渋谿の景色を気に入っていた家持は、宴の中で「今すぐ見に行こう!」と歌ってみせたのである。言うまでもなく、まだ夜中であり、「いやいや、今行ったって真っ暗で何も見えませんよ」とツッコミを入れる部下たちの笑いが想像できる。宴らしい明るさを感じさせる歌と言えよう。この歌からは、大伴家持の5年間の越中時代の歌に共通する、越中の風光明媚な景色を愛でる心を知ることができる。高岡市の気多神社境内、道の駅雨晴2Fデッキに歌碑が立つ。
(解説 ピーター・J・マクミラン)
This is poem number 3954 of the Man’yōshū. The Man’yōshū is the oldest existing collection of poetry in Japan, compiled over a period of around 130 years from the first part of the 7th Century to the latter part of the 8th century and consists of over 4,500 poems. The author of this poem is Ōtomo no Yakamochi.
Ōtomo no Yakamochi held a banquet at his residence on the 7th day of the eighth month, 746. Yakamochi had been carrying out his assignments as the regional governor of Etchū from the sixth month, and this appears to be the first banquet he had held since taking up his post. Poems 3943-3956 of Book 17 of the Man’yōshū depict the banquet and this is one of the poems read that evening. The residence where the banquet was held was located next to the headquarters of Etchū Province, located in present-day Takaoka City (in Fushiki).
Shibutani is located on the coast approximately 3 km northwest of Takaoka. It is a picturesque spot with views of a beautiful rocky shore and is now a designated national park known as Amaharashi Beach. There is a legend that the beach takes its modern name “Waiting for it to clear after rain” from an occasion on which Minamoto no Yoshitsune waited there for the rain to stop and the sun to shine.
Yakamochi must have been particularly fond of this scenic spot, since he says to the banqueters, “let’s go see it right now!” Of course, as it was still nighttime, one can imagine the laughter this suggestion must have drawn from his juniors, and the scene evokes the light-hearted mood of the party. The poem also gives us an insight into the love of the Etchū scenery that is expressed so frequently in the poems written by Ōtomo no Yakamochi during his five-year sojourn there.
This waka poem stone monument stands at Keta Shrine in Fushiki.
(English Translation and Commentary by Peter Macmillan)