<論説>思想環境としての郷土研究 : 橋浦泰雄の民俗調査 (特集 : 環境)

Abstract

一九二〇年代後半から三〇年代中葉とは、各地に点在していた研究会・郷土史家たちの多くが民俗学を指標に再編されていく過程でもある。当該期に柳田国男の許でその組織化の中心的担い手となった民俗学者・橋浦泰雄は併行して社会主義運動にも従事していたが、同時代の政治的対立から距離を置き、人間関係の構築も運動家そのものの誠実さを尺度とした。この立脚点はやがて民俗学者として橋浦がフィールドワークに赴く時、調査地において政治と研究を互いに混在させずに現地の協力者と接することを可能にし、イデオロギーを超えた信頼を築く要因となった。一九二六、二八年の長崎県の五島調査、あるいは一九三〇年代初頭に行われた長野県の東筑摩郡調査で橋浦の知己となった郷土史家は、東京で社会主義者検挙の報が届く度に橋浦の身を案じる書簡を送っている。これらの交流を特徴づけるのは、経験を常とする郷土研究の方法が彼らの人間関係となってあらわれている点である。一九三五年に設立された郷土研究の全国組織「民間伝承の会」の組織方針は橋浦の提言に沿ったものだが、橋浦はそれぞれの郷土で既に活動している郷土研究会を横から繋ぐ組織形態を第一とした。信頼できる郷土史家がどれだけ誠実な郷土調査を地元で行っているかに力点を置くこととなる点で、まさにそれまでの一〇年にわたる橋浦の郷土研究をめぐる経験から創出されたものでもあった。

If you look at the local history studies from the viewpoint of Modern Japanese Minkangaku, which is the studies on the minds and private lives of the Japanese people, you will realize that, from the late 1920's to the mid 1930's, many study groups and local history researchers that were scattered across Japan began reorganizing themselves step by step, aiming to establish Minzokugaku. During the time period, Yasuo Hashiura, who was a socialist and folklore researcher, was contributing to Yanagida's reorganization activities in many ways, and then, Hashiura also left several personal items, such as his fieldwork notes, journals of local history and folklore, and letters exchanged with several local history researchers. By using these items, we were able to closely examine the characteristics of the local history societies that had been formed during the period of the reorganization. Then we investigated the local history images that the local history researchers had created during the period. However, at the time of our investigation, we also turned the spotlight on the following point. In order to associate what is called "local history", which has been a well-organized academic field, with other concerned institutes and researchers. we have to consider how the idea of the local history can work in order to form and represent human natures. Unlike the other socialist activists who worked in the 1920's, Hashiura was capable of judging other activists, depending on how sincere they were. Naturally, he was able to receive a position free from the human struggles caused by Anarchism and Bolshevism of the time. Later on, when he carried out fieldworks as a folklore researcher, this position enabled him to contact the local people without mixing up politics with his researches. This attitude also made Hashiura build up non-ideological trust between those people and him. When he performed researches at Goto, Nagasaki prefecture in 1928, and at Higashi Chikuma-gun, Nagano prefecture at the beginning of the 1930's, he became acquainted with several local history researchers. And later, they sent him letters in order to show their concerns about Hashiura's safety, every time they became aware that the government had been rounding up socialists in Tokyo. In short, the relationship between these local history researchers and Hashiura represents the following two characteristics. Hashiura's research methods that were based on the accumulation of his experience in the local history led directly to everyone's good relationship. The methods also enabled everyone to develop their trust relationship, regardless of their political thoughts. In August 1935, a nationwide folklore organization, Minkan-densyo no Kai, was established, complying with the guidelines Hashiura had prepared. He suggested that research groups working locally should form a side-by-side configuration without making affiliated society anywhere, even though some people were willing to create affiliated societies throughout the country. Hashiura successfully drove away their movements. Most importantly, his guidelines emphasized that local history researchers should trust each other and work together in order to single-mindedly perform their visiting researches. In other words, Hashiura finally created the guidelines based on his ten-year experience of the local history research.