<論説>渡辺善右衛門にみる朝鮮信使への馳走 (特集 : 食)

Abstract

淀藩士の渡辺善右衛門は延享五年(一七四八)の朝鮮信使の馳走役を担った人物で、「朝鮮人来聘記」などを著した。そこには食材の調達を含む、足かけ三年に及ぶ馳走の準備過程や、馳走の度合いをめぐる淀藩士らの考え方の違い、さらには馳走に便乗して私利私欲に走る役人・領民らの存在が高い鮮度で記されている。本稿では馳走の現場に分け入り、馳走側と被馳走側(日本側と朝鮮側)という軸だけではみえてこない面を、それぞれの側の重層性に留意しながら分析する。その結果、渡辺は朝鮮人を「不礼」視したが、そのような「不礼」を朝鮮の「国風」とし、それ以上は追及しなかったこと、馳走を担った藩側にとって一義的に重要であったのは、信使からの評判ではなく、将軍・幕閣や他藩からの評判であったこと、大がかりな馳走を伴う信使の存在は、かならずしも将軍権威を高める方向にだけ作用したわけではないこと、を指摘した。

Watanabe Zenemon 渡辺善右衛門, a samurai from the Yodo domain, was charged with the preparations for the reception of the diplomatic mission from Korea in 1748. Watanabe later wrote the Chosenjin raiheiki 朝鮮人来聘記, which is full of information about the three years of preparation, including the provision of food. In the Chosenjin raiheiki, Watanabe also wrote clearly about how samurai from the Yodo domain had different opinions about the appropriate level of hospitality, and how some government officials and local people took advantage of the preparations, thinking only of their own benefit. In this research, I look closely into the on-site preparations and analyze aspects that cannot be understood by thinking about the preparation only in terms those who did the preparations and the diplomatic mission that benefitted from them (that is to say, the Japanese side and the Korean side) while also keeping in mind the multitiered characteristics of the preparation. As a result, I point out that Watanabe saw the Korean people in the diplomatic mission as “rude” but thought that “rudeness” was a feature of Korean culture and he did not make an issue it. I also indicate that for the Yodo domain, the evaluations of the Shogun, close associates of the Shogun, and other domains were much more important than the evaluation of the diplomatic mission, and that the diplomatic mission that required large-scale preparation did not necessarily have much influence on enhancing the Shogunal authority.