<研究ノート>医療福祉施設邸内社 --病院と高齢者施設の神社--

Abstract

病気の治療は，古来から宗教と深い関係があったとされ，日本の歴史を見ても仏教やキリスト教は医療や福祉に携わってきていることが分かる．一方，日本の伝統的な宗教である神道では，仏教やキリスト教のように社会事業を展開してはいない．全国の病院や高齢者施設の中には，「邸内社」として神社を有する施設がある．近代自然科学を前提とする近代医学と，神や霊魂の存在を前提とする神社は共存するのかを明らかにするために，本研究では全国の病院や福祉施設内に設置されている神社について，創設の経緯や実態について調査を行った．また，神社が病気や障害を持った人にどのような役割を果たしているのか，どのような役割を果たすことができるかという可能性を探った．調査の結果，全国の医療福祉施設の邸内社が6社見つかった．これらの神社は，鎮守の杜のように，自然に触れることのできる環境，創設時を思い出す機会，祭りを通して施設に関わる人々をまとめる際の中心的役割，病気や障害を持った患者や家族，職員にとって祈りによる精神的な支えとしての役割，精神科治療にも結びつけることができるという役割があることが分かった．これらの事例から，科学の領域である医療福祉施設と，いわゆる宗教の領域である神社は共存していることが明らかになった．また，生命が人為的なものではなく，自然や人智を超えたものとつながっていることを無意識に想起させる装置としての役割も果たしている可能性がある．

The treatment of illness has had a close relationship with religion since ancient times, and Japanese history shows that Buddhism and Christianity have been involved in medicine and welfare. Yet Japan's traditional religion Shinto, has not developed social programs like them. Some hospitals and nursing homes throughout in Japan have shrines. In order to clarify whether modern medicine, which assumes modern science, and shrines, which assume the existence of gods and spirits, can coexist, this study conducted a survey of shrines located within hospitals and welfare facilities nationwide to determine how they were founded and their actual status. We also explored what role shrines play and could play for people with illnesses and disabilities. As a result of the survey, we found six shrines located within medical and nursing homes. These shrines were found to serve the following roles: as an environment where people can come into contact with nature, like a Chinju forest; as an opportunity to remember the founding of the facility; as bringing people involved in the facility together through festivals; as spiritual support for patients, families, and staff with illnesses and disabilities through prayer; and as a link to psychiatric treatment. Prayer played a role in bringing together people involved in the institution, in providing spiritual support to sick and disabled patients, their families, and staff, and in connecting them to psychiatric treatment. From these examples, it became clear that medical welfare facilities, which are in the realm of science, and shrines, which are in the realm of religion, coexist. They may also serve as devices that unconsciously connect human life to nature and to things beyond the human hand, rather than to artificiality.