古歌仙紅葉集
宝暦７(1710)年成立・享保９(1724)年写
伊藤伊兵衛政武著
初夏の新緑も、秋の紅葉も美しいカエデ。本書は、そんなカエデに魅せられた江戸時代の園芸家があらわした、カエデの彩色図譜です。
著者の伊藤政武は、江戸で一番大きな植木屋の当主・五代目「染井伊兵衛」。自ら品種改良して育成した新種のカエデ３６種について、葉の形を彩色画で示し、品種の特徴の解説を載せました。それだけならありふれた植物図譜ですが、染井伊兵衛はさらに、『古今集』や『千載和歌集』などの中からカエデを詠んだ古い和歌を選んで品種ごとに添え、その歌にちなんだ銘を、新たな品種の名前としてつけたのです。
「笠取山」
たとえば右側の、青葉のカエデ。「この品種は丸葉でかわいらしいのが特徴。葉にやや厚みがあるので、時雨に打たれないと紅葉しない」、との解説のあとに『古今和歌集』巻の五に収載の壬生忠峯の歌、「雨ふれば笠取山のもみぢ葉は行き交ふ人の袖さへぞ照る」を添え、この歌にちなんで｢笠取山｣と命銘されています。
「鹿紅葉(もみじ)」
左側の、ちょっとくすんだ色あいのカエデは「鹿紅葉｣。解説によれば、このこのカエデの葉は最初から柿の実のような色を帯びているのだそうです。それを鹿毛＝鹿の毛皮に見立てて「鹿紅葉」と名づけ、小倉百人一首でおなじみの猿丸太夫の歌「をく山にもみぢ踏み分け啼く鹿のこゑ聞く時ぞ秋は哀しき」を添えています。
こうした調子で、３６種すべてに品種の特徴にみごとに合致した和歌が添えられ、その歌に因んだ銘がつけられています。「名月」「赤地の錦」「待風」など、なかなか雅です。
植物として見た場合、カエデはそれまでに流行した椿や牡丹、つつじなどに比べて若干地味な存在でした。染井伊兵衛はその地味な存在を、日本人好みの和歌と組み合わせることによって、優雅で格調高い樹木として江戸の人々に紹介したのです。伊兵衛のプロデュースは当たり、やがてカエデは江戸時代中期を代表する人気の園芸樹木となり、一世を風靡したのでした。本書はそんな、江戸随一の植木屋・染井伊兵衛の見識の高さと感性が光る、洗練された図譜です。
Maples inspired by Beloved Classical Poems
Written in 7th year of Hōei (1710); manuscript from 9th year of Kyōho (1724)
Author: Itō Ihe’e Masatake
This book is a botanical guide written by an Edo period horticulturalist enchanted with maples of both early summer green and autumn reds and golds.
The author, Ihe’e Masatake was also known as “Somei Ihe’e,” a name passed down in his family for generations. Ihe’e was the fifth generation head of the largest gardening family in Edo. Ihe’e’s book records thirty-six new varietals that he created himself with color pictures and descriptions of their leaf characteristics. Ihe’e made this botanical guide an even greater treasure by adding a poem composed about maples from classical poetry compilations like the Kokin wakashū or the Senzai wakashū etc. to each entry. And each varietal was named based on the poem that Ihe’e chose for that maple.
For example, you will see a green maple on the right. Ihe’e described this maple saying, “this varietal’s characteristic round leaves make it quite cute. The leaves are fairly thick so they do not fall during autumn rains, nor do they change colors.” After his explanation, Ihe’e added the following poem by Mibu no Tadamine from Book 5: Autumn II of the Kokin wakashū. “At Kasatoriyama- Umbrella-Wielding in rain- the brilliant colors of autumnal foliage set travelers’ sleeves aglow” (Kokin wakashū, translated by Helen McCullough) and named this maple “Kasatoriyama,” “Mount. Kasatori” after the poem.
On the left, you will see a maple of a more subdued color named “Shika Momiji,” “Deer Maple”. According to Ihe’e’s description, this maple’s leaves are first the color of dappled persimmon fruits. Due to the dappled color looking like deer fur, this varietal was named “Deer Maple” and the Ogura hyakunin isshu poem by Sarumaru Dayū “When I hear the voice of the stag crying for his mate stepping through the fallen leaves deep in the mountains - then is the time that autumn is saddest” (Hyakunin isshu translated by Joshua S. Mostow) was attached.
In this fashion each of the thirty-six varietals is paired with a classical poem and given a name based on the poem. Other varietals include elegant names like “Meigetsu” or “Bright Moon”, “Akaji no nishiki” or “Red Background Brocade”, and “Matsukaze” or “Waiting for the Wind”.
Until Ihe’es book, maples were less popular and considered less inspiring than camellias, peonies, and rhododendrons. But Ihe’e took the maple’s unpretentious existence and by pairing them with beloved classical poems introduced graceful and elegant trees to the Edo people. Thanks to Ihe’e’s promotion, maples enjoyed a burst of popularity and became the representative tree of the mid-Edo period.
Library021 文壇の趨...