映画『早咲きの花』：2024年9月20日（金）
1925年は昭和元年である。今年は2024年であり，仮に，昭和が続いていたら，今月は昭和99年9月ということになる。ということで，9月9日午前9時9分9秒にゾロ目が揃ったことから，今月の9日には，日本でこれを祝う人もいたようだ。
先月8月に44年ぶりに，出身高校の愛知県立時習館高校の同窓同期会が行われるというので，愛知県豊川市の実家に帰った。この豊川という地名は，8世紀の律令制の宝飯郡豊川郷が由来とされ，愛知県内で最初に地名として「豊」の字が使用されたと言われている。最近では，5世紀後半に築かれた前方後円墳の船山古墳（豊川市八幡町上宿）から土器等が発掘されている。律令時代に設置された三河国国府（現在の国府(こう)），三河国分寺，三河国分尼寺は実家の近くにあり，今もその形跡が残っている。また，奈良時代に聖武天皇の勅願により行基が開創した財賀寺もすぐ近くにある。
さらに豊川市には，縄文時代から弥生時代に掛けての複合遺跡である麻生田大橋遺跡や天間遺跡があるなど，もともとは，太古の昔から人が住んでいた穏やかな場所であった。豊川市は，近年も毎年人口が増加し続けている18万人規模の地方の市である。
豊川の地域を巡る体制は，江戸時代，とりわけ明治維新による明治政府の管轄統治によって，さまざまな変遷を遂げてきた。さらに，現在生きている人の記憶と伝承記録に基づいて，最も悲しむべき歴史として大きく傷跡に残っているのが，1945（昭和20）年8月7日に，B-29爆撃機124機の爆撃による豊川海軍工廠の壊滅で殺された2,667人～2,818人（含む中学生，女学生，高等科生徒）の犠牲者のことである。第二次世界大戦時に，当時，東洋一の規模とされた豊川海軍工廠では機銃や弾丸の製造が行われていた。私の実家から自転車で30分程度のところにあり，豊川海軍工廠が爆撃された日に，父も中学生として働いていたという。2018年6月に，豊川海軍工廠の跡地に「豊川海軍工廠平和公園」が開園された。
8月に行われた時習館高校の同窓同期会でも，豊川海軍工廠が爆撃された実話に基づく映画『早咲きの花』（角川書店，監督：菅原浩志，主演：浅丘ルリ子，2006年製作）の話題が出た。時習館高校の教室や敷地がこの映画の撮影に使われたということだ。
ただ，思うに，この『早咲きの花』は，豊川市に隣接する豊橋市が市制施行100周年を記念して製作した映画である点で限界がある。折角，この映画が，豊川海軍工廠の被爆を実体験した幼少の子供目線で「戦争と平和」のテーマを取り挙げているにもかかわらず，なぜ，無理矢理だと誤解されかねないような，「ええじゃないか」騒動（発祥地は諸説ある中で，豊橋市の発祥説をアピールしたい気持ちは分からないわけではないが）と関連づけたストーリーに書き上げてしまったのだろうか。豊川海軍工廠への爆撃による犠牲者と家族のことを思えば，なおさら，私には理解できない。
豊川海軍工廠への爆撃の実話を紹介する勇気には敬意を表する部分もあるが，「平和をどう考えるのか」について，もっとストレートに深く問い詰めるべきではなかっただろうかと，私は思う。
The movie "Early Blooming Flower": Friday, September 20, 2024
1925 is the first year of the Showa era. This year is 2024, and if the Showa era had continued, this month would mark September of Showa 99. On September 9th, at 9:09:09 a.m., a sequence of identical numbers aligned, and it seems that some people in Japan celebrated this occurrence on the 9th of this month.
In August last month, for the first time in 44 years, a reunion for alumni from my alma mater, Aichi Prefectural Jishukan High School, was held, so I returned to my family home in Toyokawa City, Aichi Prefecture. It is said that the name Toyokawa derives from the Toyokawa Township of the Hoi District under the ritsuryō system in the 8th century, and it is believed to be the first place in Aichi Prefecture where the character "豊" (meaning "abundance") was used in a place name. Recently, artifacts such as pottery have been excavated from the Funayama Kofun (a keyhole-shaped tomb) in Uwajyuku, Yawata Town, Toyokawa City, which was built in the latter half of the 5th century. Nearby my family home, traces of historical sites such as the provincial capital (Kō) of Mikawa Province, Mikawa Provincial Temple, and Mikawa Provincial Nunnery, all established during the ritsuryō period, can still be found. Additionally, Zaikaji Temple, founded by the monk Gyōki at the behest of Emperor Shōmu in the Nara period, is also located close by.
Moreover, Toyokawa City is home to various archaeological sites, such as the Asoda Ōhashi Site and Tenma Site, which are complex ruins dating from the Jōmon to the Yayoi periods. Originally, it was a peaceful place where people had lived since ancient times. Toyokawa City is now a regional city with a population of approximately 180,000 people, which has been steadily growing every year.
The system surrounding Toyokawa has undergone various changes during the Edo period, particularly under the jurisdiction of the Meiji government following the Meiji Restoration. Furthermore, based on the memories of those still alive and historical records passed down, the most sorrowful chapter that remains a deep scar in history is the bombing of the Toyokawa Naval Arsenal on August 7, 1945, by 124 B-29 bombers, which claimed the lives of 2,667 to 2,818 people, including middle school students, female students, and advanced-level students. During World War II, the Toyokawa Naval Arsenal, which was said to be the largest of its kind in the East, manufactured machine guns and bullets. The park is about a 30-minute bike ride from my family home, and my father, as a middle school student, was working at the naval arsenal on the day it was bombed. In June 2018, the Toyokawa Naval Arsenal Peace Park was established on the site of the former naval arsenal.
During a class reunion of alumni from Jishukan High School held in August, the topic of the movie Early Blooming Flowers (produced by Kadokawa Pictures, directed by Hiroshi Sugawara, starring Ruriko Asaoka, released in 2006), which is based on the true story of the bombing of the Toyokawa Naval Arsenal, was brought up. It was mentioned that classrooms and the school grounds of Jishukan High School were used for filming this movie.
However, I believe that the film Early Blooming Flower has its limitations due to the fact that it was produced by Toyohashi City to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its incorporation as a city, which is adjacent to Toyokawa City. Although this film addresses the theme of 'war and peace' from the perspective of a young child who experienced the bombing of the Toyokawa Naval Arsenal, I cannot understand why the story was written in a way that forcibly links it to the 'Ee ja nai ka' uproar (while I understand the desire to promote the theory that Toyohashi is the origin of this movement, despite there being various theories about its origin), which could easily be misinterpreted as unnatural. Especially when thinking about the victims and their families who suffered from the bombing of the Toyokawa Naval Arsenal, it baffles me even more.
While I do respect the courage it took to introduce the true story of the Toyokawa Naval Arsenal bombing, I can’t help but feel that the question of "how we should think about peace" should have been explored more directly and deeply.
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