三河人：2023年9月1日（金）

NHKのEテレ番組「100分de名著」で司馬遼太郎著の『覇王の家』が取り上げられた。

　『覇王の家』は，日本で260年間続いた天下太平の江戸時代を築いた徳川家康を描いた歴史小説である。徳川家康よりも，どちらかと言えば，豊臣秀吉のほうを好んだ司馬遼太郎が描いた三河人の特性，つまり「三河かたぎ」の描写がとても印象的である。

　私も三河人の一人として，「なるほど」と素直に首肯できるものであった。戦に勝っても名乗り（手柄を要求すること）を上げないのが三河武士たる三河人の性質であるが，その一方で，排他性が強いのが欠点と描写する司馬遼太郎の「三河かたぎ」である。

　次のような記述もある。「（三河は）国人が質朴で，困苦に耐え，利害よりも情義を重んずるという点で，利口者の尾張衆とくらべてきわだって異質であった。犬のなかでもとくに三河犬が忠実なように，人もあるじに対して忠実であり，城を守らせれば無類につよく，戦場では退くことを知らずに戦う。」という。室町時代の『人国記』にもこのような記述があるという。

　こうした「三河かたぎ」を持った三河人の三河武士が江戸幕府を作ったわけであるから，江戸，ひいては今日の日本人の共通した性質にも繋がっているのではないかというのが同番組の見方のようである。

People of Mikawa：September 1st(Friday)

In the NHK Educational TV program "100 Minutes of Great Books," Ryotaro Shiba's novel "The House of the Shogun" was featured.

"The House of the Shogun" is a historical novel that portrays Tokugawa Ieyasu, who established the Edo period, a peaceful era that spanned 260 years in Japan. Rather than focusing on Tokugawa Ieyasu himself, Ryotaro Shiba, who favored Toyotomi Hideyoshi to some extent, depicted the characteristics of the people of Mikawa, known as the "Mikawa spirit," which is quite striking.

As one of the people from Mikawa myself, I found it easy to nod in agreement and understand. The unique trait of the people of Mikawa, who were samurai from the Mikawa region, is their tendency not to boast about their accomplishments even after winning battles. On the other hand, Ryotaro Shiba’s portrayal of the "Mikawa spirit" also highlights the drawback of strong exclusivity among them.

The passage is as follows: "In terms of the people, they are simple and endure hardships, valuing loyalty and righteousness more than personal gain. This makes them notably distinct from the intelligent people of Owari province. Just as the Mikawa dog is known for its loyalty among dogs, these people are loyal to their lords. When entrusted with the defense of a castle, they are unparalleled in strength, and on the battlefield, they fight without knowing retreat." This description can also be found in the Muromachi period's "Jinkokuki."

Since it was the Mikawa samurai with this "Mikawa spirit" who played a role in establishing the Tokugawa shogunate, the program seems to suggest that these characteristics might be connected to the shared traits of the people of Edo and, ultimately, modern-day Japanese people.