和氣町「藤公園」へ/ To Wake cho "Fuji (Wisteria)Park"

■ 今年の大型連休の初めは、岡山県和氣町にある、和氣町藤公園の「藤まつり」に訪れました。藤公園は、約7,000平方メートルの敷地に、幅7m、総延長500mの藤棚が置かれ、北は函館の藤、南は鹿児島県坊津の藤と全国46都道府県の著名な100種類以上の藤を集めていますが、沖縄県だけは、野生の藤が生息しないそうです。藤の花が見られ、その種類の多彩さでは、日本一の規模となる名所になっています。

和氣町と言えば、和氣清麻呂の誕生地で、1250年を記念して、昭和60年に藤公園が完成したそうで、和氣神社とも隣接しています。藤まつりは、ちょうど藤の花の見頃である4月下旬から5月上旬に開催されています。今年は、藤の花の咲く時期も例年より早かったようです。夜間は、ライトアップの時間も設けられ、連休中は、ステージや屋台の出展もあり、観光客や地元の人々で賑わっていました。全国の紫、ピンク、白などの鮮やかな藤の花が咲き乱れ、株式会社徳川のこいのぼりの産地でもあるため、鯉のぼりも、あちらこちらに風に泳いでいて風流でした！

■和氣清麻呂とは？

和氣清麻呂（わけの　きよまろ）733～799年

　奈良・平安初期の律令官人。　備前国藤野郡(現和氣町)の生まれ。
恵美押勝の乱に功をたて、称徳天皇の信任を得たが、「道鏡事件」で道鏡の陰謀を阻止したため、「別部穢麻呂」と改名され大隅国(現鹿児島)に流されました。光仁天皇の即位と共に赦されました。
　清麻呂は、庶務に練達、古事に明るく「民部省例」２０巻「和氏譜」を作成しています。また、土木技術に才があり、平安遷都にも造宮大夫として尽力しました。さらに故郷備前の国でも郡民の負担軽減や飢饉救済のために多くの業績を残しています。

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

■To Wakecho "Fuji Park"

At the beginning of golden week holidays in this year, I visited the "Fuji Festival" at Wake-cho Fuji Park in Wake, Okayama Prefecture. The Wisteria Park has a wisteria trellis with a width of 7m and a total length of 500m on a site of about 7,000 square meters. There are more than 100 kinds of wisteria from 46 prefectures in Japan, such as wisteria from Hakodate in the north and wisteria from Honshu in Kagoshima Prefecture in the south. I heard that wild wisteria don't live in Okinawa Prefecture. The Wisteria Flowers can be seen here and the wide variety of wisteria flowers has made it one of the largest tourist attractions in Japan.

Concerning Wake-cho, it is the birthplace of “Wake no Kiyomaro” and in commemoration of the 1250th anniversary, the wisteria park was completed in 1985. It is also adjacent to Wake-jinja Shrine. The wisteria festival is held from late April to early May every year when the wisteria flowers are in full bloom. This year, it seems that the wisteria flowers bloomed earlier than usual. At night, there was a time for lighting up during the consecutive holidays, then there also were stages and stalls and it was crowded with tourists and locals. I enjoyed vivid purple, pink, and white wisteria flowers all over the country were in full bloom. In addition, Tokugawa Koinobori Co., Ltd. is also a production area for carp streamers, so the carp streamers were swimming here and there in the wind, which was so elegant!

■ Who is Wake no Kiyomaro ( 733-799) ?

Ritsuryo official in Nara and the early Heian period. Born in Fujino County, Bizen Province (now Wake Town).He was successful in the Rebellion of Emi no Oshikatsu and gained the trust of Emperor Shotoku, but because he thwarted Dokyo's plot in the 'Dokyo Incident', he was renamed 'Betsube no Okumaro' and exiled to Osumi Province (now Kagoshima). iHe was pardoned with the enthronement of Emperor Konin.Kiyomaro was proficient in general affairs and was well-versed in ancient affairs and created the 20th volume "Yamato Uji Fu" of "Public Ministry’s Rules ". In addition, he was talented in civil engineering and worked hard as a shrine building specialist for the transfer of the capital to Heian. Furthermore, in his hometown of Bizen, he has made many achievements in reducing the burden on the citizens of the county and in relieving famine.