「困った木」で作る 時木の積層

長野県の諏訪大社で1200年続く、7年毎の宝殿の造り替え、そして御柱を選び、山から曳き、境内に建てるという一連の神事「御柱祭」。「御柱」となるのは樹齢150年、17メートルを優に超える選ばれた16本のモミの大木を指しますが、諏訪近郊の小さな神社では、周りを小さな御柱で囲って結界を作るという風習があります。この小さな御柱は、諏訪大社の大木とは違って引き取り手がないことが現状。そんな御柱を薪として利用してもらうなど、行政が地域の人達に配った中の余りを同じく諏訪に拠点を置き、解体される建物などから古材や古道具をレスキューして販売する〈リビルディングセンタージャパン〉が倉庫に保管しており。その一部を今回取得しました。同じ「御柱」でありながら、大きさや規模によってその価値が変わってしまう現実と向き合う機会となりました。

Tree that was a Small “Onbashira”

At Suwa Taisha in Nagano Prefecture, the “Onbashira Festival” has been held for over 1,200 years. This sacred ritual, held every seven years, involves rebuilding the shrine’s main hall and selecting massive logs— Onbashira — which are then felled from the mountains, hauled by hand, and erected within the shrine grounds. These Onbashira are grand fir trees, over 150 years old and more than 17 meters tall, chosen specifically for the task. In smaller local shrines around Suwa, however, there is a tradition of enclosing the sacred space with smaller Onbashira, forming a symbolic barrier. Unlike the towering pillars of Suwa Taisha, these smaller logs often go unclaimed after their ceremonial use. Some of these logs were distributed by local governments to residents for use as firewood, but surplus pieces remained.These remaining logs were stored by the Rebuilding Center Japan, a Suwa-based organization that salvages and sells reclaimed wood and vintage tools from dismantled buildings. We acquired a portion of these small Onbashira from their warehouse. This experience has prompted reflection on how the perceived value of something — even a sacred object — can shift depending on its size or context, despite sharing the same name and significance.