著者

宮永 孝

出版者

法政大学

雑誌

社會勞働研究 (ISSN:02874210)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.43, no.3, pp.87-115, 1997-03

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Many views have been proffered as to the burial site of the English pilot major, William Adams (1564-1620) who died in the town of Hirado on the island of Kyushu.Though the exact site of his grave has yet to be ascertained, he most probably was originally laid to rest in the "Christian buriall place" (13 tattamies square), located on the southeastern hill called Tōmi oka (遠見丘).In the first decade of this century, Mr.Sango Kato (加藤三吾), local historian of Hirado and a teacher at the middle school (Yūkokan), determined that the burial grounds had been on a hillside situated behind the former home of a Mr.Kinjūro Yamagata (山県金十郎).Kato made this determination based upon the diary of Richard Cocks and his interviews with the elderly men of the area.A prior estimate as to the whereabouts of this site were made by Ludwig Riess (1861-1928), a lecturer of history at the lmperial University of Tokyo.Professor Riess' conjectures, however, were proven to be in error and thus inspired Mr.Kato to conduct his own investigation. Because of the politically-charged times of the Japanese Christian rebellion at Shimabara and to avoid the displeasure of the Tokagawa government, the feudal lord, Shigenobu Matsuura (松浦鎮信) in 1637 ordered the total destruction of the "Christian buriall place."As legend has it, the majority of the bones of the Europeans buried there were unearthed and cast away in the offshore of Hirose.Some bones, however, remained and were secretly re-interred elsewhere by the Dutch interpreter, Mitarai (御手洗).Mitarai had been a close friend of Adams and he remained close with his surviving relatives. in loyalty to his friend, Mitarai buried the remaining bones at Tōmioka and requested that his own descendants continue to perform the Mass for the Dead.Legend also has it that many bones were discovered in Tōmioka during the Kyōho period (1716-1729).Early in the Taisho period (1910s), after some bones were discovered under a group of coins arranged in the form of a Christian cross, a monument was erected on that spot.Also, from time to time over the past fifty years, several other bones have been unearthed. It was on the 10th of October in the 6th year of Showa (1931) in the corner of a field owned by the descendants of Mitarai, the Miura family, that the supposed grave site of William Adams was excavated.In attendance were : Mr.Kurata, headman's assistant ; Mr.Eguchi, an assistant police inspector, Mr.Yamaguchi, a health officer, Mr.Matsumoto, a licensed teacher at the elementary school in Hirado ; as well as some philanthropists and other researchers.What they found at the site was a cranium, a broken scapula, portions of a backbone, ribs, a thigh bone, molar teeth, as well as a fragment of an earthen vessel and a large number of rusted nails.The researchers could conclude that the body had been buried in a Western-style coffin and that the deceased was a white man of sturdy build and was more than 170 cm in height.However, it was not possible, from this evidence, to authenticate the fact that these were the bones of William Adams. Currently in Japan, there are two grave markers for William Adams.One is in the Tukayama Park (塚山公園) at Emi in Yokosuka City.This marker was placed there in the 10th year of Kansei (1798).A Yokohama merchant named James Walter (1847-1909) discovered this marker in 1874.However, when the grave was excavated on the 28th day of May in the 38th year of Meiji (1938), nothing was found within this grave.This adds further confidence to the contention that Adams died and was buried at Hirado. The second, Hirado, marker is located in Sakikata Park (崎方公園).Inscribed upon it is Miura Anjin no haka (The grave of W.Adams) and was placed there in the 29th year of Showa (1954). The remains interred there were those the loyal Miura family had dutifully guarded after the 1931 excavation. From the information available to us now, the only conclusive evidence we have is that William Adams did, indeed, pass away in Hirado.However, as to the location of his final resting place, the issue remains open.