著者

阿南 透

出版者

国立歴史民俗博物館

雑誌

国立歴史民俗博物館研究報告 (ISSN:02867400)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.103, pp.263-299, 2003-03

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本論文は、青森市で毎年八月二日から七日まで開催される「青森ねぶた祭」を取り上げ、それが現在のような大規模な都市祭礼になっていった過程を考察する。現在の青森ねぶた祭は、巨大な人形型の燈籠、囃子、ハネトと呼ばれる踊子、この三つのセットで構成された集団が合同で運行する行事である。国の重要無形民俗文化財に指定されているものの、特定社寺と結びついた宗教行事ではなく、起源や由来も定かではない。ねぶたに類する行事は青森県内をはじめ東日本各地に見られ、青森市のねぶたも戦前まではそうした各地の行事と大差ないものであった。現在のような様式が成立したのは戦後のことと考えられる。本論文は、その成立過程とその後の変容を、ねぶた本体(燈籠)、祭りの組織、運行形態の三点から明らかにする。まずねぶた本体は、道路幅や歩道橋の高さといった、青森市街地の形状により大きさの上限が決まり、ねぶた師と呼ばれる制作者の創意工夫で一九七二年頃に現在の様式が確立した。次に祭りの組織については、経費の高額化に伴い、ねぶたを運行する団体が地域から行政・企業へ移行し、主催者と対等の発言権を有するに至った。そして運行形態については、有料観覧席の設置など観光客対策、国道の使用時間制限、さらには急増するハネトとその逸脱行為が、運行コースや運行台数を規定した。このような戦後の変化は五つの時期に区分できる。すなわち、一九四七年の本格復活から六一年までの第一期は、戦争による中断からの復興の時期である。一九六二年から六七年までの第二期は、観光化の開始と大型化の時期である。そして一九六八年から七九年の第三期に、青森ねぶた祭が確立し、一つのピークを迎える。一九八〇年から九六年の第四期は、若者の逸脱行為が目立ち始める転換期である。そして一九九六年の暴力事件をきっかけとして、一九九七年からの第五期は、逸脱行為への対応に追われる変容期に入り、現在も試行錯誤が続いているのである。This paper addresses the "Aomori Nebuta Matsuri (Aomori Nebuta Festival)", held in Aomori every year from the 2nd through the 7th of August, and considers the process by which it developed into the large-scale urban festival it is today.Currently, the Aomori Nebuta Festival is an event consisting of the collective effort of a group of people that consists of the following set of three elements: huge doll-shaped lanterns, musical accompaniment, and dancers called "haneto". Although the festival is designated as an important intangible folk cultural property, it is not a religious event connected to any particular temple or shrine and the origins and history of the festival remain uncertain. Similar events are found in Aomori prefecture as well as throughout eastern Japan, and before WWⅡ the Nebuta Festival of Aomori City was not much different from such festivals of other regions. The present style of the Aomori City Nebuta Festival was most likely established after the war. This paper examines the process through which the festival was established and the transformations later undergone by the festival from the following three points: the nebuta itself (lanterns), the organization running the festival, and management conditions.First of all, with regard to the nebuta itself, the upper limits as to size were determined based on the form of the urban districts of Aomori, with such factors as the width of the streets and the height of the pedestrian overpass being a consideration. The present style of the nebuta was established between 1967 and 1972 through the ingenuity of the creators, called "nebuta-shi". Next, with regard to running the festival, rising expenses brought about a shift from the local organizations to administrative bodies and corporations, giving the organization an equal voice as the sponsors. Lastly, regarding management conditions, provisions for tourists such as setting up seats for viewing the festival to rent, and time restrictions on the use of national roads, as well as increasing incidences of inappropriate behavior by the "haneto" all were taken into account in determining the route of the festival and the number of nebuta.If we take an overall look at the developments from after WWⅡ, the history of the festival can be divided into five periods. The first period from 1947 when the festival was first truly revived to 1961 was the period of reestablishing the festival after a ten-year gap due to the war. The second period from 1962 to 1967, was the period for the beginning of the making of the festival as a tourist attraction and enlarging the scale of the festival. The third period between 1968 and 1979 was the period in which the "Aomori Nebuta Matsuri" was fully established and was at its peak. The fourth period from 1980 to 1996, was a transition period, with a rapid rise in the number of "haneto" and an increase in inappropriate behavior by the young people participating in the festival. Finally, the fifth period, which began in 1997 in response to the outbreak of violence in 1996, is a period of transformation where people are busy looking for countermeasures for inappropriate behavior and this state of trial-and-error still continues today.