中洲に造られた「生」の文字

[From August Issue 2011]

At Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture, on the sandbank of the Muko River, the kanji character for life (sei) has been created using piles of stones. ARIKAWA Hiro, a novelist living in the city, says that this art installation inspired her to write the novel, “Hankyu Densha” (the Hankyu Line). The beginning of the novel contains a description of how this kanji character comes into view just as the train is crossing a bridge over the Muko River.

This kanji character was created in 2005 by modern artist OHNO Ryohei, who was born and still lives in Takarazuka City. Ohno says, “On the tenth anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, I was planning an art exhibition on the theme of “reproduction,” and I was wondering if there was any place outside the venue where I could express this concept. It was then that I thought of this place. The fact that there was a big river with a beautiful sandbank flowing through the middle of the city really made an impression on me and I decided to create the character “sei” in order to offer up prayers for the dead.

In 2006, the river swelled and the installation disappeared. But in 2010, when “Hankyu Densha” was made into a movie, it was decided that the artwork would be reproduced in cooperation with volunteers, including students from Takarazuka University (Ohno’s alma mater), local residents and children. UEOKA Hidehiro, assistant professor at the art and design department of Takarazuka University, who also participated in the effort along with the students, says: “The sandbank was overgrown with grass that reached the tops of our heads, so it was really hard work to cut it back. The students were all working silently, carrying the cut grass across the river in high boots. Since they had already developed mental and physical strength through creating their own works of art, I think they were able to toil away without too much difficulty.

Ueoka says that, starting with the largest, he put his heart and soul into piling up stones one by one. “At the time of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, I was buried alive for three to four hours under the beam of a Japanese-style house,” he says. “Because of this experience, as I added each stone, I thought about those who had died.” The huge art installation, measuring about 20 meters long and 10 meters wide, was restored in December 2010 with the help of a total of 100 volunteers.

This art installation was much talked about after it was shown at the ending of the film, and was also featured in “Masashi to Yuki no Monogatari” (The Story of Masashi and Yuki), a spin-off TV drama taking the theme of the letter “sei.” The installation was also featured in various media, including newspapers and TV. Having received a lot of attention as a new tourist attraction in Takarazuka City, the big character vanished again last April, when the water rose.

Ohno continues, “It was sad, but it makes us want to cherish moments that have disappeared. From the outset, rather than using concrete, I decided to use materials that would harmonize with nature. Every tangible thing disappears eventually, but I think the feelings of those who piled up the stones will surely remain. This time, the installation was filled with so many people’s emotions that it became a piece of art that captivated the hearts of even more people than the last one.”

By popular demand, a movement to reproduce the character “sei” has begun again. Ohno says, “From Takarazuka, which has recovered from a disaster, we would like to send the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake the message that it is possible to reproduce what has been washed away.

Photos courtesy of the Project to Reproduce the Character “Live”

Text: KAWARATANI Tokiko

[2011年8月号掲載記事]

兵庫県宝塚市武庫川の中洲に、石を積んで造られた「生」という文字がありました。市内在住の小説家、有川浩さんは、このオブジェを見て創作意欲がわき、小説「阪急電車」を書くきっかけの一つになったといいます。武庫川にかかった鉄橋を渡るときに、ちょうどこの文字が見える様子が、小説の冒頭に登場しています。

この文字は、宝塚市で生まれ現在も在住の現代美術家、大野良平さんが2005年に造りました。「阪神・淡路大震災から10年目に、再生というテーマの美術展を企画していて、会場のビルから出た表現をできる場所はないかと考えていたんです。そんなときにこの場所を思いつきました。街の中心に大きな川が流れていて、きれいな中洲があることに新鮮な感動を覚え、鎮魂の想いを込めて『生』の文字を造ることにしました」。

2006年に川の増水で消えてしまいましたが、2010年「阪急電車」の映画化をきっかけに、大野さんの母校でもある地元の宝塚大学の学生や住民、子ども達などボランティアの協力で再現することになりました。学生と共に参加した宝塚大学造形芸術学部助教、上岡秀拓さんは、「中洲には身の丈ほどの草木が生い茂っていて、刈り取る作業が大変でしたね。長靴で川に入って、刈り取った草を向こう岸へ運ぶ作業を学生達は黙々とやりました。普段、芸術作品に取り組むための精神力と体力を養っているから、苦労と思わずにがんばれたのだと思います」。

大きい石から順に積んでいく作業に思いを込めたと上岡さんは話します。「私は阪神・淡路大震災のとき、日本家屋の梁の下敷きになって3~4時間生き埋めになりました。この経験があるので、1個、1個の石に亡くなった人を思って積みました」。縦約20メートル、幅10メートルの巨大なオブジェは、延べ100人のボランティアの手によって2010年12月に完成しました。

映画のエンディングに流れたり、この「生」の文字を題材にした映画のスピンオフドラマ(映画本編とは別に作られた番外編ドラマ)「征志とユキの物語」の映像にもおさめられました。新聞やテレビなど様々なメディアで取り上げられて話題になりました。宝塚市の新しい観光名所として注目を集めていましたが、今年5月の増水で再びなくなってしまいました。

「残念ですが、消えてしまったこの期間も大切にしたいと思っています。元々、コンクリートで固めたものではなく、自然と共存するものをと考えていました。形あるものはいつかはなくなりますが、石を積んだ人達の想いは確かに残ると思います。今回も、たくさんの人達の想いが込められているので、より多くの人の心に伝わる芸術作品になったのだと思います」と大野さんは続けます。

周囲の強い要望もあり、再び「生」の文字を再現する動きが始まっています。「震災から復興した宝塚の街から、流されても再生できるというメッセージを、東日本大震災で被害にあわれた方に向けて送りたいですね」と大野さんは話します。

写真提供:記憶の中の「生」再現プロジェクト

文:瓦谷登貴子

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