古本屋さんで買った本も読み切り、何かないかと本棚をあさっていたら、詩吟の漢詩をたくさん作っている広瀬淡窓さんの名前の入った箱入りの本が目に入りました。
本の著者は福島県東白川郡塙町の元町長であり、郷土史研究の第一人者でもあった金沢春友さん（写真右）です。箱から本を取り出し、ページをめくったら、一枚の刷りものが挟んでありました。
それは、著者が書いた報告と感謝の言葉でした。62冊も自費出版した功績は大きく、写真左の大仏次郎さんとの親交も深く、諸外国からの引き合いがあったそうです。以下、全文をスキャンしたものを投稿させていただきます。
私の本が海を渡った
米寿 金沢春友
昭和四十五年八月廿八日付けで日本出版貿易株式会社から「ワシントン大学・他図書館より貴所刊行の左記書籍購入の依頼がありましたのでご送附頂きたい」との来信があった。
明治百年史実と巷説 前編 三冊
同上後編 三冊
越えて昭和四十六年四月十日には、「トロント大学図書館より前記と同様の拙著前後編各二冊購入の依 頼があっ
た」と、前記会社から注文があり、何れも当時同会社へ発送した。因にこの会社よりは、再々御注文があり、感謝している。
然るに今回は、去る十月九日米国ハーヴァード大学図書館から、航空便の手紙が配達された。内容は拙著「地方史行脚五十年」の第二版をこ送附顧いたいしたしとある。而して発送はやはり前記の日本出版会社へお届け下さらば、当方へ届きますからとも附記してあり、返信用書簡紙も同封してあったので、お送りする旨を同大学へ返事した。
この本は去る四十二年刊行したのであるが、調べて見たところ、手元には一冊もない。余儀なく所持なされている方々に照会して、漸く一冊見付かったので、十月十一日附け前記出版貿易会社へお届けしたのである。
十月二日正午過ぎ、読売新聞社の記者の方が見えられ、筆者の著書が米国へ送られた事に及び、筆者は古い書簡等を調べてお話し致し、二時頃かお帰りになられた。明くる三日の日曜日には「金沢翁の郷土研究海を渡る」の見出しで、筆者の写真と共に後記の記事が掲載せられた。
読売新聞昭和四十六年十月三日掲載
金沢翁の郷土研究、海を渡る。
米カナダから注文
町の郷土研究家として知られている福島県東白川郡塙町、金沢春友さんが自費出版した本が海を渡った。「貴重な資料」としてアメリカやカナダの大学図 書 館から「送ってほしい」と注文が寄せられたもので、「あのおじいさんの本が外国にまで知られたとは」と町民たちも大喜び。
金沢さんに注文のあったのは明治百年を記念、さる四十四年暮れ、発行した「史実と巷説」の前・後編。日本出版貿易会社からの連絡によるとアメリカのワシントン大学、カナダのトロント大学の図書館で購入したいというもので、さる四月と八月の二回注文があり、このほど四組が送られた。金沢さんの「史実と巷説」はA五版、前編が二百五十二ページ、後編が百九十五ページ。たれもが手をつけない、わたしでも書いて残しておかなければ忘れられ、埋もれてしまう」というものを金沢さんが自分で資料を集め、見たり聞いたりしてまとめたもの。
内容は▼軍艦威臨丸で渡米した吉岡長太夫 ▼郷社近津神社の昇格運動 ▼泉崎の横穴古墳 ▼天狗党員の変名論争 ▼原爆孤児の再会▼霊峰八溝山と雲巌寺など、金沢さんの身近な事物を中心に随筆風にまとめてある。
金沢さんは、塙町の名誉町民第一号。その著書、論文は三百をこえるといわれ、県文化功労賞・紺綬褒章を受け、勲五等瑞宝章を贈られている。著書は自費出版がほとんどだが、こんどのように海を渡ったのは始めて、金沢さんは「わたしの書物が歴史・文化研究にいくらかでも役立てばうれしい」と表情をほとろばせていた。
その翌四日には、NHK朝六時のラジオニュー スと七時と八時の「テレビニュース」で読売新聞の掲載記事と同様の事が二回詳しく放映されたので、友人各位にも喜ばれた。筆者も大いに面目を施したのである。愚痴深い老の喜びの餘り、ここに一筆を書いた。
昭和四十六年十月
I had finished reading a book I bought at a used bookstore and was rummaging through the bookshelves for something when I came across a boxed book with the name of Mr. Hirose Tanso, who has composed many Chinese poems for shigin (recitation of Chinese poetry).
The author of the book is Mr. Harutomo Kanazawa (pictured right), former mayor of Hanawa Town, Higashishirakawa County, Fukushima Prefecture, and a leading local history researcher. When I took the book out of the box and turned the pages, I found a sheet of printed material inserted.
It was a report and a word of thanks written by the author, who had published 62 books at his own expense, and who was also a close friend of Mr. Jiro Osaragi, pictured left, and had received inquiries from other countries. I am posting a scanned copy of the full text below.
My book crossed the sea
Rice-jyu Kanazawa Harutomo
A letter dated August 20, 1970, from Nippon Shuppan Boeki Kaisha, Ltd. arrived, stating that they had received a request from the University of Washington and other libraries to purchase the book on the left, published by your office, and that they would like to have it sent to them.
The Meiji Centennial: Facts and Tales from the First Hundred Years of the Meiji Era (Part I) (3 volumes)
The same as above, second part, three volumes
On April 10, 1971, we received an order from the aforementioned company, stating, "The University of Toronto Library has requested the purchase of two copies each of the first and second volumes of my book, which is the same as the above.
The company sent the order to the University of Toronto Library. We received another order from this company, for which we are grateful.
This time, however, I received a letter by air mail from Harvard University Library on October 9. The contents of the letter stated that they would like to send the second edition of my book, "Fifty Years of Travels in Local History". The letter also included a letter for reply, so I replied to the university that I would send it to them.
This book was published in 1967, but I checked and found that I do not have any copies on hand. I had no choice but to inquire among those who had a copy in their possession, and finally found a copy, which I delivered to the aforementioned publishing and trading company on October 11.
A little after noon on October 2, a reporter from the Yomiuri Shimbun visited me and told me that my book had been sent to the U.S. I examined old letters and other documents, and then left around 2:00 pm. On the following Sunday, the Yomiuri Shimbun carried the following article with a photograph of the author under the headline, "Kanazawa's Research on His Homeland Crosses the Sea.
The Yomiuri Shimbun, October 3, 1971
Kanazawa's research crosses the sea.
Orders from the U.S. and Canada
A self-published book by Harutomo Kanazawa of Hanawa Town, Higashishirakawa County, Fukushima Prefecture, known as a local researcher, has crossed the ocean.
The book was ordered by university libraries in the U.S. and Canada as a "valuable resource," and the townspeople were delighted to learn that their grandfather's book had reached foreign shores.
Kanazawa-san received an order for the first two editions of "Historical Facts and Tales" published at the end of 1969 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Meiji Era. According to a contact from Japan Publishing and Trading Company, the libraries of the University of Washington in the U.S. and the University of Toronto in Canada wanted to purchase the books, so they placed two orders in April and August, and four sets were recently sent.
Mr. Kanazawa's "Historical Facts and Street Tales" is in A5 size, 252 pages for the first volume and 195 pages for the second volume. The book is a compilation of "facts and rumors that no one else has touched, and that will be forgotten and buried unless I write them down and leave them behind," based on Kanazawa's own collection of materials, observation, and interviews.
The contents of the book are summarized in the style of an essay, focusing on Kanazawa's familiar events, including ▼ Chotao Yoshioka, who came to the U.S. on the warship Uirinmaru ▼ The movement to elevate the local shrine Chikatsu Shrine ▼ The controversy over the Tengu party members' unusual names ▼ The reunion of A-bomb orphans ▼ Mt.
Mr. Kanazawa is the first honorary citizen of Hanawa Town. He is said to have written more than 300 books and articles, and has received the Prefectural Cultural Merit Award, the Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon, and the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Fifth Class. Most of his books are self-published, but this is the first time he has crossed the ocean, and he said, "I would be happy if my books are of some use in historical and cultural research.
On the following day, the same story as the one in the Yomiuri Shimbun was broadcast twice in detail on NHK's 6:00 a.m. radio news and 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. TV news, much to the delight of my friends and acquaintances. I was also greatly humbled by the news. I am writing this note out of joy for the sake of a grumbling old man.
October, 1971
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