利根川河口域における海難者供養の習俗 －千葉県銚子市・茨城県神栖市波崎町の立正佼成会の事例から－

小野寺, 佑紀

立正佼成会は、昭和13（1938）年に霊友会から独立した庭野日敬、長沼妙佼によって創設された新宗教である。『宗教年鑑』（平成30年度版）によると、会員数は約260万人で、国内に 605か所の教会や布教所がある。新宗教では幸福の科学や創価学会に次ぐ信者数（公称）を持ち、霊友会系諸教団の中においては最大規模の宗教団体である…。千葉県銚子市と対岸に位置する茨城県神栖市波崎（旧波崎町）では、立正佼成会による「水難供養」が毎月定期的に行われている。当該地域は利根川河口域に位置しており、国内随一の年間水揚量を誇る漁業基地として知られる。江戸後期には東廻り海運の要衝として大いに発展した。一方で、鹿島灘に面した銚子沖は海難の難所として知られ、「阿波の鳴門か銚子の川口、伊良湖の渡合が恐ろしや」という俚諺も伝わり、日本三大海難所の一つとして恐れられていた。古くから海運業や漁業で繁栄した利根川河口域周辺は、悲惨な海難事故によって翻弄されてきた歴史を持っており、海難者の供養にまつわる様々な習俗がみられる。その背景には、河川港特有の海難にまつわる歴史や漁業従事者が多い地域性など、海辺に依拠したさまざまな要因がみられる。また、佼成会では、「宅地因縁」という考え方が先祖供養の根底にあり、先祖や親類縁者に含まれる海難者を供養する一方で、さまざまな対象を「水難供養」の場において積極的に供養しようとしていることが事例から指摘できる。霊友会系の教団は独自の先祖観や儀礼などの教義を持っており、その信仰形態も檀那寺や氏神（神社）といった既存の信仰と重複している。しかしながら、民俗事例としてそれらを扱った研究や報告はあまりみられない。本稿では当該地域における海難者供養の習俗について触れながら、立正佼成会銚子教会と鹿島教会波崎南支部で行われている「水難供養」の事例を取り上げ、その供養の対象や背景について考察を行いたい。

Rissho Kosei-kai is a new religious movement founded in Japan in 1938 by Nikkyo Niwano and Myoko Naganuma, both of whom separated from the Buddhist sect Reiyukai. According to the FY2018 Religious Yearbook published by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the organization has some 2.6 million members and 605 churches and missionary offices around the country. Among the new religious movements, Rissho Kosei-kai officially ranks third in membership after Happy Science and Soka Gakkai, and is the largest Reiyukai-affiliated sect. The organization’s churches and dojos (training halls) in Choshi City, Chiba Prefecture, and the town on the opposite bank of the Tonegawa River, Hasaki (former Hasaki-cho) in Kamisu City, Ibaraki Prefecture, hold monthly memorial rituals for people who died in water accidents. This area, located at the mouth of the Tonegawa River, is a famous fishing spot with the nation’s highest annual landings. It saw significant development as an important eastbound marine traffic center during the latter part of the Edo period. On the other hand, the coast of Choshi facing the sea of Kashimanada is an infamous stretch of water prone to fatal accidents, and has long been feared as one of Japan’s three most dangerous waters, which, besides Kawaguchi of Choshi, include Naruto Strait in Awa province and the Strait of Irago-doai. While the area prospered thanks to the shipping and fishing industries, its history has been inextricably linked to tragic maritime disasters. As such, various folk customs are practiced to commemorate those who lost their lives at sea. These customs are influenced by a number of factors related to the area’s seaside location, such as the history of maritime accidents typical of river ports and the geographic characteristics marked by a large fishing industry population. At memorial services for water accident victims, Rissho kosei-kai members honor their own ancestors or relatives who died at sea, based on the idea of takuchi innen (land connection from the past) underlying the group’s ancestral commemoration philosophy, but our study found that they readily commemorate shipwreck victims who are not their kin as well. Religious groups affiliated to Reiyukai have their own distinctive views on ancestor worship and ritual teachings, while their religious practices incorporate traditional elements, such as faith in family temples or local Shinto deities. However, there are few studies or reports covering these topics as an example of folk tradition. Referring to the commemoration rituals for maritime accident victims practiced in the Tonegawa River mouth area, this paper will focus on the memorial rituals for water-related deaths performed by Rissho kosei-kai’s church in Choshi and the Hasaki South branch of the Kashima Church to examine for whom the rituals are performed and why.

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利根川河口域における海難者供養の習俗－千葉県銚子市・茨城県神栖市波崎町の立正佼成会の事例から－

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