中・近世移行期の施錠具と真鍮生産にみる外来技術導入をめぐる諸問題

中世から近世への移行期の対外交易は，南蛮貿易から朱印船貿易へと段階的に変遷し，この間，東洋と西洋の接触と融合を経て，様々な外来技術がもたらされた。当該期の外来技術の受容，定着には複雑で多様な様相が認められる。本稿ではこうした様相の一端の把握，検討にあたり，錠前，真鍮生産に着目した。錠前に関しては，第2次導入期である中世末期から近世の様態について整理し，アジア型錠前主体の段階からヨーロッパ型錠前が参入する段階への変遷を明らかにした。さらにアジア型鍵形態の画一化や，素材のひとつである黄銅（真鍮）の亜鉛含有率の低い製品の存在等から，比較的早い段階での国内生産の可能性を指摘した。真鍮生産については，金属製錬などの際に気体で得られる亜鉛の性質から特殊な道具と技術が必要であり，これに伴うと考えられる把手付坩堝と蓋の集成を行い技術導入時期の検討を行った。その結果，16世紀前半にすでに局所的な導入は認められるが，限定的ながら一般化するのは16世紀末から17世紀初頭であり，金属混合法による本格的な操業は今のところ17世紀中頃を待たなければならない状況を確認した。また，ヨーロッパ型錠前の技術導入について，17世紀以降に国内で生産される和錠や近世遺跡から出土する錠の外観はヨーロッパ錠を模倣するが，内部構造と施錠原理はアジア型錠と同じであり，ヨーロッパ型錠の構造原理が採用されていない点に多様な技術受容のひとつのスタイルを見出した。こうした点を踏まえ，16世紀末における日本文化と西洋文化の融合の象徴ともいえる南蛮様式の輸出用漆器に注目し，付属する真鍮製などのヨーロッパ型の施錠具や隅金具等の生産と遺跡出土の錠前，真鍮生産の状況との関係性を考察した。現状では当該期の大規模かつ広範にわたる生産様相は今のところ認め難く，遺跡資料にみる技術の定着・完成時期と，初期輸出用漆器の生産ピーク時期とは整合していないという課題を提示した。

Japan's foreign trade gradually shifted from the Namban trade to the vermilion-seal certificate trade in parallel with the transition from the medieval to the early modern period, during which a variety of foreign technologies were introduced into Japan through the encounter and fusion of Western and Eastern cultures. The process of how foreign technology was accepted and took root was complicated and diverse. The process is analyzed to get a glimpse of its character by using lock manufacturing and brass production as examples. The case study of the lock industry examines the second introduction stage from the end of the medieval period to the early modern period. The results elucidate the transition from the dominance of Asian-style locks to the introduction of European-style locks. Moreover, based on the unification of Asian-style locks and the presence of locks made of brass with a low concentration of zinc, this case study implies that the domestic production may have started relatively early. Regarding brass production, which required special instruments and techniques due to the properties of zinc gas generated in the metal smelting process, the case study examines collections of instruments that were apparently used for brass production, such as handled crucibles and lids, to determine when foreign technology was introduced. The results indicate that it was introduced in a few places as early as the first half of the 16th century and came into common use, though limited, from the late 16th to the early 17th century. Mixed metal production started in full scale in the mid-17th century. Furthermore, this article suggests that the production technology of Western-style locks was accepted in different ways. For example, the Japanese locks whose domestic production started in the 17th century and those excavated from early modern sites were modeled after European locks in external appearance but not in internal structure. The internal structure and lock system of the Japanese locks were the same as those of Asian locks. In light of the above, this article compares the maturity of production processes between the Western-style brass locks, keys, and metal corners of Namban-style lacquerware destined for export markets (a typical example of the fusion of Japanese and Western cultures at the end of the 16th century) and the unearthed locks and brass products. What has been discovered so far suggests that the production was limited in both scale and geographical distribution at that time. This remains an issue to be examined as the time of the establishment of the technology implied by the analysis of the archaeological artifacts is not consistent with the initial peak of the production of lacquerware for export markets.

source:https://www.rekihaku.ac.jp/outline/publication/ronbun/ronbun9/index.html#no210