250年続いたこと｜What lasted 250 Years｜2021/05/17

萩の街にいると明治維新のことを改めて考えさせられる。町人町屋と武家屋敷の違いがはっきりとわかる。武家屋敷には俸禄を失い収入のあてにと植えられた夏みかんも鮮やかだ。当時の武士の想いはどうだったのだろう。明治維新の前の武士の仕事観、人生観は250年続いた比較的平和な江戸時代の仕組みが前提で形成されていただろう。そんな中で武士の当たり前を疑い、先を見据え、時代の変革で活躍することができた人ってすごいなぁ。（絵と文：サカキテツ朗）

Staying in the city of Hagi makes me think about the Meiji Restoration. We can clearly see the difference between a tradesman townhouse and a samurai residence. In the samurai residence, the summer oranges that have lost their salary and were planted for income are also vivid. What the samurai thought at that time? The samurai's view of work and life before the Meiji Restoration would have been formed on the premise of a relatively peaceful Edo period system that lasted 250 years. Under such circumstances, it is amazing that people who doubted the samurai's common senses, looked ahead, and were able to play an active role in the changing times. -Text and illustration by Ted Sakaki