Munehiro Kora

Japanese: 甲良宗広 - こうら・むねひろ

Year of death: March 17, 1646 (May 2, 1646)
Year of birth: Tensho 2 (1574)
A carpenter in the early Edo period. Born in Hoyo-ji Village, Kora-sho, Inukami-gun, Omi Province (Shiga Prefecture). His childhood name was Kozaemon. He was granted the rank of Jurokui Saemon-no-jo for his contributions in building the gates of the Konoe family, and Bungo no Kami for his contributions in building Yoshida Shrine in Kyoto (Kora Family History Book). However, there are no other documents about his time in Kyoto, so this cannot be confirmed. In 1604 (Keicho 9), he went to Edo, and from 1632 (Kan'ei 9), he served as the chief carpenter of the Edo Shogunate's construction department. His first confirmed work was the Zojoji Daitoku-in Mausoleum (1632), and he subsequently worked on many other projects, including the Nikko Tosho-gu Shrine (1636) and the Kan'ei-ji Five-Story Pagoda (1639). His masterpiece, the Nikko Tosho-gu Shrine, was a milestone in the history of architecture, with its abundant use of color and carvings, and had a major influence on the design of shrine architecture thereafter. Furthermore, his descendants served as the Shogunate's chief carpenter for 11 generations until the Meiji Restoration, and were responsible for the Shogunate's major architectural works.

(Nishi Kazuo)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：正保3.3.17(1646.5.2)
生年：天正2(1574)
江戸初期の大工。近江国(滋賀県)犬上郡甲良庄法養寺村生まれ。幼名は小左衛門。近衛家の門の造営の功により従六位左衛門尉を,京都の吉田神社造営の功により豊後守を許されたという(『甲良家由緒書』)。しかしこの京都時代については他に資料がなく,裏付けることができない。慶長9(1604)年に江戸に下り,寛永9(1632)年から江戸幕府作事方大棟梁を勤める。確認できる最初の仕事は増上寺台徳院霊廟(1632)で,以後,日光東照宮(1636),寛永寺五重塔(1639)など多くの作品を手がけた。代表作の日光東照宮は,色彩と彫物を豊富に用い,建築史上にひとつの画期をなしたもので,以後の神社建築のデザインに大きな影響を与えた。また,その子孫が明治維新に至るまで11代にわたって幕府作事方大棟梁を勤め,幕府建築の主要な作品を担当した。

(西和夫)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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