Water stone

Japanese: 水石 - すいせき

Abbreviation of Sansui-keijo-seki. Natural stones of a reasonable size that can be enjoyed as landscapes of mountains and rivers are called suiseki. However, the world of suiseki has become more diverse today, and it is not limited to those that represent landscapes such as mountains and shorelines. It broadly includes stones that show strange shapes and wonderful patterns, such as sugataishi (figure stones) that resemble the figures of Kannon or small animals, monseki (patterned stones) that depict the moon or plants on the stone surface, and kuzuyaishi (thatched hut stones) that represent the shape of a house. Since it was originally born from nostalgia for natural scenery, in either case, it is desired that the stone have a style that does not feel out of place in the world of landscapes and rivers. In that sense, even though they are the same stone, they are distinguished in their taste from craft stones and precious and semi-precious stones for accessories, and since they are mainly to be viewed indoors, it is natural that they are in a different world from garden stones.

[Keiji Murata]

history

Rather than viewing the hobby of suiseki as something that arose spontaneously in Japan, it is more likely that it began as a result of the influence of continental culture. In China, the hobby of stones developed in earnest during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), and by the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) had spread widely among the so-called scholar-officials and literati. It is believed that it was introduced to Japan one era later, during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) or later. It seems that several famous stones were also introduced from there. In fact, the "Floating Bridge of Dreams," which Emperor Godaigo (1288-1339) loved to play with, is said to be a sacred stone from Mount Jiangning in Jiangsu Province, China, and the Nishi Honganji Temple treasure, "Sue no Matsuyama," is said to have been brought from Jinshan-ji Temple in Zhenjiang on the Yangtze River. Kokan Shiren, a high priest of the Five Mountains, wrote a piece called "Fu on Bonseki," in which he wrote, "Is this a plaything of bonseki? It is a plaything of mountains and rivers" (at the time, today's suiseki were called bonseki or bonsan).

A little later, during the Muromachi period, Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1436-90) loved stones and is said to have treasured famous stones such as "Zanyuki" and "Manri-Ezan." In the early Edo period, the tea master Kobori Enshu (1579-1647) was known as a great stone lover, and "Kasaneyama," which he recommended, is a representative example of a famous stone. From the mid-Edo period onwards, many scholars and tea masters became enthusiastic about stones, but Kiuchi Sekitei (1724-1808), who is also famous as the author of "Unkonshi," was more interested in unusual stones than suiseki. Towards the end of the period, stone lovers such as literati like Kimura Kenkadō (1736-1802), Rai Sanyo (1780-1832), and Tanomura Chikuden (1777-1835) began to appear, and this trend was carried over to bonsai hobbyists in the Meiji period, and the term "sui-seki" became commonly used in the 1900s.

The origins of suiseki date back to the end of the Kamakura period, but it wasn't until the late Meiji period that the hobby became established. Since the boom of the 1950s, it has become extremely popular, and the world of suiseki has continued to expand greatly.

[Keiji Murata]

kinds

Depending on the interest of the stones, they can be broadly divided into four types.

[1] Mountain and Water Landscape Stones These are reminiscent of landscapes such as mountains, beaches, and waterfalls.

[2] Figurative stones: These are stones that naturally represent the shapes of islands, small animals, Kannon, etc.

[3] Patterned stones: These are stones with natural shapes such as flowers, clouds, and butterflies on their surface.

[4] Colored stones: The shape is secondary; the stone is appreciated primarily for the beauty of its natural color.

In addition, they can be divided into self-quarried stones (stones quarried by the owner himself) and purchased stones, and into famous stones (particularly excellent ones) and beloved stones (stones that the owner is very fond of) based on their value. A strange stone simply refers to one with a strange shape, while a rare stone refers to one that is rare in quality, and both are different in style from suiseki.

[Keiji Murata]

Conditions and Elements

The conditions for a stone to be considered a suiseki are (1) that it is a natural stone, (2) that its size is suitable for viewing indoors, with a length of about 30 to 60 centimeters, and (3) that it is worthy of aesthetic appreciation. In addition, for a stone to be called a fine stone, it must have the following three elements:

[1] Shape: Rather than a so-called "lumpy stone," it is considered best to have a beautiful shape and one that is in harmony on all three sides - front to back, left to right, and top to bottom.

[2] Quality: Naturally, the quality must be strong in order to withstand long-term viewing. However, if it is too hard, the shape will not be easily visible, so a Mohs hardness scale of 4 to 7 is ideal.

[3] Color The most popular color for suiseki is a calm black color called maguro (tuna). Colors other than black are also acceptable, but the key is to use a dark tone.

[Keiji Murata]

Appreciation method

As a rule, suiseki are enjoyed in their natural state, with only minor dirt being removed. However, mountain stones, which are dug up from the ground, are cared for to the extent that the ash and soil are removed and the core of the stone is brought out. Landscape stones collected from rivers are placed in a ceramic basin and water is poured over them to be viewed. Many underground stones, figurative stones, patterned stones, and colored stones are placed on pedestals and viewed. For full-scale display, it is common practice to place them in a tokonoma alcove so that they harmonize with hanging scrolls and other items, and to arrange plants and other items around them, and then display them on a desk or floor board.

[Keiji Murata]

Origin

There are an almost infinite number of natural stone blocks, but those suitable for use as suiseki come from only a limited number of places. Places that produce a large amount of high-quality suiseki are called "producing areas," and when one examines each producing area, they are mainly Paleozoic rock strata that belong to metamorphic rock layers. In fact, most suiseki are metamorphic rocks. Japan's geology is blessed with metamorphic rock layers, so it is not surprising that many suiseki are produced here. There are an extremely large number of producing areas for suiseki, but these can be divided into three categories: river stones, mountain stones, and sea stones. River stones are literally stones quarried from mountain streams and streams, mountain stones are stones dug up from the soil in the mountains, and sea stones are stones quarried in coastal areas. Below, we will list some representative producing areas in order.

[1] River stones (1) Kamo River stones These come from the Kamo River system in the Kyoto region and are very elegant. (2) Seta River stones These come from the Seta River which flows into Lake Biwa. (3) Kamuikotan stones These come from the midstream of the Ishikari River in Hokkaido. They are famous for their hardness and luster. (4) Ibi River stones These come from the Ibi River basin in Gifu Prefecture. (5) Abe River stones These come from the Abe River basin in Shizuoka Prefecture. (6) Saji River stones These come from the upper reaches of the Sendai River in Tottori Prefecture. (7) Mabechi River stones These come from the main and tributaries of the Mabechi River near Ichinohe Town in Iwate Prefecture. (8) Yoshima River stones These come from the upper reaches of the Natsui River in Fukushima Prefecture.

[2] Mountain Stones (1) Akadama Stone: Akadama District in Sado is the main production area. It is famous as a hard, colorful stone. (2) Kikka Stone: Found in the upper reaches of the Neo River in Gifu Prefecture. It is a special natural monument and a representative patterned stone. (3) Furuya Stone: Found in the area around Tanabe City in Wakayama Prefecture, it has been producing famous stones with a landscape feel since the Edo period. (4) Kanayama Stone: Found near Kanayama Pass in the Kamikawa Regional Development Bureau in Hokkaido. (5) Plum Blossom Stone: Found in Aohama, Moji Ward, Kitakyushu City, it has long been famous as an elegant stone dotted with plum blossom patterns. Plum Blossom Stone is found in coastal areas and dug up from rock layers, so it belongs to the category of underground stones.

[3] Sea stones (1) Genkai Shinkuroishi: This stone is found on the coast of Wakamatsu Ward, Kitakyushu City. It is a hard, jet-black stone of good quality. (2) Kounejimaishi: This stone is found on the coast of Kounejima Island in the Seto Inland Sea, south of Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Other famous production areas include Senbutsu stone (Fukuoka prefecture), Chichibu stone (Saitama prefecture), and Tamba stone (Kyoto prefecture), bringing the total number of famous production areas to over 100.

[Keiji Murata]

"Suiseki" by Keiji Murata (Hoikusha, Color Books)" ▽ "Suiseki" by Chuzo Onuki (1967, Kyuryudo)

[Reference] | Bonseki

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

山水景情石の略称。手ごろの大きさの自然石で、観賞して山水の景情を楽しめるものをさして水石とよんでいる。ただし、今日では水石の世界は多彩化し、かならずしも山岳や磯(いそ)などの景観を表すものに限らない。観音や小動物などの姿に似ている姿石(すがたいし)、石面に月や植物などの紋理を描く紋石(もんせき)、あるいは家の形を表す茅舎石(くずやいし)など、形象の奇、紋様の妙を示すものが広く包含される。もともと自然の風物への郷愁から生まれたものなので、いずれの場合でも、山水風物詩の世界に違和感のない趣(おもむき)の石であることが望まれている。そういう意味で、同じ石であっても、工芸品的な造り石や、アクセサリー用の貴石・半貴石とは、その趣向において一線を画し、また、主として室内で観賞されるものであるから、庭石とも世界を別にしているのは当然である。

［村田圭司］

歴史

水石の趣味は、わが国で自然発生的におこったとみるよりも、やはり、大陸文化の影響によって始まったと判断すべきであろう。すなわち、中国においては愛石趣味が北宋(ほくそう)時代（960～1127）において本格的に発展し、南宋時代（1127～1279）に至り、いわゆる士大夫(したいふ)階級や文人社会に広く普及した。それが一時代遅れて、元の時代（1271～1368）以降わが国に伝わったものと思われる。いくつかの名石も渡来したらしい。事実、後醍醐(ごだいご)天皇（1288―1339）が愛玩(あいがん)されたという「夢の浮橋」は中国江蘇(こうそ)省江寧(こうねい)山の霊石と伝えられているし、西本願寺の寺宝「末(すえ)の松山」も揚子江(ようすこう)の沿岸鎮江の金山寺からもたらされたものらしい。五山の高僧虎関師錬(こかんしれん)は「盆石賦」という一文を著し、「それ、盆石の玩たるや、山水に仮(よ)れり」といっている（当時は、今日の水石を盆石あるいは盆山と称していた）。

　やや時代が下って室町時代の足利義政(あしかがよしまさ)（1436―90）は石を愛し、「残雪」や「万里江山」などの名石を愛蔵していたと伝えられる。江戸時代初期の茶人小堀遠州（1579―1647）は優れた愛石家として知られ、彼の推賞した「重山(かさねやま)」は名石の代表的存在である。中期以降は学者や茶人に愛好する者が多く出たが、『雲根志』の著者としても名高い木内石亭（1724―1808）は水石よりも奇石に偏していた。末期に至ると、木村蒹葭堂(けんかどう)（1736―1802）、頼山陽(らいさんよう)（1780―1832）、田能村竹田(たのむらちくでん)（1777―1835）ら文人の愛石家が出始め、こうした流れが明治時代になって盆栽趣味家たちに受け継がれ、明治40年代には「水石」という語が一般化した。

　水石の淵源(えんげん)は遠く鎌倉時代末期にさかのぼるが、水石としての趣味界を形成したのは明治後期からで、昭和30年代のブーム的現象を迎えてから著しく大衆化され、水石の世界は大きく広がりつつある。

［村田圭司］

種類

石の興趣のあり方によって次の四つに大別される。

〔1〕山水景石　山水の景情を連想させるもので、山形や磯や滝などがある。

〔2〕形象石　姿石ともいう。島、小動物、観音などの形を天然に表すもの。

〔3〕紋様石　紋石ともいう。石面に花、雲、蝶(ちょう)などの形を天然に表すもの。

〔4〕色彩石　形状は第二義的で、主としてその石が天然にもつ色彩の美しさを賞するもの。

　そのほか、入手法によって自採石（自ら採石したもの）と購入石、また、価値によっての名石（とくに優れたもの）と愛石（その蔵者にとって愛着の深いもの）などの分け方もある。なお、奇石といわれるものは単に形状の奇たるものをさし、珍石とよばれるものは石質上希少なものをいい、ともに水石とはその趣向のあり方を異にしている。

［村田圭司］

条件と要素

水石であるための条件としては、(1)自然石であること、(2)大きさが室内の観賞に適し、左右の長さ30～60センチメートルぐらいであること、(3)美的観賞に値するものであること、などがあげられる。また、とくに名石と称しうるものとしては、次の3要素が備わっていなければならない。

〔1〕形　いわゆる「ごろた石」ではなく、形が美しく、前後、左右、上下の3面が調和のとれたものがよいとされる。

〔2〕質　長い観賞に耐えうるためには、当然のことながら質は堅牢(けんろう)でなければならない。ただ、硬すぎても形が表れにくいので、モース硬度計で4～7度程度が理想である。

〔3〕色　水石は真黒(まぐろ)といって落ち着いた黒い色がもっとも好まれている。黒以外でもよいが、要はダークトーンのものがふさわしい。

［村田圭司］

観賞法

水石は原則として、汚れを落とす程度で、自然石のまま楽しむ。しかし、山石(やまいし)といって土中から掘り出すものは、灰土を落とし、石のしんを出す程度の手入れはする。川から採取した山水景石は陶磁器製の水盤に入れて水を注ぎ観賞する。土中石、形象石、紋様石、色彩石などの多くは台座に納めて眺める。本格的な陳列の場合は、床の間に掛軸などと調和するように置き、草物などを配し、机卓あるいは地板などにのせて飾るのが常識となっている。

［村田圭司］

産地

自然の石塊は無限といってもよいほど多いが、水石として適するものは、限られた所からしか出ない。良質の水石を多く産出する所を「産地」というが、各産地を調べてみると、それらは主として古生代の岩層地帯で、変成岩層に属している。事実、水石の多くは変成岩である。日本の地質は変成岩層に恵まれているので、水石が多く産出するのもうなずける。水石の産地はすこぶる多いが、これを川石、山石、海石の三つに分けることができる。川石とは文字どおり渓流や沢から採石されるもの、山石とは山の土中から掘り出されるもの、海石とは海岸地帯で採石されるものである。以下、順を追って、その代表的産地をあげてみる。

〔1〕川石　(1)加茂川石　京都地方の賀茂水系から出るもので雅趣が高い。(2)瀬田川石　琵琶(びわ)湖に注ぐ瀬田川産のもの。(3)神居古潭(かむいこたん)石　北海道の石狩川中流に産する。硬質で光沢がよいので有名。(4)揖斐(いび)川石　岐阜県揖斐川流域に産する。(5)安倍(あべ)川石　静岡県安倍川流域に産する。(6)佐治川石　鳥取県千代(せんだい)川上流に産する。(7)馬淵(まべち)川石　岩手県一戸(いちのへ)町付近の馬淵川本・支流から産する。(8)好間(よしま)川石　福島県夏井川の上流から産する。

〔2〕山石　(1)赤玉(あかだま)石　佐渡の赤玉地区が主産地。硬質な色彩石として有名。(2)菊花石(きっかせき)　岐阜県根尾川上流に産する。特別天然記念物で、紋様石の代表的存在。(3)古谷石(ふるやいし)　和歌山県田辺市周辺に産し、江戸時代から山水景趣の名石が出ている。(4)金山(かなやま)石　北海道上川(かみかわ)総合振興局管内の金山峠付近が産地。(5)梅花石　北九州市門司(もじ)区青浜に産し、梅花紋を点じる雅石として古くから有名。なお、梅花石は海岸地帯に産出し、岩層中より掘り出すので、土中石の部類に属する。

〔3〕海石　(1)玄海真黒石　北九州市若松区の海岸から産する。硬質で真黒の良石。(2)高根(こうね)島石　広島県三原市南方、瀬戸内海の高根島の海岸から産する。

　このほか、千仏(せんぶつ)石（福岡県）、秩父(ちちぶ)石（埼玉県）、丹波(たんば)石（京都府）などがあり、有名産地は100以上に上る。

［村田圭司］

『村田圭司著『水石』（保育社・カラーブックス）』▽『大貫忠三著『水石』（1967・求龍堂）』

[参照項目] | 盆石

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