Stonemason - Ishiya

It refers to craftsmen who mine and process stone, and merchants who sell stone, but usually it refers to the stone shops of merchants who mainly sell stone, where several stonemasons are employed to process and produce stone. Stone mining, processing, and sales gradually became differentiated. In ancient times, the technicians who mined and processed stone were called ishitsukuri. It was in the Middle Ages in the 13th century that they became independent craftsmen, and were called ishikiri. In the early modern period of the 17th century, they became called masons. Demand for stone increased as a material for construction and landscaping, and for daily tools such as stone mills and stone towers. In particular, demand increased from the 16th century, when castle construction and other large-scale civil engineering works began. Stone was cut at quarries in Ishiyama and transported to nearby factories or distant workplaces for processing. From the 18th century, with the development of transportation, stonemasons began to appear in cities specializing in stone processing and sales, ordering stone from far away and processing it in their workshops. Thus, a distinction was made between stonecutters, whose main business was cutting out rough stone, and stonemasons, whose main business was stone processing, and they also differentiated into inkstone cutters (suzuri shi), whetstone makers, and garden stone makers, who made garden stones and hand-washing basins. Tools used varied depending on the hardness of the stone, but included hammers, small stone chisels, large stone chisels with handles, chisels for splitting stone, and large hammer-type sledgehammers (a new tool from the 13th century). Stonemasons were divided into those that worked with soft Oya stone and those that worked with hard granite. In addition to small-scale stone processing and production businesses, wholesalers that deal in stonework, as well as specialty stores selling garden stones, gravestones, landscaping, and upholstery, have sprung up.

[Motoo Endo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

石材の採掘や加工をする職人と、石材を販売する商人とをさしているが、普通には石材販売を主とする商人の石材店のことをいい、そこに加工生産する何人かの職人の石工(いしく)が雇われていた。石材の採掘と加工と販売とはしだいに分化してきた。石材の採掘、加工の技術者は古代では石作(いしつくり)という工人であった。独立した職人となったのは13世紀の中世からで、石切(いしきり)といっていた。17世紀の近世からは石工というようになった。建築や造園の材料や石臼(いしうす)、石塔などの生活用具というように石の需要は高まった。ことに16世紀からは築城そのほかの大規模な土木工事が始められて、需要はさらに増してきた。石山の石切場で石材を切り出し、近くの細工場あるいは遠くの仕事場へ運んで加工した。18世紀からは運送手段の発達によって都市にも石材加工、販売の石屋が生まれ、遠くから石材を取り寄せて、その仕事場で加工した。こうして原石の切り出しを主とする石切と、石材加工を主とする石工とに区別され、硯(すずり)をつくる硯切（硯師）や砥石(といし)をつくる砥屋(とや)、庭石や手水鉢(ちょうずばち)をつくる庭石屋とに分化した。道具は、石材の硬度にもよるが、金槌(かなづち)、小さい石切のみ、柄(え)のついた大きい石切のみ、石を割るたがね、大きい金槌の玄能（13世紀からの新しい道具）とがあった。石材店は軟らかい大谷石(おおやいし)系と硬い御影石(みかげいし)系とに分かれてきた。零細な加工生産の叩(たた)き石屋のほかに、産地を抱えた問屋、庭石、墓石、造園、張物(はりもの)などの専門店ができてきた。

［遠藤元男］

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