Gardener - Uekiya

Craftsmen who cultivate and maintain garden trees and garden construction. From the 14th century, the demand for gardens increased, and craftsmen such as rojitsukuri (those who work the roji) for tea gardens and niwahaki (garden sweepers) who make the correct broom marks were born. Also, at this time, gardens placed more emphasis on stones than plants, and monk-like craftsmen such as ishidate (stone standers) were born. In the 17th century, stone-based gardens were also seen in the homes of samurai and townspeople, and craftsmen called niwasaku, and later niwashi (gardeners), appeared. At the same time, plants were also planted in the gardens, and craftsmen who supplied them, in other words, gardeners, appeared. Not only did they cultivate their own plants, bonsai, and flowers and sell them, but from the 18th century they also began to exhibit them at festivals and plant markets, and they also began to take on jobs to maintain garden trees. They were also called uekisho (gardeners), and their work overlapped with that of gardeners. The tools used are pruning shears (vine-shaped two-ringed gardener's shears and long-handled tree pruning shears used with both hands) and saws. In modern times, gardeners and gardeners have been lumped together as the business of landscaping, but as landscaping has become the norm, there are fewer gardeners who use pruning shears to trim the trees in the autumn in the gardens of customers' homes. Some gardeners have begun to work as subcontractors for large gardening stores. However, there are still some gardeners who go around looking for custom-made trees, and jibori-ya (festival vendors) who dig up trees and take them to festivals. Today, gardeners and gardeners are collectively referred to as landscape gardeners.

[Motoo Endo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

庭木の栽培、手入れと庭作(にわつくり)の職人。14世紀から庭園に対する需要が高まり、茶庭の露地作(ろじつくり)（露地の者）や正しい箒目(ほうきめ)をつけるための庭掃(にわはき)などの職人が生まれた。また、このころの庭園は植木よりも石に重点が置かれて、石立(いしだて)といった僧体の職人も生まれた。17世紀になると、石を主にした作庭は、武家や町家の住宅にもみられ、庭作、のちに庭師という職人が現れ、同時にその庭に草木も植えるようになり、それらを供給する職人、つまり植木屋がみられるようになった。自家で植木や盆栽、草花などを栽培して、これを販売するばかりでなく、18世紀からは縁日や植木市にも出すようになり、さらに出職(でしょく)によって庭木の手入れもするようになった。植木職ともいい、庭師の仕事と重なってきた。道具は植木鋏(ばさみ)（巻蔓(まきづる)型の二つの指輪のある庭師鋏と両手で使う長い柄の木刈鋏）と鋸(のこぎり)である。近代では造園業といわれるように、庭師と植木屋は一括されてきたが、造園が主となったために、植木鋏で出入りの家の庭木を、秋口に刈り込みなどをする植木職人は少なくなった。庭師にしても、大きな園芸店の下請けとなる者も出てきた。しかし、注文の木を探して歩く下入屋(したいれや)とか、縁日などへ木を掘って持って行く地掘屋(じぼりや)（縁日屋）などは存在している。庭師、植木屋は今日では造園士と総称されている。

［遠藤元男］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例