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錦川水系の豊な恵みへの賛歌として生まれた「錦乃誉」 |
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今津という地は、その名が示す通り、水上交通の拠点として発展した町でした。
城下町として栄えた現在の西岩国地区と並んで、錦川が二股に分かれて瀬戸内海へと流れ込む一方の河口であり、創業以来八百新酒造の蔵が位置するこの今津川口もまた、岩國藩にゆかりの深い土地である事実を忘れるわけにはいきません。
今津川の『雁木』と呼ばれた船着場のあった河畔には、藩主をはじめとする岩國藩の要人の宿泊施設である『御茶屋』、藩の物資倉庫として主に米・紙を貯蔵した『御蔵』、等が建ち並び、このため今津は藩の物流基地として、そしてまた商いの町として大いなる繁栄を見ることになったのです。
維新以降その役割を終えた『御蔵』を新三郎は醤油蔵および酒蔵として蘇らせました。明治の中期に建てられた酒蔵は、一世紀を超えて発酵を司ってきた酵母ばかりでなく歴代の杜氏・蔵人の酒造りに懸ける熱い想いをも染み込ませた梁や土壁を当時のままに残し、今も現役の蔵としてその歴史を積み重ねています。
米蔵の米(あるいは酒米)を食べて白くなったかはいざ知らず、御蔵跡(即ち、八百新の酒蔵)は岩国の天然記念物『白蛇』の発祥の地であり、敷地内には白蛇を祀った｢白龍神社｣という名の祠があります。
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Imazu has once been a thriving
maritime traffic center, just as the meaning of its
name: a sea port shows, mainly due to its logistically
advantageous location seated on the estuary of the river
Imazu.
Speaking of Iwakuni of Suoh, what comes to the minds of
many ones will be a scene of modern day Nishi-Iwakuni,
in which Kintai bridge, a master piece of historical
wooden bridge, crossed on ever-flowing Nishiki river,
towering Iwakuni castle on the top of Shrioyama hill,
and silently lying historic castle town of Iwakuni.
True, Kikkawa clan, which was merely a subsidiary of
Great House of Mouri with as small as 60 thousand bales
of rice for yearly budget, played a couple of
significant roles in the history ever since the battle
of Sekigahara down to the end of Shogun era, which fact
has backed up the claim that the historical center of
Iwakuni is in Nishi-Iwakuni with its longtime reflection
of the days of Samurai Society. Nonetheless, something
shouldn't be forgotten is that the mouth of river Imazu,
where the brewery of Yaoshin has long been situated ever
since the establishing year of 1891, has had many things
in common with Kikkawa clan.
At Gangi, the landing place of river boats on Imazu, for
example, there were the storehouses of rice and of wood
materials, all of which belonged to Kikkawa clan, and
because of this, Imazu area saw its great prosperity as
the kitchen of the clan and as a commercial center of
Iwakuni. The brewery of Yaoshin has been loyally
producing the real rich taste Sakes, being close to
Gangi of Imazu that is still telling us the glory of the
past. |
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