ハブ棒とは、何？。それを知りたい方は、与路島へ。
What is a stick against a poisonous snake? If you want to know it, go to Yoro Island.
「自然との共生」は聞こえはいいけど、人間に都合のよいロマンチックな共生ばかりとは限らない。それが視覚化されたのが、この与路島。
集落のそこかしこに立て掛けた棒。実は、ハブを追い払うハブ棒。
奄美出身の友人曰く、子供の頃、遠足の際、先生はハブ棒で先導し、集落の道際には、ハブ棒が置かれていたそうですが、今は、その風景もほとんど絶滅。隙間が多く、ハブの棲み家となるサンゴ石の石垣が、ブロック塀に変わったことが影響しているらしい。
そのハブ棒が、今も多く残る与路島。サンゴ石垣が残る居心地のいい風景は、ハブにも居心地のいい環境で、ハブが現れる可能性も高いのです。だから、ハブ棒は、島にとって今も必要不可欠な道具で、重要な景観要素。そして、旅行者には、その辺りにハブがいるかもという不安感をかき立てる仕掛け。島に嫁いで数十年の宿のお母さんは、一度も見たことがないそうで、必要以上に怯えることはないのかもしれませんが。
ハブ棒は、脇枝をきれいに払った枝で、持ち手を赤く塗り、長さは130ー190センチ。その長さが、島で人とハブが共生する、すなわち、自然と共生するための距離感。
"Coexistence with nature" sounds good, but it is not always the romantic coexistence convenient for humans. A place where that was visualized is this Yoro island.
In the village, I often found a stick. It's a stick to drive away a poisonous snake.
My friend from Amami islands said that, when she was a child, a teacher took the head with the stick to avoid a snake in the excursion, and in the village, the stick was placed by the road. But now the scenery has almost disappeared. The reason is that the corral stone walls as the habitat of a poisonous snake were replaced by the block walls.
Yoro is a place where the sticks are still found all over the village. The cozy landscape with coral stone walls is also a cozy environment for the snake, so the probability that the snake will appear is high. The stick is still an indispensable tool for the island and an important landscape element. But it is also a device that arouses anxiety for travelers that there may be a snake around them. The landlady of the inn, who came here upon the marriage some decades ago, said she has never seen a snake. So, they may not need to fear it.
The stick is a branch with the side branches cleanly removed. The handle side is painted red and the length is 130 cm to 190 cm. The length is the sense of distance between people and a snake to coexist on this island, that is, to coexist with nature.
ご感想はこちらへ / Click here for your impressions
もっと詳しく → 旅行の時間 - 奄美の集落：与路島 - 4：ハブ棒（瀬戸内、奄美群島、鹿児島、日本）
When you want to know more → Time of Travel - Village in Amami Islands：Yorojima Island - 4 : Habu stick（Setouchi, Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan）
写真の無断使用、転用はご遠慮下さい。/ Please do not use or upload our photos without permission.
