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土地の歴史と風土の中で長年、住み継がれてきた「古民家」。雪深い信州には１００年、２００年と風雪に耐える良質な古民家が幾つも残されている。ところがその古民家が今、家主の高齢化や生活様式の変化から空き家となり、次々と壊されつつある。第３部は、古民家の価値の再発見と古民家・古材ビジネスを取材する。（吉尾杏子）
“Old houses” that have been lived in for many years in the history and climate of the land. In snowy Shinshu, there are still many high-quality old folk houses that can withstand the wind and snow for 100 or 200 years. However, the old folk houses are now vacant due to the aging of the landlords and changes in lifestyles, and are being demolished one after another. Part 3 covers the rediscovery of the value of old folk houses and the business of old folk houses and used materials. (Kyoko Yoshio)
約８００坪（約２６００平方メートル）の工場内を、木の香が包む。大町市に約５千本の古材を保管する倉庫・工場を持つ「山翠(さんすい)舎」（長野市）。古民家買い取り・再生を手がける１９３０（昭和５）年創業の企業だ。
信州や新潟周辺で、古民家が解体される際に集めた柱や梁(はり)などの古材は、いろりでいぶされ、黒光りして存在感を放つ。その重さは１本、６００キロに達するものも。これら古材を活用して同社が２００９年以降、施工した旅館や飲食店、商業施設などの数は５００を超える。
The scent of wood surrounds the factory, which measures approximately 800 tsubo (approximately 2,600 square meters). “Sansuisha” (Nagano City) has a warehouse and factory that stores about 5,000 old lumber in Omachi City. It is a company founded in 1930 (Showa 5) that handles the purchase and restoration of old folk houses.
Old materials such as pillars and beams collected when old folk houses were demolished in the Shinshu and Niigata areas are smoked in the hearth and shine black, giving off a strong presence. One of them weighs up to 600 kg. Since 2009, the company has constructed more than 500 hotels, restaurants, and commercial facilities using these old materials.
「豪雪地域の信州で、風雪に耐えて立ち続けてきた民家の古木は、品質が高く、今では入手困難な物も多い」と棟梁(とうりょう)の中島重雄さん（７８）＝須坂市。木材をあらかじめ機械でカットし組み立てる「プレカット工法」が主流の今、手刻みによる木材の組み方を知る数少ないベテランの大工だ。「古木は、硬いし重いし加工が難しい。曲がりも風合いも違ってね、１本として同じ物がない。でも、そこが面白い」と中島さんは話す。
同社が古材の買い取り販売に乗り出したのは、０６年。代表取締役社長の山上浩明さん（４６）は「鉄などの無機質な素材は、新しい時が強い。でも生き物である木は、物によっては伐採後から１００年、２００年かけて強度を増すという特性がある」と話す。
“In Shinshu, a region of heavy snowfall, old trees from private houses that have endured the wind and snow are of high quality, and there are many that are difficult to obtain today,” said Shigeo Nakajima, 78, a master carpenter in Suzaka City. Today, the pre-cut construction method, in which wood is pre-cut and assembled by machine, is the mainstream. “Old wood is hard, heavy, and difficult to process. The curves and textures are different.
In 2006, the company started buying and selling used materials. Hiroaki Yamagami, 46, the company’s president and representative director, said, “Inorganic materials such as iron are strong when new. However, trees, which are living things, have the characteristic of increasing their strength over 100 or 200 years after being felled, depending on the material. there is,” he says.
よく例に出されるのが、現存する世界最古の木造建築とされる法隆寺。飛鳥時代から千年超の時を経て、その姿を保ち続けてきたのは、強靱(きょうじん)で湿気にも強いヒノキを利用していたからだとされる。
山翠舎の前身は昭和初期、長野市で創業した建具屋「山上木工所」。３代目の山上浩明さんは東京の大学を卒業後、ＩＴ企業に勤務していたが、古里への思いが募り、父親（現会長）に転職を相談。父から「職人をまとめあげるのは楽な仕事ではない」と３回断られたが、説得したという。
A well-known example is Horyuji Temple, which is said to be the oldest existing wooden structure in the world. Over a thousand years after the Asuka period, it is said that the reason why it has been preserved is because it used hinoki cypress, which is tough and resistant to moisture.
The predecessor of Sansuisha was Yamagami Mokkojo, a joinery shop founded in Nagano City in the early Showa period. After graduating from a university in Tokyo, Hiroaki Yamagami, the third generation owner, worked at an IT company. He was refused three times by his father, saying, “It’s not an easy job to bring craftsmen together,” but he persuaded him.
入社後、山上さんはそれまで下請け中心だったのを、徐々に発注者から直に仕事を引き受ける元請けに転換する改革を進めた。ところが、建設不況などの影響で０８年、売り上げが落ち込んだ。
ピンチを打開する糸口は、足元にあった。同社は８０年代、全国展開するジーンズ店の内装を手がけており、米国から輸入した古材を使っていた。だが、「古材はわざわざ外国から高いコストをかけて運んでこなくても、身近にたくさんあると気付いて…」。
After joining the company, Mr. Yamagami gradually promoted reforms, shifting from being a subcontractor until then to being a prime contractor who directly undertakes work. However, sales declined in 2008 due to factors such as the construction recession.
The clue to overcome the pinch was at the feet. In the 1980s, the company designed the interiors of jeans stores nationwide, using old materials imported from the United States. However, “I realized that there are plenty of old materials around me, even if I don’t have to spend a lot of money to bring them in from overseas.”
およそ戦前までに建てられた古民家が解体される際に出る古材を活用しようと、経歴、樹種などを記録した木材を「古木」と名付け、商標を取得。０９年から古木を活用した店舗デザインを、１３年からは古民家の移築再生を開始した。
手がけた仕事の一つに、静岡県熱海市の旅館がある。１３年、飯山市の築約９０年のそば店「とみくら食堂」など２棟の古民家を移築、再生。柱には昔、住人が背比べで刻んだ跡がそのまま残るが、その味わい深さが受けて、客単価が以前の２倍近くになり人気の宿になったという。
In an attempt to utilize the old wood that was produced when an old folk house built before the war was dismantled, he named the wood with its history and tree species recorded as “furuki” and acquired a trademark. Since 2009, he has been designing stores using old wood, and since 2013, he has been relocating and rebuilding old folk houses.
One of his projects is a ryokan in Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture. In 2013, two old houses were relocated and rebuilt, including the 90-year-old soba restaurant “Tomikura Shokudo” in Iiyama City. The pillars have traces of carving by the residents in the past.
山翠舎の従業員数は２５人。２２年９月期の売上高は１０億２千万円で、過去１０年間で２倍近くに伸びた。
ところが今、そうした古民家が、無用の「“負”動産」として次々と解体され、廃棄されつつある。「寒い」「古い」「継ぐ人がいない」という三つの理由から、各地で廃屋化しているためだ。
山上さんはこう話す。「まだ使えるのに、壊したがっている人が多い。解体した民家はごみとして処分されていく。でも、長年継がれてきた物には、それだけの価値がある。古民家は“宝の山”なんです」
Sansuisha has 25 employees. Sales for the term ended September 2010 were 1.02 billion yen, nearly doubling over the past 10 years.
However, now, such old folk houses are being dismantled and discarded one after another as useless “negative” movable property. This is because houses are being abandoned in various places for three reasons: “cold”, “old”, and “no one to take over”.
Mr. Yamagami says: “Many people want to tear down even though they can still use it. Dismantled private houses are disposed of as garbage. is”
■ＳＤＧｓの観点からも注目
古民家に明確な定義はないが、国の文化財登録制度では築５０年以上が対象。一般には伝統的な工法で建てられ、かやぶきや草ぶき、日本瓦の屋根、土間、太い柱や梁(はり)を持つ建物を指す。
近年、空き家問題の解決やＳＤＧｓ（持続可能な開発目標）の観点からも注目されているのが、こうした古民家の再生だ。廃棄せずに再利用すれば、二酸化炭素（ＣＯ2）の削減にもつながるからだ。「山翠舎」は２０１９年、環境に配慮した企業として「長野県ＳＤＧｓ推進企業」に第１期登録されている。
■ Attention from the perspective of SDGs
There is no clear definition of kominka, but the national cultural property registration system applies to houses that are over 50 years old. In general, it refers to buildings built using traditional construction methods, with thatched or thatched roofs, Japanese tile roofs, dirt floors, and thick pillars and beams.
In recent years, the restoration of such old private houses has been attracting attention from the perspective of solving the problem of vacant houses and achieving the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Reusing instead of disposing of it will also help reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. In 2019, “Sansuisha” was registered as an environmentally friendly company in the first phase of “Nagano Prefecture SDGs Promotion Company”.
解体現場から出る古材に着目したビジネスも広がる。上田市の「もくぞう」は、昨年７月から、古材や古道具の買い取り販売に取り組む。代表の間藤(まとう)まりのさん（３３）は、「空き家の相談を受ける中で、古材や建具を（捨てずに）活用できないかと企画した」と話す。
古材の用途は、ＤＩＹで机やいすに仕立てる、内装に使うなど。捨てられるはずだったものに新たな価値を与え、よみがえらせる「アップサイクル」にもつながる活動だ。
Businesses focusing on old materials from demolition sites are also expanding. Mokuzo in Ueda City has been buying and selling old materials and old tools since July last year. Marino Matou, 33, the company’s representative, said, “When we received consultations about vacant houses, we came up with a plan to make use of old materials and fittings (instead of throwing them away).”
Uses of old materials include DIY desks and chairs, and interior decoration. It is an activity that leads to “upcycling”, which gives new value to things that were supposed to be thrown away and brings them back to life.