乙女の像は、1953年(昭和28年)、十和田湖の国立公園指定15周年を記念し、十和田湖や奥入瀬渓流を広く世に紹介し、国立公園指定に功績のあった、明治時代の文人「大町桂月」、当時の青森県知事「武田千代三郎」、地元村長「小笠原耕一」の三氏を称えて作られた功労碑であり、作者は彫刻家・詩人の「高村光太郎」です。
功労碑の建立は青森県が実施したもので、作家、太宰治の実兄である当時の県知事「津島文治」は、十和田湖の風景にふさわしく芸術的な記念建立を願い、高村光太郎に制作を依頼しました。
The statue of the maiden was created in 1953 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the designation of Lake Towada as a national park.
The statue of the maiden is a monument of merit and was created by Kotaro Takamura, a sculptor and poet.
The statue was created in honor of Kotaro Takamura, a sculptor and poet, who introduced Lake Towada and the Oirase Stream to the public and made great contributions to the designation of the national park.
The three men are Keigetsu Omachi, a literary figure of the Meiji era, Chiyosaburo Takeda, the governor of Aomori Prefecture at the time, and Koichi Ogasawara, the mayor of the local village.
The erection of the statue of the maiden was carried out by Aomori Prefecture.
Bunji Tsushima, the brother of the writer Osamu Dazai and the governor of the prefecture at the time, commissioned Kotaro Takamura to create the statue in the hope that it would be an artistic memorial befitting the scenery of Lake Towada.
当時、花巻の山荘で晴耕雨読の生活をしていた高村光太郎に、佐藤春夫は「あの美しい自然の下に置くのはあなたの制作しかない。あそこにあなたの制作以外の変なものが置かれては人間の恥だからです。」と手紙を出して、青森県の制作依頼を引き受けるよう説得しました。
高村光太郎は、1950年(昭和25年)11月に「智恵子抄その後」を発刊し、その一つ「裸形」の中で「智恵子の裸形をこの世に残して、私はやがて天然の素中に帰ろう」と記しており、老齢になった境地の域に達した高村光太郎に「男の花道を飾らせたい」という作家や文筆家などの文壇仲間の思いも強く後押ししました。
1952年(昭和27年)6月に佐藤春夫夫妻と連れ立って、高村光太郎が十和田湖の下見に訪れ、「智恵子を残そう」とつぶやき、仕事を引き受ける決意を固めます。その後、野辺地町出身の彫刻家「小坂圭二」を助手にし制作に取り掛かり、1953年(昭和28年)10月21日、除幕式が行われました。
Haruo Sato wrote to Kotaro Takamura, who was living in a villa in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture.
“The only thing I would place under that beautiful nature is your production. It would be a shame for human beings if anything strange other than your production is placed there.” This was the letter.
In November 1950, Kotaro Takamura published “Chieko Sho Afterward”.
In one of the articles, “Naked Form,” he wrote, “I will leave Chieko’s naked form in this world, and I will eventually return to my natural prime.
The desire of his fellow writers, writers, and other literary circles to have the aging Kotaro Takamura “adorn a man’s flower arrangement” also strongly encouraged him to do so.
In June 1952, Kotaro Takamura, accompanied by Haruo Sato and his wife, visited Lake Towada for a preliminary inspection. He murmured, “Let’s leave Chieko behind,” and made up his mind to take on the job. He then began work on the sculpture with Keiji Kosaka, a sculptor from Nohechi Town, as his assistant, and the unveiling ceremony was held on October 21, 1953.
二体の女性の像が手を合わせて向き合う姿は、自分の姿をそのまま写している湖水の澄明さをイメージしたもので、影と形を表しています。乙女の像のそばには、高村光太郎が残した「十和田湖畔の裸像に与ふ」という詩が刻まれた石碑があります。
The two female statues face each other with their arms raised, representing the shadows and shapes of the clear lake water, mirroring themselves exactly.
Near the maiden statues is a stone monument inscribed with a poem by Kotaro Takamura.” Dedicated to the Naked Statue by Lake Towada.”
十和田湖の詳しいの情報はこちらをご覧ください。
For more information on Lake Towada, please click here.