Prologue

The Matsura family were the lords of the Hirado and
“Encyclopedia of 100 Sweets”

Hirado Island is located just 500m across the Hirado-strait, at the most northwestern end of the Kyushu mainland. From ancient times Hirado has been an important port of call on international shipping routes. Starting with exchanges with the Asian mainland, Hirado later forged connections with places further away; Southeast Asian and Portuguese ships arrived in the 16th century and the Dutch and English at the beginning of the 17th century. They all passed through the Hirado-strait and entered Hirado port where the Matsura clan ruled. Hirado was the first place where many foreign products and cultures arrived, whether it was religion (Zen Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity), weapons (guns, cannons), lifestyle (clothes, etc) or culture (bread, sugar, beer).

In the 1600’s many foreigners lived in Hirado. Among them the Dutch East India Company employees who worked at the Duch Trading Post (1609-1641), English and Korean interpreters who were employed at the English Trading Post (1613-1623), as well as many Chinese merchants. Hirado had been a key port on international shipping routes and was a global region even before the 1600`s. Hirado and the Matsura family have kept the relationships with the Netherlands and Southeast Asian nations such as Taiwan and China up until today.

In the Edo period (1603-1868) the Matsura family were the lords of the Hirado domain and had a major influence on local politics and culture. The 29th head of the Matsura family, Shigenobu (aka Tensho) earned his place in history as a master of the tea ceremony. When he was at the age of just 20, Hirado faced financial difficulties because the shogunate (feudal government) ordered the relocation of the Dutch Trading Post to Dejima in Nagasaki, stripping Hirado of its trading income. However, he succeeded in transforming the local economy and also achieved great success in his later life as a founder of the warrior style of tea ceremony Chinshin-ryū. The 34th head of the Matsura family Kiyoshi (aka Seizan) was called 'ranpeki daimyo' because of his devotion to Dutch science and culture. He was a unique collector and founded　“Rakusaido”; Japan’s largest library at that time, where he collected Dutch books, terrestrial and celestial globes, etc.
The 35th head of the family Hiromu was Seizan’s biological child. Hiromu compiled the ”Encyclopedia of 100 Sweets”. He was born in Hirado (it was the first time in 200 years that a lord was actually born there) and loved Hirado all his life. He also enjoyed poetry, songs and books. After retiring from public life, he uncommonly stayed in his hometown Hirado, and spent his last years there. He started to compile the “Encyclopedia of 100 Sweets” from 1841 onwards, taking 6 years to list the various sweets by tasting them over and over again. Hiromu compiled this book to pass on the Hirado sweets culture to the following generations. His passion might have come from the spirit of tea ceremony, as he was proud that unique Hirado sweets had been developed there because it was the first place in the nation where sugar arrived, so he created the book for later generations.

In 1867, the year before the Meiji era began, Hiromu passed away. In 1871 the feudal domains were abolished and prefectures were established in their place. First Hirado prefecture was created but it was later incorporated into Nagasaki prefecture. The lord was made a count in the new Japanese peerage system.
Nowadays Akira Matsura is the 41st head of the family. In May of 1998 he found the beautiful “Encyclopaedia of 100 Sweets” hidden away in his storehouse. This discovery was the start of the East to West Encyclopaedia.

平戸藩主松浦家と百菓之図

九州の北西端に、わずか500ｍほどの瀬戸で隔てて平戸島がある。古代より航路の要地であり、アジアをはじめ、16世紀には東南アジア・ポルトガル、17世紀初頭にはオランダ・イ ギリスの船舶が瀬戸を通過して、松浦（まつら）家が居を構えた平戸港に入港した。日本にもたらされる「モノ、文化」が最初に到着した場所である。

―渡来の宗教（禅宗・道教・キリスト教）、武器（鉄砲・大砲）、生活文化（衣食住）等々―。

1600年代、オランダ商館（1609－1641）には東インド会社所属のオランダ人が働き、イギリス商館（1613－1623）ではイギリス人や朝鮮半島出身の通訳がおり、チャイナタウン （1635年入港制限）が形成され、華やかに、また、様々な出来事が起きていた。平戸は長い歴史から航路の要地であり、江戸時代以前からグローバル地域であった。現在でもオラ ンダ・台湾・中国をはじめ東南アジア諸国と平戸及び松浦家は関係が続けている。

江戸時代、松浦家は平戸藩の藩主として、政治と文化に大いに影響を与えた。数寄者として後世に名が残る人物は、松浦家29代（4代藩主）天祥鎮信がいる。若干20歳の時に、幕府によりオランダ商館の出島に移転を命じられ藩財政は打撃を受ける。しかし改革に成功し、晩年には武家茶道 鎮信流を大成させた。松浦家34代（9代藩主）松浦静山は、再び悪化した藩政改革を断行、蘭学や博物学に熱を入れ、蘭癖大名とも呼ばれる。ユニークなコレクターでもあり、オランダで出版された 本、地球儀や天球儀などを集めた国内最大のコレクションの“楽歳堂文庫”を持った。 この静山の実子が、松浦家35代（10代藩主）熈（ひろむ）である。

彼が「百菓之図」を編集するのである。 江戸時代200年ぶりに平戸で誕生して藩主になった熈は、終生平戸を愛す。詩歌、書を愛し雅な趣であった 熈 は当時、とても珍しい国元隠 居を決行し、晩年の余生を平戸のために費やした。 百菓之図は藩主を離れた１８４１年から始められた。６年の歳月をかけて試食を繰り返し書き残された百菓之図。

後世に伝えんがために編集された、と書かれたこの百菓子之図には、もちろん茶道による所以はあるが、それと同時に、砂糖が日本の中でも初めて平戸に伝えられたことにより、 平戸らしいお菓子がここ平戸にて生まれたことを誇りに思い、残し伝えていきたいと考え編集されたのではないかと思う。

その熈は1867年、明治を迎える直前に没した。 1871年（明治4年）廃藩置県により藩領は平戸県となったのち、長崎県に編入された。藩主家は華族に列した。現在41代、松浦章氏。この松浦章氏が1998年５月、蔵に眠る秘蔵の「百菓之図」を発見したことにより、この”東西百菓之図”は始まるのである。

テキスト協力：久家孝史

HIRADO

www.hirado-net.com