碑も花もほてりを冷ます秋の雨 72 Autumn rain cools the heat of the monument and flowers

夏の暑さを和らげるような雨は、過ごしやすいので、最近ではとても嬉しい。

そんな雨の馬車道を通った時、銀色の変わった形のオブジェを見つけた。よく見ると、「日本写真の開祖　写真師　下岡蓮杖顕彰碑」と刻まれている。
 
横浜が開港された２年後の1862年から写真館を開業していたという。当時は「写真を撮ると寿命が縮む」という噂もあったようだ。そんな中で写真を仕事として活動していたのは、本当に大変なことだったろうと想像する。
 
実際、今でも「写真を撮られると魂が抜かれる」なんて言い、カメラを構えると逃げる人もたまにいる。

昔なら、本気でそう思う人もいただろうし、当時は写真師なんて、呪術師や魔術師くらいに思われていたかもしれない。
 
いずれにしても、そうしたことにめげずに写真の普及に取り組んだ人が、この横浜・馬車道にいたと思うと、自分のことは棚に上げて、なんとなく横浜市民として誇らしい。

Rain that eases the summer heat is very pleasant these days because it is so easy to spend.

When I passed by the Bashamichi in the rain, I found a silver-colored object of an unusual shape. Upon closer inspection, I found it inscribed with the words "Monument in Honor of Renjo Shimooka, Photographer and Founder of Japanese Photography.

It is said that he had opened a photo studio in 1862, two years after the opening of the port of Yokohama. At the time, there was a rumor that taking photographs would shorten one's life span. I imagine it must have been a real challenge for him to work in photography under such circumstances.

In fact, even today, there are people who say, "My soul is drained when my picture is taken," and sometimes they run away when I hold up my camera.

In the old days, there would have been people who really thought so, and photographers might have been thought of as sorcerers or magicians.

In any case, I am somewhat proud as a citizen of Yokohama to think that there were people in Bashamichi, Yokohama, who worked to popularize photography without being discouraged by such things, putting my own life on the shelf.