2009年06月15日
戦国史跡：「歴女」急増中 武将の男らしさに…
(Mainichi Japan) June 14, 2009
New wave of 'history girls' wooed by warlords' masculinity
戦国史跡：「歴女」急増中 武将の男らしさに…
Young women are flocking to significant landmarks from the Warring States period, and college girls are buying up samurai-themed products. Sales of historical books are up, and there have been efforts to revive the publication of paperbacks on warlords. Behind this craze is the surge in "reki-jo" or "history girls." But why now?
歴史をテーマにした書店「時代屋」には「歴女」と呼ばれる女性たちが足を運ぶ＝東京都千代田区で２００９年５月２６日午後、佐々木順一撮影 戦国時代の史跡が若い女性たちでにぎわい、武将をテーマにしたグッズも女子大生らに人気だ。背景にあるのは、歴史好きの女性「レキジョ」（歴女）の増加。歴史を扱う本の売れ行きも好調で、武将を取り上げた文庫本を復刊する動きも出ている。なぜ、いまレキジョなのか。【田村彰子、遠藤拓】
On weekends, Jidai Shobo, a bookstore specializing in historical books in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, is packed with groups of young women. Most of the shop's customers were men when it first opened in February 2006, but by last year, half were women, of which around 90 percent are in their 20s and 30s.
０６年２月に開店した書店「歴史時代書房・時代屋」（東京都千代田区）は、週末になると若い女性のグループであふれかえる。開店当初は男性客が中心だったが、昨年は男女ほぼ同数に。女性客の９割は２０〜３０代という。
Stationery and mobile phone accessories with family crests of feudal lords line the shelves, with figurines of Sanada Yukimura, the most popular of the warlords, and others also for sale. "I like Kato Kiyomasa," says customer Izumi Sekine, 34, of a warlord who served the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. "There's an almost picture-perfect masculinity about him."
店内には、大名家の家紋をあしらった文具やストラップなどがズラリ。武将の中で一番人気という真田幸村などのフィギュアも人気を集める。江東区の会社員、関根いずみさん（３４）は「加藤清正が好き。絵に描いたような男らしさにひかれます」と笑顔を見せた。
In August 2008, the Kojuro Plaza opened in the city of Shiroishi in Miyagi Prefecture, home of Katakura Kojuro, a senior retainer of the 17th century warlord Date Masamune. Sales of Kojuro-related goods subsequently exceeded 100,000 yen on some days. Visitors to Shiroishi Castle during the week-long holiday in May jumped to 135 percent compared to the previous year, and most recent visitors have been young women, according to city officials. The tourist center in Ueda, Sanada Yukimura's hometown in Nagano Prefecture, has also enjoyed a jump in sales.
一方、伊達政宗の側近、片倉小十郎の地元・宮城県白石市。昨年８月、ＪＲ白石駅前に小十郎プラザを開設したところ、グッズの売り上げが１０万円以上に達した日もある。白石城の大型連休の入場者数は前年比１３５％。市によると、若い女性ばかりが訪れているという。幸村の地元・長野県上田市の市観光会館でも、関連グッズの売れ行きが好調だ。
The publishing business has felt the effects of this boom as well. Monthly magazine "Rekishi kaido" ("History way") had a circulation of less than 70,000 copies five years ago; now it sees sales of 120,000 copies.
出版界でも影響が広がる。月刊誌「歴史街道」は５年前には７万部未満だったが、１２万部に伸びた。
"The proportion of female readers has gone up from 15 percent of total readers to 40 percent," says editor-in-chief Kiyotaka Tatsumoto. The magazine's publisher, PHP Institute, revived publication of the biographies of warlords Date Masamune (1567-1636) and Uesugi Kenshin (1530-1578) in late March this year, and plans to revive publication of the biographies of Hosokawa Tadaoki (1563-1646) and Gamo Ujisato (1556-1595) due to popular demand.
辰本清隆編集長は「読者の女性比率が１５％から４０％に上がった」。ＰＨＰ研究所は絶版となっていた「伊達政宗」や「上杉謙信」などの伝記を今年３月末に復刊。好評のため「細川忠興（ただおき）」「蒲生氏郷（がもううじさと）」なども近く復刊する。
More unorthodox products have seen a boost in sales as well. There is a constant shortage in stock of Sido brand underwear or men's "armor" underwear, which cost a considerable 9,240 a pair. According to Tokyo-based manufacturer Rogin, about 80 percent of buyers are women.
"As a result of the history boom, our underwear seems to have gained popularity as gifts," says Rogin president Shiro Nogi. "We're planning to come out with a women's line, too."
変わったものも売れる。男性用の「甲冑（かっちゅう）パンツ」。９２４０円もするが常に品薄状態で、客の８割は女性だという。制作・販売会社「ログイン」（東京都）の野木志郎社長は「ブームの影響もあり、贈答用で人気が出たらしい。今後は女性用も手がける予定です」。
◇生き様のかっこよさ求める女性たち
So how do "reki-jo" differ from the original history buffs, who were mostly middle-aged men?
"In general, men relate battles and the management styles of warlords back to their own corporate environments, and try to use whatever they lessons they can to improve their own work lives," says Tetsuo Owada, a professor emeritus at Shizuoka University who has written over 100 books on the Warring States period.
"But for women, it's more about the admiration they feel towards the warlords' approach to their lives." Owada adds that this may be a backlash against what they see as the selfishness of political and financial leaders today.
歴女は元祖・歴史ファンの中高年男性とはどう違うのか。ＮＨＫ大河ドラマ「天地人」で時代考証を担当、戦国時代を巡る著書が１００冊を超える静岡大名誉教授、小和田哲男さんは言う。
「一般的に、男性は合戦や人の使い方を企業社会に結びつけて理解し、実際に役立てようとする。女性は武将の生き様のかっこよさに焦点を当てていく」
歴女が歴史上の人物に首ったけになる理由について、小和田さんはこうみる。
「政界でも財界でも、現代の指導者といわれる人々は、自分さえよければとの考えを持った人々が多い。女性たちはそこを嫌っているのかもしれない」
Meanwhile, researcher Tetsuaki Higashida from the Dentsu Communication Institute suggests that women are attracted to the masculinity of these warlords, compared to the more passive modern men that they know. "Gender role reversals have been taking place, with men cooking and women playing golf," he says. "It's not unacceptable nowadays for women to take an interest in warlords, which used to be an area of interest reserved for men."
一方、電通総研の東田哲明リサーチャーは「男性が『草食化』していると言われ、反動で女性たちは『力強さ』などを持つ戦国武将にひかれるのでは」と分析。「男性が料理をする、女性がゴルフをするなど『男女の逆転現象』も起きている。昔は男性の領域だった戦国武将を女性が趣味にしても、世間に受け入れられやすいことも背景にあるのでは」と話している。
毎日新聞 2009年6月9日 11時46分（最終更新 6月9日 13時03分）
New wave of 'history girls' wooed by warlords' masculinity
戦国史跡：「歴女」急増中 武将の男らしさに…
Young women are flocking to significant landmarks from the Warring States period, and college girls are buying up samurai-themed products. Sales of historical books are up, and there have been efforts to revive the publication of paperbacks on warlords. Behind this craze is the surge in "reki-jo" or "history girls." But why now?
歴史をテーマにした書店「時代屋」には「歴女」と呼ばれる女性たちが足を運ぶ＝東京都千代田区で２００９年５月２６日午後、佐々木順一撮影 戦国時代の史跡が若い女性たちでにぎわい、武将をテーマにしたグッズも女子大生らに人気だ。背景にあるのは、歴史好きの女性「レキジョ」（歴女）の増加。歴史を扱う本の売れ行きも好調で、武将を取り上げた文庫本を復刊する動きも出ている。なぜ、いまレキジョなのか。【田村彰子、遠藤拓】
On weekends, Jidai Shobo, a bookstore specializing in historical books in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, is packed with groups of young women. Most of the shop's customers were men when it first opened in February 2006, but by last year, half were women, of which around 90 percent are in their 20s and 30s.
０６年２月に開店した書店「歴史時代書房・時代屋」（東京都千代田区）は、週末になると若い女性のグループであふれかえる。開店当初は男性客が中心だったが、昨年は男女ほぼ同数に。女性客の９割は２０〜３０代という。
Stationery and mobile phone accessories with family crests of feudal lords line the shelves, with figurines of Sanada Yukimura, the most popular of the warlords, and others also for sale. "I like Kato Kiyomasa," says customer Izumi Sekine, 34, of a warlord who served the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. "There's an almost picture-perfect masculinity about him."
店内には、大名家の家紋をあしらった文具やストラップなどがズラリ。武将の中で一番人気という真田幸村などのフィギュアも人気を集める。江東区の会社員、関根いずみさん（３４）は「加藤清正が好き。絵に描いたような男らしさにひかれます」と笑顔を見せた。
In August 2008, the Kojuro Plaza opened in the city of Shiroishi in Miyagi Prefecture, home of Katakura Kojuro, a senior retainer of the 17th century warlord Date Masamune. Sales of Kojuro-related goods subsequently exceeded 100,000 yen on some days. Visitors to Shiroishi Castle during the week-long holiday in May jumped to 135 percent compared to the previous year, and most recent visitors have been young women, according to city officials. The tourist center in Ueda, Sanada Yukimura's hometown in Nagano Prefecture, has also enjoyed a jump in sales.
一方、伊達政宗の側近、片倉小十郎の地元・宮城県白石市。昨年８月、ＪＲ白石駅前に小十郎プラザを開設したところ、グッズの売り上げが１０万円以上に達した日もある。白石城の大型連休の入場者数は前年比１３５％。市によると、若い女性ばかりが訪れているという。幸村の地元・長野県上田市の市観光会館でも、関連グッズの売れ行きが好調だ。
The publishing business has felt the effects of this boom as well. Monthly magazine "Rekishi kaido" ("History way") had a circulation of less than 70,000 copies five years ago; now it sees sales of 120,000 copies.
出版界でも影響が広がる。月刊誌「歴史街道」は５年前には７万部未満だったが、１２万部に伸びた。
"The proportion of female readers has gone up from 15 percent of total readers to 40 percent," says editor-in-chief Kiyotaka Tatsumoto. The magazine's publisher, PHP Institute, revived publication of the biographies of warlords Date Masamune (1567-1636) and Uesugi Kenshin (1530-1578) in late March this year, and plans to revive publication of the biographies of Hosokawa Tadaoki (1563-1646) and Gamo Ujisato (1556-1595) due to popular demand.
辰本清隆編集長は「読者の女性比率が１５％から４０％に上がった」。ＰＨＰ研究所は絶版となっていた「伊達政宗」や「上杉謙信」などの伝記を今年３月末に復刊。好評のため「細川忠興（ただおき）」「蒲生氏郷（がもううじさと）」なども近く復刊する。
More unorthodox products have seen a boost in sales as well. There is a constant shortage in stock of Sido brand underwear or men's "armor" underwear, which cost a considerable 9,240 a pair. According to Tokyo-based manufacturer Rogin, about 80 percent of buyers are women.
"As a result of the history boom, our underwear seems to have gained popularity as gifts," says Rogin president Shiro Nogi. "We're planning to come out with a women's line, too."
変わったものも売れる。男性用の「甲冑（かっちゅう）パンツ」。９２４０円もするが常に品薄状態で、客の８割は女性だという。制作・販売会社「ログイン」（東京都）の野木志郎社長は「ブームの影響もあり、贈答用で人気が出たらしい。今後は女性用も手がける予定です」。
◇生き様のかっこよさ求める女性たち
So how do "reki-jo" differ from the original history buffs, who were mostly middle-aged men?
"In general, men relate battles and the management styles of warlords back to their own corporate environments, and try to use whatever they lessons they can to improve their own work lives," says Tetsuo Owada, a professor emeritus at Shizuoka University who has written over 100 books on the Warring States period.
"But for women, it's more about the admiration they feel towards the warlords' approach to their lives." Owada adds that this may be a backlash against what they see as the selfishness of political and financial leaders today.
歴女は元祖・歴史ファンの中高年男性とはどう違うのか。ＮＨＫ大河ドラマ「天地人」で時代考証を担当、戦国時代を巡る著書が１００冊を超える静岡大名誉教授、小和田哲男さんは言う。
「一般的に、男性は合戦や人の使い方を企業社会に結びつけて理解し、実際に役立てようとする。女性は武将の生き様のかっこよさに焦点を当てていく」
歴女が歴史上の人物に首ったけになる理由について、小和田さんはこうみる。
「政界でも財界でも、現代の指導者といわれる人々は、自分さえよければとの考えを持った人々が多い。女性たちはそこを嫌っているのかもしれない」
Meanwhile, researcher Tetsuaki Higashida from the Dentsu Communication Institute suggests that women are attracted to the masculinity of these warlords, compared to the more passive modern men that they know. "Gender role reversals have been taking place, with men cooking and women playing golf," he says. "It's not unacceptable nowadays for women to take an interest in warlords, which used to be an area of interest reserved for men."
一方、電通総研の東田哲明リサーチャーは「男性が『草食化』していると言われ、反動で女性たちは『力強さ』などを持つ戦国武将にひかれるのでは」と分析。「男性が料理をする、女性がゴルフをするなど『男女の逆転現象』も起きている。昔は男性の領域だった戦国武将を女性が趣味にしても、世間に受け入れられやすいことも背景にあるのでは」と話している。
毎日新聞 2009年6月9日 11時46分（最終更新 6月9日 13時03分）
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