これらの発案者が、岩本寺の窪博正住職だ。きっかけは「人が来なくなった四万十町を元気にするには、町内外の人が楽しんでくれるコンテンツをつくらなければ」との思いだった。
The brainchild of this project is Hiromasa Kubo, chief priest of Iwamoto-dera Temple. The impetus came from his belief that “in order to revitalize Shimanto Town, which has seen a decline in the number of visitors, we must create content that people in and outside the town can enjoy.
「アイデアマンで人を巻きこむのがうまい」と地元の人にも言われている窪博正住職 The local people say, “Kubo Hiromasa is an idea man who is good at getting people involved.
地域おこしをするには仕組みが必要 A mechanism is needed to promote local development
四国八十八ヶ所霊場全体で見ると、近年お遍路の数は減少傾向で、令和元年（2019）6月に四国経済連合会が各札所を対象に行った調査によると、10年前と比べ4割近く人数が減少。岩本寺のある窪川地域もそれに伴い商店街は人影がまばらになっている。この状況に、四万十町では中心地街活性化計画を立てさまざまな策を試みるが、形になる前に立ち消えになった計画も数知れず。
The number of pilgrims to the 88 sacred sites in Shikoku has been on the decline in recent years, and according to a survey conducted by the Shikoku Economic Federation in June 2028, the number of pilgrims to each site has decreased by nearly 40% compared to 10 years ago. In the Kubokawa area, where Iwamotoji Temple is located, the shopping streets are sparsely populated. In response to this situation, the town of Shimanto has formulated a plan to revitalize the town center and tried various measures, but countless plans have been abandoned before they could take shape.
「町に暮らす自分たちが動かなければ町は変わらないと考え、昨年（令和2年）4月に、地元の商店主たちと『しまんと街おこし応援団』を立ち上げました。私が団長となり、自分たちの手で四万十町を元気にしていこう、という私の思いに20人近くが賛同してくれて、何ができるか、何をするべきかを定期的に議論しています」
I thought that the town would not change unless we, the residents of Shimanto, took action, so in April 2020, I established the Shimanto Town Revitalization Support Group with local shopkeepers. I became the leader of the group, and nearly 20 people agreed with my idea to revitalize Shimanto with our own hands. We have regular discussions about what we can do and what we should do. Many of the members of the town revitalization support group are heirs of local merchants. Many of the pilgrims and guests who stay at Iwamotoji arrive at the temple at dusk and leave early the next morning, so they do not get to enjoy the town. The idea was then to incorporate the town’s industries into the temple experience, so that visitors could experience Shimanto Town by staying at the temple.
街おこし応援団のメンバーには、地元商店の跡継ぎが多い。それらメンバーと協力し合い、みんなの意見をもとに生まれたのが、先述の岩本寺の多彩なコンテンツである。岩本寺の宿坊を利用する遍路客や一般の宿泊客の多くは、夕暮れに寺へ着き、翌朝は早く出るため、町を楽しんでもらえない。それならば寺院での体験に町の産業を組み込み、寺院に宿泊すれば四万十町を体験できるようにしてみたらどうか、というアイデアだ。
Many of the members of the town revitalization support group are heirs of local merchants. Many of the pilgrims and guests who stay at Iwamotoji arrive at the temple at dusk and leave early the next morning, so they do not get to enjoy the town. The idea was then to incorporate the town’s industries into the temple experience, so that visitors could experience Shimanto Town by staying at the temple.
「メンバーと会合を繰り返す中で、町内外の人が“楽しんで”お金を払ってくれる仕組みが必要との共通認識もできました。そのためには、寺院中心に町のさまざまなコンテンツを組み込んでいく事業と、町を中心に寺院が協力していく事業を、町おこしの両輪にすることにしたのです」
Through repeated meetings with the members, we came to a common understanding that we needed a system that would encourage people from within and outside of the town to “enjoy” the experience and pay for it. In order to achieve this, we decided to create two wheels of town revitalization: one to incorporate the various contents of the town around the temple, and the other to have the temple cooperate with the town.
そこで、岩本寺を事業の舞台とする「！SHIMANTO」を立ち上げ、活動に興味を持ってくれた高知県コンベンション協会と日本航空株式会社のバックアップを受けながら、観光庁観光振興事業補助金を申請。補助金事業は無事に採択され、ホームページ制作とSNSの準備、境内の多言語化、モニターツアーなどを行った。並行して、プロジェクトに合わせて寺院の予算で宿坊を改修し、敷地内にRVパークも新設。
So, we launched “SHIMANTO” with Iwamotoji Temple as the stage for the project, and with the backing of the Kochi Prefecture Convention Association, which was interested in our activities, and Japan Airlines Co. With the support of the Kochi Prefecture Convention Association and Japan Airlines Corporation, which were interested in the project, they applied for a tourism promotion subsidy from the Japan Tourism Agency. The subsidy project was successfully adopted, and the project included website creation and SNS preparation, multilingualization of the temple precincts, and monitoring tours. In parallel with the project, the temple renovated a lodging house with the temple’s budget and established an RV park on the premises.
同時に「しまんと街おこし応援団」としての地域おこしも、高知県と四万十町から予算を得て積極的に進め、7月にはメンバー発案のしまんと古書街道をスタート。これはイギリスの田舎町ヘイ･オン･ワイで1960年代に一人の男性が古書店を開いたことがきっかけで、人口1,500人ほどの町に年間約50万人が訪れるようになった、古書による町おこし成功例を参考にした取り組みだ。
At the same time, the “Shimanto Machiokoshi-Ouen-dan” (Shimanto Town Development Support Group) actively promoted regional development with a budget from Kochi Prefecture and Shimanto Town, and in July, the group launched the Shimanto Kosho Kaido (Old Book Road), a project conceived by the members. This initiative is based on the successful example of a secondhand bookstore in the English country town of Hay-on-Wye in the 1960s, where a man opened a secondhand bookstore that attracted about 500,000 visitors a year to a town of about 1,500 people.
商店街の空き店舗を利用して、ジャンル別に古本を販売しているしまんと古書街道。「！SHIMANTO」と「しまんと街おこし応援団」との協働プロジェクト SHIMANTO Kosho Kaido, which sells used books by genre using vacant stores in the shopping arcade. SHIMANTO“ and ”Shimanto Machi Okoshi Ouendan” (Shimanto Town Development Support Group) collaborative project.
店通りに面したガラス壁にSHETAのアートが描かれている店舗もある Some stores have SHETA art on the glass walls facing the store street.
しまんと街おこし応援団のプロジェクトで、窪川駅前の街歩きMAPを見やすくリニューアル。よくみると、ここにもSHETAのアートが The Kubokawa Station MAP has been renewed for easier viewing as part of a project by the Shimanto Machiokoshi-Ouen-dan (Support Group for Town Development). If you look closely, you can see SHETA’s art here as well.
SHETAのアートは、写真のように古紙回収会社の倉庫など、町のいたるところにある。アートで町めぐりを楽しんでもらう仕掛けだ SHETA’s art can be found throughout the town, including in the warehouse of a used paper collection company, as shown in the photo. This is a mechanism for visitors to enjoy touring the town through art.
