奈良県には、全国的に知られた吉野をはじめ桜の名所がたくさんあります。『又兵衛桜』もその内の一つで、桜マニアにはよく知られた桜ですが、人口に膾炙したような桜ではありません。しかし、樹齢300年は超えるといわれる枝垂桜は見事なもので、満開になればその圧倒的な立ち姿を見るために多くの人が押し寄せます。最近はどこで知ったのか外国人も多く目立ちます。名称は大坂夏の陣で活躍した戦国武将後藤基次(又兵衛)に因んで付けられました。豊臣家崩壊後、後藤基次は大宇陀（現 奈良県宇陀市）の地で暮らし、豊臣再興の時期を待ったと伝わりますが、桜はその時の後藤家屋敷跡に立っています。
奈良県宇陀市は、 奈良県の北東部に位置し、北は奈良市、山添村、西は、桜井市、 南は吉野町、東吉野村、東は曽爾(そに)村、三重県名張市に接しています。 総面積は 247.62 kmあり、県下では第6番目の広さです。 大和高原と呼ばれている高原地帯に位置するため、 山林が全土地面積の72%を占めています。2006年に市政が布かれた新しい市で、市街地は４％しかありません。
万葉の歌人・柿本人麻呂が現在の大宇陀の阿騎野で「東の野にかぎろひの立つ見えて返り見すれば月傾きぬ」という秀歌を詠んだことでも知られています。又兵衛桜も例年なら３月下旬ごろには満開を迎えますが、今年はやっと満開を迎えたところです。 🌸

Nara Prefecture boasts many famous cherry blossom spots, including the nationally renowned Yoshino. Among them is the “Matabei Cherry Blossom,” a weeping cherry tree well-known to sakura enthusiasts but not widely recognized by the general public. However, this tree, said to be over 300 years old, is magnificent. When it reaches full bloom, crowds flock to admire its overwhelming presence. Recently, many foreign visitors have also been noticeable, though it is unclear how they learned about this site. Its name comes from the samurai Goto Mototsugu (Matabei), who distinguished himself during the Osaka Summer Campaign. After the fall of the Toyotomi clan, Goto Mototsugu is said to have lived in Ouda (now Uda City, Nara Prefecture), awaiting the opportunity to restore the Toyotomi rule. The cherry tree stands at the site of the Goto family’s former residence during this time. 
Uda City, located in northeastern Nara Prefecture, borders Nara City and Yamazoe Village to the north; Sakurai City to the west; Yoshino Town and Higashi-Yoshino Village to the south; and Soni Village and Nabari City in Mie Prefecture to the east. Covering an area of 247.62 km², it is the sixth largest city in the prefecture. Situated in the plateau known as the Yamato Highlands, forests account for 72% of its total land area. It is a relatively new city, having been incorporated in 2006, with only 4% of its area designated as urban. 
Uda is also famous for the poem composed by the Manyo poet Kakinomoto no Hitomaro in Akino, present-day Ouda: “In the eastern field, a glow rises; turning back, the moon sets.” The Matabei cherry tree, which typically reaches full bloom in late March, has only recently reached full bloom this year. 🌸

高瀬川で思い出すのは『高瀬舟』。安楽死を取り上げた森鴎外の短編小説です。高瀬舟で罪人を護送する同心の羽田庄兵衛は「弟殺し」の罪で島流しに会うというのに晴れやかな表情の罪人に興味を持ち、仔細を聞きます。名を喜助と言い、弟と貧しい中でも力を合わせて細々と暮らしていました。ところが、弟が病に臥せってしまいます。
ある日、仕事から帰ると喉にカミソリが食い込んだ弟がいました。弟は懸命に働く兄を案じて自ら命を経とうとしたのですが死に切れていませんでした。すぐに医者を呼ぼうとする兄を静止して弟はこのまま死なせてくれるように懇願します。兄は弟の必死さを受け止めて、最後には喉からカミソリを引き抜いて弟にとどめを指しました。
兄の喜助からしてみれば、逃れられない死の運命の中苦しむ弟をひと思いに解放してやったという満足感が勝り、後悔などあろうはずがなく晴れやかな顔だったのです。一連の話を罪人から聞いた庄兵衛は悩みます。逃れることのできない死の運命の中苦しむ弟を介錯した兄。果たしてこの殺人は裁かれなければならない罪なのだろうかと疑問に思います。しかし、答えは出ることはなく高瀬舟はただ目的地に向かって高瀬川を下っていきます。

この冬の厳しい寒波のせいで開花も遅れ、いまやっと散り始めた桜が花筏になって、喜助を乗せた高瀬舟と同じように高瀬川を静かに下っていきます。

What comes to mind when thinking of the Takase River is ‘The Boat on the Takase River,’ a short story by Mori Ōgai that deals with euthanasia. Haneda Shōbei, a constable escorting a convict in the Takase boat, grows intrigued by the convict, who is exiled for the crime of ‘killing his younger brother’ but wears a serene expression. The convict’s name is Kisuke, and he once lived a modest life, striving together with his younger brother despite their poverty. However, his brother fell ill.
One day, upon returning home from work, Kisuke found his brother with a razor embedded in his throat. The younger brother, concerned for his hardworking elder brother, had attempted to take his own life but had not succeeded. As Kisuke rushed to summon a doctor, his brother pleaded desperately to be left to die as he was. Taking in his brother’s urgency, Kisuke finally pulled the razor from his throat, ending his life.
For Kisuke, freeing his brother from the inevitable suffering of his terminal fate brought him a sense of fulfillment, leaving no room for regret. This is why he bore a calm demeanor. Upon hearing Kisuke’s story, Shōbei was troubled. A brother who assisted in ending his sibling’s suffering under the shadow of unavoidable death—was this act of killing truly a crime that deserved judgment? However, an answer never emerged, and the Takase boat continued its journey down the Takase River toward its destination.

Due to the severe cold wave this winter, the cherry blossoms bloomed late and are only now beginning to scatter. Their petals, forming rafts of blossoms, drift gently along the Takase River, just like the Takase boat carrying Kisuke.