この作品は、宮沢賢治の詩「雨ニモマケズ」の世界を、井堂雅夫が木版画として可視化した作品です。
井堂雅夫は、歴史と文化の都・京都を拠点に創作活動を続ける一方、念願だった故郷・岩手にもアトリエを構えました。そして、「人はどこから来て、どこへ行くのか──」という問いを胸に、宇宙と生命について思索を重ねながら作品を生み出していました。
そんな折、宮沢賢治の弟・清六氏と出会い、何度かお話を伺う機会に恵まれます。清六氏は、ゴッホにとっての弟テオのように、賢治の作品を世に広めた存在で、遺品の中にあった小さな手帳に記されていた「雨ニモマケズ」をはじめ多くの作品が世界中で愛されるようになった事は、清六氏の存在を抜きには語れません。その清六氏から、賢治の人柄や生き方を直接聞くことができた経験は、井堂雅夫にとって何ものにも代えがたい貴重な時間となりました。
井堂雅夫は、故郷・岩手での日々を次のように語っています。
「アトリエの窓に広がる田園、毎日庭に訪れる鳥たち、散歩で出会う小さな虫や小川の魚。すべての命はつながり、その遺伝子は宇宙の意思によって、再びきらきらと水蒸気のように地球へ降り立つ。もちろん、人もその中にいる。」
賢治の作品を読み深めるほどに、井堂雅夫は、岩手で追い求めてきた自身の創作テーマである「宇宙と生命」と、賢治の思想が深く響き合っていることを実感するようになりました。そして、その感覚こそが、この岩手という土地が育んだ遺伝子によってもたらされた、大切な精神性であると語っていました。
Blog post
Aug. 2026
“Strong in the Rain ”
This work is a woodblock print in which Masao Ido visualized the world of Kenji Miyazawa’s celebrated poem Ame ni mo Makezu (“Strong in the Rain”).
While continuing his artistic career in Kyoto, a city renowned for its rich history and culture, Masao Ido also fulfilled a long-held dream by establishing a studio in his native Iwate. There, he created his works while reflecting deeply on the universe and life, carrying with him the fundamental question: “Where do we come from, and where are we going?”
It was during this period that Masao Ido met Seiroku Miyazawa, the younger brother of Kenji Miyazawa, and was fortunate to have several opportunities to speak with him. Like Theo, the younger brother of Vincent van Gogh, Seiroku played a vital role in bringing Kenji’s works to the wider world. It is impossible to speak of the enduring international appreciation of Kenji’s writings—including Ame ni mo Makezu, which was found written in a small notebook among his personal belongings—without acknowledging Seiroku’s contribution. For Masao Ido, being able to hear directly from Seiroku about Kenji’s character and way of life was an experience of immeasurable value.
Masao Ido once described his days in his native Iwate:
“Beyond the window of my studio stretched the countryside. Birds visited my garden every day, and on my walks I encountered tiny insects and fish in the streams. All life is interconnected, and its genes, guided by the will of the universe, descend once again upon the earth, sparkling like water vapor. Of course, human beings are part of this as well.”
The more deeply Masao Ido explored Kenji’s writings, the more keenly he came to realize the profound resonance between Kenji’s philosophy and his own artistic theme, “the universe and life,” which he had pursued throughout his years in Iwate. He spoke of this resonance as a precious spirituality—one that had been nurtured by the very land of Iwate and passed down through the generations like a living genetic inheritance.
