今日は、渋谷家文書の寄贈者、渋谷様夫妻と数年ぶりにお会い致しました。

明日26日、以前からお話があった澁谷様の御先祖様が眠るお墓の修繕が完了し、受け渡しがある為です。

昨年の9月頃澁谷様からご相談を受け、本当は私自身が修繕したかったのですが、私はお墓は素人なので、専門家に橋渡しを致しました。

国際情勢や様々な事由から、着工が予定より遅延し、少し心配をしながら頼んだ業者様と連携し、進行状況を確認しつつ、終了した事を報告を受け、澁谷様夫妻が新幹線でこちらにいらっしゃいました。

遠路はるばる、長旅お疲れ様でしたとご挨拶し、ご一緒にご飯を食べました。

様々なお話をし、想いを馳せながら澁谷様のお父様が眠るお墓に、明日ご一緒させていただきます。

故・シゲヨシ様が史料として展示していなければ、素人で無知だった私が発見出来なかったかも知れない、そう思い、亡くなった故人様へ敬意を忘れず、導いて下さった事に感謝し、安心して眠っていただける様に、明日澁谷様と一緒に供養させていただきたいと思います。

今週は、その後滝上教育委員会に訪問して、発見した開拓史資料を寄贈したいと思います。

私がこの様に継続して希少な資料に気づける様になったのも、澁谷様や高野さんの、寄贈時の誠実さのおかげなのです。

親戚ではなくなり、関係も今はありませんが、それでも感謝は忘れずにいたい。

それが歴史の空白を埋める遺品整理士としての、私の信念です。

It Was a Pleasure to See Them Again

Today, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. and Mrs. Shibuya, the donors of the Shibuya Family Documents, for the first time in several years.

Tomorrow, the 26th, the restoration of the grave of Mr. Shibuya’s ancestors is scheduled to be completed, and the restored grave will be formally handed over to the family.

Mr. Shibuya first consulted me about this matter around September last year. I had actually wanted to carry out the restoration myself, but since I have no professional experience with grave restoration, I connected him with a specialist who could undertake the work.

Due to the international situation and various other circumstances, the start of the work was delayed beyond the original schedule. I was a little concerned, so I stayed in contact with the contractor I had introduced, checking on the progress along the way.

After I received confirmation that the restoration had been completed, Mr. and Mrs. Shibuya traveled here by Shinkansen to see the results and complete the handover.

I greeted them by saying, “You’ve had a long journey. Thank you for coming all this way,” and we shared a meal together.

We talked about many things, reflecting on the past and the people connected to it. Tomorrow, I will accompany Mr. Shibuya to the grave where his late father rests.

I often think that if the late Mr. Shigeyoshi had not preserved these documents and displayed them as historical materials, I, an ordinary person with no specialist knowledge, might never have discovered them. With that thought in mind, I want to continue to show respect for the person who has passed away and gratitude for the way his actions helped lead me to this discovery.

Tomorrow, I hope to pay my respects together with Mr. Shibuya, so that the deceased may rest peacefully, knowing that the history entrusted to them has not been forgotten.

Later this week, I also plan to visit the Takigami Board of Education to donate historical materials related to the area’s pioneering history that I recently discovered.

The reason I have gradually become better at recognizing these rare historical materials is, in large part, thanks to the sincerity and integrity that Mr. Shibuya and Professor Takano showed when the documents were donated.

Although we are no longer related by marriage and no longer have a family relationship, I do not want to forget the gratitude I feel.

This is the conviction I hold as an estate-clearing professional who seeks to fill the gaps in history.