５月「母の日」、６月「父の日」あまり実家に連絡しない私が唯一こちらから一報を入れる時期。そこで出身地である「熊本県」についてご紹介します。
熊本県には有名な観光地として熊本城があります。忍者をもってしても上がれないという石組の「武者返し」が有名ですが、上益城郡山都町（旧矢部町）という地方に同じ石組構造の”通潤橋”という観光地があります。あまり馴染みの無い名所かと思われますが実は、環境省選定で「残したい日本の音風景１００選」にも選ばれている名所なのです。
https://www.ince-j.or.jp/sound（91番）
通潤橋は人や車を通す橋ではなく、橋の上に石造パイプ３列の通水管を通した水路橋であり、江戸時代ペリー来航騒ぎの最中、安政元年（１８５４）に完成したものだそうです。
初めて父に連れて行ってもらったのは確か。。小学校の低学年の頃だったと記憶してます。その頃は一番印象に残っているのが通水口（排出口）の水の音が物凄く、幼少の私は物凄い音勢に吸い込まれるのではないかとドキドキしていたのを覚えてます。通潤橋の放水風景写真をみてもらえれば少しは伝わるかも。。。
http://www.kumamotokokufu-h.ed.jp/kumamoto/isibasi/isib_tujun.html
温泉で有名な阿蘇の近くにこの「通潤橋」はありますので是非、通水口（排出口）の物凄い音勢を感じて頂きたい。
(English)
“Kumamoto Prefecture”
I usually do not call to my parents very often, but, on May(Mothers day), and on June(Fathers day) I am the
first one to call. I want to introduce ,Kumamoto prefecture, which is the place where I was born and also the place where my parents live.
In Kumamoto prefecture there is a famous tourist spot which is called “The Kumamoto castle”.It is said that even the famous Ninjas could not climb the Stone structure which defends the castle against enemies. I want to introduce another tourist spot called “Tsujun”(It is a stone arrangement structure ), located in kamimashiki county yamato city it is not so famous , but, it was selected by the ministry of the environment as one of the “100 selected soundscape spots in Japan”.Please refer to the link below to see some photos:
https://www.ince-j.or.jp/sound（No.91）
“Tsujun” is not used as a passage bridge for people or cars, on top of it there are 3 pipes used to pass water, it was established during Ansei era(1854) Edo period, during Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry visit.
I remember the first time when my father took me there, back then, I was during the lower grades of elementary school. And what was mostly imprinted in my mind is the incredible sound of the water splashing from the pipe. I was just a little child and that powerful sound made my heart shake.
The landscape photos of “Tsujun” will describe itself in the following link:
http://www.kumamotokokufu-h.ed.jp/kumamoto/isibasi/isib_tujun.html
“Tsujun” is located near a famous hot spring in Aso,so please, come and hear the incredible sound of the water discharging from “Tsujun”.