貝の文化史について Cultural History of Sea Shells and the logo of Royal Dutch Shell Co.

2021年3月19日公開動画「貝の文化史について」から一部写真変更した改訂版です。

明治維新の頃、ユダヤ系英国人のマーカス・サミュエルは父親から片道切符を渡されて横浜に来航、三浦半島で貝を採集する漁民が捨てた貝殻を用いて装飾品を作ることを考案した。これで大いに富を築いた彼は石油を輸送するタンカー王となった。息子たちが貿易商社を始めた時、父親の初心に帰るべく、ホタテガイを商標に用いて、シェル石油を経営した。現代で最もよく知られたロゴとなった。

巡礼地サンチアゴ・デ・コンポステラには、ホタテガイを身に付けた多くの巡礼が訪れる。旧約聖書のヤコブは貝を採る漁師だったが、後に聖人となり使徒となった。

Cultural History of Sea Shells and the logo of Royal Dutch Shell Co.

In the early 1870s Marcus Samuel, an English Jew, was sent by his father to Japan with a single ticket. Based at Yokohama, his watching of local fishermen collecting sea shells led him to collect them for nothing and send home so that accessories made of them were sold in abundance in UK. He became rich enough to purchase oil tankers, enjoying a successful business. When his sons launched a trading company, they decided to use a scallop shell as their logo, which became one of the world’s best known trade marks.

The cultural history of scallop would go back to the Middle Ages, when pilgrims swarmed Santiago de Compostela, wearing scallop as their symbol. St Jacob (James), a fisherman of sea shells, was made a saint and an apostle.

Pilgrim’s backpack with famous pilgrims’ mascot and sign seashell with Cross of Saint James at on the Obradeiro square (plaza) – the main square in Santiago de Compostela with Catedral de Santiago.
The yellow scallop shell signing the way to santiago de compostela on the st james pilgrimage route

メタルディテクターの例

Boys using metal detector searching for treasure on Whitsunday beach

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