Virtual Old Kasai 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #19 Saizo-in Temple

     Saizo-in Temple was founded in 1521 as a shrine temple of Shirahige Shrine, which was said to have been founded in 915 by En'nin (794-864).  51 years after his death?  Just impossible!  Anyway, someone in Terashima Village, Shimousa Province, built a branch shrine of Shirahige Shrine of Omi Province.

     Taira Masakado (903-940)was born in Shimousa Province: specifically and presumably either in Toyoda or Sashima County, which were both along the Kinu River.  Later, he left for Kyoto at the age of either 15 or 16 to be hired by Fujiwara Tadahira (880-949), who was the 2nd Prime Minister at the time and who became the Prime Minister in 924, to climb up the social ladder.  After 12 years or so, he returned to the Kanto Region, without achieving anything in the central political circles.

     In 939, Taira Masakado (903-940) tried to be independent from Japan in the Kanto Region.  Tawara Tota (891-958) suppressed Masakado’s revolt, and was promoted to be the governor of Shimotsuke and Musashi Provinces.  Tota was an official of the Shimotsuke Provincial Government.  He was from Tawara Village, Kawachi County, Shimotsuke Province.

       One day, Tota started calling himself Fujiwara Hidesato, picking up a brand name, claiming that he was a descendant of Fujiwara Fusamae (681-737).  In 703, Fusamae was appointed to the inspector over the local governments in the Tokai Region.  In 709, his job included inspection over the local governments in the Tozan Region, which included Mutsu and Dewa Provinces, that is, the Tohoku Region today.  After the inspection, the central government drafted soldiers from the regions to suppress northern foreigners in Mutsu and Echigo Provinces.  He was an expert of dealing the northern foreigners issues.  Some northern foreigners had surrendered themselves to Japan because it offered them a good deal.  They had to swear obedience and offer local special products.  In return, they were exempted from taxes and were given food and clothes.  That must have looked more like a contract or trade to them.  Fusamae’s fame among those subordinate northern foreigners was still lingering among them even in Tota’s days.

     Fusamae’s 5th son was Uona (721-783).  Uona’s 5th son was Fujinari (776-822).  Fujinari’s 1st son was Toyosawa (?-887), who stayed in Shimotsuke Province even after his father went back to Kyoto, and he worked for the provincial government there and married a daughter of a lower-ranking official, the Tottori Family.  Toyosawa’s only son was Murao (?-932).  He worked for the provincial government there and married a daughter of a intermediate-ranking official, the Kashima Family.  Murao’s first son was Tota.  So says Tota’s family tree.  If the family tree were true, Fujinari had been born when Uona was 55 years old.  It was almost impossible in the ancient times.  They needed one more generation between Uona and Fujinari.  Tota (or his father?) miscalculated when he hooked up his family tree to that of the Fujiwara Clan.

     Yet, it is also clear that Tota and his father climbed up the social ladder step by step.  Tota's 3rd son, Chiharu, got a promotion in Kyoto thanks to the influence of Tota.  It means that Tota successfully sent out his son to the central political circles.

     All in all, in 915, samurai in the Kanto Region were trying to be recognized by the central political circles, that might have been why the local samurai joined the religion network of Shirahige Shrine, whose god has been "horcruxed" to more than 300 shrines in Japan.

     Saizo-in Temple was abolished after the Meiji Restoration.

Shirahige Shrine

Address: 3 Chome-5-2 Higashimukojima Sumida Ward, Tokyo 131-0032

Phone: 03-3611-2750