Virtual Western Edo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #6 Yosen-ji Temple

 

     Yosen-ji Temple was founded by Ban Shigemori (?-1622) in 1657, inviting Shudon (?-1655) as its honorary priest.  Who was Ban Shigemori?

     Gorobe tried to become a samurai, dreaming of success in life.  He became a foot soldier of the Imagawa Clan, the strongest clan in the Tokai Region.  After Imagawa Yoshimoto (1519-1560) was killed by Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), he became a footsoldier of Nobunaga.  Nobody cared about the career of a footsoldier.  After Nobunaga was killed by Akechi Mitsuhide (1529-1582), Gorobe became a footsoldier of Tanba Ujitsugu (1550-1601), the lord of Iwasaki Castle in Aichi County, Mikawa Province.  Again, nobody cared about the career of a footsoldier.  Gorobe was unluckily killed in the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute on April 9th, 1584.

     When the Battle of Komaki Nagakune broke out, Ujitsugu was fighting for Tokugawa Ieyasu  (1542-1616) against Toyotomi Hideyosi (1536-1598).  As Ujitsugu was fighting with Ieyasu in Komaki, his younger brother, Ujishige (1569-1584), was guarding the castle at the age of 15.  The army of Hideyoshi’s was moving to Mikawa Province to make a surprise attack on Ieyasu’s homeland, ignoring Iwasaki Castle, which was no more than a fortress.

     “To overlook them will bring eternal disgrace to us.  Those in Komaki don’t know the advance of the enemy.  If we fight and stop them, even if we are all to be killed in the battle, the news will reach to a liaison fortress nearby.”  After letting women and children to Myoshin-ji Temple nearby, 239 men launched a pre-emptive strike against the enemy at 4 in the morning.  At 5, a 2000-strong enemy force started attacking the main gate, and another 2000-strong besieged the back gate.  Ujishige made 3 sorties, only to be killed.  The fortress fell by 7.  The enemy left there at 8, and when the 20-strong rescue corps arrived, they found 238 heads, including those of Ujishige’s younger brothers, Denshichiro and Shiroemon, placed side by side.   Presumably, that of Gorobe was one of the 238, and his success story ended there.

     However, the success story of his son, Gohe, didn’t end.  When Nobunaga was killed, Ieyasu was in Sakai, Izumi Province, and was at a loss.  He could flee back to his homeland, Mikawa Province, by sea, but he was afraid of Kumano Pirates.  Instead, he chose the overland route through Iga Province with 34 samurai and a few attendants including Gohe.  If Ieyasu had been killed on his way back as Anayama Nobutada (1541-1582) was, Gohe’s story might have ended there.  Ieyasu’s luck helped Gohe, and moreover sharing the hardship with Ieyasu helped Gohe become a samurai.  Later, he named himself Ban Shigemori (?-1622) and renamed his father Morikane (?-1584).  After the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Shigemori became a member of the standing army.  The childhood name of Gohe’s son was also Gohe, but he was renamed Morimasa (?-1681).  Shigemori’s grandson’s childhood name sounded more like that of samurai, Sukenojo, and his adulthood name was Masatsugu (?-1718), who ruled 5 villages and got 550 koku of rice, about 99 thousand liters of rice, annually.  In 1690, he was promoted to the head of the standing army and received another 200 koku of rice, about 36 thousand liters of rice, annually in addition.

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