Hiki Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

      The Hiki area is composed of Hiki Hills and the alluvium land at the foot of the hills.  Many parts of the hills are covered with tuff.  The Ichino River runs through the hills, carried the earth, and filled the sea at the foot of the hills in prehistoric days, or even in ancient days.  People settled in the hills in the 4th century at the latest, living in pit dwellings, and forming communities.  In the 7th century, they dug caves in a tuff-covered hill as their graves on the slope of the north side of the Ichino River.  It isn't clear when they accepted Shinto and Buddhism.

    Hiki County was established in Musashi Province in the 7th century.  A local powerful family in the county came to be called Hiki.  Hiki Yorshitaka is said to have been the founder of the family, but it is unknown when he lived, or whether he really existed or not.  They became samurai in the 11th century.

     When Mr. and Mrs. Hiki Tomune had their first girl baby, Minamoto Yoritomo (1147-1199) was born.  Mrs. Hiki became Yoritomo's wet nurse.  When Yoritomo's father, Yoshitomo (1123-1160), was defeated by the Taira Clan in the Heiji Rebellion in 1160, Yoritomo was exiled to Izu Province.  Mr. and Mrs. Hiki returned to their homeland, Hiki County, Musashi Province.  Since then, Mrs. Hiki kept sending allowances to Yoritomo for 20 years till 1180, when he raised an army against the Taira Clan.  Although Mr. Hiki was already dead, Mrs. Hiki, Nun Hiki at the time, persuaded the Hiki Family to join Yoritomo's army.  Yoritomo established the Kamakura Shogunate.  She adopted a son, Yoshikazu.

     Yoshikazu's daughter, Lady Wakasa (?-1203), became the wife of the second Shogun, Minamoto Yoriie (1182-1204).  In 1198, she gave birth to Yoriie's first son, Ichiman (1198-1203).  Following this, the Hiki Family wielded considerable political power through their relation to the ruling Minamoto Clan.  After Yoritomo's death, his vassals started their own power games.  The Hiki Family's growing power was faced with opposition, and the family ultimately came into conflict with Hojo Tokimasa (1138-1215), whose daughter was the wife of Yoritomo and the mother of Yoriie.  When Yoriie fell ill in July, 1203, the power struggle between Yoshikazu and Tokimasa became serious.  Yoshikazu recommended Ichiman as the third Shogun while Tokimasa recommended Yoriie's younger brother, Sanetomo (1192-1219), claiming Ichiman to be too young.  On September 2nd in the year, Tokimasa invited Yoshikazu over for peace talks, but had him assassinated.  Tokimasa massacred the Hiki Family and killed Ichiman as well.

      The Hiki Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized in 1723 by Priest Joan, who might have been the priest of one of the 33 member temples.