Virtual Iruhi Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #14 Hanami-do Temple

 

     It is unknown when Hanami-do Temple was founded in Kamagata Village, Hiki County, Musashi Province.

     The Japanese Archipelago has 34,600 kilometers of shoreline, which is shorter than America’s 56,700 kilometers but longer than Brazil’s 5,760 kilometers.  The islands are washed by the Black and Tsushima Currents from the south and by the Kuril Current from the north.

     The Black Current starts off Philippines, flows northward between the Formosa Island and the Ryukyu Islands, and, turning northeastward,  passes between the Ryukyu Islands and the Kyushu Island toward the south coasts of the Shikoku and Honshu Islands, transporting warm, tropical water.  The current brings not only tropical water but also fish, corals, seeds of tropical plants such as coconuts, blocks of dead aromatic trees, and culturally, sometimes even militarily, advanced alien people as well.

     Ugaya, whose ancestors had come from what was later called Takamagahara, was ruling Hyuga Province in the eastern coast of Kyushu Island.  He had been abandoned by his mother in his infancy, and raised by his aunt, his mother’s younger sister.  When he came of age, he married the aunt, and had 4 sons, Itsue, Inahi, Mikenu, and Sano.

Inahi drowned himself in the eastern sea, where the Black Current ran, to see his mother.  Mikenu left eastward, that is, to the sea, for the land of the dead.  Itsuse left northward with his youngest brother, Sano.  The reason for the family breakdown is unknown and unknowable now.

     Itsuse first arrived at Usa in Buzen Province, and stayed at another place int the province for a year.  He moved on eastward along the Seto Inland sea to Aki Province, and stayed there for 7 years.  And then he moved to Kibi Province, and stayed there for 3 to 8 years.  He finally reached the eastern end of the Seto Inland sea only to get faced by Nagasune, who was hostile against him.  Itsuse was shot, flew, got to O Port in Ki Province, and died there.  He was buried in Mt. Kama near the port.

Itsuse’s younger brother, Sano, continued their eastward quest, and arrived at Kumano.  Tempted by a local tribe, who had the token of a crow with 3 legs, he went upstream along Totsu river, crossed Yoshino River, beat his way through the bush, and reached Uda in Yamato Province.

     The 3-legged-crow tribe helped Sano rival other local tribes there, and successfully split one tribe.  Sano’s men committed an underhanded murder of another local tribe.  Sano also maneuvered pork-barrel politics against other tribes, and established his ruling in Iware.  He was later called Iware, related to his domain name.  Until the end of the World War II, the series of events was widely believed in Japan to have taken place more than 2 millennia before.

     Sano’s offspring eventually unified Yamato Province.  They even further continued the brothers’ eastward quest.  After Kumano, they reached Ise.  They built their advanced base at the southern end of the Ise Plain, Ise Shrine.  Next, they invaded Nobi Plain, and built another advanced base at the southernmost headland in the plain, Atsuta Shrine.  They moved further east, got to an inland sea at the eastern end of the Kanto Plain, and built another advanced base at the southern shore of the inland sea, Katori Shrine.  Across the inland sea, at the northern shore, they also prepared another advanced logistics base, Kashima Shrine, to invade Northern Japan.

     However, their Viking-like invasion style didn't work in the northern part of Japan although they built another base there, Taga Castle.  The Black Current leaves the Japanese Archipelago off Katori Shrine, and the Kurile Current runs from north to south between Katori Shrine and Taga Castle.  So, they hired Sakanoue Tamuramaro (758-811), who was supposed to have been born in Sagami Province, and, thus, who was used to land battles.

     On January 18th, 791, Tamuramaro left Kyoto for the Tokaido Region to prepare for the invasion.  He prepared a 100,000-strong army.

     On February 17th, 793, Tamuramaro had an audience with the Emperor and left Kyoto.  After Musashi Province, he carefully advanced his army.  Along the southern bank of Toki River, he camped and enshrined the God Hachiman of Usa, which was believed to be the guardian god of warriors in those days.  On June 13th, 794, he succeeded in suppressing the northern people.

     Tamuramaro founded Hachiman Shrine on the southern bank of Toki River, which came to be called Kamagata later, and the area became important for samurai in medieval days.

Address: 1282-1 Kamagata, Ranzan, Hiki District, Saitama 355-0225