Virtrual Shinobu Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #7 Mida-Kannon-do Hall

 

     According to tradition, Mida-Kannon-do Hall was founded by Minamoto Tsuna (953-1025) in 987, enshrining the personal guardian Buddhist image of Minamoto Tsunemoto (?-961), who was Tsuna's grandfather.  The image had been relayed by Tsuna's father, Tsuko (891-942).  According to the New Topography and Chronology of Musashi Province, which was compiled by Mamiya Kotonobu (1777-1841), the deity had been the personal guardian Buddhist image of Minamoto Yoriyoshi, whose history is totally unknown.

     Minamoto Tsuko (891-942) became the governor of Musashi Province.  His son, Atsuru (933-953), was born in Mida Village, Adachi County, Musashi Province, while Tsuko was the governor.  Atsuru died on March 8th before his son, Tsuna, was born.  Tsuna moved to Watanabe, Nishinari County, Settsu Province, counting on his mother's parents' family.  As he worked and fought for Minamoto Yorimitsu (948-1021), it is almost impossible that Tsuna was in Musashi Province in 987.

     Shuten-doji  is a mythical demon leader of bandits, who had his lair at Mt. Oe in the northwest of Kyoto Prefecture. 

     During the reign of Emperor Ichijo (980-1011), young children and princesses in Kyoto were spirited away one after another.  When the emperor asked Abe Seimei (921-1005), a fortune-teller, it turned out to be the work of a demon living in Mt. Oe.  The demon is called Shuten-doji because he loved drinking.  The emperor issued an imperial decree to Yorimitsu in 990 to hunt them down, and, in 995, Yorimitsu and his party including Tsuna left Kyoto.  Yorimitsu and his party disguised themselves as yamabushi, Japanese mountain ascetics, visited the demon's cave, and asked for a place to stay for the night.  Shuten-doji and his followers had received information from Kyoto that Yorimitsu and his party would come to defeat them, so they were wary and asked various questions.  Yorimitsu somehow cleared the suspicion and listened to their story over a drink.  Shuten-doji used to live in Mt. Hira.  He was forced to leave by Enryaku-ji Temple. He had lived on Mt. Oe since 849.  Yorimitsu served the demon a poisoned liquor called Shinpen Kitokushu.  Yorimitsu pushed the demon down and cut his head off.  Yorimitsu and his party returned to Kyoto with the head in triumph.  After being inspected by the emperor, the head was placed in the treasure house of Byodo-in Temple in Uji.

     Shuten-doji's wife, Ibaraki-doji, who was from Mizuo Village, Mishima County, Settsu Province, escaped and kept an eye for an opportunity for revenge.  One night, when Tsuna was crossing Ichijo-Modori-bashi Bridge, he found a beautiful woman standing still at the foot of the bridge.  She asked him to send her back to her home, and he let her ride his horse.  She abruptly grabbed his hair.  He cut off her arm with his sword nicknamed Higekiri and escaped.  Kitano Tenmangū Shrine owns the sword which has been handed down as Higekiri.

     In 938, Minamoto Tsunemoto (?-961) was assigned to the vice governor of Musashi Province when Prince Okiyo (?-940) was assigned to the acting governor of the province. They tried to carry out a land survey as soon as they arrived in the province.  Musashi      Takeshiba, who was the head of Adachi County, refused the land survey, saying, "A land survey has never been carried out before the arrival of the Provincial Governor."  Tsunemoto and Okiyo sent out soldiers to attack and plunder the residence of Takeshiba.

      Hearing this story, Taira Masakado (?-940) from Shimousa Province visited Takeshiba with his private army.  Tsunemoto and Okiyo barricaded themselves in Mt. Safuku in Hiki County with their wives and children.  Later, Okiyo climbed down from the mountain and gave an audience to Masakado and Takeshiba at the Musashi Provincial Government Office.  However, Tsunemoto remained on the mountain as he was dissatisfied.  In the office, a reconciliation was established between the two parties, and a banquet was held.  In the midst of the party, Takeshiba's soldiers surrounded Tsunemoto's camp.  Convinced that he would be killed by Masakado and others, Tsunemoto hurriedly fled back to Kyoto, and accused the Imperial Court that Masakado, Okiyo, and Takeshiba conspired to rebel.   Masakado and others sent certificates from the provincial governments of Hitachi, Shimousa, Shimotsuke, Musashi, and Kozuke dated May 2nd, 939, to Fujiwara Tadahira (880-949), the Prime Minister, stating, "the rebellion was groundless."  Masakado and others' explanation was accepted, and, on the contrary, Tsunemoto was detained on the charge of slander.

     In November, 939, Masakado occupied Hitachi Provincial Government Office, and then he attacked and occupied other provincial government offices in the Kanto Region one after another.  In December of the same year, he declared himself to be 'the new emperor' at Kozuke Provincial Government Office and arbitrarily ruled over the occupied provinces.

     Truth sprang from lies.  Tsunemoto was not only released because his previous false accusation came true, but also he was promoted to Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade, because of his merit.  Tsunemoto was appointed as one of the vice-commanders and headed for the suppression of Masakado's rebellion.  Before his arrival, Masakado was hunted down and killed.  Tsunemoto returned to Kyoto.  In 941, he headed to suppress the rebellion of Fujiwara Sumitomo (?-941), but the rebellion had already been suppressed by Ono Yoshifuru (884-968) when Tsunemoto arrived.  Later, he successively served as provincial governors of Musashi, Shinano, Chikuzen, Tajima, and Iyo as an expert of provincial administration, and eventually became the General.

     When Mamiya Kotonobu (1777-1841) compiled the New Topography and Chronology of Musashi Province, he recorded a tradition that Tsunemoto had resided in Oma.

     The residence site is about 95 meters east-west, about 85 meters north-south.  Mounds and dry moats surround the site on three sides except the west side, and the west side is believed to have been a swamp along the Ara River.  It might have been used till the Warring States Period, but it isn't clear how old it is.

     The foundation history of Mida-Kannon-do Hall is inconsistent.  Someone who inherited the bloodline of the Minamoto Clan, or someone who claimed to have inherited the bloodline of the Minamoto Clan, might have wanted to show off their bloodline and included Musashi-related historic figures.  Only the main deity of the temple, Horse-Headed Hayagriva, knows the truth.

Address: 3818 Mida, Konosu, Saitama 365-0062

The Site of the Residence of Minamoto Tsunemoto

Address: 942 Oma, Konosu, Saitama 365-0054

Ikasuri Shrine

Address: 3 Watanabe 4 Chome Kyutaromachi, Chuo Ward, Osaka 541-0056

Phone: 06-6251-4792

Ichijo-Modori-bashi Bridge

Address: Ichijo-dori Shukeicho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto 602-8067