Virtual Shinobu Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage #3 Sekijo-ji Temple

 

     Ishigami-ji Temple was founded by Priest Eiko, supported by his father, Takei Nobutake (1553-1638).

     When a daughter of Beppu Nagayoshi gave birth to a baby boy in 1553, bamboo grew in the well in front of the house.  She found it the sign of their good luck and called her mother-and-child family Takei, namely Bamboo Well, and the boy grew up to be a samurai with his first name Nobutake.  Nobutake had 2 sons, and his eldest son became a priest, Eiko.  His second son, Nobutsugu, succeeded Nobutake, and their offspring became farmers after the Warring States Period was over.

     Who were the Beppu Family?

     Fujiwara Koretada (924-972) was the Prime Minister.  His sons, Takataka (953-974) and Yoshitaka (954-974), died young on the same day because of smallpox.  Yoshitaka's 3rd son, Mototada, left Kyoto for the Kanto Region.  He settled in Sakitama County, Musashi Province.  He or his offspring married a woman of the Yokoyama Corps.

     In ancient times, there used to be the Musashi Seven Corps. The most part of Musashi Province was plateaus deeply covered with volcanic-ash soil, which was suitable for stock farming, not for rice growing. In ancient times, many of the naturalized Silla people then were sent to Musashi Province, and engaged in the stock farming. That stimulated people there, and many stock farms were set up, including 6 imperial stock farms. The custodians of those farms later formed small-scale would-be-samurai families. By marriage, those would-be-samurai families composed 7 corps on the Musashi Plateaus. The Yokoyama Corps was 1 of the 7.

     Koretada’s descendants became samurai and called themselves Narita, after where they lived.  Sometime, when Suketaka was the head of the family, his second son, Yukitaka lived in Beppu Village, Osato County, Musashi Province, and called his family Beppu according to the family tree of the Narita family.  His first son, Yoshiyuki, inherited the eastern half of the village, Higashi-Beppu, and his second son, Yukisuke, inherited the western half, Nishi-Beppu.  As Ishigami-ji Temple is closer to Higashi Beppu, Beppu Nagayoshi might have been one of the offspring of Yoshiyuki.

     However, the family tree of the Narita Family is doubtful.  The family, as they defeated other families, seemed to have grafted the family trees of the defeated families onto their own so that the defeated families would support the Narita Family as members of the greater family.

Address: 36 Kamakuracho, Kumagaya, Saitama 360-0046

Phone: 048-521-0159