What made Kodama Kodama?

 

     Arimichi Koreyoshi was a subject of Fijiwara Korechika (974-1010), who lost to his uncle, Fujiwara Michinaga (966-1028), in political strife.  When he died on January 28th in despair, he said to his son, Michimasa (992-1054), "You should become a priest rather than follow others."  He also told his 2 daughters never to humiliate him by serving in the Imperial Court.

     Koreyoshi might have eavesdropped on their conversation and kind of followed Korechika's advice.  After Korechika's downfall, Koreyoshi left Kyoto down to Musashi Province.  Probably, he might have followed a zuryo.

     Under the ancient centralized government, a certain amount of rice paddy field was allotted to an adult for cultivation during their lifetime .  The allotment was conducted every 6 years since the end of the 7th century.  Due to the public unrest, Emperor Kanmu (737-806) extended the allotment circle to 12 years to maintain the system.  The last allotment was carried out by Emperor Daigo (885-930) in 902.

     On March 13th, 902, the first manor restriction ordinance was issued by Emperor Daigo.  He incorporated royal rice paddy fields which had been developed since his coronation in 897 into state-owned ones.  He prohibited local people from donating their rice paddy fields to central powerful clans or central religious institutions, and also banned central powerful clans and central powerful religious institutions from illegally enclosing wilderness.  The ordinance required manor owners to keep their official written certificates, and gave provincial officers authority to accept the application of newly developed manors, which strengthened provincial governments’ supervision over rice paddy fields in their provinces.

Through the 9th and 10th centuries, there emerged a “zuryo” (literally to take over) class among central middle-ranking noble families.  Unlike central powerful clan members, who preferred to stay in Kyoto, they actually left Kyoto for their assignment provinces.  The 11th century witnessed the golden age of the “take-over” class.

     Zuryo brought several relatives and vassals to his appointed province.  They worked as his agents in the departments of the provincial government.  The agents worked with local officials.  Those local officials tended to double as county officers or officials.  Some agents conflicted with local officials while some others had cozy relationships with local officials.  A few were even related to local officials by marriage.

     Zuryo's power bases were gradually undermined by local powerful families, and, at the beginning of the 12 century, they began falling.  Their power struggles against the central high-ranking powerful clans and the central powerful religious institutions were taken over by central middle-ranking military families, who succeeded in organizing local powerful families under them.  The age of samurai was coming.  Those agents who were related to local officials by marriage and their offspring survived locally and became samurai themselves.

How did Koreyoshi or his offspring become samurai?

     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 samurai families.  By marriage, those samurai families composed corps on the plateaus in the province: Yokoyama, Inomata, Murayama, Noyo, Tan, and Nishi Corps.

     Somehow or other, Koreyoshi's son, Koreyuki (?-1069), succeeded in organizing another corp, Kodama Corps.  He seems to have been involved in the management of the Aguhara Stock Farm.  In 933, the Aguhara Stock Farm was nationalized.  It is unknown whether Koreyoshi or Koreyuki was dispatched to the stock farm as a local administrator or married into a local powerful family who actually ran the farm.  The number of Royal Stock Farms in Musashi Province increased from 4 to 6, and the number of annual tax horses increased from 50 to 110 accordingly.  Judging from the mean value, the Aguhara Stock Farm provided 30 horses to Kyoto every year.  Anyway, Koreyoshi and/or Koreyuki developed paddy fields in Kodama County, and became their owner.

     Kodama Corps were the largest corps and had 100 branches including those with different Chinese characters with the same pronunciation: Kodama, Sho, Honjo, Asaba, Asami, Shinjo, Araya, Izumi, Sakaki, Inajima,  Nissai, Iwata, Ise, Imai, Urakami, Kozuke, Okawara, Osawa, Otsuka, Orui, Obuchi, Ohama, Oku, Okudaira, Okutsuka, Okazaki, Obata, Ogawara, Omino, Katayama, Kanesawa, Kashiwajima, Katsura, Kashiwazaki, Kita, Kuroiwa, Kurisu, Aoda, Kuragano, Kugezuka, Gugezuka, Gokan, Shodai,Konakayama, Koma, Shioya, Shimana, Shimakata, Shirakura, Komoda, Omoda, E, Edouchi, Ogose, Shimana, Takao, Takayama, Tako, Takezawa, Tachikawa, Hata, Chichibu, Tomita, Tomino, Toshima, Torikata, Yoshiasano, Naoshita, Nakajo, Nagatsuka, Nagaoka, Naruse, Nagura, Naito, Nishi, Niwa, Fukuda, Yasuo, Horikago, Hirukawa, Makino, Mashimo, Miyata, Mizokami, Mina, Musha, Makishi, Yajima, Yamada, Yamakoshi, Yamana, Hitoyoshi, Yoshizumi, Yoshijima, Yoshida, Yomota, and Shioten Families.

     The Kodama Family was the head family of the Kodama Corps.  The 5th head of the Kodama Family, Ienaga, expanded his power across the Kanna River to Kozuke Province.  On November, 14th, 1175, Ise Shrine accused the Kodama Family of their violent conduct over the Takayama Royal Manor.  Ienaga killed Taira Tomoakira (1169-1184) in the Battle of Ichinotani in 1184, he was awarded the Kusakabe Manor in Bicchu Province.  As his first son, Yoriie, was killed in the battle, he moved to the manor with his second son, Ietsugu.  His 4th son, Tokiie, succeeded to the Kodama Manor and the Takayama Royal Manor, which Ienaga had taken over.  Tokiie started calling his family Honjo, literally Original Manor.

How did Koreyoshi's offspring flourish?  Some medieval samurai were offspring of ancient County officials who needed literacy.  Their offspring didn't forget to give literacy education as well as training as samurai to their children. 

     I'm thrilled to see how many of them will appear in the 33 stories of 33 temples.

     The Kodama Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage is a very rare case in which the corresponding sightseeing association is involved in its promotion.  The Honjo Sightseeing Association is a municipality-led organization and its seat is in the Honjo City Hall.  Many local governments hesitate to be involved in such a promotion, based on the principle of the separation of government and religion.

Honjo Sightseeing Association

Address: 3-5-3, Honjo, Honjo-shi, Saitama, 367-0051, Japan (Honjo City Hall, Commerce and Tourism Division)

Phone: 0495-25-1174

Fax: 0495-25-7750

E-mail: info@honjo-kanko.jp