Virtual Old Mutsu 33 Kannon Pigrimage #19 Sen'yo-ji Temple

 

     Sen'yo-ji Temple was founded along Daitashiro River in Esashi County, Mutsu province, in 850.

     Esashi County was organized in 802.  As the Old Mutsu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized in 811, the Thousand-Armed Sahasrabhuja image must have been enshrined in a village among the mountains sometime before 811, and the temple was founded to take care of the statue after a few generations.  I wonder why it was chosen as a member of the Old Mutsu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.  Geopolitically speaking, the villagers should have been "northern foreigners" without any industrial or strategic merits.

     Some argue that the national highway between Taga Castle, where the Mutsu Provincial Government office was located, and Shiwa Fortress ran along the left bank of Kitakami River, passing by the front of Sen'yo-ji Temple.  However, all the main fortresses of the Imperial Army (Shiwa, Tokutan, Isawa Fortresses from north to south) were located along the right bank.

     The station system was installed in Japan in the latter half of the 7th century.  As part of the system, so-called station roads were built.  A station road was a national highway that was approximately 10 meters wide and that was systematically laid out in a straight line to reach the destination in the shortest possible distance. Station roads were built through each of the 7 regions, and, in principle, stations were placed at intervals of approximately 16 kilometers.

     Each station was strategically located without regard to the existing village.  Station roads were classified into major roads, medium roads, and minor roads based on its importance.  Station Roads through San'yodo REgion and parts of Saikaido Region, which connected the national capital and Dazaifu, a regional capital in Kyushu, were classified into major roads because foreign envoys would pass through the roads.  Station Roads through the Tosando and Tokaido Regions that connected the national capital and eastern provinces were classified into  medium roads, and the rest were minor roads.

     The roads between provincial government offices and county government offices were naturally developed as well as other roads necessary for everyday life.  Those roads weren't documented.  Some scholars call them, especially those between local government offices, transmission roads.  Few of them were systematically constructed like Station Roads, but some transmission roads were improved to be around 6 meters wide supposedly because of military use.

     Due to excavations, Station Roads were installed from the northern part of Kyushu to the Kanto Region by the year 680.  The station system is said to have continued until around the 10th century.  As the Fujiwara Clan's Imperial regency politics began at the end of the 10th century, the ancient station system collapsed due to the weakening of the ancient centralized system and confusion in local politics.  Along with this, the roads between stations stopped being used, as their routes passed far away from human settlements and were not used as roads for people's daily lives.

     Even in Western Japan, where major roads were installed, around the first half of the 9th century, the transportation system, which had continued for over a century, was revised from a uniform transportation policy centered on land transportation, and ships were used for transporting goods to the capital and for the appointment of provincial governors.

     Emperor Takahito (1034-1073) succeeded to the throne On May 22nd, 1068.  He domestically pursued an autocratic ruling style and, as is often the case, externally aggressive.  In 1070, he ordered Minamoto Yoritoshi, the Governor of Mutsu Province, and Kiyohara Sadahira to advance north.  They reached Ezowake-shima Island, whose whereabouts are still controversial.  Some argue the island was Hokkaido, while others say it was an island along the Sanriku Coast.  Anyway, the main strength of the expedition force was the Kiyohara Clan.

     While Yoritoshi was in the battle front, Fujiwara Motomichi, a local official of Mutsu Provincial Government, stole the Governor's seal and the key of provincial warehouses.  Yoritoshi was dismissed, and Sadahira had the achievement of the war all to himself.  In addition, Sadahira gained supremacy in the sea route along the Pacific Ocean.  After the war, Hei County was organized in the middle of Mutsu Province between Kitakami River and the Pacific Ocean.  The area was, in a sense, finally included in Japan in the 11th century.

Too much hard work and too many power games might have ruined his health.  Takahito fell ill in 1072, and died the next year at the age of 40.

     All in all, it is doubtful that station roads were fully installed in Mutsu Province.  The roads along the left bank of the Kitakami River should have been transmission roads which connected the powerful villages of northern foreigners.  Even in 811, when the Old Mutsu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized, the majority of, or the whole of, Kurodasuke's population must have comprised northern foreigners.  That must have given diversity and tolerance to the Old Mutsu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

     The temple's nickname is Kurodasuke-senjukannon.  It is unknown what Kurodasuke means?

Kurodasuke-senjukannon

Address: Kadoshita Mizusawaku Hadacho, Oshu, Iwate 023-0132