Virtual Old Tsugaru 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #29 ?

 

     The #29 deity of the Old Tsugaru 33 Kannon Pilgrimage used to be in Namioka Village, Tsugaru County, Mutsu Province.  It is, however, unknown when it was first enshrined, which type of Avalokitesvara it was, or whether it still exists or not.

     Kitabatake Akiie (1318-1338) was appointed to be a chief of the Mutsu Province on August 5th, 1333, and moved there with his expeditionary force on October 10th in the same year.  Akiie carried out 2 campaigns from Mutsu Province to Kyoto to restore Imperial rule.

     Ashikaga Takauji (1305-1358) appointed Ashikaga Ienaga (1321-1338) as the General of Mutsu Province in 1335 to contain Akiie.  Ienaga moved to Shiba County in the province and then called his family Shiba.

     On December 22nd, Akiie left Mutsu Province with a 50,000-strong army to Kyoto to fight against Takauji.  On January 2nd, 1336, Akiie attacked Kamakura, defeated the forces of Ashikaga Yoshiakira (1330-1367), the 3rd son of Takauji, and Momoi Naotsune (?-1376), and occupied Kamakura.  The next day, Akiie left Kamakura and continued to advance to Kyoto.  On January 6th he reached Totomi Province, and, on January 12th, he reached Aichi River in Omi Province.  Akiie's army moved an average of about 40 kilometers a day, running a long distance of 600 kilometers in just half a month.  That was the fastest march in Japan.  Akiie's army crossed Lake Biwa in a day and had an audience with Emperor Godaigo (1288-1339) in Sakamoto.  Finally, on January 30th, he defeated Takauji and succeeded in forcing him to leave Kyoto.

     On March 24th, Akiie left Kyoto to return to Mutsu Province.  Ienaga obstructed Akiie but couldn't stop him.

     The emperor and his Imperial Court were spoiled.  They depended on Akiie and ordered him to come back to Kyoto.  Thus, Akiie's second advance to Kyoto from Mutsu Province was unreasonable.  Nanbu Moroyuki (?-1338) anticipated that Akiie would be killed in battle.  He left everything to his family and accompanied Akiie this time.  They invaded Kamakura again, and Ienaga, the Regent of the Kamakura Office of the Ashikaga Shogunate, lost to Akiie and killed himself in Sugimoto-dera Temple.

     Akiie was, officially speaking, killed by the Northern Court army led by Ko Moronao (?-1351) at the bank of Ishizu River on May 22nd, 1338.  Tradition says Akiie was killed in Abeno on the 16th. Some suggest he was fatally injured in Abeno on the 16th and died somewhere between Abeno and Ishizu before the 22nd.  At least, Kitabatake's soldiers retreated to Wada in today's Izumi City temporarily and advanced back to Ishizu on the 22nd.

     After Akiie's death, Reizan Fortress, his stronghold in Mutsu Province, fell in 1347.  After the fall of the fortress, a couple of members of the Kitabatake Family escaped to Namioka Village, Tsugaru County.  The daughter of Akiie was raised by Yuki Chikatomo (?-1347), who was based in Shirakawa County, the southernmost county in Mutsu Province, after Akiie’s death, and later married Ando Sadasue, who was based in Tosa Port, and who is considered to be the then leader of Ando Pirates, who supported the Southern Court.

     The Namioka-Kitabatake Family built a residential area with 4 Shinto shrines in the 4 corners of the area, copying Kyoto: Gion Shrine (today's Hiromine Shrine) in the south, Hachiman Shrine (today's Namioka-Hachiman-gu Shrine) in the west, Kamo Shrine in the north, and Kasuga Shrine.  Some or all of them enshrined a type of Avalokitesvara image and one of them could have been #29 deity of the old Tsugaru 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

     Today, Hiromine Shrine enshrines Kaju Kannon, namely Orchard Avalokitesvara, and Horse-Headed Hayagriva, and Kamo Shrine enshrines Horse-Headed Hayagriva.  Kasuga Shrine has been abolished.  Is one of the 3 existing Avalokitesvara images the #29 deity?  If so, why does nobody know the information?  All in all, it is unknown whether the #29 deity still exists today or not.

Namioka-Hachiman-gu

Address: Hayashimoto-121-2 Namioka Oaza Namioka, Aomori, 038-1311

Phone: 0172-62-2108

Hiromine Shrine

Address: Tenno-92 Namioka Oaza Kitanakano, Aomori, 038-1325

Kamo Shrine

Address: Matsumoto-16 Namioka Oaza Gohonmatsu, Aomori, 038-1312

Yasaka Shrine

Address: 625 Gionmachi Kitagawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0073

Phone: 075-561-6155

Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine

Address: Takabo−30, Yawata, Kyoto 614-8005

Phone: 075-981-3001

Kamigamo Shrine

Address: 339 Kamigamo Motoyama, Kita Ward, Kyoto, 603-8047

Phone: 075-781-0011

Saiin Kasuga Shrine

Address: 61 Saiinkasugacho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto 615-0015

Phone: 075-312-0474