Virtual Old Tsugaru 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #31 Hirofune-Kannon-do Hall

 

     In 1070, Minamoto Yoritoshi, the Governor of Mutsu Province, and Kiyohara Sadahira advanced north and reached Ezowake-shima Island, whose whereabouts are still controversial. Some argue the island was Hokkaido, while others say it was a part of the Tohoku Region.  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.

     After the expedition, Nukanobu, Kazuno, Hinai, Hiraka, Hanawa, and Inaka Counties were organized in the north of Iwate County, which had been organized in the 10th century.  That is, the area became under the control of the Imperial Court nominally.  In reality?  The Kiyohara Clan ruled the area under the name of the Imperial Court.

     It is unknown when Eleven-Faced Ekadasamukha was enshrined in Hiraka County.  If it was in the 9th century as legend says, it must have been enshrined by northern foreigners.  If it was in the 11th century, the emerging samurai class might have enshrined the Ekadasamukha image.

     In the Medieval days, Hirofune Fort was built around where Hirofune-Kannon-do Hall is located today as a branch of Okidate Fortress, which used to be located where Okidate-Shinmei-gu Shrine is located.

     Konoe Iezane (1179-1243), who became the Prime Minister, had 10 sons.  His 4th son, Kanehira (1228-1294), started the Takatsukasa Family.  During or after the Onin War, which lasted from 1467 to 1477, sometime between 1469 and 1487 precisely speaking, Takatsukasa Masatomo gave up living in the capital and arrived at Hiraka County.  He built Okidate Fortress.  His offspring is the Shnto priest of Shinmei-gu Shrine.

     In the middle of the 16th century, Abe Hyogosuke was the lord of Okidate Fortress and Hirofune Fort.  After the Nanbu Family occupied the area in 1571, Sakuraba Nobumasa (?-1614), who was based in Sakuraba Village, Hanawa County, became the lord of the fortress and the fort.  He rebuilt the hall.  Hirofune and Okidate were also called Betsuura, Nobumasa's son, Nobumitsu, called his family Betsuura.

Tsugaru Tamenobu (1550–1607) lost his first son, Nobutate (1574-1607), on October 13th, 1607.  About 2 months later, on December 5th, Tamenobu died.  As his 2nd son, Nobukata (1575-1597), had died earlier, his third son, Nobuhira (1586-1631), succeeded to the headship of the Tsugaru Family over the objections of a faction which supported Nobutate's young son, Kumachiyo (1600–1623).

     Okochi Takehiro (?-1640) worked as a surgeon for Hojo Ujimasa (1539-1590).  When the Later Hojo Clan was destroyed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) in 1590, Takehiro lost his job.  He was later hired by Tamenobu, and was taken into the Tsugaru Family by marrying Tamenobu's 1st daughter, Tomiko.  He also became the acting lord of Daikoji Fortress.

     Takehiro insisted that Kumachiyo should succeed to the headship of the Tsugaru Family, he went to Edo, he appealed directly to the shogunate through his long-time friend, Honda Masanobu (1538-1616), an Elder of the Tokugawa Shogunate.  The appeal was accepted by Masanobu, and it seemed that Kumachiyo's succession would be decided, but Ando Naotsugu (1555-1635), another Elder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, opposed this.  In 1609, the shogunate decided that Nobuhira should succeed the headship, and Takehiro was banished from the domain.

     Daikoji Fortress became a pain in the neck for the Tsugaru Family and was taken apart to build Hirosaki Castle in 1610.  Presumably, Okidate Fortress and Hirofune Fort were also pulled apart at the same time.

     For your information, Takehiro was later hired by the Tokugawa Shogunate and kept using Tsugaru as his family name.

Address: Hirosawa-89 Hirofune, Hirakawa, Aomori 036-0131

Shinmei-gu Shrine

Address: Miyazaki-266 Okidate, Hirakawa, Aomori 036-0141

Daikoji Fortress Site

Address: Sanmurai Daikoji, Hirakawa, Aomori 036-0101