Yashima Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

 

     It is unknown when Yashima Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized in Yashima Domai, Yuri County, Dewa Province.  The pilgrimage, however, is supposed to have been organized in the Edo Period (1603-1867).  The domain was ruled by the Ikoma Family.  In 1679, large peasant revolts broke out there.  As we check its surviving member temples, we might be able to find out whether it was organized before the revolts or after.

     The Ikoma Family's income was reduced to one 17th in 1640.  When Takakiyo (1643-1694) succeeded to the headship of the family in 1659, he gave one 5th of the reduced income to his brother, Toshiaki.  The family or the domain might have failed in downsizing, and they had a severe financial or budget crisis.

     In 1677, Takakiyo, who was in Edo, asked his senior retainer Miura Iemon and other local vassals for a policy to alleviate the domain's financial crisis.  They proposed a plan to increase the annual tax through "land surveys," which the lord adopted.

     Iemon and others carried out a land survey of the domain's territory, increasing the domain's income by 4.3 times.  The farmers were shocked and petitioned the senior vassals in the name of all the farmers, but there was no reply.  When it came time to pay the taxes, the domain demanded so severely that the farmers could not bear it.  Eventually, some of them left the villages and fled one after another.

     Daishoin, the father of Wakoin, presented the Amitabha Statue to Gassan Shrine in the year.

     The remaining farmers held discussions, and 4 of them, Gon'emon of Jonai Village (Yashimamachi Jonai, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0411), Shozaemon of Koya Village (Kamikoya Chokaimachi Shimokawauchi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0502), Yohei of Sarukura Village (Chokaimachi Sarukura, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0512), and Juroemon of Aratokoro Village (Aratokoro Yashimamachi Motomachi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0417), came up with the idea to turn the situation in their favor by making Kaneko Hisazaemon, who had been dismissed and was a jobless samurai in Senboku County, Dewa Province, at the time, their ally.  They secretly sent Hisazaemon back to Yashima, and following his plan, submitted a petition again in 1679, and appealed directly to Takakiyo in Edo.  As their representatives, Yazoemon of Nakayama Village (Nakayama Takao, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-0844), Hachiroemon of Arasawa Village (Arasawa Yashimamachi Arasawa, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0418), Jin'emon of Kamikawauchi Village (Chokaimachi Kamikawauchi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0504), and Sukesaburo of Shinjo Village went to Edo, accompanied by Hisazaemon and Kosukegawa Jiroemon.  They soon met with Takakiyo and complained about the tyranny of Iemon and others and the suffering of the peasants.  Astonished, Takakiyo ordered to have Iemon and others commit seppuku suicide.  He also appointed Hisazaemon and Jiroemon to be new local retainers and to relieve the suffering of the peasants.

     After achieving their goal, Hisazaemon and Jiroemon returned to Yashima Domain and gathered the peasants around Nenoi Fortress, conveyed Takakiyo's intentions, and encouraged the peasants to kill Iemon and others.  The delighted peasants, following the command of Hisazaemon and Jiroemon, launched a surprise attack on the mansions of Iemon and others.  Surprised, they had no time to fight back, and fled out of the domain in a panic.

     In Edo, Ichihashi Hikobei was appointed as the chief retainer and sent to Yashima, where he was put in charge of the domain's administration together with Hisazaemon and Jiroemon.  They gathered the domain's headmen, group leaders, and peasant representatives and issued an order to pay the increased taxes and other duties by the due date against their expectations.  Everyone was stunned and felt helpless at this statement.  Hisazaemon and Jiroemon made a complete turnaround once they were hired.

     Even though the time for paying the taxes was approaching, the peasants had no idea of how to pay.  The officials severely punished those who did not follow orders, arresting them and imprisoning them.  Unable to bear it, many peasants left their villages, resulting in the number of vacant houses in the domain reaching 326.

     After days of fruitless discussions about this dire situation, Nizaemon of Shimojinego Village (Chokaimachi Shimojinego, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0722) rose up.  He expressed his strong determination to appeal to Takakiyo directly, without regard for his own life, and even to the Tokugawa Shogunate if necessary, and asked for everyone's agreement.  Impressed by Nizaemon's determination, the peasants secretly began preparations to go to Edo.

     First, Nizaemon prepared a petition, had Priest Wakoin make a clean copy of it, and prepared a petition with the joint signatures of 984 peasants in the domain.  Then, Nizaemon and 12 others set off on a journey to Edo to appeal.  In Edo, he met Takakiyo at an opportune time, presented the petition, and reported the facts of the situation in detail.  Surprised, Takakiyo immediately listened to their request, and even reached an agreement with Nizaemon and the other peasants to reduce annual taxes to the half of the increased new one.  Takakiyo gave them the sealed letter of the promise.  Nizaemon and others joyfully returned to their country, gathered the peasants together, and explained that their petitions had been fulfilled.  They attempted to persuade those who had fled from the villages to return, and restore the villages to its original state.

     When Hikobei and others found out about this, they sent Jiroemon to Edo to report that Nizaemon and others were evil people who had conspired with Iemon and others, who had previously been banished from the domain, and were plotting to kill Takakiyo obsolete, depicting Nizaemon and others terrible villains.

     Takakiyo was shocked and enraged, and ordered to take back the sealed letter from Nizaemon.  He also ordered the killing of Nizaemon and others.  On July 25th, 1680, Hisazaemon and over 400 of his subordinates launched a surprise attack on Nizaemon's house in Jinego Village.

     Nizaemon's house was burned down, but he managed to escape, but Wakoin, Jintaro and Jinnosuke, who were the sons of Shigeemon of Kamijinego Village, and Tsunehisa, who was the father of Tarozaemon of Shimojineago Village, were captured.  Another force also stormed into Hitane Village (Chokaimachi Shimohitane, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0513) and Momoyake Village (Chokaimachi Momoyake, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0513), but the peasants all fled, leaving not a single villager left.

     Nizaemon was frustrated by this outrage and wanted to go to Edo again to lodge a complaint. Upon hearing of his decision, those who wanted to accompany him were Shigeemon of Kuzupira Village (Kuzupira Chokaimachi Kamijinego, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0721), Magohachi of Sodeyama Village (Sodeyama Chokaimachi Kamikawauchi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0504), Sankuro of Sainokami Village (Sainokami Tokusawa, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-0732), Kiemon of Uchikoshi Village (Uchikoshi Chokaimachi Shimohitane, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0513), Gorosuke of Ishigami Village (Ishigami Chokaimachi Kamijinego, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0721), Jirouemon of Momoyake Village, Shingoro of Arasawa-Sugayachi Village (Arasawa Yashimamachi Arasawa, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0418), Sato Mondo of Nakayama Village, Genbei of Shimojinego Village, Sakubei of Kamijinego-Tenjin Village, Shigegoro of Sasago-Shimomiya Village, and Jinzaemon of Masago Village, making a total of 14 people.

     In August, 1680, the peasants once again set out on a journey to Edo to lodge a petition, but on the way they encountered Jiroemon and others, who had returned from Edo, at Tendo, Mogami County.  After a fierce battle, Magohachi of Sodeyama Village was captured, and the sealed letter and the petition he was carrying were taken away.  In addition, Genbei of Shimojinego Village, Kiemon and Sankuro of Hitane Village, and Shigeemon of Kuzupira Village were captured and sent back to Yashima.  They were then executed in Hadaka Mori on the 23rd, along with Wakoin, Jintaro,Jinnosuke, and Tsunehisa, who had been captured earlier.

     The punishment was truly horrific.  Wakoin was 32 years old at the time, and was brutally executed by stone-filled siege, Jintaro and Jinnojo were beheaded, and the other six were crucified.

     Afterwards, when the domain learned that Nizaemon was plotting another uprising in the mountains of Fujikura (Fujikura Sannai, Akita, 010-0823), Sendo, they asked the Akita Domain for help to capture him, but failed.

      Nizaemon had a cousin, Kyuhachi, who was blinded with greed.  He informed the domain of Nizaemon's hiding place.

     Nizaemon was finally killed in the mountains of Hiyama  (Hiyama, Noshiro, Akita 016-0151) on Leap August 15th.  He was 43 years old.

     Kyuhachi asked for Nizaemon's wife, Okesa, as a reward.  Okesa agreed and stabbed Kyuhachi to death on the night of their wedding, got back Nizaemon's head, helped Sakubei of Tenjin Village escape from prison, buried her husband's head in the mountains of Makinodaira, Jinego Village, and fled to another territory with her daughter.

     After the Tokugawa Shogunate was destroyed, Aota Shrine was founded where Nizaemon's head was buried, enshrining Nizaemon as the god of agriculture.

Gassan Shrine

Address: Tsukiyama-18, Chokaimachi Kamijinego, Yurishinjo, Akita 015-0721

Phone: 0184-59-2800

Momoyake-Nenoi Fortress

Nakamura-129 Chokaimachi Momoyake, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0516

Aota Shrine

Address: Maginotai Chokaimachi Shimojinego, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0722