Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #24 Hachiman-ji Temple

 

     Mogami Mitsukuni, the 4th son of the 3rd head of the family, Mitsunao (?-1413), was based in Tateoka Fortress and called his family Tateoka.  He founded Hachiman Shrine in Tateokafueda, Murayama, Yamagata 995-0024, in 1448.

     A couple of generations later, Tateoka Mitsushige (1547-1639) was promoted to Yuri County in 1607.  He brought the Hachiman Shrine with him.  In 1622, his lord, Mogami Yoshitoshi (1605-1632), was demoted to Omi Province, and Mitsushige lost his job and land.

     The Rokugo family kept the Hachiman Shrine as the castle town's shrine.

     Presumably in those days, Hachiman-ji Temple was founded as the shrine's shrine temple, as the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism was popular.  Probably after the Meiji Restoration Government issued the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order in 1868, the temple was abolished with its Avalokitesvara statue enshrined in Hachiman Shrine.

Hachiman Shrine

Address: 50 Yachimachi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0078

Phone: 0184-22-3449

Tateoka Fortress Site

Address: Tateokatate, Murayama, Yamagata 995-0025

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #23 Jokaku-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Jokaku-ji Temple was founded.  Although it belonged to the Chinzei-ha ranch of Pure Land Buddhism, it also functioned as the practice hall of Shugen-do, or the Japanese mountain asceticism.  The temple might have been abolished after the Meiji Restoration Government issued the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order in 1868 as the mountain asceticism contained the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism.

     Fujisaki Shrine seems to have had something to do with Jokaku-ji Temple.  The offspring of the mountain ascetics of the temple display their hina dolls annually in the shrine.

     When Horowa Shrine was invited in 1601, Jokaku-ji Temple supported the invitation.  In 1623, Miyahi Kannon was enshrined in Miyahi Shrine.  Sjinmai-sha Shrine was founded before the 1680's.  In 1925, the 3 shrines were merged to make Fujisaki Shrine.

Jokaku-ji Temple Site

Address: 47-1 Mikuramachi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0801

Fujisaki Shrine

Address: Omachi-9-2 Fujisaki, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0047

Phone: 0184-22-4486

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #22 Hozen-ji Temple

      Nothing is known about the Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #20 Gyokusen-ji, #21 Chosho-in, and #22 Hozen-ji Temples.  As the #23 Jokaku-ji Temple used to be located about 1 kilometer east-north-east from the #19 Yosen-ji Temple, the 3 temples could have been located somewhere between Yosen-ji and Jokaku-ji Temples.  Having 5 temples within a kilometer may sound too overcrowded, but, as is often the case with castletowns, they could have been built to form a defensive line in the north of the castle.

     They might have been abolished either after the Meiji Restoration Government issued the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order in 1868 or due to the movement to abolish Buddhism and to destroy Buddhist images at the beginning of the Meiji Period.

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #21 Chosho-in Temple

      Nothing is known about the Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #20 Gyokusen-ji, #21 Chosho-in, and #22 Hozen-ji Temples.  As the #23 Jokaku-ji Temple used to be located about 1 kilometer east-north-east from the #19 Yosen-ji Temple, the 3 temples could have been located somewhere between Yosen-ji and Jokaku-ji Temples.  Having 5 temples within a kilometer may sound too overcrowded, but, as is often the case with castletowns, they could have been built to form a defensive line in the north of the castle.

     They might have been abolished either after the Meiji Restoration Government issued the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order in 1868 or due to the movement to abolish Buddhism and to destroy Buddhist images at the beginning of the Meiji Period.

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #20 Gyokusen-ji Temple

 

     Nothing is known about the Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #20 Gyokusen-ji, #21 Chosho-in, and #22 Hozen-ji Temples.  As the #23 Jokaku-ji Temple used to be located about 1 kilometer east-north-east from the #19 Yosen-ji Temple, the 3 temples could have been located somewhere between Yosen-ji and Jokaku-ji Temples.  Having 5 temples within a kilometer may sound too overcrowded, but, as is often the case with castletowns, they could have been built to form a defensive line in the north of the castle.

     They might have been abolished either after the Meiji Restoration Government issued the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order in 1868 or due to the movement to abolish Buddhism and to destroy Buddhist images at the beginning of the Meiji Period.

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #19 Yosen-ji Temple

 

     When the Kanno Disturbance or Kanno Incident, which was a civil war developed from conflicts between Ashikaga Takauji (1305-1358), the first Shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate, and his brother, Tadayoshi (1306-1352), broke out in 1350, Nikaido Yukimoto (?-1392) supported Tadayoshi

     November 30th, 1351, the battle between Takauji and Tadayoshi broke out around the Satta Pass in Suruga Province.  On January 5th, 1352, Tadayoshi surrendered to Takauji, was confined to Jomyo-ji Temple in Kamakura, and died a sudden death on February 26th, no matter whether Tadayoshi died of a disease or was poisoned to death as “Taiheiki” (“Chronicle of Great Peace”, a Japanese historical military epic written in the late 14th century) writes.

     Yukimoto escaped north with his family.  Part of his family arrived at Rokugo Village, Semboku County, Dewa Province, and called themselves Rokugo.  The Rokugo Family founded Yosen-ji Temple as their family temple in the village.

     Rokugo Masanori (1567-1634) was promoted to Hitachi province in 1602, with his income doubled.  In 1623, he was promoted again to Yuri County, Dewa Province, with his income doubled again.  He was based in Honjo Castle and founded another Yosen-ji Temple in the castle town as the Rokugo Family's family temple.

Address: 44 Kyujincho, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0874

Phone: 0184-22-0044

Yosen-ji Temple

Address: Happyakukari-113 Rokugo, Misato, Semboku District, Akita 019-1404

Phone: 0187-84-0249

Honjo Castle Ruins

Address: 8 Ozaki, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0871

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #18 Shojo-ji Temple

 

     Shojo-ji Temple was founded in 866, 12 years before the uprising of northern foreigners around Akita Castle, near the estuary of Koyoshi River, which is located a little more than 30 kilometers south of Omono River.

     On January 11th, 802, the Imperial Court ordered 4000 young people from Suruga, Sagami, Kai, Musashi, Kazusa, Shimousa, Hitachi, Shinano, Kozuke, and Shimotsuke Provinces to emigrate to the Tohoku Region as farmer-soldiers.  They might have moved north with their eyes glaring on colonial profit.

     They sent 4000 young men from the Kanto Region to the Tohoku Region.  That could bring about significant imbalances in the proportion of young women and men in the 2 regions.  Wartime sexual violence and the slave traffic was inevitable.

     On New Year's Day in 811, Emperor Takatsugi made an unprecedented New year's speech.  appealed to those who fled to barbarian territories to return.  If they returned, their taxes would be exempted for 3 years.  The northern foreigners who had surrendered to the central government were originally excused from taxes, and were given food and clothes for their local products.  The royal speech suggested some of them had been deprived of their privileges.  The  Imperial Court changed their policy against or for northern foreigners, especially those of them who lived in Japanese territory, from suppression to assimilation.  On June 2nd, 812, they ordered communities of northern foreigners to choose their own chiefs.  On November 21, 813, they appointed a governor specialized in the problems of northern foreigners.  On the 24th, they ordered each province to have a vice governor to handle its problems with northern foreigners.

     On December 1st, 815, Emperor Saga (786-842) ordered that officers, officials, and people should not call surrendered northern foreigners in a derogatory term "Ifu" but should call them with their names and, if any, with their post names and ranks.  In other words, northern foreigners should be treated as humans.

     It wasn’t recorded how the communities of northern foreigners chose their own chiefs, but chief-ships became hereditary and that made powerful families more powerful.  Eventually, those powerful families in Ideha Province formed the Kiyohara Clan.

     No speech could stop colonists' greediness.  No assimilation policy could relieve or even reduce the pains of the conquered.  In 2 generations, their discontent exploded into rage.

     Due to the years of harsh administration by Yoshimine Chikashi, the officer of the Akita Castle, the dissatisfaction of subordinate foreigners reached its peak.  In March, 878, they rose up and raided Akita Castle, and Chikashi was unable to defend the castle and fled.  The subordinate foreigners set fire to the surrounding area, and the Governor of Ideha Province, Fujiwara Okiyo (817-891) also fled.

     In April, the Imperial Court received a courier from Chikashi and ordered Kozuke and Shimotsuke Provinces to conscript 1,000 soldiers each.  On the 19th, Tomo Sadamichi, the officer of Mogami County, was killed in battle.

     In May, the Imperial Court appointed Fujiwara Kajinaga as commandant and dispatched 1,000 cavalry and 2,000 infantry from Mutsu Province to suppress the rebel forces.  Fujiwara Noritsuna, Fun'ya Arifusa, and Ono Haruizumi also led 2,000 Ideha soldiers to join Kajinaga.  In June, the rebel forces attacked Akita Castle again in large numbers, and the central army suffered a crushing defeat.  Kajinaga fled back to Mutsu Province.  The castle was robbed of 300 pieces of armor, 700 koku of rice, 100 bedding, and 1,500 horses.  The rebellion expanded and 12 villages around Akita Castle,Kamitsuno, Hinai, Sugibuchi, Noshiro, Kahoku, Wakimoto, Hoguchi, Okawa, Tsutsumi, Aneto, Katagami, and Yakioka, came under the rebell's control.  In the northern part of Ideha Province, only the foreigners of 3 villages, Soekawa, Habetsu, and Sukegawa, belonged to the province.  Furthermore, the northern foreigners of Tsugaru and Toshima supported the uprising.

     In May, the Imperial Court appointed Fujiwara Yasunori (825-895) as the Governor of Ideha Province to carry out subjugation operations.

     Fujiwara Yasunori (825-895.4.21) had governed his provinces wisely. First, in Bizen and Bicchu Provinces in succession, he suppressed pirates.  Yasunori categorized pirates into two classes.  First, “Most leaders are not local registered people, but dropouts from Kyoto.  Some are young members of good families who have pursued means of support.  Some others are officers’ valets who have married local women.  They have made the remote provinces their hometowns.”  The other class was made up of “those who don’t have atrocious minds but have been goaded by hunger and frost.”  Yasunori’s angle on the social polarization among pirates might have enabled his good governance and suppression over rebellions.

     Yasunori requested the appointment of Ono Harukaze, and in June, Harukaze was appointed as the General of Mutsu and Ideha Provinces.  He went to Ideha Province with Sakanoue Yoshikage, great-grandson of Tamuramaro.  3 northern foreigners came to their camp and demanded that the area north of the Omono River be designated as "their own territory" beyond the direct control of the Imperial Court.

     Yasunori ordered Fun'ya Arifusa and Minamibuchi Akisato, a commandant of Kozuke Province, to prepare 600 Kozuke soldiers and 300 subordinate foreigners.  Furthermore, since Yasunori had only a small number of troops, he requested permission from the Imperial Court to mobilize 2,000 soldiers from Hitachi and Musashi Provinces.  After completing these military measures, he tried to placate the northern foreigners by delivering concealed tax rice.

     Rumors of Yasunori's generous and gentle policies spread and the hostility of northern foreigners subsided.  In August, northern foreigners came to Akita Castle one group after another and surrendered.  Yasunori allowed them to come.  In January, 879, however, the Imperial Court ordered a forced subjugation, and, in response, Yasunori reported on the current situation in Ideha Province.  He had the opinion that the best policy was to implement a lenient policy and to encourage the return of the subjugated foreigners who had fled due to the harsh governance.  The Imperial Court accepted the opinion and, in March, dissolved the subjugation army.

     A ceasefire was accepted, and Omono River became a cease-fire line.

     It is unknown who founded Shojo-ji Temple for what.

     In 1358, Koyoshi Village was presented to Omonoimi Shrine by Kitabatake Akinobu (1320-1380).

     In medieval days, the temple became the family temple of the Koyoshi Family, who claimed that their ancestors came from Shinano Province.

      In 1399, Koyoshi Shurinosuke started ruling the village.

     The size of the Koyoshi River is the 3rd largest in Akita Prefecture after the Omono and Yoneshiro Rivers.

Address: Fujishiro-131 Fujisaki, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0047

Phone: 0184-22-0914

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #17 Daigaku-bo Temple

 

     Nothing is known about Daigaku-bo Temple, besides the fact that there is a place name Daigaku Kawaguchi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0051.  Earthen vessels of the Heian Period (794-1185) have been excavated there.

     Yet, if Daigaku-bo Temple was located somewhere between the Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #16 Entsu-ji Temple and the Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #18 Shojo-ji Temple, we should pay attention to the existence of Ezo-date Fortress and Hana-date Fortress Sites, regarding the foundation time of Shojo-ji Temple.  Ezo means northern foreigners.

     Daigaku-bo Temple could have been located around the fortresses.

Ezo-date Fortress Site

Address: Fujisakidai-371 Fujisaki, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0047

Hana-date Fortress Site

Address: Shimokatabata−3 Funaoka, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0046

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #16 Entsu-ji Temple

     Entsu-ji Temple was founded in 1534 in Numada Village, which is supposed to have been ruled by the Kataho Family, who were based in Kataho Fortress.  The fortress site is Kujakukan Park.

     Between the temple and the fortress, there used to be the Nishime Lagoon.  As a lagoon is called kata in Japanese, the family name had something to do with the lagoon.  The lagoon was about 1,300 meters wide from north to south and 1,400 meters wide from east to west in 1647.  Rice fields were reclaimed by drainage from the lagoon and it finally disappeared in 1835.  Numada means Wetland Rice-Fields.

Address: Shikimori-27 Nishimemachi Numata, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-0604

Phone: 0184-33-3049

Kujakukan Park

Address: Tatenoushiro-10 Nishimemachi Nishime, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-0603

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #15 Kakuo-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when and where Kakuo-ji Temple was founded.  As the Honjo Domain #14 Tensho-ji Temple is located in Nikaho City and the Honjo Domain #16 Entsu-ji Temple is located in Yurihonjo City, Kakuo-ji Temple might have been located somewhere around the border of the 2 cities.

     After Nikaho Kiyoshige (1560-1624) died, his territory was divided between his 3 sons, Yoshitoshi (?-1631), Nobumasa (1600-1653), and Masatsugu.  Nobumasa and Masatsugu became directly subject to the Tokugawa Shogunate, and lived in Edo.  They built the local administrator office in Hirasawa, Nikaho, Akita 018-0402.  Its surrounding area formed a kind of a castle town.  The office site is Nikaho Park.

     Besides Hirasawa, Nikaho City has just Ryozenji, Nikaho, Akita 018-0401.  Nishimemachi Nishime, Yurihonjo, Akita, where Entsu-ji Temple is located is just across the border.

Kakuo-ji Temple might have been located either in the castle town or Ryozenji Village, which was first documented in 1602.

     It is unknown when and how Kakuo-ji Temple was abolished.

Nikaho Park

Address: Shimizu-60 Hirasawa, Nikaho, Akita 018-0402

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #14 Tensho-ji Temple

 

     Mitake Shrine was founded, or was invited, in 1616 by Satake Zushonosuke.  Who was he?

     In 1602, Satake Yoshinobu (1570-1633) was demoted from Hitachi Province to Akita County, Dewa Province, with his income more than halved.  Before he left Hitachi to Akita, he declared that his vassals couldn't earn what they had enjoyed and that he wouldn't take lower-class samurai with him.  Zushonosuke could have been a lower-class samurai at the bottom of the Satake Clan.  It is unknown whether he became a farmer or was employed by Rokugo Masanori (1567-1634), who was promoted with his income increased by 4 times in 21 years.

     Anyway, Tensho-ji Temple might have been founded in those days as twin religious institutions with Mitake Shrine in Maekawa Village, which was first documented in 1612.  In those days, the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism was popular.

Address: Mitakemae-137, Kurokawa, Nikaho, Akita 018-0302

Phone: 0184-38-4146

Mitake Shrine

Address: Mitakeushiro−12, Kurokawa, Nikaho, Akita 018-0302

Phone: 0184-38-2564

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #13 Kannon-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown where Kannon-ji Temple was located in Nikaho City.  The city has Kannonmori Hamlet, which used to have 5 households in 2018.  After the Covid 2019 pandemic, the number of its households has declined.  As Kannonmori means Kannon Woods, there could have been Kannon-ji Temple in the hamlet's golden age.

Kannonmori Kisakatamachi Kosagawa, Nikaho, Akita 018-0143

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #12 Kogan-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Kogan-ji Temple was founded in Shiokoshi Village, which was developed at the foot of the sand dunes between Lake Kisakata and the Sea of Japan.

     The village was first documented in 1612, when the area was ruled by Tateoka Mitsushige (1547-1639).  It was then ruled by Honda Masazumi (1565-1637).  He was disfavored by Tokugawa Hidetada (1579-1632), the 2nd Shogun, and was exiled to Yokote.  In 1623, it was ruled by Nikaho Kiyoshige (1560-1624).  In 1631, it was owned by the Tokugawa Shogunate.  In 1640, it became part of Honjo Domain, ruled by Rokugo Masakatsu (1609-1677).  In the same year, the Ikoma Family and the Rokugo Family exchanged their land for the convenience of ruling.

     The Ikoma family gave the Rokugo Family 17 villages: Shiokoshi (Nichome Shiokoshi, KisakatamachiNikaho, Akita 018-0118), Teraishi, Konoura (Konoura, Nikaho, Akita 018-0311), Tobi (Tobi, Nikaho, Akita 018-0301), Kurokawa (Kurokawa, Nikaho, Akita 018-0302), Serida (Serida, Nikaho, Akita 018-0404), Mitsumori (Mitsumori, Nikaho, Akita 018-0403), Maekawa (Maekawa, Nikaho, Akita 018-0321), Otake (Otake, Nikaho, Akita 018-0322), Nakazato, Iseiji (Iseiji, Nikaho, Akita 018-0431), Misono (Misono Himeno, Nikaho, Akita 018-0436), Hinokuchi (Hinokuchi Himeno, Nikaho, Akita 018-0436), Domeki (Domeki Himeno, Nikaho, Akita 018-0436), Tateiji, and Mikkaichi (Mikkaichi Nakasanchi, Nikaho, Akita 018-0435) Villages.

     The Rokugo family gave the Ikoma Family 16 villages: Gonai (Gonai Yashimamachi Motomachi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0417), Hirabayashi (Hirabayashi Chokaimachi Shimojinego, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0722), Sakanoshita (Sakanoshita Nishisawa, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0352), Shinjo (Shinjo Yashimamachi Shinjo, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0415), Nakayama (Nakayama Takao, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-0844), Yatsusugi, Yubinabe, Kisara (Kamikisara Yashimamachi Kisara, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0413), Sugisawa (Sugisawa Yashimamachi Kawabe, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0412), Koitado (Koitado Yashimamachi Kawabe, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0412), Kamizato (Kamizato Higashiyurihonai, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0201), Kaminori, Shimosato, Honai (Honai Higashiyurihonai, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0201), Niiwa, Kawachi Village.

     The output of the 17 villages and that of the 16 villages were equivalent.  It is interesting that modern municipal territories inherit those of feudal domains rather than primitive or ancient domains.

     Anyway, without the exchange, Kogan-ji Temple wasn’t included in the Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

Address: Yonchome Shiokoshi-231 Kisakatamachi, Nikaho, Akita 018-0116

Phone: 0184-43-3491

Trees In the Town

 Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #11 Kanman-ji Temple

     There used to be Kisakata Lake around today's Oshiokoshi-73-1 Kisakatamachi, Nikaho, Akita 018-0400.  Kanman-ji Temple was founded on the western bank of the lake.

      In August, 1257, Hojo Tokiyori (1227-1263), the 5th Regent of the Kamakura Shogunate, visited the lake.

     The lake's beauty of archipelago and that of Matsushima were equally praised even by Matsuo Basho (1644-1694):

Oh, Kisakata

In the rain

It's as beautiful as Xi Shi.

     The area was, however, hit by the 1804 Kisakata Earthquake and the lake bed was raised by 2 meters.  The lake became wetland and the Honjo Domain started reclaiming rice fields.  The 24th priest Kakurin tried to protect nature from development.  In 1822, he died in the prison of the domain.

     We can only find small hills scattered among rice fields today.

Address: Kisakatajima−2, Kisakatamachi, Nikaho, Akita 018-0122

Phone: 0184-43-3153

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #10 Koden-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Koden-ji Temple was founded in Kunezoe Hamlet, Maekawa Village.  The village was first documented in 1612, when the area was ruled by Tateoka Mitsushige (1547-1639).  It was then ruled by Honda Masazumi (1565-1637).  He was disfavored by Tokugawa Hidetada (1579-1632), the 2nd Shogun, was exiled to Yokote, and was buried in Shohei-ji Temple after his death.  In 1623, it was ruled by Nikaho Kiyoshige (1560-1624).  In 1631, it was owned by the Tokugawa Shogunate.  In 1640, it became part of Honjo Domain, ruled by Rokugo Masakatsu (1609-1677).  It was ruled by the Rokugo Family ever after.  If not, the temple wasn't included in the Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

Address: Kunezoe−49, Maekawa, Nikaho, Akita 018-0321

Phone: 0184-38-2796

Shohei-ji Temple

Address: 3-14 Tanakamachi, Yokote, Akita 013-0024

Phone: 0182-32-3084

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #9 Choo-ji Temple

 

     Ako-tsu Port was ruled by the Akotsu Family, who enjoyed good relations with the Ando Pirates.  They built Akotsu Fortress on the top of the hill behind the port.

     The Akotsu Family was dismissed in 1600.  Tateoka Mitsushige (1547-1639) moved to the area in 1603, but was dismissed in 1622.  In 1623, Iwaki Yoshitaka (1609-1672) moved in.  He built Kameda Residence at the foot of the hill and developed the town at the foot of the residence.  As Choo-ji Temple is located in the town, it might have been founded when the town was developed.

     In the 1980's, the fake castle tower and the fake main gate were built for the sake of sightseeing.  Ever since then, the site is called Kameda Castle, but there never was a castle in the Edo Period.  Can we call Kamedamachi, or Kameda Town, a castle town?

     After the Akotsu Family was dismissed, part of the family called themselves Kosukegawa and became a vassal of the Yashima Domain.  When Kosukegawa Jiroemon was hired by the domain, he made use of the momentum of the 1679 Peasant Revolts, but once he was hired, he betrayed the cause of the revolts.

Address: Shitamachi-43 Kamedamachi, Iwakikameda, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-1217

Phone: 0184-72-2030

Akaozu Fortress Site

Address: Takashiro-2 Iwakishimohebita, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-1223

Kameda Castle

Address: Kamedamachi-45 Iwakikamedakamedamachi, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-1217

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #8 Kaizen-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Kaizen-ji Temple was founded in Nakasanchi Village, Yuri County, Dewa Province.  Nakasanchi has place names such as Furuyashiki, namely Old Residence, Nakanohori, namely Inner Moat, and Horinouchi, namely In the Moat.  The surrounding area of Kaizen-ji Temple could have had a medieval fortress.

     The area has Hachiman Shrine, which had been founded before the turn of the 9th century.

     When Oi Tomokiyo moved from Shinano Province to Yuri County in 1467, he found the shrine and worshiped it since he belonged to the Minamoto Clan.  His son, Kiyomasa, called his family Nikaho.

     When Tateoka Mitsushige (1547-1639) moved in in 1603, he invited the shrine to its present place.

     In 1623, Nikaho Kiyoshige  (1560-1624) returned.  The residence in Nakasanchi could have been the local administrator's office either of the Tateoka Family or of the Nikaho Family, and the temple might have been founded in those days. 

Address: Horinouchi-46 Nakasanchi, Nikaho, Akita 018-0435

Phone: 0184-37-2225

Hachiman Shrine

Address: Nakanohori-11 Nakasanchi, Nikaho, Akita 018-0435

Trees In the Town