Virtual Kameda Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #20 Ryuan-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Ryuan-ji Temple was founded in Takinomata Village.  Judging from its name, Ryuan-ji Temple might have been founded as a branch of Ryumon-ji Temple after the Iwaki Family moved to the Kameda Domain 1623.

     In 709, Ideha County was established at the northern end of Koshi Province.  Ideha Fortress was supposedly built around that time at the estuary of Mogami River.  Ideha County was separated from Koshi Province and was promoted to province in 712.  In 733, Ideha Fortress was relocated north, or advanced, to Akita at the estuary of Omono River at about 100 kilometers from its original place.  Ideha Fortress in Akita came to be called Akita Castle by 761.  Presumably in those days, immigrants or farmer-soldiers from the Yoshino area in Yamato Province invited God Kanayamahiko from Kinpu Shrine and Goddess Mizuhanome from Niukawakami Shrine to the left bank of Omono River.

     The areas around Akita Castle became unstable for some reason or other, and, at last in 780, Abe Yakamaro (?-?), a general in Akita Castle, reported to Emperor Konin (709-781) that the castle should be abandoned, which meant to retreat about 100 kilometers south again.  At the beginning of the 9th century, the Imperial Army fought back.  On January 11th, 802, the central government 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.  The 4000 young men from the Kanto Region to the Tohoku Region could bring about significant imbalances in the proportion of young women and men in Ideha Province.  Wartime sexual violence was inevitable.  They invaded the left bank of Omono River again.  Tradition suggests that, when the army invaded the Inagi area, they hunted 3 female northern foreigners and brought them to the upper reaches of Koromo River (Iwakitakinomata, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-1211) across the mountains between the 2 valleys.  As they founded Kinpo Shrine, taking back God Kanayamahiko and Goddess Mizuhanome, in the Takinomata area.

     In 878, Omono River became a cease-fire line between the Imperial Army and northern foreigners.

     Inagi Village (today's Yuwamemeki, Akita, 010-1233) was organized on the left bank of Omono River before the Wamyo Ruijusho, namely Japanese Names for Things Classified and Annotated,  which was a Japanese dictionary, was compiled in 938.  Ideha came to be pronounced Dewa by the end of the 12th century.

     Around the site where God Kanayamahiko and Goddess Mizuhanome were first invited, Memeki Village was organized.  The village was first documented in 1582.  Inagi is also pronounced Inaki, which sometimes meant stockades covered with bunches of rice straws against arrows or warehouses for rice in the husk in the ancient times.  Its -ki and Memeki’s -ki also could mean a fort.  The farmer soldiers on the left bank or the south bank of Omono River could have built warehouses to store rice and built forts to guard the rice along the cease-fire line. 

     It is unknown when Toshima County was organized to cover 59 villages: Momosada Araya Village (today's ArayamachiAkita, 010-1623), Momosada Ishidazaka Village, Yotsugoya Village (Yotsugoya, Akita, 010-1417), Oyama Village, Koaji Village (Yotsugoyakoaji, Akita, 010-1418), Menagata Village, Momosada Hamada Village (Hamada, Akita, 010-1654), Toyomaki Village, Aikawa Village (Yuwaaikawa, Akita, 010-1231), Togasawa Village (Yuwatokazawa, Akita, 010-1232), Shimo-Kurose Village (Yuwashimokurose, Akita, 010-1203), Hirazawa Village (Yuwahirasawa, Akita, 010-1221), Tsubakigawa Village (Yuwatsubakigawa, Akita, 010-1211), Shibano-Shinden Village (Yuwashibano Shinden, Akita, 010-1202), Tagusa Village (Yuwatakusagawa, Akita, 010-1201), Hataya Village (Kawabehataya, Akita, 019-2612), Suedo Village (Yotsugoyasuedomatsumoto, Akita, 010-1416), Matsumoto-Shinden Village (Yotsugoyasuedomatsumoto, Akita, 010-1416), Ishida Village (Yuwaishida, Akita, 010-1222), Tanezawa Village (Yuwatanezawa, Akita, 010-1224), Hiraodori Village (Yuwahiraotori, Akita, 010-1212), Sadeko Village (Yuwasadeko, Akita, 010-1225), Myoho Village (Yuwamyoho, Akita, 010-1223), Memeki Village (Yuwamemeki, Akita, 010-1233), Noda Takaya Village (Kawabekitanodakoya, Akita, 019-2625), Toyonari Village (Kawabetoyonari, Akita, 019-2614), Kitanoda Takaya Village (Kawabekitanodakoya, Akita, 019-2625), Kono Village (Kamikitatekono, Akita, 010-1404), Matsubuchi Village (Kawabematsubuchi, Akita, 019-2613), Shikita Miyazaki Village (Shikida Kawabewada, Akita, 019-2601), Moroi Village (Kawabemoroi, Akita, 019-2621), Takaoka Village (Kawabetakaoka, Akita, 019-2622), Akahira Village (Kawabeakahira, Akita, 019-2623), Osawa Village (Kawabeosawa, Akita, 019-2624), Iwami Village (Kawabeiwami, Akita, 019-2741), Sannai Village (Kawabesannai, Akita, 019-2742), Funazawa Village (Funesawazakai Kawabejinnai, Akita, 019-2631), Jinnai Village (Kawabejinnai, Akita, 019-2631), Funaoka Village (Kyowafunaoka, Daisen, Akita 019-2401), Obarino Village (Kawabeobarino, Akita, 019-2632), Goshono Village (Kamikitategoshono, Amaikedori, Akita, 010-1411), Saruta Village (Kamikitatesaruta, Akita, 010-1406), Koyamada Village (Koyamada Kamikitatekoyamada, Akita, 010-1402), Oyamada Village (Kamikitateoyamada, Akita, 010-1405), Niida Village, Momozaki Village (Kamikitatemomozaki, Akita, 010-1407), Yanagidate Village (Shimokitateyanagitate, Akita, 010-0052), Samukawa Village (Shimokitatesamukawa, Akita, 010-0053), Aramaki Village (Kamikitatearamaki, Akita, 010-1403), Yanagihara-Shinden Village, Ushijima Village (Ushijima, Akita, 010-0064), Matsuzaki Village (Shimokitatematsusaki, Akita, 010-0051), Sakura Village (Shimokitatesakura, Akita, 010-0058), Torisawa Village (Shimokitatetorisawa, Akita, 010-0055), Takaragawa Village (Shimokitatetakarakawa, Akita, 010-0054), Kurokawa Village (Kurokawa Shimokitatekurokawa, Akita, 010-0056), Nashihira Village (Shimokitatenashihira, Akita, 010-0057), Odo Village (Kamikitateodo, Akita, 010-1408), and Osugisawa Village (Kamikitateosugisawa, Akita, 010-1401).  Inagi Village could have been divided into some new villages.  When Toshima County was organized, the number of its original villages should have been smaller.  Matsumoto-Shinden and Yanagihara-Shinden Villages should have been developed in the Edo Period.  Shinden means New Rice-Fields.  Toshima County was renamed Kawabe County in 1664, when the Tokugawa Shogunate strengthened its control over the other feudal lords.

     After the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the shogunate vermilion-sealed official letters were issued to feudal lords, court nobles, Shinto shrines, and Buddhist temples individually on different occasions.  On March 7th, 1664, the shogunate ordered the feudal lords to return their vermilion-sealed official letters.  On April 5th in the same year, the shogunate issued new vermilion-sealed official letters at the same time.  On March 1st, 1665, the shogunate ordered the court nobles, Shinto Shrines, and Buddhist temples to return their vermilion-sealed official letters.  After July, new vermilion-sealed official letters were issued one by one.  That enabled the shogunate to grasp the source of income of the shogunate's latent and potential enemies.  They also tried to grasp their accurate source of income.  As there were a couple of Toshima Counties across Japan, the shogunate tried to avoid confusion among them.  It is unknown why Toshima County in Dewa Province was forced to change its name.

     It is unknown why Kinpu was pronounced Kinpo in Takinomata.

Address: Maetazawa−48, Iwakitakinomata, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-1211

Phone: 0184-72-2554

Ryumon-ji Temple

Address: Mukaiyama-25 Iwakiakahira, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-1215

Phone: 0184-72-2373

Takinomata Kinpo Shrine

Address: Miyanoshita-166 Iwakitakinomata, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-1211

Kinpu Shrine

Address: 1651 Yoshinoyama, Yoshino, Yoshino District, Nara 639-3115

Phone: 0746-32-3012

Niukawakami Shrine

Address: 968 Omura, Higashiyoshino, Yoshino District, Nara 633-2431

Phone: 0746-42-0032