Virtual Kameda Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #24 Nakayama-dera Temple

 

     Takimiya Shrine was founded in the upper reaches of the Kimigano River in 807.

     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.

     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.

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

     All in all, Takimiya Shrine was founded before the cease-fire between the Imperial Army and northern foreigners was settled.  The Kimigano area was just across the mountains from Memeki Village in the Omono River Basin.  As the shrine enshrines Goddess Ukanomitama as the divinity of agriculture, it could have been founded by farmer-soldiers.  Usually, Arya Avalokitesvara, who is the human-figure prototype of the other 6 metamorphoses, is regarded as Ukanomitama's original divinity.  In other words, they believed Arya Avalokitesvara expressed itself as Ukanomitama in Japan.  However, people believed Avalokitesvara to be the guardian of horses, the shrine might enshrine Horse-Headed Hayagriva.

     Anyway, Nakayama-dera Temple is supposed to have been founded as its shrine temple in the golden age of the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism.  It might have been abolished after the Meiji Restoration Government issued the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order in 1868.

     The shrine's Avalokitesvara statue is still called Nakayama Kannon, namely Nakayama Avalokitesvara.

     Kimigano Village was first documented in 1591 as the Akita Family’s territory.

     The Ando Pirates had concentrated on open sea trade with people in Hokkaido and the continent.  Their main interests along the sea coast of Dewa Province were keeping the ports under their control, especially those in the estuaries of Yoneshiro and Omono Rivers.  They let the inland feudal lords and other local samurai use the ports by paying taxes.  Ando Chikasue (1539-1587), however, set his eyes on controlling inland water transportation along the rivers.  He raised taxes on inland water transportation.  He also strengthened his domination over local samurai along the rivers.  He changed his family name to Akita.

     Luis Frois (1532–1597), a Portuguese Catholic priest and missionary who worked in Japan, wrote a letter dated February 28th, 1565, about the Ando Pirates, "In the north end of Japan, about 1,500 kilometers from Kyoto, there is a big province.  There live barbarians whose whole body is hairy, and whose hair is quite long.  The ‘Gesuen’ area near northern foreigners' land has a big port town called Akita.  Many northern foreigners visit the port to trade with people in Akita and some people in Akita also visit northern foreigners' land."  It is clear that the Ando Pirates still traded with northern foreigners.

Takimiya Shrine

Address: Nakayama-1, Iwakikimigano, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-1302

Phone: 0184-72-2136