The 1679 Yashima Peasant Revolt

 

The financial troubles of the Ikoma family, who ruled Yashima Domain, began decades earlier. In 1640, the family's stipend was drastically reduced to one-seventeenth of its original amount. When Ikoma Takakiyo (1643–1694) succeeded as head of the family in 1659, he granted one-fifth of this already diminished income to his younger brother, Toshiaki. Unable to downsize its administration effectively, the domain quickly fell into a severe financial crisis.

In 1677, while residing in Edo, Takakiyo called upon his senior retainer, Miura Iemon, and other local vassals to devise a strategy to alleviate the domain’s deficit. They proposed a plan to increase annual tax revenues through rigorous land surveys—a strategy the lord promptly approved.

Iemon and his officers carried out the land survey, effectively increasing the domain's tax assessment by 4.3 times. Shocked by this crushing burden, local farmers submitted a joint petition to the senior retainers, but received no reply. When tax collection began, domain officials enforced it so ruthlessly that many desperate farmers abandoned their fields and fled the domain.

(Around this same year, Daishoin, the father of Priest Wakoin, presented an Amitabha Buddha statue to Gassan Shrine.)

The remaining farmers gathered in secret to deliberate. Four representatives—Gon'emon of Jonai Village, Shozaemon of Koya Village, Yohei of Sarukura Village, and Juroemon of Aratokoro Village—conceived a plan to turn the tide. They sought the help of Kaneko Hisazaemon, a former samurai living as a masterless ronin in Senboku County. Secretly bringing Hisazaemon back to Yashima, they followed his guidance, drafted another petition in 1679, and decided to appeal directly to Lord Takakiyo in Edo.

A delegation led by representatives—including Yazoemon (Nakayama), Hachiroemon (Arasawa), Jin'emon (Kamikawauchi), and Sukesaburo (Shinjo)—traveled to Edo alongside Hisazaemon and Kosukegawa Jiroemon. Upon arriving, they met with Takakiyo and exposed the tyranny of Iemon and the intense suffering of the peasantry. Astonished by their account, Takakiyo ordered Iemon and his associates to commit seppuku (ritual suicide). He then appointed Hisazaemon and Jiroemon as new local retainers, charging them with relieving the peasants' plight.

Having achieved their initial goal, Hisazaemon and Jiroemon returned to Yashima Domain. They gathered the peasantry near Nenoi Fortress, announced Takakiyo’s decree, and incited the crowd to strike down Iemon’s faction. Overjoyed, the peasants launched a surprise attack on the mansions of Iemon and his allies. Taken completely off guard, Iemon's group fled the domain in panic without putting up a fight.

Soon after, Ichihashi Hikobei was appointed chief retainer in Edo and dispatched to Yashima to manage domain administration alongside Hisazaemon and Jiroemon. However, contrary to the peasants' expectations, the new leadership summoned village headmen and peasant representatives, strictly ordering them to pay the increased taxes by the original deadline. Having secured their official positions, Hisazaemon and Jiroemon had completely betrayed the villagers.

As the payment deadline approached, the peasants were left helpless. Domain officials brutally enforced the mandate, arresting and imprisoning anyone who resisted. Unable to endure the persecution, even more peasants fled, leaving as many as 326 houses abandoned throughout the domain.

After days of fruitless discussion over this dire situation, Nizaemon of Shimojinego Village stepped forward. Prepared to lay down his life, he expressed a firm resolve to appeal directly to Takakiyo again—and to the Tokugawa Shogunate if necessary. Moved by his courage, 984 peasants secretly signed a petition prepared by Nizaemon and transcribed by Priest Wakoin.

Nizaemon and twelve delegates set off for Edo. There, Nizaemon managed to present the petition directly to Lord Takakiyo and detailed the official corruption. Surprised once more, Takakiyo agreed to reduce the tax increase by half and granted Nizaemon a signed, sealed letter promising relief. Overjoyed, the delegation returned home, shared the news, and worked to recall those who had fled in order to restore the community.

However, when Hikobei and the domain officials learned of this, they dispatched Jiroemon to Edo to discredit the movement. Jiroemon falsely reported that Nizaemon and his followers were traitors conspiring with the exiled Iemon faction to assassinate Takakiyo.

Enraged by this report, Takakiyo ordered his officers to revoke the sealed letter and execute Nizaemon and his associates. On July 25, 1680, Hisazaemon led over 400 armed men in a surprise raid on Nizaemon’s home in Jinego Village.

Although Nizaemon’s house was burned down, he managed to escape. However, Priest Wakoin, along with Jintaro and Jinnosuke (sons of Shigeemon of Kamijinego Village), and Tsunehisa (father of Tarozaemon of Shimojinego Village), were captured. Another raid targeted Hitane and Momoyake villages, but the terrified residents had already fled into the hills.

Furious at this brutal crackdown, Nizaemon rallied 13 other men—including Shigeemon, Magohachi, Sankuro, Kiemon, Gorosuke, Jirouemon, Shingoro, Sato Mondo, Genbei, Sakubei, Shigegoro, and Jinzaemon—to launch another direct appeal in Edo.

In August 1680, as the 14 men made their journey to Edo, they were intercepted at Tendo in Mogami County by Jiroemon’s forces returning from the capital. After a fierce clash, Magohachi was captured, and the signed promise letter and petition were confiscated. Four others—Genbei, Kiemon, Sankuro, and Shigeemon—were also captured and sent back to Yashima.

On August 23, they were executed at Hadakamori alongside Priest Wakoin, Jintaro, Jinnosuke, and Tsunehisa. The executions were exceptionally cruel: 32-year-old Priest Wakoin was crushed to death in a stone-filled siege frame (ishizume), Jintaro and Jinnosuke were beheaded, and the remaining six were crucified.

Nizaemon escaped and attempted to organize another uprising from the mountains of Fujikura in Sando. The domain requested assistance from the neighboring Akita Domain to capture him, but failed. Ultimately, Nizaemon was betrayed by his own cousin, Kyuhachi, who revealed his hiding place for a reward. On Leap August 15, Nizaemon was hunted down and killed in the mountains of Hiyama at the age of 43.

As his reward, Kyuhachi demanded Nizaemon’s widow, Okesa. She feigned agreement, but on their wedding night, she stabbed Kyuhachi to death. She recovered her late husband’s severed head, helped Sakubei escape from prison, buried Nizaemon's head in the mountains of Makinodaira in Jinego Village, and fled to safety with her daughter.

Following the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate in the 19th century, Aota Shrine was erected where Nizaemon’s head was buried, honoring him as a deity of agriculture.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