Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Kameda Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #25 Shogen-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Shogen-ji Temple was founded in Asada Village along Kimigano River.

     The middle reaches of Kimigano River had 5 villages: Tanaka, Sakurazawa, Kubo, Yamazaki, and Asada Villages from east to west, or from the upper to the lower.

     Shogen-ji Temple seems to have been the only Buddhist temple in the 5 villages.  Probably, Shogen-ji Temple was founded to carry out the danka system in the Kameda Domain.

Address: Asada-46 Iwakimichikawa, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-1304

Phone: 0184-73-2108

Trees In the Town

 

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

Trees In the Town

Virtual Kameda Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #23 Jusen-ji Temple

 

     Jusen-ji Temple was founded in 1391 by a monk from Kosen-ji Temple, which had been founded in 1377 by Priest Sorei (1333-1408).  The monk who founded Jusen-ji Temple might have been Sorei's apprentice.  Sorei and his apprentices seem to have propagated Caodong Chan School energetically.

     The most famous Caodong Chan School priest was Doai (?-1379), who was from Yamamoto County, Dewa Province.  He founded Eitoku-ji Temple in Isawa County, Mutsu Province. 

     Doai aspired to become a Buddhist monk from an early age and attained spiritual attainment at a Shingon sect temple called Hoju-in in Rokugo-Takano Village.  At the age of 16, he went up to Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei to study the teachings of the Tiantai Sect.  Several years after entering the mountain, he decided to travel around temples of various places.  According to the Nihon Dojo Rento-roku, the Biographies of the Priests of the Caodong Chan School, which was compiled by Priest Yujo in 1727, he is said to have converted to the Caodong Chan School when he was 24 years old.  He studied under Priest Joseki (1275-1366), the second head priest of the Soji-ji Temple in Wajima, Noto Province.  In 1355, he achieved great enlightenment and  became a Buddhist heir of Joseki, who ordered Doai to preach in the Mutsu and Dewa Provinces.  Doai spread the teachings of the Caodong Sect all over the provinces on the back of an ox.

     As Sorei also learned from Joseki in Soji-ji Temple, the 2 might have been acquainted with each other.  Later, Sorei returned to Soji-ji Temple and became its head priest.

Address: Kayagasawa-129 Yuwakayagasawa, Akita, 010-1352

Phone: 018-887-2355

Kosen-ji Temple

Address: 4375 Yokoyama, Oishida, Kitamurayama District, Yamagata 999-4121

Phone: 0237-35-3407

Trees In the Town

Virtual Kameda Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #22 Fumon-in Temple

 

     Omono River runs west through Dewa Mountains from Yokote Basin to the Sea of Japan.

     The Yokote Basin is mostly flat with an area of 693.59 square kilometers, consisting of several alluvial fans created by the Omono River and its tributaries.  The Omono River, which flows from the southeastern part of Akita Prefecture to the northwest, winds its way through the mountains between the basin and the Sea of Japan, and flows down to the sea.

     From around the end of the Tertiary period (from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago), compressive forces from the east and west, caused by the westward movement of the Pacific plate, began to be applied to the area that is now the Tohoku Region.  As a result, folds and reverse faults occurred alternately, and lowlands and highlands appeared alternately from the east to the west like wrinkles stretching from north to south.  From Akita Prefecture to Iwate Prefecture, the topography has been divided into lowlands (Akita Plains), mountains (Dewa Mountains), lowlands (Yokote Basin), mountains (Ou Mountains), lowlands (Kitakami Basin), and mountains (Kitakami Mountains).

     During the Quaternary period, from 2.58 million years ago to the present, mountains were further uplifted by compressive forces, and lowlands became even lower, where rivers carried large amounts of sediment, resulting in the development of basins covered with thick sediments.  Several alluvial fans have been formed along the Ou Mountains in the Yokote Basin.  Near the ground surface in the central part of the Yokote Basin, which belonged to Shimoyoshida and Tamura Districts, there are peat layers that indicate that these areas used to be wetlands, and the newest peat layer dates back to approximately 5,000 years ago.

     Approximately 10,000 years ago, the ice age ended, and rising temperatures led to the Jomon Transgression.  When the Jomon transgression was at its peak, the sea level was about 3 to 5 meters higher than it is today.  The amount of water in the rivers is also thought to have been larger.  In the Yokote Basin, where the slope is gentle, and the floodplain is wide, the Omono River changed its flow path several times.  Eventually its tributary rivers carried sediment from the Ou Mountains side (the east side). The development of alluvial fans gradually moved the flow path westward.

     As the amount of water which ran through Omono River decreased, narrow flatlands between Dewa Mountains and Omono River were developed, and people living there increased.  Some of them founded Aranami Shrine in the area where Aranami Village was organized.  For unknown reason, Aranami Shrine and its opposite bank belonged to the Kameda Domain, and the other part of Omono River belonged to the Kubota Domain.  For just about 3 kilometers, the Kameda Domain imposed taxes on the goods of the Kubota Domain.  The taxation dates back to the Warring States Period at the latest.  In those days, the Kameda Domain area was ruled by the Akotsu Family, who had good relations with the Ando Pirates.  The Family could have introduced the piracy-like method to increase their income.  One of the pirating techniques is to "ask" boats and ships to "offer" something to a historic Shinto shrine.  Omono River winds almost 360 degrees in Arawa Village.  It must have been a difficult part for the water transportation.  Aranami literally used to mean Rough Waves. Navigating boats and ships through such a difficult part was another method for pirates.  The disputes over the taxes continued till Japan was unified by the Meiji Restoration Government.  The Chinese characters for Aranami were changed to those for New Waves after the Meiji Restoration.

     Anyway, Fumon-in Temple is supposed to have been founded to carry out the danka system in the Kameda Domain.

Address: Shinmachi-280 Yuwaarawa, Akita, 010-1341

Phone: 018-887-2004

Arawa Shrine

Address: Toyoguchi−16−16, Yuwaarawa, Akita 010-1342

Phone: 018-887-2224

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Kameda Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #21 Kanpaku-ji Temple

 

     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, and invaded the Tomita area in 806.  The valley was so dark that the sight of northern foreigners.  As they prayed to Goddess Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, the moon goddess, the moon brightly shone and they suppressed northern foreigners.  After the war, they founded Gassan Shrine, namely Monn Mountain Shrine, to worship Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto.

     If you don't believe the legend, people from around Mount Gassan migrated to the Tomita area.

     After the assassination of his father in 592, Prince Hachiko (542–641) fled north along the western seacoast of Honshu.  He came ashore in Ideha Province and invested the rest of his life in religious pursuits in The Three Mountains of Ideha: Mount Haguro, Mount Gassan, and Mount Yudono.  There, the prince took good care of people and relieved many of their sufferings.  Gassan as a holy place was first documented in 773.

     Tomita Village became independent from Akotsu Village and was first documented in 1612.

     It is unknown when Kanpaku-ji Temple was founded as its shrine temple.  The temple might have been abolished after the Meiji Restoration Government issued the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order in 1868.  

Gassan Shrine

Address: Itashiki-145 Iwakitomita, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-1214

Phone: 0184-72-2136

Trees In the Town

 

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

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Kameda Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #19 Ryuo-ji Temple

 

     In the 17th century, the danka system was established by the Tokugawa Shogunate.  Under the system, the Tokugawa Clan made the affiliation with a Buddhist temple compulsory to all citizens.

     In 1632, Ryuo-ji Temple was founded to carry out the danka system in Kami-Hebita Village, which was developed along the upper stream of Ja River, literally Snake River.  The temple was a branch of Ryumon-ji Temple, which was the family temple of the Iwaki Family, the lords of the Kameda Domain.  Hebita means Snake Rice Fields.  Kami-Hebita Village was independent from Akotsu Village by 1612, when Kami-Hebita Village was first documented.

     The place name Goshonomae suggests that the temple was regarded as a palace by the locals.  Did a member of the Iwaki Family become its priest?

     Ryuo-ji Temple’s sango is Shochu-san.

     During the Eastern Jin Period (317–420) in China, Southern China overtook the north in population due to the migration of northern Chinese to southern China.  The Xiang River Basin was also developed.  Some literary works which had Xiang Chong, literally Xiang Middle, in their titles were born.  As Xiangchong is pronounced Shochu in Japanese, the first priest of Ryuo-ji Temple might have had some sympathy with the works.  Did he migrate from Iwaki County, Mutsu Province, as the Iwaki Family did?

As Xiao and Xiang Rivers met, I met an old friend.

Today, why should I transfer to someone new

To enjoy water?

Sugawara Michizane (845-903)

     From 1710 to 1788, the village's output decreased 1 percent, and decreased another 7 percent from 1788 to 1838.  Living with someone high-ranking wasn't beneficial to the villagers.

Address: Goshonomae-37 Iwakikamihebita, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-1222

Phone: 0184-72-2658

Ryumon-ji Temple

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

Phone: 0184-72-2373