Trees In the Town

Old Nukanobu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

 

     Old Nukanobu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized by Priest Kanko in 1512.

     Nanbu Masayasu (1461-?) was the 22nd head of the Nanbu Family.  He had 5 sons; Nanbu Yasunobu (1493-1541), Ishikawa Takanobu (1495-1571), Minami Nagayoshi (1497-1583), Ishigame Nobufusa (1499-1583), and Kemanai Hidenori (1521-1585).  They were all competent samurai, and that helped the family to rise to become a warlord in the Warring States Period.  The Old Nukanobu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized in the territories of the Nanbu Family when they were laying their foundation.

     The Old Nukanobu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage is on the decline and is one of the endangered 33 Kannon pilgrimages.

Trees In the Town

Virtual Sannohe 33 Kannon Pilgrimage Ota-Kannon-do Hall

 

     It is unknown when and how the Sannohe 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized.  The pilgrimage has disappeared only with the fragments of the information of Ota-Kannon-do Hall left.  Even the hall’s membership number hasn’t been passed down.

     There used to be a Kannon-do hall in Ota Hamlet, Matashige Village, Sannohe County, Mutsu Province.  Matashige Village was first documented in 1297.  The village had a stock farm at the beginning of the 16th century.

     The hamlet has a shrine but no Kannon-do hall.  It is unknown if the hall had something to do with the shrine.  It is also unknown where the hall’s Avalokitesvara image has gone.

     The shrine is called Marisu-ten.  The Buddhist deity Marici is usually called Marishi-ten in Japanese or Molizhitian in Chinese.  It is unknown whether Marisu is a local accent of Marishi or a completely different local deity.

Marisu-ten Shrine

Address: Ota, Kuraishimatashige, Gonohe, Sannohe District, Aomori 039-1703

Trees In the Town

Virtual Hachinohe Castle Town 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #33 Taisen-in Temple

 

     The Hachinohe-Nanbu Family, or the Nejo-Nanbu Family, advanced to Kai Province to support the Southern Court.  Taisen-in Temple was founded in today's Kurami, Nishikatsura, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi 403-0023, in 1367 by Nanbu Masamochi.  They returned to Hachinohe in 1398 after the Southern Court was merged with the Northern Court.  Masamochi ruled Niida Village and called his family Niida.

      Taisen-in Temple was moved to Niida Village either in 1533 or 1570.  When the Niida Family moved to Tono in 1590, the temple moved with them.  Nanbu Toshinao (1576-1632), the 2nd lord of the Morioka Domain, supported the revival of Taisen-in Temple in Niida Village. 

Address: Teranoue-13-1 Niida, Hachinohe, Aomori 031-0813

Phone: 0178-25-5245

Taisen-in Temple

Address: 7-8 Shinmachi, Tono City, Iwate 028-0524

Phone: 0198-62-2510

Trees In the Town

Virtual Hachinohe Castle Town 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #32 Josho-ji Temple

 

     Sawa, a daughter of Matsubashi Magosuke, a wealthy merchant in Hachinohe, became a concubine of Nanbu Shigenobu (1616-1702), the 3rd lord of the Morioka Domain.  She gave birth to Michinobu (1673-1716), who became the 3rd lord of the Hachinohe Domain.

     The Matsubashi Family had an Amitabha hermitage in their hometown, Araida Village.  After Sawa's death, Magossuke enshrined her Buddhist memorial tablet in the hermitage, and changed its name to Josho-in after her posthumous Buddhis name in 1692.

     In 1733, the 4th lord of Hachinohe Domain, Hironobu (1709-1741), invited Priest Ryonen to change the hermitage to a Buddhist temple, and, in 1734, the temple was named Josho-ji.

     Matsuhashi Magosuke was first documented in 1683 as he started a sake brewery.  He also built a large merchant ship and started a shipping business.  In 1728, he was allowed to carry a sword, and was also allowed to controle forestry within the domain.

     In 1768, Magosuke sold the sake brewery to Kawachiya Hachiemon, and the brewery is still known for its sake brand name Hachitsuru.

     Nanbu Masamochi, the 2nd son of Nanbu Masanaga (?-1360), ruled Niida Village and called his family Niida.  The family built Niida Fortress.  Niida Elementary School is located on the site of the fortress.  The family name was first documented in 1336.  When the Hachinohe-Nanbu Family, or the Nejo-Nanbu Family, didn't have a successor, the Niida Family provided one.  For example, the 17th head, Katsuyoshi, was succeeded by Niida Masayoshi (1543-1610), and the 21st head, Seishinni (1586-1644), was succeeded by Niida Naoyoshi (1602-1675).

     When the Hachinohe-Nanbu Family was transferred to Tono, the Niida Family followed them.  The people in the castle town of Niida Fortress were moved to the Hachinohe Castle Town and formed the Yokacho, Juhatinichicho, and Nijuhachinichicho townships.

     Niida Village was first documented sometime between 1592 and 1596.

Address: Saka-5 Niida, Hachinohe, Aomori 031-0813

Phone: 0178-25-1697

Hachinohe Brewery Hachitsuru Factory

Address: 1 Bancho, Hachinohe, Aomori 031-0031

Phone: 0178-43-0010

Niida Elementary School

Address: Tatehira-20 Niida, Hachinohe, Aomori 031-0813

Phone: 0178-25-3150

Trees In the Town

Virtual Hachinohe Castle Town 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #31 Daiji-ji Temple

 

     Nanbu Moriyuki (1359-1437) of the Sannohe-Nanbu Family and Nanbu Nagatsune of the Hachinohe-Nanbu Family fought against the Ando Pirates over the control of Kazuno County in 1411.  After their triumph, Nagatsune invited Priest Shomi of Bansho-ji Temple in the county, who had contributed to the triumph, to have him found Daiji-ji Temple in Matsudate, Hachinohe.  Since then, the temple was supported as a family temple of the Hachinohe-Nanbu Family.  In 1590, the Hachinohe-Nanbu Family became subordinate to the Sannohe-Nanbu Family.  In 1627, the Hachinohe-Nanbu Family was transferred to Nabekura Castle, and the temple accompanied the family to Tono.  The Daiji-ji Temple in Hachinohe was temporarily closed, but, in 1664, Nanbu Toshinao (1576-1632), the head of the Sannohe-Nanbu Family, invited Priest Genryu to revive it.  In 1875, Daiji-ji Temples in Matsudate and Choja became independent temples.  Later, Daiji-ji Temple in Matsudate became a branch of Daiji-ji Temple in Choja.

     Daiji-ji Temple in Matsudate is located in the hilly section of Hachinohe.  Daiji-ji Temple in Choja is located in the alluvium plain.  Presumably, Daiji-ji Temple was founded in the hills when stock farming was militarily important, and its branch was built in the plain when rice cultivation became a key industry.

     All in all, they have 3 Daiji-ji Temples.

Address: Furusato-38 Matsudate, Hachinohe, Aomori 031-0815

Phone: 0178-25-3915

Bansho-ji Temple

Address: Nishimachi-187 Hanawa, Kazuno, Akita 018-5201

Phone: 0186-23-2647

Nabekura Castle Ruins

Address: Tonocho, Tono City, Iwate 028-0514

Phone: 0198-62-2111

Daijiji Temple

Address: 9-20 Daikucho, Tono City, Iwate 028-0527

Phone: 0198-62-4041  

Daiji-ji Temple

Address: 1 Chome-6-59 Choja, Hachinohe, Aomori 031-0021

Phone: 0178-22-1856

Trees In the Town

Virtual Hachinohe Castle Town 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #30 Matsudate-Miyauchi-Kannon-do Hall

 

     During the Southern and Northern Courts Period (1336-1392), the Hachinohe-Nanbu Family, or the Nejo-Nanbu Family, advanced to Kai Province to support the Southern Court.  They returned to Hachinohe in 1398 after the 2 courts were merged.

     Niyama-go Shrine was founded in 1366 presumably by the vassals of the Hachinohe-Nanbu Family.  It was rebuilt in 1394 by Taira Morinaga, who might have been subject to the Hachinohe-Nanbu Family.

     An Avalokitesvara image could have been enshrined in the shrine as Miyauchi literally means Shrine-Inside.

     It is unknown whether Niyama-gu Shrine had something to do with Niyama Shrine in Tatemae.  It is also unknown if Miyauchi-Kannon-do Hall had something to do with a ruined Kannon-do hall in Kamiteraji.

Address: Kamiteraji-12 Matsudate, Hachinohe, Aomori 031-0815

Niiyama Shrine

Address: Tatemae Korekawa, Hachinohe, Aomori 031-0023

Kannon-do Hall

Address: Kamiteraji-12 Matsudate, Hachinohe, Aomori 031-0815

Trees In the Town

Virtual Hachinohe Castle Town 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #29 Okada-Kannon-do Hall

 

     The Tachibana Clan was one of the 4 most powerful noble clans in Japan's Nara and early Heian Periods.  The other 3 were the Minamoto, the Fujiwara, and the Taira Clans.  In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Tachibana Clan were eclipsed and eventually became scattered across Japan.

     Some members of the Tachibana Clan settled in eastern provinces and became samurai.  Tachibana Tomoyasu (?-944) played an active role in the defensive battle against Taira Masakado (?-940), and many samurai families were born claiming to be his descendants.  Some Tachibana Clan members also settled in Dewa Province.  Tachibana Yoshinori was active at the end of the 10th century, and the brothers Tachibana Sadayori and Yorisada fought for Kiyohara Takenori in the Former Nine Years War (1051-1062).  Tachibana Kiminari fought for Minamoto Yoritomo (1147-1199), became a manor steward of the Ogashima, and also was given a territory in Akita County.

     According to tradition, Tachibana Toemon came from Shonai County, Dewa Province, in 807 with his 5 centimeters-tall gold image of Thousand-Armed Sahasrabhuja.  As 807 is the legendary year when countless shrines and temples are said to have been founded in Dewa and Mutsu Provinces, it must have been after the 10th century that Toemon moved.

     Okada Kannon was first documented in 1665.

     Presumably after the Meiji Restoration, the original gold image was moved to Gassan Shrine in Kagota, and a 30-centimeters tall wooden statue of Arya Avalokitesvara, who is the human-figure prototype of the other 6 metamorphoses, is enshrined in Okada-Kannon-do Hall.

Address: Okada, Matsudate, Hachinohe, Aomori 031-0815

Kagoto-Gassan Shrine

Address: Kagota-38 Matsudate, Hachinohe, Aomori 031-0815