Miura Peninsula - The Miura family was destroyed twice - OCT, 2024

Although it is called a coastal terrace, the southern part of the Miura Peninsula has been eroded, sedimented, and raised repeatedly, resulting in a series of slopes and flat terrain, with the coastline being woven with various shapes of protruding sedimentary rocks. Mount Fuji can be seen across the sea, with the mountains of Hakone at its base, and the Izu Peninsula to the west.

Miura Tamemichi, a descendant of Taira no Yoshikane of the Kanmu Heishi clan, followed Minamoto no Yoriyoshi in the Battle of Zenkunen and became the lord of the area due to his military achievements. The area continued to exist for about 450 years until Hojo Soun conquered Sagami.

Tamemichi's great-grandson, Miura Yoshiaki, served Minamoto no Yoshitomo in the Hogen and Heiji Rebellions, but returned to his territory after Yoshitomo's defeat and frequently visited Yoritomo, who was exiled to Hirugashima in Izu, to console him. Yoshiaki was deeply loyal to the Minamoto clan, and was overjoyed when he heard the news that Yoritomo had raised an army. On his way there to lead reinforcements, he heard the news of the defeat at Ishibashiyama, and so he barricaded himself in Kinugasa Castle to fight off the large Heike army, but was killed in battle after letting his family escape with few troops.

The 89-year-old warrior entrusted his true feelings to his family, and his descendants (Yoshizumi, Wada Yoshimori, Sahara Yoshitsune, etc.) went on to support Yoritomo and occupy the heart of the shogunate.

It is said that Yoshiaki and Yoshizumi, father and son, had their fortunes read at Kainan Shrine as to which side would win, the Minamoto or the Heike. In front of the main shrine, there were many ropes hanging for ringing bells, and they were unsure which one to swing.

The Miura Peninsula is located just over 10km from Kamakura, and Yoritomo built three palaces in this scenic area and visited it often, but each has been turned into a temple (Kento-ji Temple, Daichin-ji Temple, and Honzui-ji Temple). Wherever you go in the countryside of Japan, there are many abandoned buildings, and the area around Misaki Port is no exception. It was a blissful stroll through the densely packed streets from the port to the hills, the slopes connecting them, and the temples and shrines scattered here and there, but of the three temples mentioned above, Kento-ji Temple was deserted. Temples, shrines, and streetscapes that we want to preserve are also one of the issues facing the declining population problem.

At Konenji Temple, adjacent to Honzui-ji Temple, which is said to be the site of the Sakura Imperial Palace, there is a hall dedicated to Benzaiten, which was enshrined by Wada Yoshimori. After Kinugasa Castle fell, Yoshimori and Miura Yoshizumi fled from Kurihama to Awa by sea in a storm, and eventually joined forces with Yoritomo. As you know, they then headed north from Awa, and with the support of the Kazusa and Chiba clans, they made a comeback.

Wada Yoshimori invited Unkei and his followers to the Kanto region, where they set up a workshop and left behind many works in Izu and Sagami. It was probably similar to the workshops of Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo. Unfortunately, most of the local temples require reservations, so there were no Buddhist statues that could be casually visited, but I will visit next time just to see the statues. Jorakuji Temple has five Buddhist statues that Yoshimori commissioned from Unkei, which have been designated as important cultural properties. Instead, I was able to view the statues from outside the storage facility and visit the grave of Maejima Hisoka.

The Miura family was destroyed in the Battle of Hoji (1247). This incident is only recorded in the Azuma Kagami, which favors the Hojo Tokuso family, and interpretations are divided, but it is generally considered that the Tokuso family and the Adachi clan destroyed the Miura family and established the Tokuso system. After that, Moritoki, the grandson of Sahara Yoshitsura, took over the family and continued to exist as a vassal of the Tokuso family (Miuchibito).

The Miura clan was wiped out, but Sahara Moritoki was the only survivor, whose father was Yoshitsura's son Moritsura, and whose mother was Yabe no Zenni. This woman was a key person in the establishment of the second Miura clan, and before she remarried Moritsura, she was the wife of Hojo Yasutoki and gave birth to Tokiuji. In other words, Tokiuji's children, Regent Tsunetoki and Tokifusa, were related to Sahara Moritoki through Yabe no Zenni, and although she was a member of the Miura clan (the daughter of Yoshimura), she had Moritoki side with the Hojo. The grave of Sahara Yoshitsura, the founder of the second Miura clan, is located at Manganji Temple.

The Miura clan survived the Nanboku-cho period, but was attacked by Hojo Soun. After taking Odawara Castle, Soun gradually conquered Sagami, but he cornered the last head of the clan, Miura Dosun Yoshiatsu, in Arai Castle and defeated him after three years of fighting (1516). Yoshiatsu was an adopted son of the Ogigayatsu Uesugi clan, but after fighting amongst himself and the decline of his birth family, his lifeline came to an end. His grave was located on the opposite side of Aburatsubo Bay, on a small peninsula that forms part of Arai Castle. It is said that Aburatsubo comes from the blood of the Miura clan at that time.

Being a history buff, I was muttering to myself that it was amazing how people could enjoy yachting so elegantly here (lol).

Although the Miura clan was wiped out 500 years ago, there are still many temples and shrines on the peninsula that originated from the clan, and you can feel the love for the local area. There are descendants of the clan all over the country, but for fans of the Sengoku period, the most famous family is probably the Ashina family. The aforementioned Sahara Yoshitsura, who accompanied Yoritomo in his conquest of Oshu, was given the Aizu territory after the war, and his descendants settled in Aizu and later confronted the Date clan as Sengoku daimyo.

At Seiunji Temple, there are rows of five-storied pagodas that are said to be the graves of the founders of the Miura clan, Tamemichi, Tametsugu, and Yoshitsugu. Originally, there was only one that belonged to the second lord, Tametsugu, but in 1939, the ones that belonged to Tamemichi and Yoshitsugu were moved from the site of Entsuji Temple. It can be said to be a sacred place for the Miura clan.