Iruma Cherry Blossoms ~APR,2025~

I am a member of a golf club in Iruma City and often visit the city, but I didn't know much about the area, so I took a stroll around the area to see the cherry blossoms. The cherry blossoms have started to fall, but it's nice to take a walk while being hit by the cherry blossom snowstorm. I would have liked to have a beer in one hand, but since I was driving, I walked with a cafe latte in one hand. Takakuraji Temple was founded during the Eiroku era (1558-1570), when Hojo Ujiteru expanded his territory in the west of Musashi Province from Takiyama Castle as his base and confronted Uesugi Kenshin.

The Kamakura Highway runs through Iruma City from north to south, and the footprints of Nitta Yoshisada and his second son Yoshioki remain. Nitta Yoshisada raised his army at Otasho Ikushina Shrine, and when he set out he only had 150 soldiers, but later the Nitta clan of Echigo joined him, and before crossing the Tone River, Senjuo (Ashikaga Yoshiakira) also joined, swelling his army to over 200,000 soldiers. When Yoshisada prayed for victory at Kumano Shrine, a crow (Yatagarasu), the messenger of the god of Kii Kumano Taisha, descended, raising his morale and allowing him to win the subsequent battle against the Shogunate army. Incidentally, I have had three balls stolen by a crow at the golf course, but it has not yet benefited my score.

After his father Yoshisada died in Echizen, Yoshioki had a hard time and hid in Kanto, Echigo and Shinano, waiting for an opportunity. After the Kanno Disturbance, Ashikaga Takauji and Tadayoshi parted ways, and after Takauji died, Yoshioki finally raised an army and tried to retake Kamakura, but Kanto kubo Ashikaga Motouji (Takauji's second son) intercepted them and met his end at the Tamagawa Yaguchi Ferry. Motouji apparently camped near the current Iruma City Hall for seven years, but returned to Kamakura after carrying out an experiment on the heads of Yoshioki and his followers (Yoshioki and the Thirteen retainers). At Atago Shrine, the graves of the heads and the Thirteen Ronin are enshrined in front of the main shrine.

Many of the Kanto samurai clans originated from the Kanmu Heishi clan, the Seiwa Genji clan, and Fujiwara no Hidesato's descendants, who defeated Taira no Masakado, but in the Middle Ages, the area was divided into clans of the same clan known as the Musashi Seven Parties. The Kaneko clan and the Kaji clan ruled the Iruma region, the former calling themselves the Kanmu Heishi clan (Murayama clan), and the latter the Tajihi clan (Tan clan), a descendant of Emperor Senka. Even after being granted the status of Kamakura vassals, the two clans survived the turbulent Nanboku-cho and Sengoku periods.

Kaneko Ietada was on the side of the Taira clan when Yoritomo raised his army, but later became a vassal and played an active role in the pursuit of the Taira clan. In the Tale of the Heike, he takes part in Yoshitsune's surprise attack with a small number of troops at the Battle of Yashima. His military achievements were recognized, and when Yoritomo went to Kyoto in 1190 (the first year of the Kenkyu era), he participated as a member of the powerful vassals. In a corner of a large cemetery on the outskirts of Iruma City, you can find his grave and the ruins of the abandoned Zuisen-in temple. The Kaneko clan sided with the Hojo clan during Hideyoshi's attack on Odawara, and lost their territory, but it seems that their descendants later served the Uesugi clan and the Choshu domain.

The "Kaji" in the Kaji clan seems to be related to "blacksmithing," and the "Tan" in the "Tanto" also means "mercury." The clan excelled in metal processing and ceramics, and seems to have originally moved from Tanbi County, Kawachi Province. The Higashikaneko kiln ruins in the hills of Iruma are the remains of tile manufacturing in the 8th and 9th centuries, but there are also records of their use in rebuilding the seven-story pagoda of Musashi Kokubunji Temple, which was destroyed by lightning, suggesting the contributions of the Kaji clan. Kaji Iesada shared the fate of the Hojo clan when the Kamakura Shogunate fell, but the Nakayama clan, a collateral branch of the clan, continued to survive. During Hideyoshi's attack on Odawara, Nakayama Ienori, the head of the family, followed Hojo Ujiteru and was killed in battle at Hachioji Castle, but his descendants served the Tokugawa clan, and Ienori's two sons welcomed the Meiji Restoration as hatamoto (later a fudai daimyo) and Mito domain retainers (dispatched by the Shogunate as inspectors). Enshoji Temple, which was founded by the Kaji clan, has a stone monument commemorating Iesada and has been designated an Important Cultural Property.

During the time of Shogun Tsunayoshi, the elder statesman Kuroda Naokuni (Lord of Numata Domain in Kozuke) who was adopted from the Nakayama family, built a grave on Mt. Tamenosu in Hanno and wrote "Tanji Mahito" on the tombstone. I would like to go and see it when I have the chance to explore Hanno.

The Sayama region, including Iruma, has a topography of alternating hills and river terraces created by the Iruma River system, but the golf course is flat and surrounded by tea fields. The surrounding strata are made up of Kanto Loam layers up to 10 meters deep, which are said to be too well drained for rice cultivation. Thanks to this, the golf course quickly absorbs puddles even after heavy rain, making it difficult to decide whether to cancel the event in the rain.