Azumino and Chikuni Kaido ~ AUG, 2025 ~

The road heading south from Itoigawa to Hakuba and Omachi is known as the "Salt Road," and salt and seafood have been transported there since ancient times. The Matsumoto domain set up guard posts and collected transportation taxes, but the museum has a bronze statue of a man transporting salt along the mountain path. It seems that Uesugi Kenshin also took this route to send salt to Takeda Shingen, but it is not clear whether there was a fee or no fee.

The Salt Road is called the Chikuni Kaido, and it seems to have originated from Fujiwara Chikuni, the son of Fujiwara Hidesato (Tawara Tōta), who defeated Taira no Masakado. Hidesato's descendants are scattered throughout the country, each with their own unique background, including the Fujiwara clan of Oshu, the Oyama clan who settled in Kanto, the Ashikaga clan with the Fuji surname, the Otomo clan and Shoni clan who traveled to Kyushu, the Iga clan, and Saigyo. Chikuni's history is unknown, but he was active in the latter half of the 10th century, which coincided with the establishment of the regent government and the conversion of prime farmland into manors, so he may have come to the area as a local official or manor official.

The area around Otari Village, where the guardhouse was located, and Hakuba Village to the south, became the territory of Rokujo-in, owned by Emperor Shirakawa, and Senkoku-sho was established. South of that, much of Azumino, including Omachi City, became Nishina-sho and became the territory of Ise Grand Shrine, and development in each area progressed. Azumi County, which includes Otari, Hakuba, Omachi, and Azumino, is lined with shrines that date back to ancient times and those enshrined with the establishment of manors, like a crossroads of gods. They can be roughly classified into those descended from the Wadatsumi (sea god) tribe that migrated from ancient Kitakyushu, those derived from Suwa Taisha Shrine (main deity: Takeminakata), and those derived from the Imperial family and Ise Grand Shrine.

千国諏訪神社

Suwa Shrines line the Salt Road from Otari to Hakuba.

切久保諏訪神社

The above-mentioned Takeminakata-no-Kami is the son of Okuninushi-no-Mikoto from Izumo and Nunakawa-hime from Koshi (Echigo), but for some reason he seems to have traveled south along the Chikuni-kaido road to Suwa. Both were enshrined at the Suwa Taisha Shimosha around the time Chikuni-sho was built.

Perhaps because the manor was owned by the Imperial family and Ise Shrine, there are also shrines affiliated with Ise Shrine lined up. Hakuba Shinmeisha Shrine was built by the Nishina clan (Sawatari clan) and is designated as an Important Cultural Property.

Nishina Shinmei Shrine, designated a national treasure, has been undergoing Shikinen Sengu (period rebuilding) since the Heian period (Nishina Manor) until the present day. Even the original Ise Grand Shrine was temporarily suspended during the Sengoku period, making it an extremely valuable shrine. However, since 1636 (Kan'ei 13), the shrine has continued to undergo rebuilding rather than new construction. The last rebuilding was in 2019 (Reiwa 1), and the next will be in 2039 (Reiwa 31).

A boat is displayed in the main hall of Hotaka Shrine. The Azumi people are a maritime tribe that originated in Tsukushi and later scattered throughout the country, but some believe that the people of Shinano are a group that sailed up the Hime River in search of jade from Itoigawa. Driving along the road, you can see that the Hime River flows north from around Hakuba, and the Takase River in Omachi City flows south and joins the Azusa River, creating a watershed between them. The ancient Azumi people crossed the mountains from the Hime River basin in the mountains to settle in the plains of Azumino, but they never forgot the sea.

On a similar note, the Kuki clan, famous for their navy, were transferred from Shima to the inland Sanda domain due to a family dispute, but they built a training pond near the castle and floated boats there. Their yearning for the sea is truly formidable.

There are various theories about the origins of the Nishina clan, including that they are descendants of ancient powerful families including the Azumi clan, or that they are descendants of the prosperous Kanmu Heishi clan. If it is the former, it is a mystery how the several hundred years between the Heian period when Nishina Manor was established and ancient times are connected, and if it is the latter, it would mean that they are the same clan as the Heishi clan that was mainly active in Hitachi, so the details are also intriguing.

When we visited Reishoji Temple, the family temple built during the Muromachi period, we noticed a swallowtail butterfly crest on the roof of the main hall, which suggests that the family were of the Heishi clan.

This crest was often used by the Ise Heishi clan (the clan of Taira no Kiyomori), but when watching TV dramas, it can be seen fluttering on the battle coat of Oda Nobunaga. The Oda clan also called themselves the Heishi clan.

When Takeda Shingen invaded Shinano, he adopted many of his children into major clans, and sent his fifth son, Morinobu, to the Nishina clan as an adopted son. The fierce warrior Nishina Morinobu singlehandedly took on Oda Nobutada's army of 50,000, which was more than ten times his size, at Takato Castle, and fought to the last man before committing suicide. Katsuyori, who succeeded Shingen, had made Morinobu the lord of Takato Castle a year earlier, while also holding a position in Azumino. However, it was his keen insight to place Morinobu at the gateway to Suwa and Kai, which was a refreshing respite from the betrayal of many of his family members and retainers.

The standing Thousand-Armed Kannon statue donated by the Nishina clan at the end of the Heian period is designated an Important Cultural Property and is located at Kakuonji Temple, deep in the mountains of Omachi City. I traveled along rough roads to visit the principal image, but was told that it was on loan to the Nagano Prefectural Museum of History in Chikuma City for a summer exhibition. The head priest offered words of appreciation, saying, "That's a pity, but you'll be back tomorrow. Thank you for your hard work." I bowed before the empty altar and headed home. Everything is a sign of fate, and perhaps it's Buddha's willingness to invite me back. If possible, I would like to request that the road be repaired.

During the Kamakura period, Nishina Morito enshrined Kumano Gongen at Nyakuichi Oji Shrine as the guardian deity of Nishina Manor. The contrast between the torii gate and the three-story pagoda built in the Edo period is unusual, but it is a good example of the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism in Japan. Nagano Prefecture was greatly affected by the Haibutsu Kishaku movement, and many temples in the Matsumoto domain in particular were forced to close, but it is wonderful that they managed to remain standing.