Shonai, where Basho walked ~JUL, 2025~

Last time, I traveled around Tohoku, following in Basho's footsteps, on what I called "the shortcut to the depths," ten years ago. While the scars of the Great Earthquake were still fresh here and there, visiting Hiraizumi and Matsushima, the weight of ten years gives me many hints about how to live the next ten years to the fullest. Last time, I ran out of time and returned to Tokyo from Obanazawa, but this time I headed first for Kisakata, the northernmost place Basho visited. Part of the seaside mountain pass that connects Sakata and Kisakata has been restored, but it was a scorching hot day and I broke out in a sweat after walking just 100 meters. Basho visited in early August according to the solar calendar, and I feel like I was able to get a taste of what he was like, even if only a little. It was raining on the way there and sunny on the way back.

Mt. Chokai is a volcano that has been active for 600,000 years, and a major eruption 2,500 years ago caused a large-scale collapse of the mountain, the devastation of which can still be seen today. The huge amount of soil and sand that collapsed at this time from the summit and mountainside avalanched into the sea, and the Kujukushima islands, a group of islands floating in the sea that Basho loved, were originally soil and sand carrying trees that had slid down from Mt. Chokai.

Basho visited this area in the summer of 1689 (Genroku 2), and could see the beautiful scenery of the islands from the temple gate of Kanmanji Temple. Over 100 years later, in 1804 (Bunka 4), a major earthquake occurred, causing Kisakata to rise 2m and the shallow sea that surrounded the islands to disappear. The Honjo Domain, which ruled the area, took advantage of this opportunity to begin developing new rice fields, which led to a conflict with the head priest of Kanmanji Temple, who was trying to protect the scenery, and ended up involving the shogunate and the imperial court, but the scenery must have been that beautiful.

" Kisakata - Rain in the West, Nemu flowers "

Xi Shi was a beautiful woman sent by Goujian, the King of Yue, to corrupt Fuchai, the King of Wu. Basho likened the scenery of the Kujukushima Islands to a sleeping beautiful woman. My favorite proverb that comes from Xi Shi is "Follow her frown." When an ugly woman saw Xi Shi's frown on her face, she became even more beautiful when she was sick, so she tried to imitate her, but she ended up becoming even uglier. Although this is an easy-to-understand metaphor for the lesson of not imitating others, in modern times it would probably be criticized as lookism and cause a stir.

On the way back to Sakata, we stopped by Omonoimi Shrine, which enshrines Mt. Chokai as its deity. This is a village shrine, and the main shrine is at the summit of Mt. Chokai, so it is not easy to get there. There was a sign that Kitabatake Akinobu (Akiie's younger brother) prayed for victory here. After the Southern Court was defeated in the battle for Mutsu Kokufu (Taga Castle), he retreated to the Dewa side, and his whereabouts are unclear, but he likely prayed for the restoration of the Southern Court while looking up at Mt. Chokai.

On a nearby hill is the grave of Ishiwara Kanji. He did not get along well with Tojo Hideki, and retired as Lieutenant General, commander of the 16th Division, before the war. However, he was expected to testify against Tojo Hideki at the Tokyo Trials, and was called upon to testify several times. Interestingly, in May 1947, the court traveled to Sakata to obtain the testimony of Ishihara, who was recuperating from an illness. Ishihara responded that Japan's war responsibility dates back to Perry, and that Truman was the greatest criminal in this war. He has been praised and criticized, but he is an unforgettable figure when talking about modern Japanese history and military history.

Sakata is the setting for the NHK drama "Oshin," the prosperity of the Homma family, who were responsible for the finances of the Sakai family of the Shonai domain, and an image of a commercial city that thrived on shipping on the Mogami River and Kitamaebune ships. On the other hand, in the 9th century, it was the political center of the vast Dewa Province, with the Dewa Kokufu (Kinowanosaku Castle) located there. The fertile plains surrounded by the sacred mountains of Mt. Chokai and the Dewa Sanzan (Mt. Haguro, Mt. Gassan, and Mt. Yudono) created an environment that attracted people and goods.

"The Mogami River flows with the May showers"

Basho left Obanazawa, left the Ushu Kaido, and went down the Mogami River by boat. He composed this famous verse at Togawa Shrine, which can only be reached by boat. From the drive-in on the opposite bank, we could see the shrine along with Shiraito Falls and a sightseeing boat.

A little way down the river there was a landing and unloading point called Kiyokawa, from where Basho set out overland for the Dewa Sanzan mountains. The Shonai clan established the Kiyokawa checkpoint as a measure against smuggling goods, but this was 26 years after Basho landed in 1689.

Kiyokawa is the hometown of Hachiro Kiyokawa, a leader of the Shinsengumi during the late Edo period. During the Boshin War, it was the site of fierce fighting between the Shonai clan and the Imperial army, and it appears to have been an important strategic base for logistics along the Mogami River.

Hachiro was assassinated by a Shogunate official in Edo before he could achieve his goal, but after initially being buried at Koishikawa Dentsuin, he was reburied at Kankiji Temple at his mother's strong request. The local area seems to be aiming to revitalize the town in order to feature Kiyokawa Hachiro in a historical drama, but this area is no exception and is rapidly depopulating, with the number of abandoned buildings surprising.

Shuhei Fujisawa, a great writer from Tsuruoka, wrote about his life in "Kaiten no Mon." I would like to reread it.

Kiyokawa Hachiro alone does not have much name value, so if it were to be made into a taiga drama, I think it would be better to expand the scope to include the activities of the Shonai clan during the Boshin War, the dedicated support of the Homma family, and Saigo Takamori's lenient punishment. It would be a tough challenge, as neighbors include Mogami Yoshimitsu from Yamagata and Uesugi Yozan from Yonezawa, who have not yet been the main characters of a taiga drama. The Shonai clan survived thanks to Saigo Takamori, but as a result of their devotion to Takamori, Nanshu Shrine was established in Sakata City, and Tsuruoka City and Kagoshima City are currently sister cities. Considering the feud between Aizu and Choshu, it's quite a difference.

I really wanted to see the five-story pagoda on Mt. Haguro. The current one was rebuilt 600 years ago and is 29m tall. The largest wooden five-story pagoda is the one at Toji Temple, which is 55m tall, but I was deeply impressed by the fact that such a structure could suddenly appear in the middle of Mt. Haguro, surrounded by tall trees.

From the five-story pagoda, you can reach the main shrine of Dewa Sanzan Shrine by climbing the mountain path for about an hour. I got lost, but realized that it would be dangerous to make a two-hour round trip through the mountains in the scorching heat, so I returned to the parking lot on the mountainside and drove to the main shrine at the top of Mount Haguro. It was a magnificent shrine worthy of the name "Ise in the West, Dewa Sanzan in the East."

After traveling back and forth between Sakata and Kisakata, Basho began to travel south along the Sea of Japan, heading for his final destination of Ogaki. I paid my respects to Lord Sakai Tadatsugu, founder of the Tokugawa clan, at Shonai Shrine in Tsuruoka Castle before returning to Tokyo. As one would expect from the leading family of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Tokugawa clan. Backed by financial support from the Homma family and equipped with modern weaponry, the Shonai soldiers invaded deep into the territory of the Kubota clan (Satake clan), which had sided with the government forces, and fought against the government forces to the very end. After the Meiji Restoration, many feudal lords moved to Tokyo, but the Sakai family remained in Tsuruoka, where the head of the family still lives today.

The site of Maruoka Castle is in Tsuruoka, and the residence of Kato Tadahiro (Kiyomasa's successor), who was entrusted to the Shonai Domain after the Higo Kumamoto Domain's 540,000 koku stipend was abolished, was established in the area. He was abolished at Shinagawa-juku just before entering Edo for alternate attendance, and left for Tsuruoka. It seems that he was quite disliked by Shogun Iemitsu, but the reason is still unclear. Tadahiro was given 10,000 koku as a one-time allowance only for himself, and he called his mother and stepmother from Kumamoto and lived here for 22 years. Kiyomasa's remains and armor are buried under the hall of the neighboring Tentakuji Temple, and Tadahiro and his mother are buried at Honjuji Temple near Tsuruoka Castle. By chance, when I stayed in Takayama this spring, I had the opportunity to visit Hokkeji Temple, where Tadahiro's eldest son Mitsuhiro is buried, and I would like to consider visiting Kumamoto in the near future.

The Kato family seems to have been treated with respect. As the proverb goes, "A hunter will not kill a bird in distress," the Shonai clan must have conducted its affairs with dignity. Lotus flowers were in full bloom in the small moat of the castle.