The hometown of Kiso Yoshinaka ~SEP,2025~

Two valleys (Kiso Valley and Ina Valley) run vertically through southern Nagano Prefecture, with the Kiso River flowing to the west and the Tenryu River to the south. The former originates from Mt. Hachimori, the latter from Lake Suwa. Although their headwaters are less than 30km apart in a straight line, they diverge sharply in the south of the prefecture and flow towards Ise Bay and the Enshu Nada Sea, respectively. The Ina Valley is an idyllic basin formed by wide river terraces, while the Kiso Valley is narrow, with sharp slopes closing in on both sides of the river. The granite riverbed known as Nezame-no-Toko is a remnant of Mesozoic magma and is an artwork created by the rapids of the Kiso River, but the rapids disappeared when the Kiso Dam was built half a century ago, and the "Nezame-no-Toko" can always be seen.

I went down to the river in front of the gate of Rinsenji Temple. Nezame-no-Toko is said to be the place where Urashima Taro, who wandered around the country and arrived here, opened his treasure box, and his fishing rod is kept at the temple. It used to be just an old tale for me, but nowadays, time seems to pass more quickly, and I realized that it is not just someone else who feels that past events are like a dream.

It's amazing that a hero like Yoshinaka could have come from the narrow Kiso Valley. Yoritomo and Yoshinaka were cousins, and their fathers were Yoshitomo, the eldest son of Tameyoshi, who was victorious in the Hogen Rebellion, and Yoshikata, the second son. As the brothers competed for supremacy in the Kanto region, Yoshikata teamed up with Chichibu Shigekata, the head of the Chichibu Taira clan, and fought and was defeated by Yoshitomo's eldest son, Yoshihira. The remains of Shigekata's mansion (Okura-kan) are located in Ranzan Town, Saitama Prefecture, and are now a shrine.

Yoshikata's son, Yoshinaka, was two years old at the time and fled to Kiso in the arms of Saito Sanemori. Later, Yoshinaka continued his successful advance towards Kyoto, defeating the Taira army, but was disappointed to learn that he had killed Sanemori, who was on the Taira side, without knowing it. Four years ago, I visited the remains of the Okura-kan building, and last year, the pond where Sanemori's head is said to have been washed, but I have finally come to Yoshinaka's birthplace.

The young Yoshinaka was entrusted to the care of Nakahara Kaneto, a local powerful clan leader. The site of Kaneto's residence was located near the Chuo-Nishi Line, which runs through the Kiso Road and connects Shiojiri and Nagoya. The railway line was laid in the Kiso Valley in 1911, and as you travel through the narrow valley, you can see train tracks and stations everywhere.

About 5km back in a straight line is the site of Yoshinaka's residence, which is enshrined as Hataage Hachiman Shrine. The zelkova tree within the grounds is 800 years old, and although it has been struck by lightning and is weakened, it has survived by being grafted. Yoshinaka raised an army in 1180, entered Kyoto in July 1183, and was killed in battle at Awazu in Omi (Otsu City) in January of the following year, 1184.

Nearby is Nangu Shrine, which is said to have been enshrined by Yoshinaka, and there is a 7-8m waterfall near the main hall. The shrine enshrines the god of metals, with its main shrine located at the western end of Mino (Tarui Town), but since Kiso belonged to Mino Province at the time, it is possible that the god of Nangu Shrine, the Ichinomiya shrine of Mino Province, was enshrined there. It was later incorporated into Shinano Province, but during the Edo period it came under the jurisdiction of the Owari Domain, and considering the lumber industry and shipping on the Kiso River, it is assumed that the shrine had close ties with the Tokai region.

In the village near Nakahara Kaneto's residence, there is a shrine to Tenjin, a deity promoted by Kaneto to help Yoshinaka master his studies, and it is called Tenjin.

There is a "Yoshinaka Sakura" planted on the grounds of the adjacent community center. Yoshinaka traveled north along the Kiso Road and raised an army at Yoda Castle in Chiigata County (Ueda City). On that occasion, he prayed for victory at Iwayado Kannon Temple, and high school students from Ueda City presented a cherry tree sapling from the temple grounds.

A Tomoe pine sapling has also been planted nearby. Tomoe Gozen fought bravely at the Battle of Ujigawa until she was the last of five horsemen, and is said to have then fled to the Ishiguro clan of Tonami, Etchu, for refuge. She became a nun and passed away at the age of 91. In Fukumitsu, Tonami City, there is the Tomoe Tomb, where a 750-year-old pine tree, said to have been planted after her burial, still stands, and it is said that this sapling was given to her.

The Yoshinakakan Museum depicts the story of Yoshinaka and Tomoe Gozen, and I was looking forward to visiting it as it was renovated a few years ago. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the museum's closing day had changed a few months ago, so I couldn't go inside, but that's something that happens to weekday travelers. I was able to see the statues of the two of them.

The Kiso clan, who ruled the Kiso region in the Middle Ages, claimed to be descendants of Yoshinaka. During the Sengoku period, Yoshimasa, who became a vassal of the Takeda clan, defected from Katsuyori and joined the Oda side, but his son Yoshitoshi, whom he had with Shingen's daughter, was not a good match, and he was eventually stripped of his title. His descendants were employed by the Owari domain, which ruled Kiso, and Yoshinaka's mausoleum was built during the Kyoho era at Tokuon-ji Temple, adjacent to Yoshinaka Mansion. The Genji crest, a bamboo gentian, shines on the roof of the building.

The Tokugawa Shogunate and the Owari Domain entrusted the administration of the Kiso region to senior vassals of the Kiso clan, but the Yamamura clan served as the magistrate of Kiso Fukushima, a major checkpoint on the Nakasendo, throughout the Edo period. Arai, Hakone, Usui, and Kiso Fukushima were all important checkpoints during the Edo period, but this was the only place where the same clan served as magistrate.

The Takase family, who served the Yamamura family, were actually in charge of the magistrate's office site, and their Takase residence is still adjacent to the site of the guardhouse, where I received a detailed explanation from the female head of the family. The family is a branch of the Kikuchi family, who ruled Higo in the Middle Ages, and after the Kikuchi family's demise, they served the Yamamura family. After the Summer Siege of Osaka, the husband, Yamamura, became the magistrate of the checkpoint and accompanied them to Kiso Fukushima. The family home apparently burned down in the great fire of Kiso Fukushima in 1927, but the plaster storehouse survived, and we were able to see the precious family heirlooms and documents that were inside.

This house is famous as the home of Shimazaki Toson's sister, and there are many traces of Toson himself and his family here. I'd like to read the novel "Ie (Family)" which apparently contains a lot about the Takase family.

On the opposite bank of the Kiso River is Kozenji Temple, the family temple of the Kiso and Yamamura clans. It was founded by Lord Nobumichi, the 12th head of the Kiso clan, during the Muromachi period, and Yoshinaka's pagoda is placed there. Fukushima-juku still has its old townscape lined up neatly on both sides of the narrow Kiso River, but this temple has a particularly large presence.

The garden supervised by Shigemori Mirei, the newly built treasure hall, and the series of gravestones are all worth seeing.

The next post town north of Fukushima-juku is Yabuhara, where Yabuhara Shrine and Gokuraku-ji Temple stand side by side, overlooking the railroad tracks and the townscape. Gokuraku-ji Temple is said to have a ceiling painting by Tsuguharu Foujita, but the temple grounds are quiet and not crowded, so I just stopped by and just prayed before heading home. If I'm lucky, I might get a chance to see it. The next post town is the famous Narai-juku, but I turned right before that and headed for Ina Road.

During the Edo period, the Nakasendo, a major highway, took the trouble to go through the rugged Kiso Road, but the ancient Tosando ran from Nakatsugawa, over Takasaka Pass, through Iida, and through the Ina Road. Road infrastructure was one of the foundations of national integration, so it might be interesting to look into this history. In the future, a linear motor car is planned to run through the nearby mountains at 500 km/h, but I wonder when that will happen.