[Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture] From “Kurozuka no Iwaya” to “Bunchi Suriseki”. Matsuo Basho visited the legendary rock

Fukushima (Fukushima City) came into the possession of Uesugi Kagekatsu (1556-1623), who ruled the Aizu region at the time, at the end of the Sengoku period, but until then it was ruled by Date Masamune. It was the territory of Masamune Date (1567-1636). Masamune was late to participate in the Battle of Odawara (1590), in which Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) attacked and defeated the Hojo clan in order to unify the country, which angered Hideyoshi. , and was driven out of Fukushima (Oshu Shioki / 1590).

Masamune, who wanted to regain the land of Fukushima, launched a relentless attack on Kagekatsu, but he was unable to defeat him and lost the battle at Mt. Shinobu in 1600 (Battle of Matsukawa), and returned to Sendai (Miyagi Prefecture). They were defeated and decided to set up a castle in this area.

Honda Tadakuni moved from the Koriyama domain in Nara to Fukushima and became the first lord of the Fukushima domain.

In Fukushima, Uesugi Kagekatsu, who fought on Hideyoshi's side in the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), was ordered by the victorious Tokugawa Ieyasu to move to Yonezawa (Yamagata Prefecture) in 1601. Fukushima, which lost its master, was under the direct control of the Edo shogunate until 1679, when Masanaga Honda, lord of Koriyama in Nara (1633-1679) Honda Tadakuni (1666-1704), who was adopted by Fukushima at the age of 12, moved from Nara Koriyama and established the Fukushima domain.

After the establishment of the Fukushima Domain, Fukushima developed as a castle town and as a post town on the Oshu Highway.

Basho Matsuo visited Kurozuka no Iwaya from Sukagawa-juku and headed to Fukushima-juku.

In 1689, Matsuo Basho visited Fukushima-juku in ``Oku no Hosomichi (Oku no Hosomichi)'' while traveling north along the Oshu Kaido from Kitasenju in Edo with his disciple Sora.

Basho and his party entered Mutsu Province (Tohoku region) on June 8th of the new calendar in 1689. After visiting Shirakawa no Seki, they stayed at an acquaintance's house in Sukagawa-juku (Sukagawa City) for eight days. During that time, they toured the famous Otsujigataki Falls (Tamagawa Village) and other places, before departing for Fukushima-juku on June 16th.

On the way, they will visit Kurozuka no Iwaya in Nihonmatsu Castle (Nihonmatsu City), and will arrive at Fukushima-juku on June 17th according to the new calendar.

Adachigahara's Kurozuka Iwaya, where the legend of the onibaba remains

``Kurozuka no Iwaya'' is a historical site that appears in the story about ``Kanze-ji Temple'' in Adachigahara, Nihonmatsu City, and is a Noh play called ``Adachigahara'' (Hosho-ryu/Kanze-ryu). In Ryu, it is known as ``Kurozuka'').

``Kurozuka no Iwaya'' is a complex pile of gigantic stones that is said to be the home of an onibaba, and is located within the precincts of ``Kanzeji Temple,'' which is associated with ``Adachigahara Monogatari.'' A little further away, along the Abukuma River, is the Kurozuka, which is said to be the grave where the deceased Onibaba was buried.

Tohoku Rokken trivia media: NEFT

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[Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture] The legend of the Onibaba of Adachigahara (Kurozuka). It's a sad human drama...

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/26708

There is a legend that in Adachigahara, Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, there was an onibaba who attacked travelers. It is a famous story nationwide, and has even been used as a Kabuki or puppet theater performance under the name ``Oshu Adachihara,'' and a Noh performance under the name ``Kurozuka.'' Link: Kabuki Terminology Guide - The World of Attacking Oshu Link: the Noh.com - Kurozuka This time, we delved into the Onibaba legend of Adachigahara (Kurozuka) and went to the site to look for traces of it. ! The Onibaba Legend of Adachigahara (Kurozuka) The Onibaba legend that has been passed down in Adachigahara (Kurozuka) is as follows. Once upon a time, Iwate was a nanny at a mansion in Kyoto...

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INFORMATION

• Facility name: Kurozuka no Iwaya (Kanzeji Temple)
• Address: 4-126 Adachigahara, Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0243-22-0797
• Visiting hours: 9:00-16:30
• Closed days: Irregular holidays
• Admission fee: 400 yen for adults, 500 yen for children
• URL: Kurozuka Iwaya (Kanzeji Temple)

• Facility name: Kurozuka
• Address: 4-chome Adachigahara, Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0243-55-5122 (Nihonmatsu City Tourism Federation)
• Visit: Free
• URL: Kurozuka

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Basho's poem after seeing the "Shinobumojizuri Stone", which has a story of tragic love, is

Basho and his friends arrive in Fukushima and visit the Shinobumoji Suriseki, which is known as a song pillow (a famous place from the Nara and Heian periods).

``Mochizuriishi'' is written by Toru Minamoto in the Kokura Hyakunin Isshu.

“Why did Michinoku’s secret mojizuri make you look like a slut?”

(Just like the faded and disorderly patterns on the Shinobu Mojisuri cloth woven in Mutsu, whose fault is it that my heart has become disturbed? It's not my fault, but it's your fault.)

It is known for its love poems, and it is said that the tragic love story between Minamoto no Toru and Torajo, the daughter of a rich man in Fukushima, attracted Basho's interest.

However, the ``Bunchi Suriseki'' that Basho saw was half buried in soil and had a slightly different atmosphere from the legend. A local child who happened to be there told me, ``This stone fell from the top of a cliff,'' and apparently he was quite disappointed.

“Sanae Take Hand and Old Shinobu Printing”

He left behind a poem that reminded him of Shinobu-zuri, a cloth (dyed fabric) that no longer had anyone making in the Edo period, which was completely different from the legendary story, and headed to Iizaka Onsen (Basho's next destination). I headed to Iizuka (marked as “Iizuka”).

“Shinobu-zuri” is a unique dyeing method passed down in Fukushima, in which a cloth is placed on a stone with a unique pattern, and leaves and stems of Shinobu-gusa (a fern family plant) are rubbed on top of the cloth. This technique was abandoned before the Edo period. ``Bunchi Suriseki'' is a stone used to dye ``Shinobusuri'' and is also called ``Kagami-ishi.''

The meaning of the phrase is

“Although Shinobu-zuri has become obsolete, the way the girls pick the saplings (in the fields) reminds us of the Shinobu-zuri of long ago.”

So, the content does not touch on the legend at all.

``Bunchi Suriseki'' is located within the precincts of ``Bunchi-Suri Kannon'' (Fumon-in Temple) and is free to visit.

``Bunchi-zuri Kannon (Fumon-in)'' is a scenic spot designated as a historical site and scenic spot by Fukushima City, and in addition to ``Bunchi-suriseki'', it also includes a Kannon-do, a Tahoto pagoda that is an important cultural property of Fukushima Prefecture, a Basho haiku monument, There is also a museum (for a fee). This is the second temple of the Shintatsu Thirty-Three Kannon Temple.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: Fumon-in (Bunchizuri Kannon)
• Address: 70 Mojizuri, Yamaguchi, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 024-535-1471
• Visiting hours: 9:00-17:00 (until 16:00 in winter)
• Closed days: Open every day (only the museum is closed from January 1st to 3rd)
• Admission fee: Free to walk around the grounds
• Museum admission fee: 200 yen for adults, 100 yen for children
• URL: Bunchizuri Kannon (Fumon-in)

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Basho sheds tears after visiting the Genji ruins in Iizaka

After leaving ``Bunchi Suriseki'', Basho takes Oshu Kaido to Fukushima-juku, then deviates a little from Senoueshuku (Fukushima City) and heads towards Iizaka Onsen. On the way, Motoharu (also known as Shoji), the father of the brothers Tsugunobu and Tadanobu Sato, who were vassals of Minamoto no Yoshitsune and were active during the Genpei War, met him. He visited the ruins of the mansion and the graves of the Sato brothers and their wives at the brothers' family temple, Ioji Temple, and shed tears at the sadness.

At Iou-ji Temple, I saw the temple treasures ``Yoshitsune's long sword and Benkei's koji (a carrying case for holding sutras, etc.)'', and I visited there on May 1st (May 2nd?) according to the lunar calendar.

“Kamibori and swords are decorated in May”

(I want komasu and swords to be displayed along with paper banners during the May Festival.)

He is reciting the phrase.

*Kaminobori are paper banners that are displayed during the May Festival.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: Ioji Temple
• Address: 45 Teramae, Hirano, Iizaka-cho, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 024-542-3797
• Admission fee: Adults (18 years and older) 300 yen
• URL: Ioji Temple

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Iizaka Onsen did not bring good memories for Basho and his group.

After leaving Io-ji Temple, the group went to Iizuka Onsen and stayed there for the night. I went to the hot springs, but the accommodation was in a terrible place, and I only slept on a dirt floor with straw mats spread out.Unfortunately, it was raining and the rain leaked, and I was bitten by fleas and mosquitoes and itchy so I couldn't sleep. I am.

The next morning, Basho and his group leave Iizaka Onsen early and head back on horseback to Koori-shuku (Kuwaori-cho) on the Ou Highway.