[Series: Tracing the narrow path of the depths ④] Arriving at Hiraizumi, the Pure Land of the three generations of Fujiwara Basho, a dream of Basho

Previous article: [Serial: Following the narrow path of the depths ③] After leaving Sendai, Basho and Sora arrive at Matsushima by boat from Shiogama.

According to Sora's travel diary, Matsuo Basho and Kawai Sora left Matsushima on May 10, 1689 (6/26 in the new calendar), and arrived at Ishinomaki. I stayed the night.

However, for some reason, in the main text, the plan was to leave Matsushima on the 12th and visit Utamakura such as ``Odabashi Bridge'' and ``Aneha no Matsu'' It is written that he got lost and ended up in Ishinomaki.

I don't know what this means, but Basho and Sora departed from Ishinomaki on the 11th and stayed in Tome, Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture, and on the 12th they returned to Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture. arrived at.

What is Oku no Hosomichi?

``Oku no Hosomichi'' is a journey in which the haiku poet Matsuo Basho and his disciple Kawai Sora travel from Edo to Mutsu, from Hokuriku to Ogaki in Gifu, visiting Utamakura and famous historical sites while composing haiku. This is a collection of travelogues.

Utamakura refers to famous historical sites whose images and emotions were woven into waka poems by poets from ancient capitals, and were the object of admiration for poets and haiku poets.

In the preface, Months and days are travelers for a hundred generations, and every year that comes and goes is also a traveler'' . It appears in textbooks and is translated as "It's like a traveler."

It introduces the climate of Michinoku and the haiku poems that were composed there, and is a record of the 156-day journey of approximately 2,400 km from its departure on March 27, 1689 (May 16, 1689).

[Ishinomaki/Tome] Was it Basho's creation that got lost?

In the text, it is said that he arrived at Ishinomaki by chance after getting lost, but since it is written that he saw the Utamakura song ``Kinka-san'' here, there is a view that he actually arrived at Ishinomaki as planned.

Mt. Kinka cannot be seen from the high ground around Ishinomaki, hidden behind the Oshika Peninsula, and if what Basho saw is true, we would have to go to the east coast or tip of the peninsula.

It is also said that the two Utamakura are located due north of Matsushima and cannot be found in Ishinomaki to the east.

Furthermore, in Ishinomaki, it is written that ``I couldn't rent a place to stay so I stayed in a small, poor house,'' but in Sora's travel diary, he says that he was introduced to a place to stay by someone he met on the way, so he didn't have any trouble finding a place to stay. It seems that.

Therefore, there is a strong theory that is a rendition of the ``difficult journey'' it took to reach Hiraizumi

the ``Sode no Watashi'' , which is associated with Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and is said to be ``only visible from the outside'' in the text , and then goes to the inn ``Yonheihe'', which was located on the site of the current Ishinomaki Grand Hotel. I'm staying the night.

The next day, they headed north along the Kitakami River and took up lodging in Tome, where the name Toima

[Hiraizumi] The prosperity and fall of the three generations of the Fujiwara clan in Oshu, and Minamoto no Yoshitsune's tears of sadness

On May 12th (6/28), Basho and Sora arrived in the rain in Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture, where they stayed overnight, and the next day, on the 13th (6/29), they headed to Hiraizumi Masu.

, Hiraizumi the second largest city after Heiankyo , and a flourishing Buddhist culture was in full bloom.

However, in 1189, Hiraizumi was attacked by Minamoto no Yoritomo on the pretext of harboring Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and the Oshu Fujiwara clan fell, resulting in Hiraizumi's decline.

``The country is broken and there are mountains and rivers, and the castle is spring, and the grass is green.'' This phrase in the main text is the beginning of the poem ``Shunbou'' by the Tang poet Du Fu, ``The country is broken, and there are mountains and rivers, and the castle is spring.' This is a quote from ` `Te Kusaki Deepashi''

This , ``Even if a country is destroyed due to war, the mountains and rivers remain as they were in the past,'' and it expresses the senselessness of humans repeating wars, and Basho wrote about the rise and fall of Hiraizumi. I am deeply moved by this.

Hiraizumi's chapter has been highly praised for its literary perfection, and the two famous haiku poems by Basho and one by Sora have also been highly praised as haiku that perfectly express the idea of ​​impermanence.

In particular, the scene in which Yoshitsune sheds tears of sadness at Takadachi, where he committed suicide, is said to be the climax of Oku-no-Hosomichi, and it is said that this was a prelude to visiting and depicting famous places related to Yoshitsune. Masu.

In addition to Takadate , Basho also visited Mt. Kinkeisan, Chusonji Temple (Konjikido), the ruins of Fujiwara Hidehira's mansion, Izumi Castle, Koronoseki, and Kinugawa

Tohoku Rokken trivia media: NEFT

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[Iwate Prefecture] The legend of the Oshu Fujiwara clan's buried gold treasure! What is Mt. Kinkeisan in Hiraizumi?

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/2739

When talking about Japan's buried treasure, many people may think of the Tokugawa buried treasure. However, legends of buried treasure remain throughout Japan. There is also a mountain in Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture that has such a legend. Mt. Kinkeisan is a mountain of worship that has been designated as one of the World Heritage Sites, ``Hiraizumi - Architecture, Gardens, and Archaeological Sites Representing the Pure Land of Buddhism.'' Mt. Kinkei and the Legend of Buried Gold Mt. Kinkei is a mountain less than 100 meters above sea level located in Hiraizumi-cho, Nishi-Iwai District, Iwate Prefecture. There is a legend that it is an artificial mountain that was built to resemble Mt. Fuji in just one night, and it is a small mountain that looks like a small hill covered in trees. It is said that he is sleeping in this mountain...

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Summer grass and soldiers are the traces of dreams (Basho)

This phrase, which means, ``The fame of the Oshu Fujiwara clan and the masters and servants of Yoshitsune, has now disappeared as a fleeting dream, and only summer grasses are growing in the final land.'' This phrase is one of the most well-known in Oku-no-Hosomichi. This is one of the.

It captures the fragility of impermanence that Basho felt when he visited Hiraizumi, which remains the ``remains of dreams'' of the three generations of the Fujiwara clan for about 100 years, and witnessed the final resting place of Yoshitsune and his servants.

Unohana Miyuru Kanefusa White hair Kana (Sora)

``When I look at Unohana swaying white, I think of the white hair of Kanefusa, a vassal who met his end alongside Yoshitsune.'' The meaning of Unohana is to express the feelings for Yoshitsune's master and servant who met their end in this place. It is superimposed on.

However, the vassal Juro Gon no Kami Kanefusa, who is said to have died a violent death in order to protect Yoshitsune, is said to be a fictional character that does not exist, and this poem itself is proof that Sora wrote it. It seems not.

Takadate Gikeido <Information>

• Facility name: Takadate Gikeido
• Location: 14 Hirasenryu Gosho, Hiraizumi-cho, Nishiiwai-gun, Iwate Prefecture (within the enclave grounds of Motsu-ji Temple)
• Phone number: 0191-46-3300
• Visiting hours: 8:30-16:30 (until 16:00 from November 5th to November 20th)
• Closed period: November 21st to March 14th (winter period)
• URL: Takadate Gikeido official website

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[Chusonji Konjiki-do] The Kodo-do hall still looks the same as before

Basho writes about his impressions in the text, saying that he visited Kyodo (Daichoju-in) and Kodo (Konjiki-do) at Chuson-ji Temple, but it is written in Sora's travel diary that he was actually able to see only Konjiki-do. I am.

The remains of the three generations of Fujiwara (Kiyohira, Motohira, and Hidehira) and the head of Yasuhira, the last head of the family, are enshrined in the Shumidan, which is decorated with gold leaf and a glittering golden peacock. It was designated as a national treasure in 1951.

Currently, it is located inside a sturdy covered hall (Fukudou, Oido) made of reinforced concrete, and is further covered with a glass case to isolate it from the outside air.

After the rain in May, Kodo (Basho)

The meaning is, ``Even though the May rain seems to wash away everything, it seems that Kodo is left untouched out of hesitation due to its nobility.''

In the Kamakura period, a covered hall was built to protect the outside of the Konjikido, and Basho expressed his feelings in a poem, saying that the covered hall would allow it to maintain its appearance for about a thousand years. I did.

Tohoku Rokken trivia media: NEFT

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[Iwate Prefecture] Chusonji, a world heritage site famous as the temple of the third generation of the Oshu Fujiwara clan

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/74

Chusonji, located in Hiraizumi-cho, Nishiiwai-gun, Iwate Prefecture, is the head temple of the Tendai sect of Tohoku. It is the outer temple of the Oshu 33 Kannon temples, the name of the temple is Kanzan, and the principal image is Shaka Nyorai. Chusonji Temple is said to have been founded by Jikaku Daishi Ennin.According to the history of Chusonji Temple, it is said that it began in 850 when Jikaku Daishi Ennin founded Sekizan Kodaijuin. However, no reliable historical materials or excavation results have been found to date that support the founding of Jikaku Daishi Ennin, and it is believed that Fujiwara no Kiyohira, the first generation of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, founded the mountain in the early 12th century. A large-scale temple and pagoda was built to enshrine Shakyamuni Buddha and Taho Nyorai...

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Chusonji Temple＜Information＞

• Facility name: Chusonji Temple
• Location: Hiraizumi Kinoseki, Hiraizumi-cho, Nishiiwai-gun, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 0191-46-2211
• Visiting hours: 8:30-17:00
• URL: Chusonji official website

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【Detour to the back ④] What kind of person is Sora Kawai?

Sora Kawai 's real name Shoemon Iwanami (commonly known as Sogoro Kawai) , and he was born in 1649 in what is now Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture, but lost his parents and adoptive parents at a young age, and was taken in by a temple in Nagashima, Ise. I grew up.

As he studied Yoshikawa Shinto in Edo, he had deep knowledge as a Shintoist and had a gentle personality.After becoming Basho's disciple, he devoted himself to Basho, and accompanied him on his journey through the Oku no Hosomichi as one of the Ten Shomon Tetsu. .

During his travels with Basho, she seems to have been a capable secretary who was solely responsible for calculating travel expenses and arranging lodging.

Approximately 130 poems remain, including those published in Oku-no-Hosomichi, and in his later years he died of illness on Iki Island as a member of the shogunate's envoy.

summary

In Oku no Hosomichi, the chapter on Hiraizumi is highly praised for expressing Basho's mental landscape of ``things that change and things that remain the same.''

It is said that Basho's greatest goal was to see with his own eyes Hiraizumi, a place that he loved so much that his beloved monk Saigyo visited twice, and it may be said that Basho was able to paint this mental landscape as the ``end point of his journey.'' I don't know.

After visiting Hiraizumi, Basho heads for Kisakata in Akita Prefecture, a scenic spot that rivals Matsushima as one of the three most scenic spots in Japan, and then heads back to Yamagata Prefecture via Miyagi Prefecture.

Next article: [Serial: Following the narrow road in the back of the mountain ⑤] After suffering through the narrow mountain pass and difficult checkpoints, we headed to Dewa Province