The Moniwa family mausoleum at Sekiunji Temple, where the bloodline of Moniwa Tsunamoto, a famous general known as one of the Three Great Commanders of the Date clan, rests [Miyagi Prefecture]

In Matsuyama, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, there is a mausoleum for the Oniwa (Moeniwa) family

Yoshimoto later known as the Date clan.In this article, we will explore the lineage and history of the Oniwa (Moniwa) family.

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Descendants of the Oniwa (Moeniwa) family, who served the Date clan for generations

The Oniwa family is a clan descended from the Saito clan of the Northern Fujiwara clan, Toshihito line, and has been a vassal of the Date clan for so long that there are records of the Oniwa family serving as vanguard in the battles of Date Muneto, the 8th head of the Date clan

During the reign of Yoshinao (Sagetsusai), the 11th head of the Oniwa clan, the 16th head of the Date clan, Date Terumune (father of Date Masamune), bestowed upon the clan a status as a senior retainer of the Date clan. Yoshinao (Sagetsusai) the Battle of Hitotoribashi major defeat, and was killed in battle.

Later, Tsunamoto, the son who inherited the headship of the Oniwa family, was appointed as a magistrate by Masamune. Tsunamoto supported the Date clan mainly from an administrative standpoint, and later came to be known as Date

When Masamune's instigation of the Kasai-Osaki Rebellion was revealed, he went to Kyoto to explain himself to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and thereafter was in charge of negotiating with Hideyoshi in Kyoto. Hideyoshi took a liking to Tsunamoto, and it is said that he changed his surname from Oniwa to Moniwa on Hideyoshi's orders, saying that "having a demon in the garden is bad luck."

However, this close relationship with Hideyoshi aroused suspicions from Masamune, and he was ordered to retire in 1595. Enraged by this order, Tsunamoto temporarily fled the Date clan. It is said that he was approached by Tokugawa Ieyasu through Honda Masanobu, but after being pardoned two years after his defection and returning to the Date clan, he was appointed to the position of councilor, a position held by his father, Yoshinao, and served as the head of the administrative department of the Sendai domain until Masamune's death in 1636

Incidentally, the Moniwa family has a long history of longevity, and Tsunamoto lived to be 92 years old. Tsunamoto's father, Yoshinao (Sagetsusai), who lost his life in the Battle of Hitotoribashi, died at the age of 73, which seems to be considered an early death for the Moniwa family

Is Moniwa in Taihaku Ward, Sendai City related?

As those of you who live in Sendai may know, there is a place called "Moniwa" in Taihaku Ward, Sendai city, that still exists today. The name suggests that it may be related to the Moniwa clan mentioned above, but in fact, it appears to be of a completely different lineage

Although they were both vassals of the Date clan, the lords of the Sendai domain, the Moniwa clan descended from the Kawamura clan of the Hidesato branch of the Northern House of the Fujiwara clan, who played an active role in the Oshu War, a conflict between the Kamakura government and the Oshu Fujiwara clan

They were given this land as a reward for their efforts in the Oshu War, and after establishing their residence in Moniwa, Natori County (present-day Moniwa, Taihaku Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture), they began to call themselves the Moniwa clan

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The Matsuyama Shigeniwa clan, which began in the time of Tsunamoto's son, Yoshimoto

Following Tsunamoto's retirement and the early death of his eldest son Yasumoto, his second son Yoshimoto inherited the headship of the Moniwa clan. In 1603, he was bestowed Matsuyama Castle in Shida County, and the Moniwa clan continued to hold Matsuyama as their territory until the end of the Edo period

The Moriniwa clan ultimately held an official stipend of 13,000 koku, and the only clans outside of the clan within the Sendai domain that held fiefs of the order of 10,000 koku were the Shiraishi Katakura clan and the Matsuyama Moriniwa clan

However, Yoshimoto's son, Sadamoto, and grandson, Masamoto, were central figures in the known as the Date Disturbance

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Sekiunji Temple, the family temple of the Moniwa family, built by Yoshinao (Sagetssai)

Ryumonzan Sekiunji Temple, the family temple of the Moniwa family, was founded in 1571 in Kawai, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture by the 11th head of the family, Yoshinao (Sagetsusai)

After that, it is said that the castle was repeatedly moved along with the Moniwa family, first to Iwadeyama when the Date clan was transferred to Iwadeyama, and then to Matsuyama in 1605 when the Moniwa clan received Matsuyama Castle

Heading south from the center of Matsuyama on Prefectural Route 242, it is located at the southern end of Irimachi, where the foot soldier residences of the Moniwa clan once stood

The Sanmon gate, the oldest building at Sekiunji Temple

The mountain gate is the oldest building in the Sekiunji temple grounds and is said to have been constructed in 1663. It is in the form of a medical gate and has the mountain name "Ryumonzan" inscribed on it. It was designated as a cultural property of Osaki City in 1989

The Japanese cedar tree, a natural monument designated by Miyagi Prefecture

The Japanese cedar tree growing in the grounds of Sekiunji Temple is an ancient tree estimated to be over 300 years old, and was designated a natural monument of Miyagi Prefecture in 1988

Sekiunji Temple Main Hall

The main hall of Sekiunji Temple was built in 1861 at the end of the Edo period

If you go back a little from the main hall to the area around the Japanese cedar tree and look in the opposite direction, you will see a path leading up the mountain. If you go up this path, you will find the "Moniwa family mausoleum," and if you go up the mountain path further, you will find the "burial grounds of the head of the Moniwa family, Matsuyama, and his wife."

Moniwa family mausoleum

The mausoleum was originally called "Mieido" and was built in 1708 during the mid-Edo period

This hall enshrines the first head of the Matsuyama Moniwa family, Yoshimoto, the second head, Sadamoto, and the third head, Seigen, and was designated a tangible cultural property of Miyagi Prefecture in 1986. The "Seated Statues in the Moniwa Mausoleum" that are enshrined there were designated as tangible cultural properties (sculptures) by Osaki City in 1973

Inside are eight painted wooden seated statues and memorial tablets of successive generations of the Date and Moniwa families, and the mausoleum is open to the public every year on January 16th and August 16th

Graveyard of the head of the Moniwa family, Matsuyama, and his wife

The gravesites of the successive feudal lords and their wives from the fourth lord onwards are located further up the mountain from the mausoleum

This was designated as a historic site by Osaki City in 2004 as the "burial site of the head of the Matsuyama family of the Moniwa family and his wife."

Sekiunji Temple <Information>

• Name: Ryumonsan Sekiunji Temple
• Address: 91 Matsuyama Sengoku Okeyaki, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, 987-1304
• Phone number: 0229-55-3447
• Official URL: Miyagi Prefecture Official Website – Moniwa Family Mausoleum

Google Map

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The graves of the 11th lord Yoshinao (Sagetssai) and the 12th lord Tsunamoto are in different locations

The graves of the 11th lord, Yoshinao (Sagetsusai), who established himself as a senior retainer of the Date clan, and the 12th lord, Tsunamoto, who was known as one of the Three Great Men of the Date clan, are located in different locations

The grave of the 11th head priest Yoshinao (Sagetssai)

Yoshinao (Sagetsusai)'s grave is located at the site of the Hitotoribashi Battlefield (present-day Motomiya City, Fukushima Prefecture), the last place he ever lived. In 1828, a tombstone for Yoshinao (Sagetsusai) was erected by the descendants of the Moniwa clan on the site of the Koshidan, a place for burying those who died in battle

Hitotoribashi Battlefield Site <Information>

• Name: Hitatoribashi Battlefield Ruins
• Address: Aotamoniwa, Motomiya City, Fukushima Prefecture, 969-1107
• Phone number:
• Official URL:

Google Map

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The grave of the 12th shogun, Tsunamoto

Tsunamoto's grave is located in Moji (now Kurikomanji, Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture), where he moved after retiring, and a stone Buddha statue he carved himself stands as his grave marker within the grounds of Dosen-in Temple, which he founded

Tomb of Moniwa Tsunamoto <Information>

• Name: Tomb of Moniwa Tsunamoto
• Address: Kurikoma Moji Atagoshita, Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture, 989-5361
• Phone number:
• Official URL:

Google Map

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summary

When researching the history of the Date clan, the name Oniwa (Moeniwa) is one that you will almost always come across. During this interview, I learned for the first time that they have a connection to Matsuyama

The graves of the main figures are scattered far apart, making it difficult to see them all at once, but if you're in the area, it's worth stopping by

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