[Oga City, Akita Prefecture] “Cold Wind of Oga” Part 3: Tracing the Oga Peninsula where Masumi Sugae walked -Encountering a major earthquake-

The Five Winds of Oga a book written by Masumi Sugae (1754-1829), a travelogue from the Edo period , about his travels on the Oga Peninsula , this book introduces the Edo period and the present day in comparison. < Tracing the Oga Peninsula where Masumi Sugae walked Cold Wind of Oga, which begins on July 18, 1810 . "Kanfu of Oga" is a detailed account of his feelings and the devastation of his surroundings when he encountered a historic earthquake.

This article will be written with reference to the Akita Prefectural Museum, the National Archives of Japan manuscript, the National Diet Library manuscript, and the modern translation published in 2000. Dates in the Edo period are the dates and times recorded by Masumi (old calendar) unless otherwise noted.

reference

• Akita Prefectural Museum Masumi Sugae Library (Manuscripts)
• URL: Akita Prefectural Museum Masumi Sugae Library
• National Diet Library Digital Collection Akita Series Special Collection No. 1 (Masumi Sugae Collection No. 1/Manuscript)
• URL: National Diet Library Digital Collection
• National Archives Masumi Travelogue (manuscript of 1898)
• URL: National Archives Masumi Travelogue
• Published by Heibonsha Masumi Sugae Travelogue 5 Edited and translated by Takeshi Uchida and Tsuneichi Miyamoto Published on August 9, 2000

Walking along the southern part of Oga Peninsula from west to east

"Oga no Kankaze" will begin on July 18th at the gate at the southwestern tip of the Oga Peninsula (Funagawa Port Motoyama Monzen, Oga City), following on from "Oga no Shimakaze" which ended on July 17, 1810.

``Camellia Shiraiwa'', which Masumi described as shaped like a mushroom

On the way from the gate Wakimoto Tsubaki no Ura (Tsubaki Fishing Port/Funagawa Port Tsubaki, Oga City), I saw a white `` Nijuhiro (approximately 30 meters) tall that looked like a rising cloud. Pass in front of a tall rock Masumi described this rock, which the guide explained to him as `` This is Shirasaki of camellias, in his book Autumn Wind of Oga Apparently it was raining that time, and he wrote, ``The color was bluish and strange because it was wet from the rain and the tide,'' but this time the weather was nice and the rock was pure white, just like its name. . Today it is called Tsubaki no , it is also called Maitake Rock

<Tsubaki no Shiraiwa> is a volcanic lapilli tuff that is solidified from volcanic lapilli that erupted during volcanic activity about 21 million years ago, and is a round shaped rock shaped like a spoon, which was called a maitake mushroom by Masumi. The shape is created naturally by the weathering of rocks. In addition to white rocks, you can also see green rocks (green tough) in the surrounding area. This is also a type of lapilli tuff like Tsubaki no Shiroiwa, and the substances it contains have turned green due to the influence of water heated by underground magma.

INFORMATON

• Facility name: Tsubaki no Shiraiwa
• Location: Funakawa Minato Tsubaki, Oga City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0185-24-4700 (Oga City Tourism Association)
• access:
  • Public transportation: Approximately 30 minutes by bus from JR Oga Line Oga Station, get off at Tsubaki Fisheries Association bus stop
  • Car: Approximately 40 minutes from Akita Expressway Showa Oga Peninsula IC

GOOGLE MAP

A large earthquake hits a village in the central Oga Peninsula

Masumi arrived in Wakimoto on the same day and went to Oibanasaki visited Minister Suga no Shrine Sugawara Shrine), which is dedicated to Michizane Sugawara . Ayukawa along the northern coast until mid-August.

It's August 17th and creepy things continue to happen. It's an earthquake. There was also an earthquake on the 18th that was so strong that the temple tower collapsed. On August 25th (Masumi wrote it as September 25th, but it was written incorrectly as August 25th), I headed to Wakimoto again to visit Sugawara Shrine, but the weather was bad and I stopped at Shimada on the way. I spent time in a village called (Oga Nakatakikawa Shimada, Oga City).

The weather improved on August 27th, and just as they were about to go out, a major earthquake occurred. Masumi wrote the following about the situation at that time.

``The eaves and eaves bowed, and people ran into the open air, screaming and holding the hands of the sick and elderly... Some ran around carrying infants upside down.'' ``The beams fell down with a tremendous sound.'' I fell. As I was standing there, the mountain at the edge of the eaves collapsed, and I felt like my life was in danger, so I grabbed onto a tree and fled into a bamboo forest."

There were aftershocks for days after the main shock, and villages on the south coast were devastated.

There were many aftershocks that day, and even two days later, on the 29th, the aftershocks still continued along with the ground rumbling. In particular, the southern coast of the Oga Peninsula, including Wakimoto, where I had planned to go, was severely damaged, with no buildings remaining in any of the villages, and there were many casualties.

As Masumi also wrote, phenomena that could be considered as premonitions of the great earthquake that occurred at 2:00 pm on August 27, 1810 (September 25 in the solar calendar) had been occurring frequently for some time. later the Oga Earthquake or the Ugo Earthquake , had its epicenter off the coast of Wakimoto and had a magnitude of 6.6, and the extent of the damage appears to have been small, as Masumi wrote that ``Kitaura, on the north coast of the Oga Peninsula, suffered little damage.'' is. However, it was recorded that of the approximately 2,900 homes in the affected area, 1,400 homes were destroyed and 58 people were killed. Although the depth of the epicenter was not known, it is presumed that it was a direct earthquake. (Source: “1983 Central Japan Sea Earthquake Oga City Records” Oga City, Akita Prefecture)

This earthquake has brought about major changes in the topography. About 700m at the tip of Ikuhanazaki, where the ruins of Wakimoto Castle and Sugawara Shrine are located, collapsed, resulting in its current form.

In Akita Prefecture, six years before the Oga earthquake, the Kurogata earthquake caused major changes in the topography.

Masumi visited the Kisakata Kujukushima Islands in Dewa Province , but 20 years later, in 1804, he was struck by a major earthquake. I remember the story of how I was buried. The scenery of the Kujukushima Islands has been said to be as beautiful as Matsushima since ancient times, and many people, including Matsuo Basho, visited the island for sightseeing. The great earthquake that occurred in 1804 caused the land to rise by more than 2 meters, turning the shallow ocean floor of Kujukushima into land overnight.

Although Masumi did not leave any illustrations of the tragic landscape after the Oga Earthquake, he visited Wakimoto, which was near the epicenter of the earthquake and suffered the most damage, and wrote about the tragic situation in detail. We are leaving behind valuable materials for future generations as records of the past.

INFORMATON

• Facility name: Ikuhanazaki, Wakimoto Castle Ruins, Sugawara Shrine
• Location: Wakimoto Wakimoto Nanasawa, Oga City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0185-24-4700 (Oga City Tourism Association)
• access:
  • Public transportation: Approximately 30 minutes walk from Wakimoto Station on the JR Oga Line, or by taxi
  • Car: Approximately 25 minutes from Akita Expressway Showa Oga Peninsula IC

GOOGLE MAP

Experience Namahage in a village in the northern part of the Oga Peninsula in January

In October, he spent some time in a village that had been hit by an earthquake, and with support from the clan, he resumed his journey once things had calmed down. We will head north at the base of the Oga Peninsula and spend about two months walking around Hachirogata. The New Year of 1811 was celebrated in the village of Miyazawa (Noishi, Oga City), located between Hachirogata and the Sea of ​​Japan. As I was relaxing and enjoying the New Year's mood, a ``Namahage'' suddenly appeared on the 15th.

``At dusk, when the fire was lit and everyone was seated by the hearth, suddenly a man appeared wearing a vermilion mask with horns, his jet black hair was shaking, and he was wearing a robe. Holding a small knife, I said, “Wow!” The children suddenly came in and said, ``It's Namahagi!'' and they didn't make a sound, clinging to someone and hiding in the shadows. "Don't cry," he threatens.

“Namahage” is the origin of the word ``Namahage'', and when you look at the literal meaning, you can imagine something terrifying like ``raw flesh being peeled off!'', but ``Namomi'' refers to the brown bruises caused by low-temperature burns that occur when exposed to too much heat. It seems that it means peeling it off. Namahage may look like demons, but they are said to be messengers from the mountains who chastise lazy people who spend all their time at the kotatsu and hearth during the winter agricultural off-season, praying for good health and good harvests.

<Namahage> is designated as a national important intangible folk cultural property as [ Oga's Namahage ] In addition, it was listed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List as one of Visiting Gods: Gods in Masks and Disguise

I spent New Year's in Oga with snow accumulating since the 15th, and finished "Oga no Kanpu" on February 1st.

On the Oga Peninsula where Masumi Sugae walked, there are 90 marker posts and information boards set up to help you take a stroll.

The path that Masumi Sugae walked on the Oga Peninsula has been maintained as the `` Masumi Sugae Path ,'' and there are marker posts at 83 locations that have some connection to the path, and detailed information boards at 8 locations. Please use it as an aid when walking around the Oga Peninsula.