Daian-ji Temple, the family temple of the Mizusawa Date clan and Rusu clan in Mizusawa, Oshu (Iwate Prefecture)

stands quietly in the town of Mizusawa, Oshu City, Iwate PrefectureDaianji Temple. Although not well known as a tourist destination, it is home to historical sites that convey the history of Oshu to the present day.

This templeMizusawa Date,clanthethe family temple of, a scholar of Western learning who made a name for himself during the late Edo periodthe burial place of Takano Chōeialso known as

This article explains the origins of Daian-ji Temple and the history of the Rusu clan, the Mizusawa Date family

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What is Daian-ji Temple?

Daian-ji Temple is a Rinzai sect Myoshinji temple located in Otemachi, Mizusawa Ward, Oshu City

, the ancestor of the Mizusawa Date family,)by Date (Rusuon Hataoriyama in Ichinoseki (present-day Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture), which was his territory at the time, as a memorial for his father, Masakage.

the third lord of Mizusawa Castle Date (Rusu) Munekagetime of, it became the family temple of the Rusu clan. It was built in its current location around 1640, and after being destroyed by fire and rebuilt several times, in 1860, Kichijoji Temple, which had been the Rusu clan's prayer temple, was relocated and used as the main hall. After several repairs and renovations, it has remained as it is today.

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Genealogy of the Mizusawa Date clan and the Rusu clan

The Rusushi clan was a samurai family whose ancestor wasIzawa Iekage, who claimed to be a great-great-grandson of Fujiwara no Michikane of the Northern Fujiwara clan. In 1190, after the conquest of Oshu, Iekage was appointed to the position of Rusushi (governor of Mutsu Province) by Minamoto no Yoritomo, and his descendants inherited this position, thus adopting the title as their surname and calling themselves the Rusushi clan.

During the Nanboku-cho and Muromachi periods, he became a local lord with his base at Iwakiri Castle (present-day Iwakiri, Miyagino Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)

Date Masamune's uncle, Masakage, becomes the Rusu clan

Born in 1549 as the third son of Date Harumune, the grandfather of Date Masamune,Masakagewas adopted by Rusu Akimune in 1567 through his father Harumune's political maneuvering, becoming the 18th head of the Rusu clan. Subsequently, he assisted his older brother Terumune and nephew Masamune, contributing to the expansion of the Date clan's power.

During the Battle of Sekigahara,he participated in the Battle of Hasedo Castle as the commander-in-chief of the Date army, and went to the aid of Mogami Yoshiaki, who was under attack by Uesugi Kagekatsu.

Later, Masamune allowed him to revert to the Date surname, and in 1604 he was granted 20,000 koku of land in Ichinoseki

Date (Rusu) Munetoshi, said to be the ancestor of the Mizusawa Date clan

inherited the family headship and became the lord of Ichinoseki Castle in Iwai District., Date (Rusu) MunetoshiHe served as the vanguard in the Winter Campaign of Osaka, marking his first battle, and fought bravely leading a musketeer unit in the Summer Campaign of Osaka. However, he incurred the wrath of Masamune because he only fielded about 40 soldiers, and in 1616 his territory was reduced to 10,000 koku in Kanegasaki, Isawa District.

However, after the construction of Ishigaki Koji in Edo Castle was completed, the Mizusawa Date clan was allowed to move their castle to Mizusawa Castle in 1629, and the Mizusawa Date clan held the area as their territory until the end of the Edo period

For this reason, the successive heads of the Mizusawa Date family are sometimes counted starting with Masakage, who reverted to the Date surname, and sometimes starting with Munetoshi, who actually occupied Mizusawa

Furthermore, since Munetoshi received the Date surname before coming of age, he never actually used the Rusu surname. However, because the Mizusawa Date family reverted to the Rusu surname after the Meiji Restoration, the plaque on the bronze statue of Munetoshi erected at the Hidaka Shrine in Mizusawa in 1974"Lord Rusu Munetoshi."reads

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The current Daian-ji Temple and the Rusu family graveyard

Daian-ji Temple is near Mizusawa Station, and just behind it is the main shopping street that runs straight from the station, but the entrance to the temple is in the opposite direction

The side of the temple gate is a residential area, so it has a quiet atmosphere

The plaque on the gate reads "Taibakusan," the mountain's name

Daianji Temple alsothe grave of Takano Chōei, a scholar of Western learning during the late Edo periodhouses

Takano Choei was a doctor from Mizusawa who was pursued for criticizing the shogunate's policy of national isolation. His turbulent life is often mentioned in textbooks, but it is not widely known that he is quietly buried in his hometown of Mizusawa

If you go to the left side of this main hall and go behind it, you will find the Rusu family graveyard

The Rusu family graveyard is surrounded by a magnificent wall, giving it the atmosphere of a truly sacred place

The gravestones within the cemetery are arranged irregularly, making it quite difficult to determine whose gravestone is whose without prior knowledge. However, walking straight down the stone path from the entrance, thegravestoneappears to belong to Masakage Rusu, Masamune's uncle who was granted the Date surname. The four small gravestones lined up to its right are said to belong to four retainers who committed suicide to follow Masakage in death.

in 1974a tangible cultural property of Mizusawa Cityit was designated as

Daianji Temple＜Information＞

• Name: Taihakusan Daianji Temple
• Address: 2 Mizusawa Higashimachi, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture, 023-0818
• Phone number: 0197-23-3425
• Official URL:https://mizusawa-daianji.com/

Google Map

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