On the Road: Ushu Kaido – The Road to Yamagata

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Summary

Travel is an act for human beings to visit new places and experience different cultures and histories. Through travel, people can actually feel historical events and people’s lives by visiting historical places and cultural heritage sites, and can gain a deeper understanding of history and broaden their own perspectives. In this section, we will discuss the historical background of the trip and the places visited based on Ryotaro Shiba‘s “Kaido yuku” (On the Road) about this journey and history.

Kaidou wo yuku Vol. 10 Usyuu kaidou.

In the previous article, we describe Yusuhara Road of Yusuhara. This time it is the Ushu Kaido – the road to Yamagata. Ryotaro Shiba visits Yamagata to see the scenery of the Mogamigawa River as described in Basho‘s famous phrase, “The Mogamigawa River that gathers the May rain early. In Yamagata, the course will traverse the Ou Highway. The tour will start at Risshakuji Temple, an ancient Tendai sect temple, stop at a safflower farmhouse in the suburbs of Yamagata City, and stay overnight at Onogawa Hot Springs in southwestern Yonezawa City. The next day, the tour will visit Uesugi Shrine, Rinsenji Temple, and other historic sites associated with the Uesugi clan, then view the Mogami River at Arato, Shirataka Town, stay overnight at Kaminoyama Onsen, and enter Yamagata City the following day.

Yamagata Prefecture belongs to the Tohoku region and is surrounded by Niigata, Miyagi, and Akita prefectures, and is known for its Yamato hot springs and temples. It is also famous for the Zao ski resort on the border with Miyagi Prefecture, where conifers are covered with snow to create the “Snow Monster” ice formations.

This trip began at Risshakuji Temple on Mt. The entire mountain, with its oddly shaped rocks and monstrous stones, is a place of ascetic practice and faith, and the superb scenery is everywhere along the one-hour walk from the trailhead to the Okuno-in Temple, which houses the Daibutsuden.

The temple is also known for the famous haiku poem “Kayasasaya (quietness) and the sound of cicadas seeping into rocks” by haiku master Matsuo Basho in his travelogue “Okunohosomichi”.

It is said that Ennin, who succeeded Saicho of the Tendai sect, founded Risshakuji Temple. The Tendai sect, which Saicho brought back with him from Tang Dynasty China during the Heian period (794-1185), had one major system of exoteric Buddhism (Shakyamuni’s teachings) as described in “Buddhism, Scriptures and Mahayana Sects” and “Internet and Vairocana Buddha – Kegon Sutra and Esoteric Buddhism“, and was not so strongly influenced by esoteric Buddhism. However, people at that time were interested in esoteric Buddhism, which centered on prayer, and were driven into a difficult situation by Kukai, who brought back a complete system of esoteric Buddhism after Saicho. His disciple Ennin went to Tang China and established the esoteric section of the Tendai sect, and the episode is told by Ryotaro Shiba that he brought back the popularity of the sect.

The Shingon sect founded by Kukai was esoteric Buddhism that originated in India, while esoteric Buddhism in the Tendai sect is said to have a strong Chinese flavor, and the Buddhist statues in Risshakuji Temple are described as being Chineseized, including their attire. Incidentally, King Yama, the judge of hell, is not originally a judge of hell, although his name appears in Buddhist scriptures, but rather was created under the influence of Chinese Taoism, and is dressed as a Chinese priest.

This is said to have been brought back by Ennin, and similarly, Ryotaro Shiba imagines that protective charms and omikuji were also introduced by Ennin as Taoist props.

After passing Tateishi-ji Temple, while heading north up the Hashu Highway, Isshu encountered a safflower field.

As the name suggests, safflower is a plant of the chrysanthemum family that produces safflower.

After taking a rest in the safflower fields, the group stayed at Onogawa Onsen in southwest Yonezawa City. Here, Ryotaro Shiba and the others tasted Yamagata‘s specialty, imoni (stewed sweet potato).

Imoni is a local dish that is seasoned with taro, leeks, beef, and other ingredients and seasoned with only sake, soy sauce, and sugar.

The next day after staying at Onogawa Onsen, we headed to the city of Yonezawa to visit historical sites related to the Uesugi clan. The Uesugi clan expanded its power in the Kanto area during the reign of Kenshin Uesugi, and was reassigned to the 1.2 million koku Aizu domain by Hideyoshi Toyotomi during the reign of his successor, Kagekatsu Uesugi. The Yonezawa clan was reduced to 150,000 koku in the Edo period, but the family maintained its status as a feudal lord until the Meiji Restoration.

It is said that the reason for their survival in spite of repeated threats to their existence was due to Naoe Kanetsugu, a vassal who excelled in both the literary and military arts. Naoe Kanetsugu is also famous for the historical drama and novel “Tenchijin,”1・2・3 and

He was also famous for using the Chinese character for “love” on his armor.

In Yonezawa, he visited Rinsenji, a Zen temple where Naoe Kanetsugu is buried, and Uesugi Shrine, built on the site of the main citadel of Yonezawa Castle and dedicated to Uesugi Kenshin. The Yonezawa clan was impoverished like the Mori clan mentioned in “Kaido yuku – Choshu-ro” because its stone value had been reduced to less than 1/10th of that in its heyday, and even the tombs of famous families were modest.

After leaving Yonezawa, they continued on the Hashu Highway in the direction of Yamagata City, and viewed the Mogami River at Arato, Shirataka Town on the way.

Thinking of Matsuo Basho‘s famous haiku, “Gathering the May rain, the Mogamigawa River blows early” (in hot July, the wind blowing from the Mogamigawa River is cool as if it gathered the rainy season), which was composed here, we will stay overnight at Kaminoyama Onsen and enter Yamagata City, the goal of the trip.