Places associated with the Kamakura Shogunate - Visiting places associated with Miura Yoshizumi and Wada Yoshimori
About six months after the start of the NHK Taiga drama "The 13 Lords of the Kamakura" began, the Lord of the Kamakura, Minamoto no Yoritomo, achieved his lifelong wish to overthrow the Taira clan, and a political system centered around Minamoto no Yoritomo began.
Among the 13 powerful vassals, we will introduce the places associated with the Miura clan (Miura Yoshizumi) and the Wada clan (Wada Yoshimori), who were rooted in the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Spot 1: Places associated with Yoshizumi Miura: Mansho-ji Temple, the former site of Yakuoji Temple (the grave of Yoshizumi Miura), Chikata Shrine
Manshoji Temple in Yokosuka City is said to have been founded by Miura Yoshiaki, the father of Miura Yoshizumi, but it is said that it was actually founded by Minamoto no Yoritomo.
Minamoto no Yoritomo never forgot his gratitude to Miura Yoshiaki, who raised an army in response to the Battle of Ishibashiyama and was killed in battle, and made Yoshiaki the founder of the temple.
In front of the main hall, there are azaleas planted by Minamoto no Yoritomo himself, which gives a glimpse of how much trust he had in the Miura clan and how well he treated them.
Nearby is the former site of Yakuoji Temple, said to be the gravesite of Miura Yoshizumi, and Chikata Shrine, which enshrines Yoshizumi's son, Miura Yoshimura, making it clear that this was the base of the Miura clan.
Manshoji Temple📍 1-5-10 Oyabe, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Kondono Shrine📍 1-9-3 Oyabe, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Spot 2: A place associated with Miura Yoshizumi: Abuzuri Castle ruins
It is said that Abuzuri Castle was located on a small hill across the street from Hikage Chaya, close to Hayama Marina. Once you climb the hill, you will come to a wide open plain, but there are almost no traces that give a glimpse of what it was like back then.
It is said that the name "abuzuri" (stirrup) came from the fact that in climbing to the castle, one had to climb a slope so steep that one had to use the stirrups of one's horse to climb.
Abumizuri Castle is where Miura Yoshizumi, who was unable to join the Battle of Ishibashiyama, raised his flag and encouraged his allies when he fought against the Oba forces, and it is said to be the place where Ito Sukechika, who was in charge of watching over the exiled Minamoto no Yoritomo and fought against Minamoto no Yoritomo at Ishibashiyama, was placed in care and later beheaded. It is also the place where Kamenomae, a concubine of Minamoto no Yoritomo, was hidden when her mansion was burned down after incurring the wrath of Hojo Masako.
📍 Hayama Town, Miura District, Kanagawa Prefecture
Location 3: Shirahata Shrine (Miura City)
In Wada, Hassei-cho, Miura City, which was the territory of Wada Yoshimori, there is Shirahata Shrine, which enshrines Wada Yoshimori, the first head priest of the Samurai Department, as Shirahata Myojin.
Wada Yoshimori was defeated by Hojo Yoshitoki in the Wada War and met his end with his family at Wadazuka in Kamakura. It is said that the villagers of Wada built this monument to commemorate his good governance.
📍 1746 Wada, Hatsuse-cho, Miura City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Spot 4: Jorakuji Temple, a place associated with Yoshimori Wada
According to legend, when Shochojuin Temple, which Minamoto no Yoritomo built in Kamakura to commemorate the soul of his father, Minamoto no Yoshitomo, was damaged by a typhoon, Wada Yoshimori cooperated with Hojo Masako to move it to its current location (Ashina, Yokosuka City). It is said to have been built to pray for victory in the Oshu Conquest, and the temple houses five Buddhist statues that Wada Yoshimori and his wife commissioned from the Buddhist sculptor Unkei, who was involved in the reconstruction of the burned-down Kofuku-ji Temple in Nara and later traveled to Kamakura.
📍2-30-5 Ashina, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture
It is said that the Miura clan took the surname Miura after Miura Tamemichi was given the Miura domain in Sagami Province by Minamoto no Yoriyoshi as a reward for his achievements in the Battle of Zenkunen.
Wada Yoshimori was a descendant of a branch of the Miura clan, and both the Miura and Wada clans were highly valued by Minamoto no Yoritomo, and the clans prospered on the Miura Peninsula, close to Kamakura.
However, after the death of Minamoto no Yoritomo, both clans were wiped out in the midst of a power struggle within Kamakura, but even today in Miura and Yokosuka, one can still recall the influence of these two clans in their former days.
Stay tuned for next time.
*Please note that there are various theories regarding the contents of this column.
Check out past articles
Tour the places associated with the Kamakura Shogun
A place associated with Hojo Yoshitoki
Tour the places associated with Hojo Tokimasa and Kajiwara Kagetoki
