Haramachi Cultural Properties (Other)

Location: Haramachi-ku, Baba, Godaisan
Google Maps: Mt. Godai

The 11th lord of the Soma clan, Soma Shigetane, became ill with an incurable disease after being the head of the clan for only 4 years (1436-1440) He gave up his position to his son Takatane and went into retirement at Mt. Godai, entering the Buddhist priesthood and taking care of his health. Only his two vassals, his uncle and nephew both named Taro, took care of his daily necessities, and it is said that even his wife was prohibited from meeting him. It is thought that Shigetane’s retirement land stretched along the ridge at the top of the mountain, in a rectangle of levelled earth measuring 67 meters north to south and 16 meters east to west. There you can find tens of black stones thought to be the foundation stones of buildings scattered across the area. A thin stream runs through what is thought to have been the front garden even now, becoming a thread-thin waterfall that falls 20 meters.

There also remains a legend that a golden chicken was buried here. Many people heard this story and came to look for it, but none were able to find it.

There is a large basin said to have been dug up in the search for the chicken toward the summit of the mountain that has been preserved. From there you can get a view of the Pacific Ocean.

Notes: Mt. Godai is west of the Tetsuzan Reservoir, which is upstream of the Yokokawa River Dam. You can walk to the summit in around 30 minutes.

Location: Haramachi-ku, Takakura, Higashihata
Google Maps: Takakura Monjudo Hall
Owner: Believer in the Takakura area
Dimensions: Around 30cm tall

Location: Haramachi-ku, Izumi, Terakemae
Google Maps: Izumi Kannondo Hall
Owner: Senryuji Temple
Dimensions: About 51.5cm tall

Location: Haramachi-ku, Kamiota, Maeta
Google Maps: Ganokuji Temple
Owner: Ganokuji Temple

Location: Haramachi-ku, Kitaniida, Higashihata
Owner: Soma Kazutane and others

The Kitaniida burial mound is positioned on a hill on the north bank of Niida River. A tomb shaped into a mound is called a “dan (壇),” and this mound contains a graveyard of the Soma clan. Bordering the road that cuts through the area on the east side are the graves of six individuals: the 13th clan head Moritane, his wife, the 12th head Takatane, the 14th head Akitane, his wife, and the 17th head Toshitane’s daughter (older sister to the 18th head Yoshitane).

On graves from the Middle Ages to the early modern period, we can see the custom of piling up earth and planting evergreen trees like cedars, pine trees, and Japanese firs as marker trees. On the graves toward the back, grave tablets and “gorinto” were built rather than planting trees. The stump of a giant cedar tree remains on the top of the Kiitanida burial mound, a testament to how graves were constructed from the Middle Ages to the early modern period.

Please let the city hall cultural properties section know if you plan a tour to this mound.

Notes: The Soma clan has various gravesite locations, with the 11th head Shigetane buried at Ganokuji Temple, and the 16th head Yoshitane onward buried at Dokeiji Temple in Odaka Ward. The graves of the 21st head Masatane and the 23rd head Takatane are at Daishoji Temple in Namie, buried during the period when burial methods were transitioning toward tombstones.

Location: Haramachi-ku, Ishigami, Sakashita
Google Maps: East of Ishigami Lifelong Learning Center
Owner: Tomita Komei

The graves of Tomita Kokei and Ninomiya Sontoku are on the plot of the Tomita family gravesite. Ninomiya’s real grave is in Imaichi City, Tochigi Prefecture, but the one in Ishigami was built as a replica of that grave in 1955 to mark 100 years since Ninomiya’s passing.

The Tenmei Famine swept through all of Japan between 1781 and 1789, throwing farming communities in the Soma domain into ruin and dealing a devastating blow to the area’s financial state. In order to restore farming communities and solidify the domain’s finances, Sontoku’s disciple and Nakamura domain retainer Tomita Kokei introduced the Ninomiya method in 101 of the domain’s 226 villages for 27 years as Sontoku’s representative in the area, beginning in 1845 and yielding good results.

Kokei published “Hotoku Ki” and “Hotoku Ron” after Sontoku’s death and continued to pour his efforts into spreading Sontoku’s teachings. He passed away in 1890 at the age of 77 and was buried in the Tomita family gravesite.

Notes: Sontoku did not come to this area himself, but his wife and son moved here to avoid the horrors of the Boshin War and lived on the plot of land that now houses the Ishigami Lifelong Learning Center until 1890.

Location: Haramachi-ku, Gorai, Tate
Google Maps: Ushigoe Castle Site
Dimensions: Elevation – 73m; East-West – 300m; North-South – 280m

Starting Point: Nishiki-cho (formerly Sakurai Village)
Ending Point: Kitakaibama, Miyachi
Length: Around 4100 meters (inc. 930 meters of subterranean drain)

During the Tenmei and Tenpo Famines (latter half of 18th c. ~ middle of 19th c.), the number of households in the former village of Kaihama shrunk drastically from 117 households during its peak in 1709 to 38 in 1786. In order to restore the many farming communities that suffered from ruin and population decline due to the famines, the Soma domain introduced the Hotoku method as a village renewal project, achieving good results.

The large-scale irrigation projects were an enormous undertaking that were indispensable to the Hotoku method. A large portion of the reservoirs and irrigation channels within the domain were either repaired or newly constructed during this period. The Kaihama irrigation channel was constructed during this time to secure a source of water for the settlement of Kitakaibama, with its many shinken*.

This channel was completed in 1868 by the design and guidance of Ara Muneshige (nicknamed “Senpachi”), a follower of Ninomiya Sontoku, as well as the hard work of related parties.

Notes:
*Shinken: policy measures in which new farmers from other domains came to the area, the second or third son of a farming family would gain independence and become a farmer, etc.

Location: Haramachi-ku

The Uematsu abandoned temple is a site from the Nara/Heian periods, known for the ancient roof tiles unearthed there. These roof tiles, a certain type of eave-end roof tile with the image of a clover, have a pattern that is rare throughout all Japan and is thought to be influenced by the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo on the Korean peninsula. The same type of tile was excavated from an archaeological site (kiln site) in Nyudosaku, Kamikita-Takahira.

During an excavation there, tiles with the same design as those found at the Uematsu abandoned temple were found among other earthenware such as Sue ware, indicating that the tiles used at the temple were made at this kiln site.

The Uematsu abandoned temple is a valuable historic ruin, providing insight into the ancient history of the So-So area.

Notes: In the ancient literary source “Shoku Nihongi,” there is a record of a military corps being established in Shirakawa in 728C.E. It is thought that one was also established in the Namekata District around the same time.

Location: Haramachi-ku, Ishigami, Sakashita
Google Maps: Ishigami Lifelong Learning Center

Location: Haramachi-ku, Kanezawa
Owner: Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc., Haramachi Thermal Power Station premises
Google Maps: Iron Manufacture Preservation Site

The Kanezawa iron manufacture sites were unearthed in an excavation conducted by the prefectural board of education from 1989 to 1994 on the site where the thermal power station was planned to be constructed.

This site was in operation from the latter half of the 7th century to around the 10th century. It has been confirmed as the largest-scale ancient iron manufacturing site in Japan, with 123 iron-making furnaces, 149 charcoal furnaces, 133 pit dwellings, and 29 buildings with buried pillars.

It is thought that a new technique was introduced in the latter half of the 8th century which made it possible to produce high-quality iron in large amounts. At that time the central administration was attempting to control the Emishi peoples of northern Japan who had not surrendered. For that purpose, a large amount of weapons, farming tools, and other implements became necessary, and it is thought that the raw iron used for those tools was made here at this iron manufacture site. Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc., constructed an underground cultural property preservation building in order to preserve these archaeological remains. The building is open to the public.

Notes:
Open days: 2nd Sunday of April, May, September, and October.

Contact information: Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc., Haramachi Thermal Power Station General Affairs Division
Tel: 0244-24-1614

Location: Haramachi-ku, Izumi, Miyamae
Owner: Ishibashi Tsutomu

The eight shrines of Namekata that give an account of ancient beliefs at Shinto shrines. They were registered in the “Engishiki Shrine List” was compiled in the 10th century, thus also going by the name “Engishikinaisha” or simply “shikinaisha,”, meaning “shrine listed in the Engishiki.” There are 5 such shrines in Haramachi Ward.

As “shikinaisha,” the gods of these shrines were worshipped in connection to the subjugation of the Emishi people of northern Japan, and were established on land, on strategic points of sea traffic, and near military bases.

1. Takakura Shrine (Maeta, Oshigama)
2. Himatsuri Shrine (Tate, Omika)
3. Sakamine Shrine (Michinoue, Shidazawa)
4. Taka Shrine (Kotarouchi, Taka)
5. Oshio Shrine (Suwa, Kitaniida)

Notes: Namekata district: The name of the Namekata district was first seen in 718C.E. The district once contained six townships.