Basho visited Hiraizumi in 1689. Five hundred years had passed since the fall of the Fujiwara family. He wrote his impressions of the past glory and its ruins in a noble style. After that, Hiraizumi has presented literary materials, but it is difficult to imagine the prosperity of the old Hiraizumi city described in the Azuma kagami, when reading 'Sangyo suigyo' by Tayama Katai and Miyazawa Kenji's poetry 'Chusonji'.
People have created many images on Hiraizumi and the Oshu Fujiwara family from various angles. In this section, we introduce the image of the Oshu Fujiwara family, Minamoto no Yoshitsune and the golden culture, which played an important role on the image of Hiraizumi.
The first subject is the historical role of the Oshu Fujiwara family = Hiraizumi which had already become a legend in the medieval Tohoku District. The Oshu Fujiwara family played the symbolic role of the integration of warriors and authorized the reign of this district. The Date family who claimed the southern Tohoku District in the end of the Sengoku period intended to connect their lineage with the Oshu Fujiwara family, although the family traced back to chunagon Fujiwara no Yamakage. In some documents, the Oshu Fujiwara family had recorded their second name as Date. In Amarumeshi kyuki (the old documents of the Amarume family), which was handed down to the vassal of the Date family, recorded the importance of Hiraizumi in the 14~15th century.
Another example in northern Tohoku was Tsugaru Hidesakae who was the founder of Hirosaki han in the 17th century. He was said to be described from the brother of Fujiwara no Hidehira.On the same basis of this, the Ando family who ruled the Tsugaru area in the 13th century were same of the most famous descendants of the Abe family. Many sites and legends concerning the Abe family prove that the consciousness of the Abe = Fujiwara clan was thought to be the mainstream of warriors in medieval Tohoku until the late 15th century. Later, the Lords of Sendai gave financial aid to the temples in Hiraizumi, which seemed to be based on this background.
Minamoto no Yoshitsune is one of the most famous people in Japanese history. He is even better known than the Fujiwara family in Hiraizumi. Takahashi Tomio and Toyoda Takeshi discussed the formation of his legend precisely.In the text from the 12th century as Azuma kagami and Gyokuyo hardly wrote about him. But Heike monogatari (The Tale of the Heike) and Genpei josui ki (rise and fall of the Genji and the Heike Clans) of the 13th century and Gikei ki (tale of Yoshitsune) of the 14th century gradually produced the legend; it was called the 'Yoshitsune legend'. Noh 'Ataka' and Kabuki 'Kanjincho' were formed on this legend.
Yoshitsune lived in Hiraizumi twice, in his childhood for several years and his last two years in order to escape from his brother's pursuit. He was welcomed warmly by Fujiwara no Hidehira and at his deathbed Hidehira willed that Yoshitsune should be the leader of Fujiwara family. It is thought to be a historical fact that he committed suicide in the Koromogawa fortress. Takadachi Gikeido Hall, which is dedicated to Yoshitsune is a popular sightseeing spot in Hiraizumi now.
The legend established in Gikei ki had produced the new legend that Yoshitsune crossed over the Ezo islands in the late medieval period. After the 17th century, it was described in the popular historical book as Kamakura jikki and even in authoritative historical studies like: Honcho tsugan and Tokushi yoron that Yoshitsune did not die in Hiraizumi but went to Hokkaido. But Aihara Tomonao staunchly denied the view of Yoshitsune's survival in Heisen jikki (1754).
The rumor of Yoshitsune's survival was later amplified. Finally in 1885, the theory that Yoshitsune was Chingis-han was introduced. This theory was soon disproved scientifically, but the legend lives on today and the route from Hiraizumi to Hokkaido that Yoshitsune followed, is popular for tourists. We can understand the reproduction of there legends of Yoshitsune since he was not only the tragic hero but also because Hiraizumi was at a mysterious historic stage where he acted magnificently.
Marco Polo said in 'The Travels of Marco Polo', "they have immense quantities of gold, because it is found at the site in great abundance" This quote informed Europe of the production of gold beyond China. And the quote "the palaces of the Lord of this island ---that he has a very large palace, all covered with fine gold" was once interpreted as the description of Konjikido. As is shown in the documents, cultural properties such as Konjikido, and other properties like the statues of Buddha plated with gold and the sutra written in gold and silver ink, the economic strength of the Oshu Fujiwara family was based on gold (gold dust). The production of gold in Mutsu country had continued from the Tenpyo period in the Nara age to the modern age. It is said that gold was in great demand for the constructions of the Temple of Jodokyo School. A little gold tip revealed recently by the excavation researches of the Yanaginogosho site and other sites in Hiraizumi.
'Kaneuri Kichiji' who was a gold merchant, appeared in the documents since Heiji Monogatari with the development of Yoshitsune legend. It seems that he was not an actual person, but thereis no doubt that there were many merchants trading in gold materials between Hiraizumi and Kyoto. Yanagida Kunio said that the Kitiji legend had correlated with the story of new riches through charcoal making in Eastern Japan.
Tota (charcoal maker) legend also existed in Hiraizumi. There were tomb and gorinto (stones made in five different parts symbolized the earth, water, fire, wind and air) at the southern face of Mt. Kinkei. There are a lot of places in Japan where his house stood. The ruined Chojagahara temple site located at the left side of the Koromogawa River, is one of them and this legend appeared in the modern historical documents. The excavation was made at this site in 1958 by Itabashi Gen but not examined precisely except for one fact the temple was formed in the 11th century from the remains.
There is a small hill (60 meters above the sea) called 'Kinkei san' which means the mountain of the gold hen at the west end of Hiraizumi's city area. In the 18th century, the legend told that Fujiwara no Motohira had buried a golden cock and hen in this mountain for the purpose of protecting the of Hiraizumi area, and that Fujiwara no Hidehira had deposited many lacquered cups filled with gold materials. In actuality, in 1935, sutra mounds were discovered near the top of the mountains. A jar made of Atsumi and a bronze cylinder containing sutra, were excavated there. The Hiraizumi zakki also told us that a farmer at work discovered a jar containing a gold ball at the south east of the foot of mountain in 1759.
Although each story to be examined precisely, because the study of the Hiraizumi culture makes a large contribution to the study of the history of human thought and other sciences as well as the positive study of Japanese history.
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