Joso City (常総市) is located in the southern west plain of Ibaraki Prefecture or 55 km away from Tokyo.  It has the area of 123.52 sq km and the current population is 65,972 (March 2007).   It is a new city after the merger of Mitsukaido City (水海道市) and Ishige Town (石下町) on January 1st, 2006. It adjoins Tsukuba City (つくば市) and Tsukuba-Mirai City (つくばみらい市) in the east, Bando City (板東市) in the west, Moriya City (守谷市) in the south and Yachiyo Town (八千代町) and Shimotsuma City (下妻市) in the north.
  In the Middle Age, Masakado Taira (平 将門, ?-AD 940), who claimed to be the "Shinno" (新皇; new emperor) in A.D.939, was based on this area.  During the Kyoho Era (1716-1736), this area was reclaimed to become a granary.  Recently, with the development of the Tsukuba Express Train, it becomes a residential area of Tokyo.

IMAGE	IMAGE NO.	DATA
Ishige Station		Ishige Station (石下駅) on Kanto-tetsudo Joso Line
	ijs2007-001	(Saturday 21 April) Ishige Station on Kanto-tetsudo Joso Line
Kinu-gawa River		Kinu-gawa River (鬼怒川) runs from north to south through Kanto Plains (関東平野), until the meeting of the Tone-gawa River (利根川).  The source is Kinu-numa (鬼怒沼) in Nikko City, Tochigi and it has 176.7 km, the longest branch of the Tone-gawa River.  The name indicates how the river flows-- a river prone to rampage like a mad demon!
	ijs2007-002	(Saturday 21 April) Kinu-gawa River, viewed from Ishige Bridge (石下橋)
	ijs2007-004	(Saturday 21 April) Kinu-gawa River, viewed form Ishige Bridge
Masakado-ko-en		Masakado-ko-en (将門公苑) in the precinct of Hanshu-san Horin-ji Temple (般舟山 法輪寺) or the Toyoda-yakata site (豊田館) where Masakado Taira was reportedly born.   Masakado Taira (?-AD 940) was a member of the Kammu-Hei-shi clan (桓武平氏).  He was a fifth generation descendant of Emperor Kammu (桓武天皇, AD 737-806; r.781-806).  He was the first son of Yoshimochi Taira (平良持), who was a military aristocrat served as the "Mustu-no-kami Chinjyufu-shogun" (陸奥守鎮守府将軍; Viceroy of the ancient Tohoku District).  He is regarded as the first bushi (武士) because he was the first to lead the self-governing samurai group; a first samurai lord (大名).   His life is well described in the biography "Shomon-ki" (『将門記』?1099) by an anonymous author.   On November 21, 939, in the middle of the Heian Period, Masakado rebelled by attacking the outpost of the government office in Hitachi Province (常陸の国), capturing the governor Korechika Fujiwara (藤原 維幾).  In December he conquered Shimotsuke (下野) and Kozuke (上野) provinces, and claimed the title of "Shinno" (新皇; New Emperor) after the oracle by a shrine maiden representing herself as possessed by "Hachiman-dai-bosatsu" (八幡大菩薩; the Japanese Buddhist God of War) on December 19, 939.  then Emperor Masakado assigned eight governors in the Bando region (板東地域) and planned to construct his royal castle in Ishii (石井; now Iwai, Bando City[板東市岩井]) in vain.  Only 50 days after his coronation, on February 14, 940, Masakado was killed during the battle with Hidesato Fujiwara (藤原 秀郷) in Kitayama, Shimosa (下総北山; exact place unknown; probably near Iwai).  Masakado led only 400 soldiers against Hidesato's more than 4,000 soldiers.  Masakado's rebellion was historically significant--establishing a precedent of later samurai age.  One branch of Hidesato's decesdents had a massive power in Hiraizumi, Oshu in the eleventh century.
	ijs2007-005	(Saturday 21 April) Inscription Stone Monument of Masakado Taira (built in 1986), Masakado-ko-en
	ijs2007-006	(Saturday 21 April) Inscription Stone Monument of Masakado Taira (built in 1986), Masakado-ko-en
	ijs2007-010	(Saturday 21 April) Inscription Stone Monument of Masakado Taira (built in 1986), Masakado-ko-en
	ijs2007-011	(Saturday 21 April) Signpost of Toyoda-yakata, Masakado-ko-en
	ijs2007-012	(Saturday 21 April) Back of the signpost of Toyoda-yakata (built in 1975), Masakado-ko-en
	ijs2007-013	(Saturday 21 April) Relief (embossed carving) of Masakado Taira (made by Torahiko Miyaji; 宮地寅彦), Masakado-ko-en
	ijs2007-014	(Saturday 21 April) Relief (embossed carving) of Masakado Taira (made by Torahiko Miyaji), Masakado-ko-en
	ijs2007-016	(Saturday 21 April) Relief (embossed carving) of Masakado Taira (made by Torahiko Miyaji), Masakado-ko-en
	ijs2007-018	(Saturday 21 April) Relief (embossed carving) of Masakado Taira (made by Torahiko Miyaji), Masakado-ko-en
	ijs2007-020	(Saturday 21 April) Relief (embossed carving) of the Buddha, Hanshu-san Horin-ji Temple.  Masakado-koen is in the precinct of Horin-ji Temple.
	ijs2007-021	(Saturday 21 April) Hanshu-san Horin-ji Temple
	ijs2007-022	(Saturday 21 April) Main Hall of Hanshu-san Horin-ji Temple
	ijs2007-023	(Saturday 21 April) Main Hall of Hanshu-san Horin-ji Temple
	ijs2007-025	(Saturday 21 April) Interior of the main hall, Hanshu-san Horin-ji Temple
	ijs2007-028	(Saturday 21 April) Stone statue of the Buddha, probably for the repose of Masakado Taira's soul, Hanshu-san Horin-ji Temple

        

Copyright (c) 2007 Eishiro Ito.  All rights reserved.