History of Kadojin

Kadojin was completely burned down twice, once in the 1830s and once in the 1940s, during the Dorogawa fires.
It is extremely difficult to trace back its roots, so investigations are being carried out using traces and information from other sources.
In particular, the inscription on the stone monument clearly confirms the year as early as Genroku period.
However, although it is presumed that he lived before Genroku, his life before that is unconfirmed.
Currently, the company states that it was founded in the first year of Genroku era (1688).

Although Dorogawa has a relatively short history as a hot spring town, it has a long history as a lodging place for Omine-ko.
Its origins are said to be traced back to the descendants of Goki, who followed Gyo-otsuno.
It became the starting point for opening up a "training ground" for Gyoja, and since the opening of Omine by En no Gyoja approximately 1300 years ago,
This encouraged people to settle there, and it flourished as the main training center for mountain asceticism.

The names "Yamabushi" and "Yamaga" are thought to have originated between the end of the 12th century and around the 17th century.
As Edo Period began, the lives of ordinary people entered a period of stability.
It became common for professional mountain ascetics to take laypeople on pilgrimages to the mountain (pilgrimages Mt Omine).
It was around this time that religious associations of believers, such as Sanjo-ko and Gyoja-ko, were established in various locations.

Kadojin was during this time that Kakujin was established as an inn and was used by various religious associations and mountain ascetics.
Some of the lecture groups continue to this day, and the connections with each group are very deep.
Looking back at the 330-year history of Kadojin, we can see that it has been engulfed in fires in Dorogawa area three times.
Although most of the temple was burned down and the temple faced various hardships, the temple was supported by the continued patronage of the various schools and monks, and the deep bond that began with the encounter with the Lord of Kisyuu.
It is said that this is how we have been able to reach this point today.

Since the Heisei era began, Dorogawa has become increasingly well-known as a tourist destination, with its limestone caves, hot springs, and Dorogawa Water Springs, which is one of Japan's 100 Remarkable Waters.
The number of general customers is also increasing year by year.
Staying ahead of the times, in 2006 we renovated two guest rooms with private open-air hot spring baths, the only ones in Dorogawa Onsen, and a private open-air bath.
Our aim is to preserve the traditional charm of our hotel and make our guests feel at home.
The current head of Kadojin is the 13th generation, Jinshiro Jinshiro.
In the future, we plan to pass the title on to Kintaro (14th generation) and Sora (15th generation),
It is all thanks to our customers that we have been able to make history up to this day."

Mt Omine is a mountain renowned throughout Japan for its association with Shugendō (mountain asceticism), and Dorogawa at its foot serves as a base for mountain climbing.
Since ancient times, mountain ascetics practicing asceticism on Omine Ascetic Training, as well as farmers praying for a bountiful harvest, would form religious groups and make pilgrimages to the mountain, usually staying overnight in Dorogawa.

Emperor Shirakawa made a pilgrimage from Yoshino to the mountaintop, while the lord of Kishu stayed in Dorogawa and undertook Omine Ascetic Training on Mount Omine.
The lord of Kishu boasts a distinguished lineage as Tokugawa Gosanke (the three houses of the Tokugawa), but even a lord is only human.
Various rumors are also heard.

There is a fascinating anecdote about Kishu-sama who stayed at the Kakujin Kadojin in Dorogawa about 200 years ago.

Kadojin is one of the oldest inns in Dorogawa.
The document left behind by the previous generation's Jinichi Tsunoya (71 years old in 1967) states the following:

The ancestors of Tsunoya Family are clearly documented from Genroku onward, as can be seen from their posthumous Buddhist names, but prior to that, the inscriptions on the stone monuments and memorial tablets have worn away or disappeared, making them unclear.
It is an old family home in Dorogawa that has continued uninterrupted for 300 years.
The fact that they had been running an inn for about 300 years is attributed to the head of the Ryuzan-ko, Ryuzan-ko climbing association in Osaka.
This is certain and unmistakable, as he is currently (as of 1967) the 16th head of the school.

According to the Tsunoya Family records, "In the fourth month of Bunka (1807 Lord Yorinobu, the Kii Dainagon, stayed at our house."
The fifth generation ancestor,At this time, I was appointed as a guide Mt Omine Omine... As the story goes, the lord of Kishu stayed there overnight.
The family inquired with Tokugawa Clan in Wakayama and learned that the person in question was Lord Shigenori Tokugawa, the eighth lord Kii.

First, let me mention Lord Shigenori Tokugawa.
Shigenori-ko was born on February 28, 1746 (Enkyo 3), at Edo residence, as the second son of Munenobu Tokugawa.
His childhood Horeki Iwachiyo Iwachiyo. On November 28, 1755 (Hōreki 5), he came of age and changed his name to Hitachinosuke and adopting the name Shigenori.
Meiwa, at the age of 20, he became the eighth lord Kii, but his nature was violent.
It is said that killing people by hand was her hobby, and that she killed over 20 vassals and maids by hand.

There is a story like this.
At his Edo residence, he saw a woman enjoying the evening breeze in the tower of the neighboring Matsudaira Clan's house. Enraged that she was looking down at his house and mocking him, he shot and killed her with a gun.
When the shogunate learned of his violent behavior, he was ordered to retire, so in Anei, at the age of 30, he shaved his head and adopted the name Taishin.
After that, Harusada Tokugawa succeeded him as the ninth lord of the domain.
However, he passed away in 1789 at the age of 62, and Harutomi Tokugawa, who was only 19 years old, became the tenth lord of Kansei.

Therefore, the person who stayed at Kadojin Inn was not the feudal lord, but rather Shigenori-ko, who was known as "Great Lord" and resided at the Arahama Palace in Wakayama at the time.
The history of climbing Omine Kisyuu mentions Kishu Oma (who is described as the lord of Kii Tokugawa, but was formerly the lord) 18〇It says that he made a pilgrimage to Mt Kinpu from Dorogawa four years ago,
The name "Kishū Kisyuu" refers to Shigenori, who entered the priesthood, and is therefore Daishin.
The time was the first year of Bunka era (1804), the year of the Rat, and it was in this year that Shigenori-ko (Taishin) made a pilgrimage to the mountain, while the fourth year Bunka was the year of the Rabbit.

By the way, a problem arose regarding guiding the lord up the mountain.
The lord will be climbing the mountain tomorrow to perform a ritual, so we need someone to guide him up the mountain.
The reputation of the lord had already been heard, so there was no one to guide us.

According to Jinichi's posthumous writings, Shigenori-ko was a powerful daimyo of 550,000 koku, belonging to one of the three main branches of Tokugawa Gosanke (the three houses of the Tokugawa), and was also a very bold and spirited person.
Because even a single wrong word could cost you your head, no one was willing to guide you, so the head of Tsunoya Family took on the role.
However, at the "Nishino Nozoki" training grounds, a scene unfolded involving the Lord that astonished everyone around him.

First, let me quote from Kuroda Suizan"Record of Mount Sanjo), Koka 1847, to describe the state of Nishino Nozoki site at that time.

"Nishino Nozoki faces southwest."
To the left, a group of mountain guides are sitting cross-legged at the edge of a rock formation.
In front of the rock, there is a gap where a little water has accumulated.
Peek beyond that.
I crawled on my stomach on the edge of the rock, and the guide grabbed me by the neck and looked down. The bottom was deep.
When you look at the tops of those large trees, like cedar, you can see that they are cliffs sloping inwards, which is dizzying and truly terrifying.

To the right (west of the bell tower) is the old Nishino Nozoki.
It is an extremely steep cliff.
The rocky path is so sharp it could be called a mountain of swords.
I can't measure the depth.
The base of the rock juts out far into the valley floor.
In the past, people used to look here, but many people fell and died, more than 300 people.
They stopped using that spying device and replaced it with the current Nishino Nozoki.
Even at the current Nishino Nozoki, three people jumped in and died over a three-year period starting at the end of Tenpo era (1843).

The person who died last year was a young man from the capital. He had taken off his short sword and clothes and left a note saying:
He was wearing a white coat and jumped to his death. (It is said that this person was an official at Nishi Nishi Hongwanji Temple in Kyoto.)
It is said that if one falls from this place, his whole body will break as he comes into contact with stones and trees.
This is probably because the area where it falls is completely bare of rocks, with no soil.
It is said that people from Dorogawa came from the road below, collected the scattered corpses, and piled stones on top of them to make a grave."

Now, at the pilgrimage site of Mt Omine, the Nishino- Nishino Nozoki) is a large rock face from which one is made to look upside down,
There, the servants who had arrived first were already there, laying out the felt mats and getting ready.

The head of the Kadoya Kadoya, who was En no Gyoja, pushed aside the felt mat, saying that En no Gyoja did not perform his ascetic practices in this manner.
I also set a trap for Shigenori-ko, telling him to turn in that direction.
When Shigenori-ko asked what they were going to do, he replied that the head of Kadoya was in danger so they would tie him up, and if he fell, he would lose his life.
He effortlessly lifted Shigenori-ko and thrust him forward. Even Shigenori-ko instinctively reached out to grab onto the rock, but he pushed him away and continued to thrust him forward.

Everyone who saw this was astonished,
As soon as Shigenori-ko arrived, they turned pale, as if to say, "We're going to kill him!"
However, after finishing his journey, Shigenori-ko sat down on a military bench and said, "What an interesting fellow."
It's the first time in my life that I've been tied with rope," he said with a smile.

Next, after all the rituals at the back of the training grounds were finished, we arrived at a place called "Motoyui Barai" (the ritual of removing the hair).
The head of Kadoya said to the lord, "With this, all the rituals are complete."
So, here, instead of becoming a monk and shaving one's head, one takes off one's hairpin and places it here," he said.
Lord Shigenori untied the hair tie, which had been wrapped in a thousand strands of silk cord, and placed it there.

Then, right in front of him, the head of the family said, "I'll take this as a souvenir," and immediately put it in his pocket.

When Shigenori-ko was ordered to retire by the shogunate, he shaved his head and became a monk,
The wooden statue bestowed upon Kadoya has a hair tie, so it's likely that he wore a hair tie like a lord at that time.

Shigenori-ko was very impressed by the character of the head of Kadoya who guided him up the mountain.
After descending the mountain and returning to the castle, he was given the Imperial seal of approval (certificate of title) as recognition for his efforts.
This was an imperial stamp of approval granting the right to collect the first harvest of rice, wheat and cotton from within the Kisyuu domain of 550,000 koku.
Furthermore, the head of Kadoya family was permitted to carry a sword.
Therefore, it is said that after that, Kadoya family would travel around Kisyuu domain every year with their attendants to collect the first fruits of the harvest.

After returning to Kisyuu, Shigenori-ko ordered his personal Buddhist sculptor to...
The lord had a portrait carved of himself sitting on a heavy bench on the rock Nishino Nozoki, holding an iron fan, and bestowed it upon Kadojin.
Even Shigenori-ko, known for his violent temper, was nearing sixty when he made the climb, and his youthful tantrums had probably faded somewhat.

He had been quite relaxed while being guided around the mountains by Kadoya, but he was probably impressed by the sheer audacity of the man, something he had never experienced before.
Shigenori-ko passed away in Bunsei at the age of 84.

Jinichi states that around the time Shigenori-ko entered the mountain, Kadoya were three generations of yakuza: Kadohei, Kadotomo, and Kadosen.
The person who guided Shigenori-ko is said to be the ancestor of the fifth generation of our family, but it is unclear which of the three generations corresponds to the fifth generation.

At that time, he was undoubtedly a brave warrior who had no regard for life, and this anecdote began.
It is also considered rare for a family to have three generations of gangsters without a break in their lineage.
Kadojin houses an image of Aizen Myo-o bestowed by Lord Kii,
The family still possesses a hanging scroll depicting Shigenori-ko Shigenori in his armor and battle surcoat, ready to go into battle, as a family heirloom.

Also, in 1916, when Lord Yorimichi Tokugawa came to Mt Yoshino to view the cherry blossoms,
As a remembrancer of the Northern and Southern Courts period, he donated one plaque to Nyorin-ji Temple and another plaque to commemorate his ancestors Kadojin, and also wrote some calligraphy on it.
However, no other calligraphy was done, which apparently surprised the Governor of Nara Prefecture and the Governor of Yoshino County who were accompanying him.
The calligraphy conveyed the meaning that "the joy and fame that my ancestors received from the lord is passed down to the present day."

At Kadojin, portraits and other items received from Shigenori-ko were enshrined as family treasures,
During the great fire Dorogawa in 1946, the entire house was burned down because the fire started in the house opposite.
At that time, the gratuity from Lord Yorimichi Tokugawa was also lost in the fire.
Jinichi said that he was deeply saddened and ashamed that the portrait of Shigenori-ko and other items had been destroyed in the fire, and regretted that he had done so to his ancestors.
Fortunately, a portrait of the deceased was found, so a Buddhist sculptor was employed to create a new statue based on it, which is still enshrined today.

Later, when Lord Yorimichi Tokugawa passed away,
His heir, Lord Yorisada ; his relatives' representative, Lord Iesato Tokugawa (then President House of Lords); his friend's Mr. Kinmochi Saionji (Sumitsu-in(Privy Council) Elder, that is, a person who directly expresses opinions when the Emperor consults him);
The three individuals mentioned above sent funeral invitations to Tsunoya Family, and they attended the funeral.
This matter is said to be recorded in Tokugawa Clan.

Thus, Kadojin has a connection to the Kisyuu Tokugawa Clan, and perhaps for that reason, even today, many members of religious groups who climb the mountain from Wakayama City stay at this inn.
There are also several anecdotes about feudal lords from the Kishu region who stayed overnight at Dorogawa and made pilgrimages to the mountain.

This was probably sometime after the head of Kadojin family guided Shigenori-ko.
Okaya Tobei of Kii when he guided him around the mountains.
There are also stories that he eventually moved to Wakayama Castle Town and began serving there.
There was a house belonging to Tobei near Masugen Ryokan, and apparently there was also a storehouse where the lord's horses were kept.

Furthermore, the name Gotenyashiki, which is associated with Mount Dainichi on Mount Inamura, is said to originate from the fact that the residence of Lord of Kishu was built there.
In Genroku, Kishu Domain established Tenkawa Office and began cutting timber from Mount Kose.
"Hyakusanashi" at the back of the northern corner is a site from that time and has a close connection with Tenkawa Village .

In closing, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Ko Tsunoya and Hikaru Tsunoya, the Kadojin head of the Tsunoya family, for providing us with these valuable materials.