Cultural Properties of the Munakata Region
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Oshima in the Medieval Period |
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Oshima continued to play a strategic role in regional politics and exchange across the Genkai Sea during the medieval period (1185–1568). This is reflected in Anshoin Temple, the island’s only Buddhist temple, and historical records indicating the presence of a mountain fortress later known as Oshima Castle.
Anshoin Temple and the legend of Abe no Muneto
Anshoin Temple is associated with Abe no Muneto (1032–1108), a warrior from the powerful Abe family of northern Japan. According to one legend, after his family’s defeat in a northern war, he was exiled to Oshima, where he lived out his remaining years. His descendant Amamyoto founded Anshoin Temple in 1264 on the site of his residence. A grave on the northern side of the temple is attributed to Muneto, although the headstone was rebuilt and dates from 1824.
The temple houses coins from China’s Song dynasty and a gilt-bronze Buddha produced in Goryeo on the Korean Peninsula during the thirteenth to fourteenth centuries. Their presence indicates that contact and trade between the Munakata region and the Korean Peninsula continued throughout the medieval era. During this time, Oshima functioned as a maritime base under the control of the Munakata clan, who ruled the region from as early as the eighth century.
Oshima Castle: last line of defense of the Munakata clan
In the late sixteenth century, Oshima became a place of refuge during the conflicts of the Sengoku (Warring States) period (1467–1568), and historical documents reference a mountain fortress on the island. While no structural remains have been confirmed, the site where it is thought to have been located is still known locally as Joyama (Castle Mountain).
In 1559, Munakata Ujisada, the priest-lord of the ruling Munakata clan, fled to Oshima during a dispute with the Otomo, a rival warrior family based in Kyushu. Ujisada took shelter in the fortress on Oshima before reclaiming his mainland stronghold, Konomi Castle, the following year. His death in 1586 ended the Munakata lineage and brought to a close more than eight centuries of the family’s rule. |
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