唐澤山神社の沿革

唐澤山は今より1000年の昔「むかで退治」の伝説や、天慶の乱で平将門を滅ぼした藤原秀郷公の居城址で標高240米ながら全山赤松におおわれ断崖と深い谷に囲まれた自然の要塞をなし、今なお当時をしのぶ遺跡が数多くあります。

唐澤山神社の御祭神藤原秀郷公は、幼時京都の近郊田原の郷に住んでいたので世に田原(俵)藤太秀郷ともいわれています。公の在世当時(平安朝の中頃)は、都の朝廷では藤原氏が代々摂政や関白になって政治の実権をにぎっていましたが一族の間で政権争いがくりかえされ、そのために都の政治が乱れてくると地方の政治もゆるみ土着の豪族などが欲しいままに勢力をふるってくるようになり、時に公は延長5年(927年)に下野国(栃木県)の警察にあたる押領使という役に任ぜられ父祖伝来の此の地に参られ唐澤山に城を築いて善政を施していた。

[避来矢の鎧の鉢と眉庇]
[小堀鞆音氏作 避来矢の鎧図]

たまたまこの頃、桓武天皇の流れをくむ平将門は父の残した領地のことから叔父の国香を殺し、しだいに勢力を増し天慶2年(939年)頃から関東八カ国(上総、常陸、上野、下野、武蔵、相模、伊豆)の国府を順次攻めたて国府の長官を京に護送して関東地方の大部分を支配してしまい、自ら親王と称し、朝廷の命令を聞こうとせず、このように将門が地方で乱暴を働くのをみかねた朝廷では藤原忠文に征東大将軍の職を与え将門征伐に出発させ、その軍が到着する前に秀郷公は平貞盛と力を合せて、将門の軍を下総国幸島において攻めほろぼし、時に天慶3年2月14日世にこれを天慶の乱と言います。

公はこの功績により押領使から下野守(栃木県の長官)になり、さらに武蔵守の役も兼任するようになり従四位下へと進み、その手柄に対し朝廷より土地一功田が与えられました。その後代々子孫が城主となり、約700年間、佐野修理大夫信吉公の代まで続き、徳川幕府の初期、現在の城山公園の地に城を移し春日城とよばれました。

この春日城がまだ完成しない1613年(慶長18年)大名としての佐野家は徳川氏の政策により断絶、城主佐野信吉は信州松本城にお預けとなりましたが、23年の後時の3代将軍家光から赦免の恩命に浴し、信吉の2人の子供は旗本として佐野家を再興することができました。

1867年(慶応3年)廃藩置県により士族となり明治を迎え、ここに至り一族、旧臣、相謀って沢英社と東明会を組織して秀郷公の遺徳をしのび明治16年9月25日、本丸跡に神社を創建して同年10月25日に秀郷公の御霊を奉斎し、以後永くこの地方の守護神として尊崇されております。

[有栖川織仁親王殿下書]

Karasawayama
Historical Sketch

Karasawayama served as the castle and the residence of Lord Fujiwara Hidesato,who is renowned for a legend of "Killing of Centipede"and the subjugation of Taira-no-Masakado in a revolt of "Tengyo-no-Ran"that happened about 1,000 years ago.Though having an altitude of only 240 m,this hill is covered all over with Japanesered pines and is surrounded by the precipices and deep valleys,thus makes itself a natural fortification.Even now there remain many vestiges of the castle reminiscent of the bygone days.

The main deity of Shinto shrine Karasawayama Jinjya which sits on the top of the hill is Lord Fujiwara Hidesato,who spent his childhood in Tawara in the suburbs of Kyoto.Accordingly,he is also known as Tawara-no-Tota Hidesato.

In his days,in the middle of the Heian Era,at the Imperial Court in the then metropolis of Kyoto the clan of Fujiwara had ,from generation to generation,politicalinfluence ,sending the members of the clan to the Court as a regent or as the chief adviser to the Emperor.At the same time,within the clan struggles for political powerrepeated and the occurrance of the derangement of political bility both in Kyoto and in the provinces followed.Consequently,indigenous powerful clans started wielding arbitrarilly their infuluence.

In the 5th year of Encho(927),the lord was appointed Ohryoshi,a police head ,so to speak,of Shimotsuke(present-day Tochigi Prefecture).He constructed a castle on the hill of Karasawayma and ruled the area well.

Taira-no-Masakada,who was descended from the Emperor Kanmu happened to kill his uncle,Kunika,because of a dispute over the land that had been owned and left by his late father,gradually gained influencial power.On and after around the 2nd year of Tengyo(939),he started attacking 8 provincial capitals in Kanto (Kazusa,Simousa,Hitachi,Kozuke,Shimotsuke,Musashi,Sagami and Izu)one by one,sending the governors back to Kyoto and his governing the almost all of the area of Kanto.He finally declared himself an Imperial prince and did not obey the orders of the Court.

Being unable to remain indifferent to this kind of local disturbance,the Court gave Fujiwara Tadafumi the position of the commander-in-chief of an expeditionary force against the eastern revolt and sent him to Kanto for the subjugation of Masakado.But before this expedition force arrived,Lord Hidesato had surpressed

Masakado and his forces with the cooperation of Taira-no-Sadamori at Kohjima in Shimousa on the 14th of February in the 3rd year of Tengyo.This campaign is called "Tengyo-no-Ran".With this meritorious deed,the Court gave the lord a promotion, from Ohryoshi to Shimotsuke-no-Kami(the Governor of Tochigi Prefecture),in addition,ordered him to assume Musashi-no-Kami at the same time,and conferred him a higher court rank.Also,he was awarded a prize land for this exploit.

After this,from generation to generation,his descendants were the lords of the castle for about 700 years until the early days of Tokugawa Shogunate when Lord Sano Shuridayu Nobuyoshi had to move the castle to the present-day Shiroyama Park,which was called Kasuga-jyo Castle.

In 1613(the 18th year of Keicho),while this castle was still under construction, Sano family as a feudal lord was to be extinct by the policy of Tokugawa Shogun. Lord Sano Nobuyoshi was sent to Matsumoto Castle in Shinshu to be supervised, but 23 years later,Iemitsu,the 3rd Shogun gave a pardon.The two sons of the lord could reestablish Sano clan as a Hatamoto,and in 1867(the 3rd year of Keio),as a result of the abolition of clans and establishment of prefectures,Sano family became a shizoku(descendant of samurai).

After the Meiji Restoration,Sano family and the former retainers cooperated in organizing Takueisha and Tomeikai .To the memory of the benefit derived from the virtue of Lord Hidesato,they established the shrine on the site of donjon of the castle on the 25th of September of the 16th year of Meiji.On the 25th of October of the same year,the spirit of the lord was enshrined and since then the shrine has long been worshipped as the guardian deity of this area.