 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
| About 1300 years ago,
when the Japanese Imperial Court was ensconced in the then capital
of Otsu, a flow of people from Backje, a part of the Republic of
Korea at present, sojourned by sea to Japan. These visitors to Japan,
which represented the cultural elite, transmitted the latest cultural
and scientific advances to the Land of Omi, the ancient name of Shiga
Prefecture. Among these distinguished figures was Gwisiljipsa, a
high official who channeled his considerable energy into serving
Emperor Tenchi in various ways, especially training government officials.
He was a great contribution to the Japan of that day.
In Shiga Prefecture, the historical legacy of the Backje people
has survived in various forms. In Ono, in the town of Hino, there
is a small shrine called Kishitsu Shrine named after the afore-mentioned
Backje official. A gravestone with the encarved words “Gwisiljipsa”
was discovered behind the main shrine. This grave marker, an octagonal
jeweled pillar made of black mica granite, is majestically enshrined
in a stone cave.
In Eunsan Ward (myeon) in the Buyeo region (gun) of Korea where
the Backje Era capital was located, stands Eunsan Detached Shrine
entombing General Gwishilboksin, the father of Gwisiljipsa. Because
of this connection, in 1990, the Town of Hino established sister
ties with Eunsan ward. At present, there are many sister tie-ups
with various self-governing regions of Korea; however,
direct links with the smallest self-governing entities,
the ward (myeon) with towns and villages of this country
are limited to a mere three. This sister connection has
resulted in the dispatch of 18 delegations from Hino,
and 17 from Eunsan. Moreover, efforts to ensure a rich
upbringing for the young people who, as the next generation,
must shoulder the responsibility for internationalization,
have included the exchange of delegations of junior high
school students, further deepening mutual understanding
and links. This came to fruition in 1995 when the students
of Eunsan Junior High School made their initial visit
to Japan with the cooperation of the local community.
Homestays and a welcome luncheon were arranged. Friendship
between Eunsan Ward and the Town of Hino was the result
of great efforts on the part of the local people to create
a bridge of exchange.
The Town of Hino International Friendship Association,
the driving force behind many of these exchange activities,
has helped convert the feeling toward Korea from one
of “a nearby, faraway country” to “a really near country.”
The association insists it wants to sustain these strong
efforts to further forge these bonds in the future. |
 |
|
Kishitsu Shrine
:
304 Kono, Hino-cho, Gamo-gun, Shiga Prefecture 529-1602
Hino-cho, Hino Tourist Association
Hino-cho International Friendship Association
TEL.0748-52-1211
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Land of the Lake,”Omi (Shiga Prefecture
near Lake Biwa) has since ancient times occupied a significant position
across the nation as a corridor leading to the city of Kyoto. In
particular, the road through Omihachiman City has been one that intersects
many key crossroads. Tokugawa Ieyasu, after attaining a pivotal victory
at the Battle of Sekigahara, traversed this 迭oad of Good Fortune
that rules the nation”on his triumphant journey to Kyoto. Afterwards,
this road became an important thoroughfare employed by messengers
from Korea bearing communications bound for Edo, modern day Tokyo.
It became known as 鼎hosenjin Kaido,”迭oad of Koreans.”In Japan at
that time, relations with Korea deteriorated because, previously,
Toyotomi Hideyoshi had dispatched troops to that country in an aggressive
military move. Ieyasu was determined to revive diplomatic relations
with Korea. This concentrated effort on his part resulted in a Korean
diplomatic delegation coming to Japan in 1607, testifying to the
restored bilateral relations. Over the course of the next two centuries,
12 more diplomatic delegations were dispatched, each time passing along
the fortuitous Omihachiman Road during the arduous course of the
long journey. It thus gained fame as the Chosenjin Kaido.
These delegations from Korea consisted of from 300 to 500 people
of culture, including doctors and scholars, painters and calligraphers.
Clad in splendid Korean attire and sounding flutes, drums, and
bugles, they made their way along this road in a most lively fashion.
They must have, indeed, made a strong impression on the people
they encountered along the way. The Chosenjin Kaido was the conduit
by which culture from the continent was transmitted; it was also
the artery of Japanese-Korean friendship.
The people of the Omihachiman area opened their villages and towns
in warm welcome to the members of these Korean entourages. The
local people came out in full force to clean the road, and horses
and guards were assembled in regal formations. It is said that
the travel-weary visitors were welcomed by Hachiman merchants with
feasts arrayed on Shigaraki Pottery, and Honganji Hachiman Detached
Temple invited the guests to various receptions, thus deepening
the exchange with the local inhabitants.
In 1987, Omihachiman City, looking back on the Korean messengers
of old who traversed this road, restored the guideposts in various
spots along the route, quietly appealing to an historical sense
of friendship and international exchange. |
|
Shinmachi, Omihachiman
City, Shiga Prefecture
Former Nishikawa Residence,
History Folk Museum, and Land Museum area |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
Vories
Memorial House (Hitotsuyanagi Memorial House):
11 Jionjichomoto, Omihachiman City,
Shiga Prefecture 523-0841 |
|
| Omihachiman is know as a waterfront
town studded with quaint, old shops; it is also known as the town
of the American who designed a plethora of Western-style buildings
around Kansai, William Merrell Vories.
Vories, the son of devout Puritan parents, entered the University
of Colorado with the aim of becoming an architect. While in school,
he became a YMCA leader, and attended the “Foreign Missionary Students
Service” World Conference in Canada. It was there that he was greatly
moved by the lecture of Ms. Howard Taylor and decided to devote
his life to missionary work abroad. In 1905, he came to Japan,
to assume the post of English teacher at Shiga Prefectural Commercial
High School, now Omihachiman Commercial High School.
From that time on, he spent his whole life in Omihachiman rendering
his considerable services as a Christian missionary. In order to
provide the resources for his varied activities, he founded the
Vories Architectural Office,
and the drug import company, Mentholatum, currently known as Menthum.
These enterprises were the beginnings of the Omi Brotherhood. The profits
thus garnered were used to establish related Christian foundations,
hospitals, schools and libraries. These institutions represented the
base from which emanated his great contribution of spreading the spirit
of Christian love.
With an unsparing love for the town of Omihachiman, Vories acquired
Japanese citizenship and took the name Hitotsuyanagi Mereru. He was
the recipient of the first Omihachiman City Citizen's Award.
Many of his creations as an architect remain to this day: the Osaka
Shinsaibashi Branch of Daimaru Department Store, Kwansei Gakuin University,
and Kobe Women's College are among his architectural achievements
famous across Japan. A number of his Western-style buildings remain
extant within Omihachiman as well, the Vories Memorial House (Hitotsuyanagi
Memorial House) being one prime example. It is the former residence
of Mr. and Mrs. Vories. The exterior displays a simple Western design;
the interior layout is comprised of independent Western-style rooms
and ample storage space, and such features as Japanese-style rooms
for his Japanese wife, representing Vories' emphasis on considerations
for the needs of daily life and functionality. Inside the hall, various
items that Vories used in his daily life are on display. Thus, his
distinguished service is being transmitted down to the present. |
 |
|
