Fuchu city Course

Okunitama-jinja was built when Kokushi (a local officer transferred from the main government) in Ritsuryo period (mid 7th- 10th centuries) contributed to gather six great shrines and various Japanese gods in one place. It was called Musashisoujya or Rokusyosya in those days. Since the era of Yoritomo Minamoto, warriors including many Shogun families have worshiped this newly created shrine. The present Okunitama-jinja Honden was completed by the order of the 4th Shogun, Ietsuna Tokunaga, in March 1667 after it burnt down in a fire in 1646. Although it was repaired several times since then, it still keeps the style it had at the end of Muromachi period. Honden has three sanctuaries (1-bay wide), which are connected horizontally and make Sangensya-nagare-zukuri (3-bays wide and has a symmetric flowing style gable roof). Nagare-zukuri (flowing style) is the style of having a long extended front slope with a flowing curve covering a step-canopy. Although Nagare-zukuri is often seen in shrine architectures, three combined sanctuaries are very rare. All three are under one roof, but each god is enshrined separately.

The provincial office of Musashi is referred to in Wamyo Ruiju Sho (Japanese dictionary of Chinese characters) as being "in Tama District", but a further detailed location had not been identified. However, excavations since 1975 clarified that an area for the former kokuga, facilities of the provincial office lies in an area ca. 300 m from north to south and ca. 200 m from east to west; the area is located between two grooves from east to west in parallel to the former Koshu Kaido, as well as between two grooves from north to south identified in the precincts of the Okunitamajinja shrine.

Remains of large buildings and roof tiles and bricks were excavated in abundance. Especially, roof tiles with names of 19 of the total 21 districts within the province being stamped were found. It is likely that all the energy from Musashi Province was dedicated to construction projects of kokuga and kokucho (provincial governor's office). We can assume based on excavated clay vessels and others, that kokuga existed from the first half of the 8th to the second half of the 10th century. This is in line with remains of provincial offices of other provinces.

Moreover, ditches identified in an area for kokuga allows for assumption that the area was a square plot 100 m on side in both directions. Some scholars suggest the possibility that 2 sites of large buildings were the sites of shoden of kokucho, central buildings of kokuga.

The precincts of Okunitamajinja shrine being a western portion of kokuga and the alleged sites of central buildings of kokuga are covered by the designation, while the section corresponding to the large buildings were repaired and disclosed by Fuchu City.

These rows of zelkova trees lie along the front approach to the shrine Okunitamajinja. In the past, the both sides served as courses for horse-riding.

In the late Heian period, a father and son Minamoto no Yoriyoshi and Yoshiie dropped at the shrine Okunitama-jinja in 1062 on their way to expedition against the Abe clan of Oshu (Tohoku region today), in order to pray for victory; on their way back, they donated and planted zelkova seedlings as a token of gratitude for their victory, which is the origin of the zelkova trees there, according to the tradition. Thereafter, prior to the battle of Sekigahara in 1600, the Shinto priest there prayed for victory of the Tokugawa force, and donated horses for military use from a horse sale of Fuchu. After the battle, Tokugawa Ieyasu donated in return zelkova seedlings, and additionally planted zelkova trees. The rows of zelkova trees were thus arranged as they appear now.

At the time of designation as natural monument, over 60 huge trees with a trunk circumference of 3 m or more were aligned in an orderly manner, and these trees took on a splendid aspect, together with Chonowski's hornbeams, konara oaks (quercus serrata) and cedars planted between the zelkovas.

Musashi Fuchu Kumanojinja Kofun (Musashifuchu-Kumanojinja Shrine Tomb)

The tomb mound consists of two lower stages in square shape in plan view and of a single upper stage in circular shape; thus the type is called jo-en kahofun (tomb mound with circular mound on upper stage and rectangular mound on lower stage). As per size, the lowest mound is ca. 32 m on side, the second mound ca. 23 m on side and the uppermost mound has a diameter of ca. 16 m. The structure for funeral is so-called stone chamber with a horizontal hole, which was built by lining cut stones. The total length is ca. 8.8 m, and the structure consists of 3 chambers.

Almost no relics were excavated due to grave robbing and others, but a metal tip attached to a sword casing was excavated. The metal tip is decorated with silver Damascening.

The construction of the tomb mound supposedly dates back to the middle to the latter half of the 7th century, on the ground of the shape of the stone chamber and characteristics of the metal tip.

There are four tomb mounds with circular mound on upper stage and rectangular mound on lower stage which are identified in investigations. And it is said that the mound is likely to be the biggest and oldest one among the four mounds. Moreover, since the tomb mound is one of the largest ones in Musashi area of this period and it has a large-sized stone chamber, it is likely that the buried person was one of the most powerful chieftain in Musashi. Another interesting subject will be a link to Musashi Kokufu (Provincial Office of Musashi Province) and Tosando Musashimichi (Musashimichi branch of the Tosando main road), which were constructed immediately later.