TSU -- A project is underway to reconstruct stone markers donated late in life by 19th-century Japanese explorer Matsuura Takeshiro to shrines across Japan dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane (845-903), a scholar and statesman of the Heian period (794-1185).

In April, a group including 69-year-old Takatsugu Deguchi, chairman of the Matsuura Takeshiro Memorial Museum's "Tomo no kai" (Friends association), located in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, established a committee to carry out the project. Last month, the first reconstructed marker was installed at Tsuyunoten Shrine in Osaka's Kita Ward, popularly known as Ohatsu Tenjin.

"We've been able to take the first step," Deguchi said, expressing hope for the project's future.

Matsuura selected the '25 sacred shrines associated with Sugawara no Michizane'

Late in the Edo period (1603-1867), Matsuura, a native of present-day Matsusaka, made six expeditions to Ezo, as Hokkaido was then known, and left behind extensive written records. He is also known for giving Hokkaido its name. Following the Meiji Restoration, he was appointed an official in the new government. But his proposals for policies that took the interests of the Ainu people into consideration were not accepted, and he resigned after only about six months.

In his later years, Matsuura became devoted to Tenjin worship. He donated bronze mirrors and stone markers to 25 shrines in western Japan.

Mei Yamamoto, director of the memorial museum, said, "Although Michizane served as minister of the right, he was demoted and sent to Dazaifu because of political intrigue. Matsuura may have seen something of himself in Michizane's fate."

Matsuura personally selected 25 shrines in the prefectures of Kyoto, Nara, Fukuoka and elsewhere, designating them as the "25 sacred shrines associated with Sugawara no Michizane." He donated bronze mirrors measuring about 30 centimeters in diameter and erected stone markers commemorating the donations.

According to Deguchi's research, the bronze mirrors at 10 of the 25 shrines and the stone markers at 11 have either been lost, including through wartime destruction, or can no longer be located.

Project aims to rebuild markers at 10 more shrines

Deguchi and other committee members approached a stonework company and shrines across various regions about reconstructing the missing stone markers. They eventually found a way to produce a stone marker for about 150,000 yen (roughly $960), and Tsuyunoten Shrine, with the cooperation of its chief priest, became the first site in the project.

The reconstructed stone marker stands about 1 meter tall and 18 centimeters wide. Modeled on surviving markers, it bears inscriptions including "No. 11 of the pilgrimage to the 25 sacred sites: Before the altar of Tsuyunotenmangu Shrine" and "Initiator: Matsuura Takeshiro, Tokyo."

The marker was unveiled on Aug. 22 at an installation report rite and unveiling ceremony. The shrine presented Deguchi with a certificate of appreciation. Katsunori Yoshizawa, the chief priest, welcomed the restoration, saying, "A historic stone marker has been brought back to life."

The committee is now coordinating efforts to reconstruct stone markers at the remaining 10 shrines. "We will continue one by one without rushing, so we hope people will support us," Deguchi said.

(Japanese original by Bansho Ishimoto, Tsu Bureau)