Pilgrimage with villagers (the latter half of Feb. to Apr., 1802)、仲間といっしょに巡礼の旅（享和2年２月後半～４月）
The latter half of February in the old lunar calendar, which was
used util the Edo period (1603～1868), corresponds to around the latter half of March in the solar
calendar.
The sun became stronger, and agricultural work such as
plowing began.
However, the work hadn't started in earnest yet, so it's
still a season for leisure for them. This diary shows that not only
townspeople but also farmers were enjoying spring.
Hyōemon, who wrote the diary, was busy with things like cracking
down on gambling and collecting last year's taxes, including those from other
villages.
Nevertheless, he organized a pilgrimage to Naritasan
Temple and the Three Eastern Shrines (Kashima Shrine, Katori Shrine, and Ikisu
Shrine). He was a lively man with leadership.
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| Plowing a rice field、田うない（田起こし） |
旧暦の2月後半は新暦の3月後半頃（旧暦は、新暦＋1か月ぐらい）。日差しが強くなり、田うない（田起し）などの農作業が始まる時期だ。
ただ、農作業は本格化しておらず、彼ら彼女らにとってはまだまだ遊べるシーズン。この日記からは、江戸などに住む町人のみならず、農民も春を楽しんでいたことがわかる。
日記の主・兵右衛門は、博奕の取締り、他村を含めた昨年分の年貢の取りまとめなどで忙しい。それなのに、成田山と東国3社詣で（鹿島神宮、香取神宮、息栖神社）のツアコンをつとめた。元気だし、リーダーシップがある男だ。
February
On the 17th, he visited Naritasan Temple with
Shiba-kyu*, discussed the arrangements for the following month's "Otenaga-kou" (a
religious event and gathering), and returned to the village the next day.
*Shiba-kyu: Kyuemon, who lived in the neighboring Shibazaki
village, was abbreviated as "Shiba-kyu." Probably he was one of
relatives. Other names such as Shiba-nishi and Shiba-ji also appear on the
diary.
On the 23rd, it was a holiday for Tsuji-giri (a rite
for preventing intrusion of disaster into their village).
The Twenty-Third Night Waiting kou and Memorial kou were also held; 14 members gathered. Sake (alcohol) and tofu were served. The following day was a holiday after the kou. There were many events during the off-season for farming.
"Kou" refers to a group. They are often bonded by faith. The "Twenty-Third Night Waiting kou" mentioned above is a group that waits for the moon on the 23rd day in lunar calendar and pray, which is mostly made up of women. Most "kou" are religious gatherings, but Buddhist monks or Shinto priests rarely attend. There were also "kou" which was not related to religion. Gatherings almost always involved food and drink.
March
On the 6th, "Three elderly women from Owada
Village in Chiba, got lost and were taken care of by the village headman".
They were traveling together; they had leeway, because they could leave
housework to their daughter-in-law. Indeed, there was a travel boom back
then.
★ 10-day journey (pilgrimage) begins
On the 8th, a group of six men (Otenaga-kou) departed
for Narita. Plowing fields had begun, but their journey took priority.
On the 9th, they met with the abbot at Naritasan
Temple and offered money (around \1,650,000 at present value). They also
paid their lodging.
On the 10th, they visited the main Buddhist statue
with two yamabushi (mountain ascetics) dressed in red robes. The Hyakke-gozen
and Goma rituals followed. Around noon, the mochi-throwing ceremony (the final
rite) was held.
Guided by the yamabushi, they went to the temple and were
treated to a meal of 2 soups and 7 dishes. Since their usual meals were 1 soup
and 2 or 3 dishes, so this was a lavish treat.
They returned to their lodging and gave gratuities to the yamabushi
and the inn staff. It was a splurge, like on the scale of a once-in-a-lifetime
pilgrimage.
On the 11th, they headed to Kashima Shrine by
boat, staying in Itako along the way. The pilgrimage to the Three Shrines
began. Boat trips were very popular back then. Not only was the water
pleasant, but you didn't have to walk! It was the most favorite mean of
transportation.
On the 12th, they departed Itako, visited Kashima
Shrine in the afternoon, and Ikisu Shrine in the evening, and staying
overnight. It rained from that night onwards.
On the 13th, they arrived in Choshi near the Pacific
Ocean amidst heavy rain and strong winds, so making frequent stops along the
way. The real trouble began from here.
On the 14th, they visited famous historical sites,
and returned to Choshi, but everyone caught a cold and was in "great
pain." What a pilgrimage!
On the 15th, they departed Choshi, had lunch in
Ikisu, and arrived at Katori Shrine after 4 PM. They achieved the goal of
visiting all three shrines!
They sailed up the river and returned to the bank near Narita at
midnight. They stayed overnight on the boat, but everyone, including the
boatman, had caught a cold.
On the 16th, at noon, they arrived at Fusa by boat,
got off it and had lunch. Despite heavy rain and strong winds, the four
returned by foot. Hyōemon suffered from illness, so stayed the night in Fusa
with Shiba-kyu.
The next day, the 17th, was sunny. Two men left Fusa,
hired horses on the way, and returned in the evening. It had been a terrible
journey.
Nevertheless, on the 18th, he distributed ofuda
(amulets) and souvenirs to their neighbors.
The cold spread to the family, infecting his mother, wife, and
two others. The following month, on the 2nd, it is recorded that
"Most of people, including Edo people, are afflicted with illness. All
social classes are lying ill". It suggested an infectious disease caused
it.
The pilgrimage to the Three Shrines of eastern Japan was very popular among the townspeople of Edo. Boat excursions were favored. They took a regular boat from Nihonbashi to Gyōtoku, walked to the Kioroshi (near Fusa) riverbank on the Tone River. Then, traveled down the river by boat to visit the three shrines of Kashima, Katori, and Ikisu. They extended their trip to Choshi for a shore excursion before returning to Kioroshi. The “Kioroshi Tea Boat”, a chartered sightseeing boat, was also in operation. The capacity of a boat was 8 people, so their tour (6 members) was the right number.
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| 1/10 scale model of “Kioroshi Tea Boat”; length of an actual one was around 10 meters |
April
They had crab as gift on the 11th, and had salmon on
the 17th. Salmon was sometimes available, but crab was rare. I was surprised
that farmers could eat crab!
The Himachi gathering of Tenaga kou on the 26th
was probably the culmination party of the disastrous pilgrimage to Naritasan Temple
and Three Shrines. Hyōemon dispatched two people out shopping in the morning.
Heizo from Maehirai village came to cook. Onatsu and Shiba-ji helped him.
At 2 PM, seven members of the group gathered (four were
absent). The meal was served at 8 PM, and the banquet continued until 2 AM.
They're tough!
The thank-you gift for the organizer (may be to Hyōemon) was
sake and dried bonito (20 bars?). They drank the sake at the party, and shared
some of the bonito.
Hyōemon bought a carp for 300 mon (approximately 6000 yen) and
gave it to Heizo as a thank-you gift. Thoughtfulness is always important in
Japan.
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| Boat cruise in Edo (Scene Sumida River at Mukojima, Tokio) https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-c923-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 |
２月
17日、芝久と一緒に成田山へ参詣、翌月の「御手長講」の段取りを打合せて、翌日、帰村。
＊芝久：隣の芝崎村に住む久右衛門は、“芝久”と略記されている。多分親戚。その他に、芝西、芝次なども登場する。
23日、辻切り休日。二十三夜待講・供養講も催され、講中（講のメンバー）14人が名主の家に集まった。酒３舛、豆腐２丁、300文のお布施を出したとのこと。翌日は二十三夜待講休日。農閑期はイベントも休みも多い。
「講」は、グループだ。信仰で結びついている場合が多い。かつてはどの村にもあった「伊勢講」は、天照大神を祀り、代参者が伊勢に詣でるグループ。上記の「二十三夜待講」は、二十三夜に月を待って祈るグループで、女性が多い。
「講」に僧侶や神職が同席することは、ほぼない。信仰とは関係ない「椀講」（漆椀を買うために集まり）もあった。集まりは飲食を伴うことがほとんど。山梨県の「無尽」は、今も盛んだ。
３月
６日、“千葉郡大和田村の婆三人が道端迷い、世話をする”。婆さん３人組で旅をしていた。確かに、旅行ブームだ。隠居すると家事を嫁に任せられるので、旅行しやすいのだ。
★10日間の珍道中（巡礼）はじまる
８日、御手長講で、成田へ出立。男６人組だ。田うないが始まっているが、彼らは旅が優先。
９日、成田山で方丈（住職）にお目にかかり、16両2分を納める。宿にも支払い。
10日、赤衣で迎えに来た山伏2人と本尊に参詣。百懸御膳、護摩と行事が続く。九ツ半（正午頃）、仕舞い餅投げ。手長講は大きな行事のようだ。
山伏の案内にて、寺へ行き２汁７菜の振る舞いを受ける。１汁３菜や１汁２菜が通常の食事だったので、豪勢だ。
宿へ戻り、山伏や宿の者にご祝儀を渡す。一生一度の伊勢参詣並みの散財かも。
11日、船で鹿島神宮に向かい、途中の潮来泊。3社詣でのはじまりだ。
当時も船旅が大人気。水面が心地よいだけでなく、歩かなくてよい。渡し舟のチョイ乗りではなく、クルーズだ。
12日、潮来を出て、昼に鹿島参詣、夕に息栖神社に参詣し宿泊。この夜から雨。
13日、大風雨で、所々に停泊しながら、銚子に到着。これの後が大変。
14日、観音様など名所旧跡を見物し、銚子に戻るが、みんな風邪をひき “大苦痛”。参詣の旅なのにねえ、残念。
15日、銚子を出船して、息栖で昼食、七ツ過ぎに香取について参詣。祝・3社詣で達成！
利根川を上り、夜九ツ（24時）、成田に近い源太川岸に戻った。船で泊まるも船頭を含め全員風邪引き。
16日九ツ（12時）、布佐に着船。昼食。大雨大風の中、4人は帰ったが、兵右衛門は病苦で、芝久と共に宿泊。翌17日は晴れ。よかった。布佐を出て、我孫子で馬を借り、夕方帰着。散々な旅となった。
病み上がりでも、18日は、近所に御札とお土産を配る。
風邪は、家族に広がり、母、妻、他2人に移る。翌月2日に“世間一統、江戸とも、貴賤上下家並みに臥事夥し”と記されているので、伝染病だ。
東国３社詣では江戸の町民にも大人気。船遊山が好まれた。日本橋から行徳まで定期船に乗り、歩いて利根川の木下（きおろし）河岸へ。船で川を下って、鹿島・香取・息栖の３社を詣でる。足を延ばして銚子で磯巡りをして、木下に戻る（上の地図参照）。貸し切りの遊覧船・木下茶船も就航していた。定員８人なので、６人はちょうどよい人数。（1/10模型が印西市立木下交流の杜歴史資料センターに展示されている（2026））
４月
11日に蟹、17日に鮭をいただいた。鮭は時々手に入るが、蟹は珍しい。
26日、手長日待を開催。散々だった成田山参詣の〆の会だろう。
朝から、買い物に人を遣る。前平井の平蔵が料理をしに来てくれた。おなつや芝次は手伝い。
昼、八ツ半（14時）、講中７人が集まった（不参加４人）。夜五ツ（20時）に膳出し、八ツ半（午前2時）まで宴会。タフだ～。
世話人（兵右衛門？）への礼は酒一桝と鰹節（20本？）。酒は呑んでしまい、鰹節の一部は分けた。平蔵には鯉一本を300文（約6000円）で買い、礼として届けた。今も昔も、心遣いは大切だね。
Previous post (Peaceful days and funs of a village head in 19th century, part 3（千葉県流山の名主日記): How to spend New Year (Jan. and the first half of Feb., 1802) 、正月の過ごし方（享和2年１～２月初旬）
Next post (Peaceful days and funs of a village head in 19th century,
part 5（千葉県流山の名主日記）): Rice planting and visiting the lord (May and June, 1802)、田植えとお殿様のお見舞い（享和2年５月、６月））(coming soon)
The first article in this series (from 1802 to 1848)、シリーズ（1802年から1848年）最初の記事 : Peaceful days and funs of a village
head in 19th century, part 1（千葉県流山の名主日記）
The first article of the diary from 1849 to 1864, fifty-three
articles in total、1849年から1864年の日記（53記事）の最初の記事：
Yoshino’s daily life 01,
About Yoshino and background 吉野家とその頃
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