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Famous people and the traces they left
Sakurojo Norimura: celebrated carpenter
Kuninaga Tajimi - the Emperor's warrior
Sakurojo Norimura (1815-1871) was the son of a timber shop owner at Ikeda-juku (present Ikeda-cho in Tajimi) in the Edo period (1603 - 1868), an era of long lasting peace and cultural splendor in the country, but also of voluntary isolation from the surrounding world. Norimura, a skilled carpenter, was entrusted with the reconstruction of two gates in Kyoto - the Imperial Gate, and the Shogunate's Nijo Castle Tamen gate (a National Treasure in our time). The massive Nijo Castle is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Japan today. Norimura succeeded. Recognized as "a man of superior skill and personality", he was awarded the "5th ranked costume" by the Kyoto Imperial Palace. After this achievement Norimura was entrusted important work on many shrines and temples as a high ranking artisan, "but the artist in him never gave in to status, and he continued carving until he came to rest at the age of 57". (Source: Tajimi Tourist Association)
Kuninaga Tajimi (1289-1324) was a warrior lord in the volatile times of the Kamakura Shogunate in Japan. He was entrusted to be the guardian of Minowa (the southern part of Gifu Prefecture). In these times the Emperor was a mere puppet under the control of the military samurai junta that ruled the land - the Kamakura Shogunate. Tajimi joined Emperor Godaigo's plot to overthrow the government, but the plan was discovered. Surrounded in Kyoto with only 20 men against a great enemy, it is said that he fought bravely until the end. On the corner of the Ginza shopping street in Tajimi there is a monument erected to honor Tajimi. It is said that his mansion was about 100 meters wide and stretched to the southwest from this point. When Emperor Meiji (1852 – 1912) visited the city, so the story goes, he erected a small shrine to honor the spirit of the man who sacrificed himself in the struggle of the Emperor against the samurai rulers.
Name |
Story |
Places and events |
Find Location |
Sakurojo Nomura (1815-1871) |
Celebrated temple carpenter. |
The reconstruction of the Eihō-ji temple Kannon Hall and the Temple Hall (presently a National Treasure) |
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Fugenji Temple |
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Tado Shrine |
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Shinmei Shrine |
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Kuninaga Tajimi (1289-1324) |
Kamakura era military commander, ally of the Emperor. |
The Tajimi Festival (Matsuri) |
3rd of September every year |
The Kuninaga Bridge |
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The Tajimi City Medal |
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The Kuninaga Short Sword |
Displayed in the Kyoto National Museum |