Masaru Hirayama -Historian-

Shimanoshou and Shimanoyu

Yumura Onsen is popularly called “Hidden Hot Spring of Shingen”, but its history is older than Shingen and it is one of the best hot springs in the prefecture.
This area used to be a place where Shimanosho was once a manor (land owned by royalty, aristocrats and shrines, and financed by them).
Shimanosho was established at the end of the Heian era, and was originally owned by the Matsuo Shrine in Kyoto, but later owned by the Kujo family among the Sekisui family.
In the records of the Muromachi period, the name of Yamagata (the Takeda family’s vassal) can be seen as the landlord (lord) of Shimanosho.

Hot springs began to spring up in one corner of this manor, and it became a spa where many people gathered.
According to lore, people in the area who noticed that wounded eagle are often flying are aware that hot springs are springing in Chihara, and Kobo Daishi, who has traveled all over the country, has descended on Jizo Bosatsu. It is said that he dug the ground with tin canes and spilled hot water on his own in order to heal various illnesses, but it is not clear.
The legend of Kobo Daishi is found all over Japan, and Yumura is one of them.
The oldest record that has been confirmed is that the religious singer Saiokuken Socho, who played an active part in the late Muromachi period to the beginning of the Sengoku period, visited Kai in 1511 and performed a hot spring here.
By this time, there would have been enough facilities for hot springs.
At this time, Yumura Onsen seems to have been called “Shima no Yu” or “Yunoshima (Shima)”, derived from the name of the manor.

Takeda Family and Yumura Onsen

Yumura Onsen is known as the “Hidden Hot Spring of Shingen”, and it is widely known that Shingen healed wounds. Is that true?
In fact, there is a record of Shingen Takeda and Katsuyori’s cure.

According to Koyo Gunkan (early Edo period), which recorded the history and records of Shingen Takeda and Katsuyori, Shingen was injured in the battle of Shiojiri Pass in 1548. It is said that he came to Shimanoyu for healing.
Fortunately, it was said that he was healed in about 10 days and he returned to government affairs.

Katsuyori Takeda also had a hot spring at Yumura Onsen.
This is recorded in historical materials that list the history of the dispute over the Iriaichi in Koike-go and Uchida-go (both Matsumoto-shi) in Chikuma, Shinano country.
The two villages collided over the use of the mountain in April 1578, and were involved in the village’s landlord (lord). It was gone.
Koike, who was worried, decided to send a representative to Kai to appeal to Mr. Takeda. At the same time, however, Katsuyori Takeda was in Echigo, so no trial was held.
It was the principle at the time that the trial was suspended while the Sengoku Daimyo was away on an expedition.
So, the representatives of Koike-go returned to Kai after returning to Katsuyori.
The trial has been held twice since October, but no ruling has been reached.
The reason is that Mr. Momoi, who supports the other partner, Uchida-go, was a relative (niece) of Katsuyori’s cousin, Noritake Takeda, and his son-in-law.
The unsatisfied representatives of Koike-go decided to sue again in January 1923.
The Takeda family’s magistrates listened well to both sides and dispatched investigators to the field to investigate the facts.
The details are unknown, but the people of Koike-go and Momoi were decided on March 5 by Katsuyori Takeda.
However, the place where they were called was Shima (Yumura Onsen), not Takeda’s House (Tsutsujigasaki Hall).
Katsuyori had a spa here.
When the representatives of Koikego and Mr. Momoi went to Shima no Yu, Katsuyori bothered to temporarily suspend the hot spring treatment and responded, and heard the opinions of both parties and the results of the field survey from the person in charge.
Katsuyori says that the trial recognized Koike’s victory.
Furthermore, Katsuyori demands that both sides accept the results of the decision, and orders that God sworn to God by hitting the bell of the Kanazakura Shrine at Ontake Shosenkyo.

In this way, it can be seen that Shingen Takeda and Katsuyori used Yumura Onsen frequently to heal wounds on the battlefield and busy daily fatigue. The hot spring area called “Shingen’s Hidden Hot Water” has been reported to Yamanashi, Nagano, Shizuoka and Gifu. Of these, Yumura is the only record that shows that Shingen and Katsuyori father and son performed a hot spring treatment. It is only a hot spring.

Yumura Onsen where the demon”Oni” heals the wound

Here’s another legend from Yumura Onsen.
Shingen Takeda’s vassal was one of the fierce men named Sanpachiro Tada (Mori Awaji) who served as General Ashigaru.
General Ashgkaru is a commander who bundles mercenaries (Ashigaru) employed by the Takeda family from among the savage warriors who have come to sell themselves from all over the country, and who have the skills to remember.
Since Ashigaru has a strong personality, a strong spirit, and a strong self-esteem, it would not have been so easy to impress and lead them.
General Ashigaru would have been terrible unless he had the power to attract them and to excel in boldness.
Sanpachiro Tada was a prisoner from Mino, but his Takeda family anticipated his skills and was selected as General Ashigaru.
He is reported to have had twenty-nine degrees of war in his lifetime, with 27 wounds all over his body.
This Tada Sanpachiro is the owner of an anecdote who has defeated a monster called Kasyababa.
This story has already been mentioned in the Koyo Gunkan, which was established in the early Edo period, and appeared when he was guarding the Shinano Country Kokuzosan Castle (Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture). It can be said that this is a very ancient tradition.
Kasyababa is an onyx who carries the wrongdoing of her lifetime to the infinite hell on a fire-enclosed chariot.
Of course, this change of youkai did not actually exist, and probably linked Tada’s defeat of bandits in this area to the defeat of youkai.

However, there is a sequel to this story.
According to “Urami Kanwa”, Yumura Onsen has a place commonly called “Oninoyu”, which was once a place where the demon once visited every night to heal wounds.
In the past, Oninoyu was often visited by a strange person, but it was said that when the person took a bath, the clouds covered the area.
Eventually, the person who was immersed in the hot water suddenly soared into the sky, claiming to be loud as “I was injured by Tada Sanpachi, Oni”, and flew away.
Yumura Onsen, which is said to have the effect that demon also frequently goes to heal wounds, attracted many hot spring guests during the Edo era and prospered to this day.