Crucifixion Mozaemon

A legendary righteous man from the early modern period. His real surname was Sugiki. He was from Tsukiyono Village (Minakami Town), Tone County, Kozuke Province (Gunma Prefecture), and according to the land survey books from 1662 and 1672 (Kanbun 2 and 12), he owned over 1 cho 8 tan. Sanada Iga no Kami Nobuzumi (also called Nobutoshi), the lord of Numata Domain, announced in the land surveys of the Kanbun and Enpo years (1661-1681) that he had more than four times the previous 30,000 koku, and in 1680 (Enpo 8), he contracted to supply timber for the replacement of the Ryogoku Bridge in Edo, imposing the burden of cutting and transporting the timber on the people of his domain. After failing in this contract, he was stripped of his title on November 22, 1881 (Tenwa 1), and Numata became a Shogunate territory. In a re-survey between 1884 and 1886 (Jokyo 1-3), his stipend was reduced to 65,000 koku.

According to legend, Mozaemon went to Edo and filed a palanquin petition to the elders against the harsh government, but they did not take action, so he forged a letter box from Rinnoji Palace, put his petition in it, stayed at a teahouse in Itabashi dressed as a samurai, and disappeared, leaving the letter box behind. The box was delivered to Toeizan, and the petition was passed from the temple to the shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, who abolished the Sanada clan, but Mozaemon was eventually captured and crucified. A Mozaemon Jizo statue is enshrined at the Sennichido Hall in Tsukiyono.

[Hayashi Motoi]

"Komagata Shokichi, 'The Story of the Righteous Citizen Mozaemon'" (1895 / Included in the 'Japanese Industrial Materials Series, Volume 3', 1926, Chugai Shogyo Shinposha)" ▽ "Gokan Yuji, 'Mozaemon's Tear - The Numata Domain Uprising'" (1966, Jinbutsu Oraisha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

近世前期の伝説的義民。本姓は杉木。上野(こうずけ)国（群馬県）利根(とね)郡月夜野(つきよの)村（みなかみ町）で、1662、72年（寛文2、12）の検地帳で1町8反余所持。沼田藩主真田伊賀守信澄(さなだいがのかみのぶずみ)（信利(のぶとし)ともいう）は、寛文(かんぶん)・延宝(えんぽう)年間（1661～81）の検地で、従来の3万石を4倍以上に打ち出したうえ、80年（延宝8）には江戸両国橋架替(かけか)え用の材木を請け負い、その伐出(きりだ)しと輸送の負担をも領民に課した。この請負に失敗した81年（天和1）11月22日に改易されて沼田は幕領となり、84～86年（貞享1～3）の再検地で6万5000石に減ぜられた。

　伝承によると、茂左衛門が江戸に出て、前記の苛政(かせい)を老中に駕籠訴(かごそ)したが取り上げられないので、輪王寺宮(りんのうじのみや)の文箱(ふばこ)を偽造し、これに願書を収め、侍姿で板橋の茶屋に泊まり、文箱を残して失踪(しっそう)した。箱は東叡山(とうえいざん)に届けられ、願書は寺から将軍徳川綱吉(つなよし)の手に渡って、真田家改易のもとになったが、茂左衛門はやがて捕らえられ、磔刑(たっけい)に処せられたといい、月夜野の千日堂には茂左衛門地蔵が祀(まつ)られている。

［林　基］

『駒形荘吉「義民磔茂左衛門伝」（1895／『日本産業資料大系　第3巻』所収・1926・中外商業新報社）』▽『後閑祐次著『磔茂左衛門――沼田藩騒動』（1966・人物往来社）』

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