[Travel Rest Stop ②] I thought my Kyoto ancestors were monks, but then my uncle made a shocking statement!!

A while after returning from Yamagata, my father's 50th-day memorial service was held at my parents' home. I wonder if it's similar to the 49th-day service in Buddhism. My uncle from Kyoto (my mother's younger brother), dressed in Shinto priest robes—white on top and light blue on the bottom—officiated the Shinto ritual of Religion A.

During the ceremony, the rhythmic sound of a koto playing "tenteketen" filled the air, creating a very atmospheric mood. Long ago, at my mother's funeral, the ceremony had such an elegant, Heian-period vibe that my mother-in-law was so moved she said, "I want a funeral like this for me too," and even went to visit a branch of Religion A (neither my mother-in-law nor I are believers, so it's impossible...).

I never imagined that my husband's relatives were also into religion, something I only learned over a decade after we got married.

▼ Were my grandfather's ancestors monks?

After the Shinto ritual ended and we were relaxing with tea, I decided to ask my uncle about my grandfather's roots in Kyoto.

Actually, I remember hearing from someone a long time ago that "the Kyoto roots were monks." If that were true, just like my great-grandmother in Yamagata, the roots would be a Buddhist temple. If that's the case, couldn't I just say, "the blood of religious enthusiasts flows in our family line"?

However, if that were the case, if I just knew the name of the temple, I should be able to easily find my roots. I thought that searching for ancestors was surprisingly easy. Looking back now,

I can only say that was naive. No, really.

▼ Who is that? I don't know...!!

"I went to Yamagata the other day," I said to my uncle.

"It's amazing that we have ancestors from the Warring States period. Uncle, you knew about that, right? ...Anyway, I'm thinking of looking into my Kyoto ancestors next."

Then my uncle "Ah, those ancestors are certainly impressive," he nodded, and then for some reason, he gave a "huff" of a smile and blurted this out.

"But these ancestors here are even more impressive. After all, they were Warring States daimyo!!!"

....

Eh.

Ehh?!

Warring States daimyo?!!

As I stood there frozen, my uncle continued.

"Don't you know Junkei Tsutsui?"

...It's true that my mother's maiden name was "Tsutsui," but who is Junkei? I've never heard of him.

"I... I don't know."

"He was a warrior monk of Kofuku-ji Temple. We have a family tree, so I'll show it to you sometime."

A warrior monk of Kofuku-ji Temple? I feel like I've heard that somewhere before, but... what was it?
A family tree?? We had something like that? My brain is frozen and not working well.


Everything is just a complete mystery.

I left home at eighteen and many years have passed since I moved to Tokyo. Could it be that while I wasn't looking, we had become descendants of a Sengoku daimyo without me knowing?

I didn't know what was going on, and I fell into a slight panic.

And so, the curtain rose on Chapter Two of my journey to find my roots.

(To be continued)

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