Cultural Properties of the Munakata Region
| Name |
Letter of Questionnaire from Officials of Monchū-jo Lawsuit Office and Letter of Answer from Monk Jōe (Munakata Ujinari) |
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| Address |
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| Form |
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| Survey year |
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| Excavated relics |
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| Age |
Dated Bun'ei 5 (1268) |
| Description |
A response to an inquiry from the lawsuit office of the Kamakura Shogunate to Munakata Jôe asking about the authenticity of the deed on behalf of the mother of the previous Daigûji, Munakata Ujishige, in which she left the territory to Ujinari’s surviving relatives.
The response states that after her death someone smeared ink on her hand to forge her hand signature, making the deed a fake. Ujinari’s father was Munakata Ujitada and his mother was of the Chinese Family Chô, and took the position of Munakata Daigûji.
Ujinari’s mother was the person who wrote the deed in hiragana that suggested donating the rice fields on the Amidakyo Stone. From the text, it’s made clear that there was a Daigûji with a Chinese mother, and that Chinese women also owned territory, suggesting that the people of Munakata at the time had somewhat of an unprejudiced, internationally-minded way of thinking. The lawsuit that investigated her right to her property resulted in her property being passed down to a nephew, adopted as her heir. |
| volume / scale / area |
29.6x106.3cm |
| Collection |
Munakata Shrine Collection |
| References |
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| Catalog page |
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