Hikoshichi IV (-1766) of Okikamuro Tomozawa Family, one of the founders of fish preserves in Okikamuro, had already founded fish preserves by 1721, suggesting that he was in his twenties or thirties at that time. It means that Hikoshichi IV was born before 1700.
Hikoemon, the third generation head of Okikamuro Tomozawa Family, was a son of Sobei, the second generation head. However, it is uncertain whether Hikoshichi IV was a son of Hikoemon. I have a concern about the fact that the Kaimyo (pardon name) of Hikoemon does not have Ingo title (given to the very important person at that time), while the mother of Hikoshichi IV was given the Ingo title ‘Jissoin’.
I was lead to the thought that Hikoshichi IV was a son of the Originator Soemon-Noriaki (-1695, died at the age of 73) in his last years. Though I do not describe the details here, Soemon-Noriaki was awarded his Ingo title “Daikoin” in later period. It is consistent if the mother of Hikoshichi IV (Jissoin) was the young third wife of Soemon-Noriaki (Daikoin).
According to Ishizaki-Keifu (a family history book of Okikamuro Ishizaki Family), a daughter of the first daughter of Saburoemon-Masaie Ishizaki, a younger brother of Soemon-Noriaki, was “the wife of Jirozaemon Tomozawa.” Hikoshichi IV is the only person who seems to correspond to Jirozaemon judging from his age.
In addition, I noticed that Shozaburo, the third son of Soemon-Noriaki described in Tomozawa-Kakeizu Ryakuden (a family history book of Mitajiri Tomozawa Family), might be Hikoshichi IV. In Ishizaki-Sokeifu (a history book of Ishizaki and Tomozawa Families edited by their descendants around 1985), Shozaburo was taken up as the originator of Ukashima-Ishizaki Family. However, this idea is based on the theory in “A study on the Island Sea of Japan” by Dr. Tsuneichi Miyamoto. It does not seem that Shozaburo was originally described in a family tree or Kako-cho family history book of Ukashima-Ishizaki Family.
It is my reasoning that Hikoshichi IV was the third son of Soemon-Noriaki, and he succeeded Okikamuro Tomozawa Family as the fourth generation head from Hikoemon who corresponds to a nephew of him. It is difficult to verify blood relationships between ancestors whose years of birth or ages at death are unknown under the situation that a family tree book is defunct. Therefore, it is wonderful that old documents are existing.
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