Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Sakai 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #12 Eifuku-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Eifuku-ji Temple was founded by Kiyu, the 17th itinerant preacher of Ji-shu Sect.  Ippen (1234–1289) was the 1st itinerant preacher of the Ji-shu Sect of the Pure Land Buddhism, and Sonkan (1349-1400) was the 12th.  So, Kiyu is supposed to have lived in the middle of the 15th century.

     Ta-Amitabha (1237-1319), or shortly Ta-A, followed Ippen (1234-1289), who traveled through Japan with a band of his followers, preaching the importance of reciting the name of Amitabha.  His followers were called the Ji people.  When Ippen died, the band dissolved.  Ta-Amitabha soon continued to travel through the country and reorganized Ippen's followers.  It was Ta-Amitabha who actually founded the Ji Sect of Buddhism as a religious organization, and who compiled and established its doctrine.

     It is unknown when the temple’s precincts became a private house.

Address: 6-chome-2-30 Ichinochohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0952

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Sakai 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #11 Gyokuen-ji Temple

 

     Gyokuen-ji Temple was founded in 1576 by Monk Yutoku, who died in 1586 at the age of 69.  The present priest is the 28th generation.  Yutoku's secular name was Sanada Hachiro, which is the same with the original name of Ishikawa Goemon (1558-1594), a legendary outlaw hero.

Address: 5 Chome-2-10 Kainochohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0953

Phone: 072-221-1934

Sanuki no Suke’s Daiary (18)

 

     In the meantime, I received word from my sister, Fujiwara Kensi.  She heard that the Emperor had fallen critically ill.  She sent a maid to inquire about the details.

     "Even if you thought it's ominous for me to visit the Imperial Palace while I'm ill, I would like to come to the Imperial Palace and inquire about his condition even in my office.  I'd be worried if I stayed outside the palace."

     Then, Fujiwara Ieko sent me a message, "The Emperor is in great pain.  Please come back to his bedroom."

     So, I went in with the messenger.

     I saw that Ieko took the Emperor's back, and that Fujiwara Shishi was still groveling beside him, as before.  I knelt at his feet, and Ieko said,

"I called you here because the Emperor is in great pain.  Please hold his legs."

So I held them firmly.  She wiped the sweat from his face.

     Shishi said,

"You're here and the Emperor’s condition is stabilized like this.  I have something I would like to take care of.  I will go and do it."

     "Please, stay by his side," she said, and I groveled down beside him.

     After a while, as usual, the Emperor called Acharya Jokai over to the side of the folding screen and asked him to "recite Lotus Sutra Chapter 25: The Universal Gateway Or The Universal Door of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva for me," and Jokai recited with great dignity.  I wondered what the Emperor meant, but

"Recite the verse at the end of the chapter again," he ordered.  I thought he must have had some idea in mind, but I didn’t know what it was like.

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Sakai 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #10 Kensei-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Kensei-ji Temple was founded in Shinzaike-tera-machi Township, Sakai Town, Izumi Province.

     According to the Great Sakai Map in 1689, there were Chokei-ji Temple, Enmyo-ji Temple, Enryu-ji Temple, Hosen-ji Temple, Amida-ji Temple, and Enmyo-ji Temple to the north of Juman-koji Alley, which divides the township in 2, and Chosen-ji Temple, Shioana-ji Temple, Go'nen-ji Temple, Kensei-ji Temple, Koutoku-ji Temple, Sensho-ji Temple, Kotaku-ji Temple, and Shomyo-ji Temple to the south.  It isn’t recorded where Juman-koji Alley ran, but, due to the distribution of the temples, the alley must have been the one between 4 Chome-3 Shinzaikechohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0964, and 4 Chome-4 Shinzaikechohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0964.

     Why is the alley called Juman-koji Alley?

     Monk Onkei copied the Amitabha Sutra.  It is unknown how he counted the sutra, but, according to him, the sutra had 100,000 volumes.  100,000 is juman in Japanese, and he was called Juman-shonin, or Monk Juman.  When he founded a temple in 1490, the temple was called Juman-ji Temple, which was originally located along the beach of Yanaginocho Township (today's 2 Chome Yanaginochonishi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0930), Sakai Town, Izumi Province.  The temple was approved by Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado (1442-1500), who gave the temple the name plate Hiden-in in 1501.

     Why was Juman-ji Temple given the name Hiden-in?

     Usually, Hiden-in is supposed to be the Buddhist temple in Kyoto.  Originally, Hiden-in were facilities established to help the poor and orphans based on the Buddhist concept of compassion.

     Tradition has it that the first Hiden-in in Japan was established by Prince Shotoku (574-622) as one of the 4 houses at Shitenno-ji Temple in Osaka, following the example of the Sui Dynasty in China.  The 4 houses were Hiden-in, Keiden-in, Seyaku-in, and Ryobyo-in Houses.

     According to the Fuso Ryakuki, a Japanese historical text compiled at the end of the 12th century by Priest Koen (1074-1169), Empress Komyo (701-760), then Crown Princess, established Seyaku-in and Hiden-in Houses at Kofuku-ji Temple in 723.

     During the Heian Period (794-1185), Seyaku-in and Hiden-in Houses were established in the east and west of Heian-kyo Capital, and were placed under the management of the Hidenin and Seyakuin Bureaus, which were also established by Empress Komyo as part of the Imperial Household Agency.

     During the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), Ninsho (1217-1303), who founded 83 temples,  established 5 Hiden-in-like houses and gave 33,000 items of clothing to medieval outcasts.  The houses subsequently became bases for medieval outcasts.

     Hiden-in Temple, currently one of the sub-temples of Sennyu-ji Temple in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, is said to be the successor of the Hiden-in Houses of Heian-kyo Capital.  The place name Hiden-in-cho remains as Hidenincho, Tennoji Ward, Osaka, 543-0055.  Hiden-in-cho is near JR and subway Tennoji Station, located at the southern end of Tennoji Ward, Osaka City, where Shitenno-ji Temple is located.

     The fact that Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado (1442-1500) gave the temple the name plate Hiden-in might have shown that the Imperial Court approved Juman-ji Temple as one of Hiden-in Houses.

     Sakai Town was burned in 1615 in the Siege of Osaka, and the temple was revived later, divided into 2: Kita-Juman-ji Temple, namely North Juman-ji Temple; and Minami-Juman-ji Temple, namely South Juman-ji Temple.  As Emperor Go-Mizuno (1596-1680) presented Kita-juman-ji Temple the name plate Kitajuman, Juman-ji Temple should have been divided before 1680.  Anyway, Kita-Juman-ji Temple became an official Buddhism temple under the Tokugawa Shogunate, approved by the Imperial Court.  Later, Kita-juman-ji Temple became Hiden-in Temple, and Minami-Juman-ji Temple became Chosen-ji Temple.

     Onkei had pity on wifeless old men, husbandless old women, orphans, and childless old people.  He housed them within the temple precincts.  Their descendants continued to live within the precincts, but in 1811 they were forced to move north outside the precincts of Kita-Juman-ji Temple to the west of Inari-sha Shrine, and the place was called Juman Nagaya, or Juman Row House.

     Juman-koji Alley could have run within Minami-Juman-ji Temple.  It is unknown if Kensei-ji Temple was a branch of Minami-Juman-ji Temple.  It is also unknown  if Kensei-ji Temple had something to do with housing the poor and orphans.

Address: 4 Chome-2-14 Shinzaikechohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0964

Phone: 072-222-2332

Hiden-in Temple

Address: 35 Sennyuji Yamanouchicho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0977

Phone: 075-561-8781

Sen'yu-ji Temple

Address: 27 Sennyuji Yamanouchicho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0977

Phone: 075-561-1551

Shitenno-ji Temple

Address: 1 Chome-11-18 Shitennoji, Tennoji Ward, Osaka, 543-0051

Phone: 06-6771-0066

Enmei-ji Temple

Address: 4 Chome-1-6 Shinzaikechohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0964

Phone: 072-233-2435

Enryu-ji Temple

Address: 4 Chome-1-5 Shinzaikechohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0964

Phone: 072-238-8297

Amida-ji Temple

Address: 4 Chome-1-22 Shinzaikechohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0964

Phone: 072-222-1316

Enmei-ji Temple

Address: 4 Chome-1-16 Shinzaikechohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0964

Phone: 072-238-1076

Chosen-ji Temple

Address: 4 Chome−2−25, Shinzaikechohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0964

Phone: 072-233-2162

Sensho-ji Temple

Address: 4 Chome-3-17 Shinzaikechohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0964

Phone: 072-233-6393

Kotaku-ji Temple

Address: 4 Chome-3-4 Shinzaikechohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0964

Phone: 072-238-0457

Shomyo-ji Temple

Address: 4 Chome-3-15 Shinzaikechohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0964

Phone: 072-223-1905

Virtual Sakai 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #9 Jomyo-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Hokoku-san Jomyo-ji Temple was founded in No'nin-machi Township, Sakai Town, Izumi Province.  The temple belonged to Pure Land Buddhism and was a branch of Seijoke-in Temple.

     It is also unknown when it was abolished.

     No'nin-machi was inside the moat surrounding Sakai Town along the eastern moat.

This narrow, north-south stretch of township was the domicile of ​​farmers from Kitasho, Nakasuji, Henomatsu, and Minato Villages, which were located in the east and south of Sakai Town.

     In 1615, the flames of the Siege of Osaka led to the peasants around Sakai fleeing.  The Tokugawa Shogunate ordered the peasants to return to their homes when the shogunate rehabilitated the town.  The Town Plan expanded the city, incorporating some land of the villages into the moat, resulting in a land reclamation of over 216,000 litters of rice worth.  To replace these losses, No'nin-machi Town was allocated inside the moat.

     Jomyo-ji Temple could have been founded for the peasants living in No'nin-machi Township.  As the township was long and narrow, whereabout of the temple is unknown but it was located somewhere in today’s 6 Chome Ichinochohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0952, when the History of Sakai City was published in 1930.

No'nin-machi Well  Site

Address: 2 Chome-3 Yanaginochohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0933

Seijoke-in Temple

Address: 395 Kitanobecho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, 602-0852

Phone: 075-231-2550

Trees In the Town

 

Sakai 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #8 Hase-dera Temple

 

      Hase-dera Temple was in the old part of Sakai.  There were streets in plaid.  One day, I drove from street to street, turning at a right angle.  The temple was at the corner of Shukuin Dori, one of the widest streets in Sakai, and a one-way street.

     You know Hase-dera Temple in Nara, don’t you?  It's very famous.  It was established in 727.  Emperor Shomu (701-756) is known for building a Kokubun-ji Temple in each province.  He had such strong faith in Buddhism that he built New Hase-dera Temples in provinces too.  The Hase-dera Temple in Sakai is said to have been built in 753 as the first one.  Although tradition says that Tokudo (656-?) founded the temple, the year 753 seems too late for him to found it.  It is recorded that he retired in Yamato Province in 735.

     The temple used to have a big main hall and 6 sub-temples in its precincts.  In the Medieval days, however, Sakai became an international port, and the temple had to give way to the commercial use of the land.  In 1945 during World War II, the bombing of Osaka burnt down the temple buildings.  The evacuation beforehand saved the deity from flames.  Today, a small ferroconcrete building stands as a relic of the golden age, with the Eleven-Faced Ekadasamukha statue in it as the token of prosperity.

     The temple still keeps a copy of the Origin of Hasedera Temple.  The oldest copy, that is kept in the Tokugawa Art Museum, is said to have been made in the 14th century. The copy in Sakai is supposed to have been made in the 16th century, when Sakai Port flourished.

     Hase-dera Temple is also the #10 member temple of the Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

Address: 3 Chome-2-5 Shukuinchohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0955

Phone: 072-232-6577

Hase-dera Temple

Address: 731-1 Hase, Sakurai, Nara 633-0112

Phone: 0744-47-7001

The Tokugawa Art Museum

Address: 1017 Tokugawacho, Higashi Ward, Nagoya, Aichi 461-0023

Phone: 052-935-6262

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Sakai 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #7 Choraku-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Choraku-ji Temple was founded.  It is sandwiched between Joan-ji and Chozen-ji Temples, with its 6-meter-wide precincts and without its own graveyard.   It could have been built as no more than a hermitage.

     Futai-san Choraku-ji Temple belongs to the Omuro School of the Shingon Sect and is a branch of Ninna-ji Temple.

Address: 5 Chome-1-14 Kumanochohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0946

Phone: 072-233-5384

Joan-ji Temple

Address: 5 Chome−1−12 Kumanochohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0946

Phone: 072-222-1387

Chozen-ji Temple

Address: 5 Chome-1-18 Kumanochohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0946

Phone: 072-232-2671

Ninna-ji Temple

Address: 33 Omuroouchi, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, 616-8092

Phone: 075-461-1155

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Sakai 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #6 Saifuku-ji Temple

 

     Saifuku-ji Temple was founded in 1615 by Priest Koshu, who was born to the Kihara Family in Izumi Province and studied the Pure Land Buddhism under Priest Kokaku (1539-1593), who had been born to the Iida Family in Kai Province, of Daigan-ji Temple in Shimousa Province.  The Iida Family used to be subject to the Takeda Clan, and moved to today's Nakajima, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0008 in Kazusa Province when Takeda Nobutora (1494-1574) was banished from Kai Province by his son, Harunobu (1521-1573), in 1541.

Address: 5 Chome-1-23 Ebisunochohigashi, Sakai Ward, Sakai, Osaka 590-0945

Daigan-ji Temple

Address: Daiganji-cho 180, Chuo Ward, Chiba 260-0812

Phone: 043-261-2917