Trees in the town.

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #30 Chosen-ji Temple

     It is unknown when Chosen-ji Temple was founded.  Priest Genyu (?-1620) is said to have revived the temple.  The main deity is the Acalanatha statue.  The precincts has Kannon-do Hall, with the Arya Avalokitesvara statue in it.

Address: 732 Nakayamacho, Midori Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-0011Phone: 045-934-0303

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #29 Jigan-ji Temple

     It is unknown when Kannon-in Temple was founded.  Its main deity was the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces.  They built another hall in the precincts as a main hall with the statue of Acalanatha enshrined as the new main deity.  The temple also changed its name to Jigan-ji.  It is unknown when they converted, let alone why they did.

     Legend has it that the Ekadasamukha statue was carved by Gyoki (668-749) out of the same wood that also provided the timber for the statue of Sahasrabhuja, who has 1,000 arms, in Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto.

     In 778, Priest Kenshin, who was training in Kojima-dera Temple in Nara, got an inspiration in his dream, and visited Mt. Otowa in Kyoto.  He found Priest Gyoei standing under a waterfall and reciting the mantra for Sahasrabhuja.  Gyoei said to Kenshin, “I’ve been waiting for you to come for years.  I’m leaving for the eastern provinces, so please cover for me.”  Kenshin carved a Sahasrabhuja statue out of the divine timber Gyoei left, and put it in an old hermitage Gyoei had lived in.  The hermitage was the start of Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

     Let’s try to make the story more coherent.

Gyoki might have found a divine tree in Mt. Otowa, and could have carved an Ekadasamukha statue out of it, with some timber left.  Gyoei went to Terayama Village, Tsuzuki County, Musashi Province, with the Ekadasamukha statue, put it in a hermitage, which was later called Kannon-in.  Kenshin carved a Sahasrabhuja statue out of the divine timber Gyoki left.  Then, why did Gyoei reciting the mantra for Sahasrabhuja?

     Gyoki might have found a divine tree in Mt. Otowa, and could have carved a Sahasrabhuja statue out of it, with some timber left.  Gyoei went to Terayama Village, Tsuzuki County, Musashi Province, with the leftover timber, carved an Ekadasamukha statue out of it there, and put it in a hermitage, which was later called Kannon-in.  And Kenshin carved a Sahasrabhuja statue out of another piece of the divine timber Gyoki left.  Then, there should be 2 Sahasrabhuja statues in Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

     I’m at the limit of my guess.

     Then, why did they convert the temple?  Some Kozukue-33-Kannon-Pilgrimage member temples used to be hermitages to confine someone.  the villagers around the temples converted the hermitages into temples by inviting new priests.  Jigan-ji Temple might have taken the same course.

     Then who was confined in the hermitage?

     In 780, Sakanoue Tamuramaro (758-811) was chasing a deer in Mt. Otowa, and met Kenshin, who was training.  In 791, Tamuramaro was dispatched to the eastern provinces to prepare for the war against the aliens in the northeastern part of Honshu Island.  In 794, he invaded the region, with the military successes of beheading 457 and taking 150 captive.  During the war, he recognized Vaisravana and Ksitigarbha effective.  It is unknown where he met the two.  In or around the capital?  In the eastern provinces on his way to the northeastern region?  For example, in Musashi Province?  Or in the northeastern region itself?

     In 798, he built Kiyomizu-dera Temple for the Sahasrabhuja statue, put the statues of Vaisravana and Ksitigarbha on sides, and invited Kenshin as the priest.  The two deities on sides of the main deity were supposed to guard the main deity.  In 801, he invaded the northeastern region again.  When Tamuramaro brought back two enemy chiefs, Aterui and More, to the capital in 802, the two were killed against Tamuramaro’s intention to have them keep working as chiefs in the northeastern region in the unified country.  He was given a priest.  Probably to pray for the war dead on both sides.  The death of the two was very effective.  It satisfied the central government.  And yet it didn’t brought about avenging battles.  The two died as if to guard something or somebody else.  

     It might have been Tamuramaro who brought a timber from Mt. Otowa, had a statue carved, and left someone confined in Terayama Village.  Or that somebody could have stayed there willingly to pray for the dead.

     The temple name Jigan literally means loving eyes.  What did the eyes (whose eyes?) actually see with love?

Address: 228 Terayamacho, Midori Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-0013Phone: 045-931-1553

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #28 Sanbutsu-ji Temple

     It is unknown when and how Kannon-ji Temple, which is now Sanbutsu-ji Temple, was founded.  Kannon-ji Temple used to belong to Shingon Buddhism.  The Arya Avalokitesvara statue was carved in the 12th century.  The temple also has the Amitabha and the Ksitigarbha statues, which might have belonged to the other temples.  In 1603, Priest Tenyo consolidate the 3 temples into one, named it Sanbutsu-ji (literally 3 Buddhas temple), and converted it into the Pure Land Sect.

     The Takuma-Uesugi Clan’s history is not well known.  The founder, Uesugi Shigekane (?-?), had an elder brother, Shigeyoshi, who was forced to commit suicide in 1349 with Hatakeyama Tadamune (?-1350) and the other 51 followers and family members.  The mass suicide caused the Kanno Incident (1350-1352).  Shigekane survived the incident, and became the vassal of the first Kamakura Deputy Shogun, Ashikaga Motouji (1340-1367).  Eventually, the Uesugi Clan splitter up into 5 hyphenated clans: The Takuma-Uesugi, the Inugake-Uesugi, the Yamauchi-Uesugi, the Ogitani-Uesugi, and the Fukaya-Uesugi Clans.  Their names came from where they used to live in Kamakura.

     Later, Takuma-Uesugi Norinao (?-1438) supported the 4th Kamakura Deputy Shogun, Ashikaga Mochiuji (1398-1439), only to be killed in the Eikyo War in 1438.  After the war, the Takuma-Uesugi Clan weakened.

In the Chokyo War (1487-1505), the Yamauchi-Uesugi and the Ogitani-Uesugi Clans conflicted with each other, involving the Inugake-Uesugi and the Takuma-Uesugi Clans.  Through the war, however, whole the hyphenated Uesugi Clans spelled the downfall.

     Uesugi Tomosada (1525-1546), the last head of the Ogigaya-Uesugi Clan, was killed in the Siege of Kawagoe Castle, and the clan died out.  Uesugi Norimasa (1523-1579), the last head of the Yamauchi-Uesugi Clan, sold the brand name, Uesugi, to Nagao Kagetora (1530-1578), who is more known as Uesugi Kenshin.

     The Takuma-Uesugi Clan did spell the downfall, too.  They became no more than a powerful family in Musashi Province, threw away their pride, and chose to live just as the Takuma Family.  The descendants became a vassal of the Later Hojo Clan, and then that of the Tokugawa Clan.  They survived.  In one way or another, they survived.

One of the descendants Takuma Chikatoyo (?-1624), who was a hatamoto or a samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa Shogunate,  supported the foundation of Sanbutsu-ji Temple, with his grave left in the precincts.  Another relic in the temple shows the Takuma Family emblem, which looked somewhat like that of the Uesugi Clan.  Their pride?

Address: 76-4 Honmuracho, Asahi Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 241-0024Phone: 045-391-1307

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #27 Chogen-ji Temple

     Kannon-in Temple was founded by Gyoki (668-749), who carved its deity, the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces.  The statue is about 55 centimeters tall.  Priest Jitsuen (?-1738) revived the temple and changed its name into Chogen-ji.

     The main deity of the temple, the Mahavairocana statue, was presented in 1513 by Priest Inyu (1435-1519), who worked hard to re-spread Shingon Buddhism in the area.

     Inyu (1435-1519) was born in Kubo Village (Miho Town today), Tsuzuki County, Musashi Province.  Till recently, there was a well whose water was used to give Inyu his first bath.  That means he was born as a baby of a powerful family.  He entered the Buddhist priesthood in his early childhood.  The mildest reason might have been he was the second or the third son of a powerful samurai.  The gravest reason could have been his father and elder brothers were killed but he was too young to kill.  Actually, in 1438, when he was 3 years old, the Eikyo War broke out between Ashikaga Mochiuji (1398-1439) and Uesugi Norizane (1410-1466) in the Kanto Region today.  Anyway, later, Inyu studied at Sanne-ji Temple in Musashi Province from 1459 till 1469, and continued to study at Muryoko-in Temple in Mt. Koya from 1469 till 1474.  He moved back to the Kanto Region by 1480, when he taught Nishinoin-Ryu Genyu-Gata Koya-Sojo Lineage in Kango-ji Temple, and Nishinoin-Ryu Nozen-Gata Koya-Sojo Lineage in Hosho-ji Temple.

     He loved reading.  When he was out, he would sit on a bull, with a small desk on a saddle and a scroll of sutra hung on the horns.  He also loved teaching and writing textbooks.  During his life, he authored over 60 books including Sempo Inton Sho, which compiled the doctrines of the Shingon Buddhism, and Ryobu Mandala Shisho, which was the most important textbook on Mandala in Japan till the Meiji Era.  He died in Kango-ji Temple on August 15, 1519, with his five-ring-stupa-type grave left in the temple.  He devoted his whole life to reading, teaching, and writing, as though to avert his eyes from the outside world.

     The Onin War broke out in 1467, when Inyu was still studying at Sannen-ji Temple, and lasted till 1478, 4 years after he returned to Musashi Province.  After the war, the outside world fell down into the Warring States Period.

     Buddhism had come to Japan in the 6th century.  At first, it was the state religion and formed the Six Schools of Nara Buddhism.  But it was spread among ordinary people across Japan in some ways or others, including through the efforts by earnest and enthusiastic priests like Gyoki.  Locally, it might have become some folk beliefs.  As samurais gained the social hegemony, especially after the Kamakura Period, they needed new ideologies and, that is, new Buddhism.  Some outstanding priests established new Buddhist schools or sects.  Some others reorganized folk-belief hermitages into their schools or sects as Inyu did.  And that was the way Inyu survived the upheaval.

Address: 214 Kamikawaicho, Asahi Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 241-0802Phone: 045-921-2580

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #26 Kango-ji Temple

     Kango-ji Temple was founded by Priest Inyu (1435-1519), who was born in Kubo Village (Miho Town today), Tsuzuki County, Musashi Province.  Till recently, there was a well whose water was used to give Inyu his first bath.  That means he was born as a baby of a powerful family.  He entered the Buddhist priesthood in his early childhood.  The mildest reason might have been he was the second or the third son of a powerful samurai.  The gravest reason could have been his father and elder brothers were killed but he was too young to kill.  Actually, in 1438, when he was 3 years old, the Eikyo War broke out between Ashikaga Mochiuji (1398-1439) and Uesugi Norizane (1410-1466) in the Kanto Region today.  Anyway, later, Inyu studied at Sanne-ji Temple in Musashi Province from 1459 till 1469, and continued to study at Muryoko-in Temple in Mt. Koya from 1469 till 1474.  He moved back to the Kanto Region by 1480, when he taught Nishinoin-Ryu Genyu-Gata Koya-Sojo Lineage in Kango-ji Temple, and Nishinoin-Ryu Nozen-Gata Koya-Sojo Lineage in Hosho-ji Temple.

     He loved reading.  When he was out, he would sit on a bull, with a small desk on a saddle and a scroll of sutra hung on the horns.  He also loved teaching and writing textbooks.  During his life, he authored over 60 books including Sempo Inton Sho, which compiled the doctrines of the Shingon Buddhism, and Ryobu Mandala Shisho, which was the most important textbook on Mandala in Japan till the Meiji Era.  He died in Kango-ji Temple on August 15, 1519, with his five-ring-stupa-type grave left in the temple.  He devoted his whole life to reading, teaching, and writing, as though to avert his eyes from the outside world.

     The Onin War broke out in 1467, when Inyu was still studying at Sannen-ji Temple, and lasted till 1478, 4 years after he returned to Musashi Province.  After the war, the outside world fell down into the Warring States Period.  And that was the way Inyu survived the upheaval.

     The main deity is the Arya Avalokitesvara sitting statue, which is said to have been carved by a legendary Buddhist sculptor, Kasuga.  Kasuga is said to have worked in Kawachi Province.  Legend has it that he carved Buddhism images and statues day and night.  One day, the villagers noticed his carving something other than Buddhism images.  It became a big crane statue.  Next morning, the villagers found nobody in his house, but a big bird flying to the east in the morning glow, with something or someone on its back.

Address: 677-9 Koyamacho, Midori Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-0023Phone: 045-931-1714

Trees in the town.

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #25 Sezon-in Temple

     Sezon-in Temple belongs to the Buzan School of the Shingi Sect of Shingon Buddhism.  Sometimes, it is very hard for me to understand how a religion is divided, to say nothing of the difference between them.

     It is unknown when the temple was founded.  Priest Kakuban (1095-1144) established the Shngi Sect of Shingon Buddhism.  Priest Senyo (1530-1604) built up the doctrine of the Buzan School.  Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized in 1732.  So, it might have been sometime in the 17th century that Sezon-in Temple was founded.  If not, if it was much older, there might have been some reason why a hermitage was built on the hillside of a small hill.

     The main deity is the Arya Avalokitesvara statue.

Address: 1010 Kitahassakucho, Midori Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-0021Phone: 045-931-4890

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #24 Fukuju-in Temple

     In 1671, Yamashita Ichiemon spared 5 ares of his field, with permission from the then lord, Takagi Morihisa (1599-1679), and Priest Choken (?-1689) founded Fukuju-in Temple in the premises.  The main deity is the Acala statue.

     The temple also has the Kannon-do Hall, which enshrines the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces.  Some argue that the hall was founded by the end of the 16th century, and that it is far older than the temple itself.

     Among Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage member temples, only Fukuju-in Temple is located in Machida City, Tokyo Prefecture.

Address: 3 Chome-3-5 Tsukushino, Machida, Tokyo 194-0001Phone: 042-795-5361

Trees in the town.

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #23 Tokuon-ji Temple

     Enmei-in Temple, no more than a hermitage, was built by the end of the 10th century.

     In the middle of the century, the alien captives in Dewa Province revolted.  Who were alien captives?  In the 8th century, the Japanese central government kept occupying the north-eastern region of Honshu Island.  In the process of the seizure, many aliens either surrendered or were captured.  They and their descendants were exempted from taxes and given some food.  Instead of growing rice as tax, they provided local specialties and their skills as hunting people.

     In the middle of the century, Taira Masakado (?-940) rebelled against the central government and even tried to establish an independent country in the Kanto Region.

     Those 2 rebellions were the buds of the birth of samurai.

     In the upheaval, someone might have been confined in a hermitage to survive.  The temple’s name, Enmei, literally means to prolong life.  At the end of his confined life, what did he see as a Buddhist?

     In 1355, Priest Tokai (?-1373) turned the hermitage into a temple, and named it Tokuon-ji.

     In the latter half of the 17th century, Yanagisawa Nobutada (1659-1724) piously supported the temple.  His wife also presented her guardian Sarasvati statue to the temple and built a shrine for the statue.  The shrine also keeps an Arya Avalokitesvara statue in it.

     Nobutada successfully moved up, and became the chief religion investigator of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1707.

     In 1709, Giovanni Battista Sidotti (1668–1714) infiltrated into Japan.  He was an Italian Christian priest.  He was arrested, and was confined until his death in Edo.  He was investigated by Nobutada and Arai Hakuseki (1657-1725), who later published the Seiyo Kibun based on the conversations with him.  Sidotti died from debility in an underground cell at the age of 46.  As a Christian, what did he see at the end of his confined life?

     Five years after Sidotti’s death, Nobutada received the Joseon Mission to Japan in 1719.

Address: 1892 Ondacho, Aoba Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 227-0065Phone: 045-961-6593

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #22 Ozen-ji Temple

     In 757, Avalokitesvara appeared in the dream of Empress Koren (718-770) and said to her, “I’m in Musashi Province.”  The empress commanded the search.  They found a golden 5-centimeter tall Arya Avalokitesvara statue in Nihonmatsu Village, Tsuzuki County, Musashi Province.  They built a temple and enshrined the statue there.  The temple’s name?  Nobody knows.

     In 917, Emperor Daigo (885-930) gave it a new temple name, Ozen-ji.  In 1333, when Nitta Yoshisada (1301-1338) attacked Kamakura, the temple was burned down.  In 1370, it was rebuilt.

     The temple has a by-story.  In 1214, a sweet Japanese persimmon happened to be found in nearby woods.  It was the first sweet persimmon ever found in Japan.  In 1333, when Priest Tokai was trying to rebuild the burnt-down temple, he rediscovered the sweet persimmon, and advised nearby famers to graft its branches onto their astringent persimmon trees.  The persimmon was named Zenjimaru.  In 1921, they raised about 9,000 persimmon trees and produced 938 tons of persimmons, to ship them as far as Nagoya.  In the 19th century, Zenjimaru was topped by Fuyu.

     Ozen-ji Temple still grows the original Zenjimaru persimmon tree in the precincts.

Address: 940 Ozenji, Asao Ward, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 215-0013Phone: 044-966-5135

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #21 Yakuo-ji Temple

     It is unknown when Shuho-in Temple was founded.  Presumably, it was Priest Shunyo (?-1684) who changed the temple name to Yakuo-ji.

The Arya Avalokitesvara sitting statue, which was carved by Genshin (942-1017), sits in the left side of the main hall.

     The temple used to be located on the top of the hill in the east.  In 1898, when villagers were gathering firewood in the hill, they made an open-fire to warm themselves.  The fire  spread across the hill, and burned down the temple.  More than a decade later, Shirai Ichizo rebuilt the temple in the present place, under the pressure from #22 Ozen-ji Temple to merge #21 Yakuo-ji Temple.  What if the consolidation had taken place?  #21.5 Ozen-ji Temple?

Address: 259 Obacho, Aoba Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 225-0023Phone: 045-973-3654

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #20 Shinpuku-ji Temple

     Shinpuku-ji Temple has a grave yard.  The oldest grave stone is that of Priest Joyo (-1682).  He is supposed to have founded the temple, but nothing sure is known about the foundation.

     The Kannon-do Hall is supposed to have been built by the beginning of the 18th century.  The deity is the statue of Sahasrabhuja, who is supposed to have 1,000 arms.  A Sahasrabhuja statue usually has 42 arms, for a physical reason, but this one has only 8.  Legend has it that it was carved out of a Japanese cypress timber by Gyoki (668-749), but scientifically it was made in the 12th century.

     Shinpuku-ji Temple used to have a main hall with the Amitabha statue, which was made in the assembled-wood method presumably around the turn of the 14th century.  The statue is in the Seiryo-ji style.  The prototype to the Seiryo-ji style in japan was brought from China by Cho'nen (938-1016).  He had copied the Amitabha statue carved out of a gosirsa-candana timber under the order by Udayana while Buddha was still alive.  With copyright infringement put aside, the statue looks somewhat exotic.

     As the main hall got decrepit, the temple discarded it and changed the Kannon-do Hall into the main hall of the temple.  Accordingly, the Sahasrabhuja statue became the main deity.  Having achieved enlightenment, the Amitabha statue, without greed,  stands quietly and peacefully in a repository today.

     There stands a torreya nucifera tree, which is supposed to be about 400 years old.  That means the tree has been there as long as the temple.  Or a little longer.

Address: 432-8 Edacho, Aoba Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 225-0013Phone: 045-911-4315

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #19 Chofuku-ji Temple

     Chofuku-ji Temple was founded by Priest Chiku, whose childhood name was Fukuju-maru, a son of Tada Yukitsuna (?-?).  The Tada Clan had been based in the Tada-sho Manor, Settsu Province, since the time of Mitsunaka (912-997).  Yukitsuna fought for Minamoto Yoritomo (1147-1199) and helped establish the Kamakura Shogunate in 1192.  But after the establishment, Yukitsuna was expelled and the manor was confiscated by Yoritomo.  Yukitsuna went missing.

     The written history of Chofuku-ji Temple claims the temple was founded to pray for the comfort of Yukitsuna after his death.  Did he die near Kamakura?  Another tradition says that Yukitsuna fled to Amakusa, Higo Province, and died there.  Yes, Yukitsuna went missing.

     When Yukitsuna’s wife got pregnant with Fukuju-maru, Avalokitesvara appeared in her dream.  In 7 days after his birth, she heard the divine chant, “Fukuju Kai Muryo” and named him Fukuju-maru.  He was considered to be a reincarnation of Avalokitesvara, and read Saddharma Pundarika Sutra Vol.25 at the age of 2.  When he was 7 years old, he made up his mind to ba a priest.

     Yukitsuna had 7 sons.  All of them went missing except the 4th, Mototsuna, who was killed in a battle and whose head was exposed to the public in 1221.  It is unknown where Fukuju-maru or Chiku fell among the 7, but he survived as a priest.  With all the beautiful stories put aside, he survived.  And he prayed for the comfort of his family in the other world.  It’s a familiar story that a too-young-to-kill son of a once powerful samurai was confined in a small hermitage in a small village near Kamakura.

     Chofuku-ji Temple changed its name into Jufuku-ji in 1716.

     Chofuku-maru was born on January 28, 1716.  His father, Tokugawa Yoshimune (1684-1751), made the 8th shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1716.  Everybody and everything were supposed to shun using the heir’s name.  Actually, Chofuku-maru became the 9th shogun, Ieshige (1712-1761).

Having witnessed the unreasonable and outrageous deeds of powers, Jufuku-ji Temple stands quietly in a residential area of Chigasaki today.

Address: 3 Chome-25-6 Chigasakihigashi, Tsuzuki Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 224-0033Phone: 045-945-1576

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #18 Kannon-ji Temple

     When and by whom Kannon-ji temple was founded is unknown.  The main deity is the wooden sitting statue of Arya Avalokitesvara, which is about 30 centimeters tall.

Address: 2565 Ikonobecho, Tsuzuki Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 224-0053Phone: 045-931-4739

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #17 Ryuun-ji Temple

     Ryuun-ji Temple was founded by Priest Junyo (?-1597) either in 1550 or in 1555.  The main deity is the Amitabha statue carved by Enchin (814-891).  The Avalokitesvara statue was carved by Genshin (942-1017).

Address: 1300 Higashigatacho, Tsuzuki Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 224-0045Phone: 045-941-3440

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #16 Sennen-ji Temple

     The statue of Arya Avalokitesvara is said to have been carved by Ennin (794-864).  But it is said that Seitaro (?-1612) founded Sennen-ji Temple in 1601.  Quite a big time lag.  Where had the statue been for a half and 7 centuries?

Address: 1578 Nippacho, Kohoku Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-0057Phone: 045-531-1518

Trees in the town.

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #15 Saiho-ji Temple

     Saiho-ji Temple was founded by Priest Shoken (1138-1196) at Sasame, Kamakura, in 1190, when Minamoto Yoritomo (1147-1199) was establishing the Kamakura Shogunate.  Shoken's father was Fujiwara Michinori (1106?-1159), who was killed by Fujiwara Nobuyori (1133-1159), who was killed by Taira Kiyomori (1118-1181), whose children were killed by Yoritomo.

     Later, the temple was moved to Gokurakuji, Kamakura, and then to Nippa in 1492.  In the former site of the temple in Kamakura, there stands a stone memorial tower for the repose of Uesugi Norimasa (1335-1394), which was built for himself while he was still alive.  Norimasa was a regent for the deputy shogun in Kamakura.  His elder brother, Noriharu (?-1379), had committed suicide as the remonstrance against the military gamble Ashikaga Ujimitsu (1359-1398), the deputy shogun in Kamakura, who was stepping in the Koryaku Incident in Kyoto.

After witnessing many deaths, the temple was moved to Nippa, where there used to be a river port along the Tsurumi River.

Address: 2586 Nippacho, Kohoku Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-0057
Phone: 045-531-2370

Trees in the town.

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #14 Mitama-do Hall in Shofuku-ji Temple

     It is unknown when Shofuku-ji Temple was founded.  The second generation priest was Shukaku (?-1624).  So, it might have been built by the end of the 16th century.

     The precincts has Mitama-do Hall, which is listed #14 temple of Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.  So, it may have the Avalokitesvara statue in it.

Address: 4569 Shinyoshidacho, Kohoku Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-0056Phone: 045-591-1963

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #13 En'o-in Temple

     It is unknown when En'o-ji Temple was founded, but its main deity, the statue of Sahasrabhuja, who has 1,000 arms, was said to have been given by Prince Shotoku (574-622).

     The temple holds the religious training to walk on fire every October.  Not only mountain ascetics but ordinary citizens can take part in it.

Address: 4098 Shinyoshidacho, Kohoku Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-0056Phone: 045-592-3664

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #12 Kanjo-in Temple

     It is unknown when Eno-ji Temple was founded, but its main deity, the statue of Sahasrabhuja, who has 1,000 arms, was said to have been given by Prince Shotoku (574-622).

     The temple holds the religious training to walk on fire every October.  Not only mountain ascetics but ordinary citizens can take part in it.

Address: 4098 Shinyoshidacho, Kohoku Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-0056Phone: 045-592-3664

Trees in the town.

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #12 Kanjo-in Temple

     Kanjo-in Temple was founded by Priest Zentsu (?-1560).  The foundation year isn’t recorded.  The main deity used to be the Acalanatha statue, which was burnt down in 1856.  After the fire, the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, was moved to the precincts from the Kannon-do Hall, which used to be located between the temple and Okurayama Station today.  The statue was carved by Unkei (?-1223).  The temple exhibits the Buddharupa statues from Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Tibet.

Address: 2 Chome-8-7 Okurayama, Kohoku Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 222-0037Phone: 045-531-2054

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #11 Shoin-ji Temple

     Priest Myokan (1273-1354)  worked as the head of Kencho-ji Temple in Kamakura.  After he retired, he spent  his remaining years in a hermitage, Seito-an Temple.  Priest Kozan (?- 1675) changed the name of the temple to Shoin-ji.  Surprisingly, the main deity, the wooden sitting statue of Amitabha, was appraised for being carved in the 8th century, and is preserved in the Tokyo National Museum now.  It is unknown where it came from, and what it had done for 5 centuries. 

     The Avalokitesvara statue?  There is Komagata Tenman-gu Shrine on the other side of the ridge.  The precincts used to have the Kannon-do Hall with the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces.  But it was moved to Shoin-ji Temple after the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order of 1868.

     Shoin-ji Temple has the grave of Satomi Yoshitaka (?-1650).  His registered name as samurai was Tadashige, with Tada given by the then shogun.  He rather used the name Yoshitaka for a certain reason.

     Satomi Yoshiyori (1543-1587) was a pirate war lord based in Awa Province, at the eastern side of the gateway to Edo Bay.  From Ancient times, crossing and passing through the gateway was tough, and even a legendary hero, Yamato Takeru, had to offer his wife.  Yoshiyori ruled the whole Chiba Peninsula and had the command of Edo Bay.  After the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1603, his son, Yoshitaka, was moved to an inland province, Kozuke Province.  On October 1, 1613, he was fired as a daimyo, a Japanese feudal lord, for the dereliction of duty, and was spending his jobless life at Ogose Village in the province.   When his younger brother-in-law, Sakai Tadakatsu (1594-1647), was promoted to Dewa Province in 1622, Yoshitaka was hired and move to the province.  In 1642, when Tadakatsu was sick in bed, Yoshitaka tried to replace Tadakatsu's heir with his son, only to be obstructed by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1647.  Later, he retired to Tsurumi, Musashi Province.  One day, he made up his mind to achieve nirvana while still alive to save people from a plague.  That means he went on a fast until his death. The villagers built Jigen-do Hall where he died.  He became known for answering prayers for curing smallpox.  The disease, against which he died, might have been smallpox.  According to an official paper handed in by his son, Yoshihisa (1634-?), to the Sakai Clan, however, Yoshitaka died of a disease in September, 1650.

     At the foot of Shoin-ji Temple, there used to be a small river port, where boats from the sea unloaded.  After struggling for something throughout his life, did Yoshitaka want to sense the sea again in his last days by living in Tsurumi?

Address: 1 Chome-18-2 Higashiterao, Tsurumi Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0077Phone: 045-571-1701

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #10 Tofuku-ji Temple

     The main deity of Tofuku-ji Temple is the statue of Cintamanicakra, who usually has 6 arms and holds chintamani (a wish-fulfilling jewel) in one of the six, which is believed to be a scabbard, which has a true statue in it.

Address: 1 Chome-3-5 Tsurumi, Tsurumi Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0063Phone: 045-581-5066

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #9 Keiun-ji Temple

     On July 2, 1479, a burning chariot visited Zojo-ji Temple to pick up Priest Onyo.  That Onyo had founded Keiun-ji Temple in 1447.  What is a burning chariot?  It was believed to be an apparition who steals a corpse from a funeral or a cemetery.  When the Port of Yokohama was opened to foreign countries, the temple was used as the consulate of France, and Gustave Duchesne de Bellecourt (1817-1881) stayed there.

     Keiun-ji Temple has another story:

Urashima Taro visited the Underwater Dragon Palace in 478, and came back to his hometown in 825.  On his departure from the palace, the princess gave him a mysterious box and a Kannon statue.  When he got back to his hometown, his parents had (of course) already passed away.  In front of their grave, he shed a lot of tears, which petrified into a stone.  The stone is called “namida-ishi" (a tear stone), and is kept in Jobutsu-ji Temple near Keiun-ji Temple even today.  Taro built a hermitage by the grave to enshrine the statue.  That was the start of Kanfukuju-ji Temple, whose nickname was Urashima-ji.  “Kanfukuju” means to observe longevity.

     In the spring of 1867, a conflagration hit Kanagawa Town.  The fire spread to Kanfukuju-ji Temple, and the statue was moved to Keiun-ji Temple in the aftermath.  The temple succeeded the nick name “Urashima-ji” too.

Address: 18-2 Kanagawahoncho, Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 221-0046
Phone: 045-441-8310

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #8 Soko-ji Temple

     It is unknown when Soko-ji Temple was founded, but, according to a written record on Izu Islands, when they founded Sofuku-ji Temple in 1440 in Hachijo Island, they invited a priest from Soko-ji Temple.

     Soko-ji Temple was built on the site of Kannon Fort, which had been built by Mamiya Shirozaemon.  The fort was along the same ridge with Gongenyama Castle.  Mamiya Hikojiro and the family members fought for the Ueda Family, indirectly for the Later Hojo Clan, against the Yamanouchi-Uesugi and Ogigayatsu-Uesugi Clans in 1510.

     Later, Mamiya Yasutoshi (1518-1590) became a vassal of the Later Hojo Clan and managed the Izu Sea Forces.

     What was the Izu Sea Forces?

     The Izu Peninsula almost solely composed Izu Province, along with other tiny islands.  It had many headlands and coves, and seemed like a smaller version of Kii Province, which lay along the southern coast of the Kii Peninsula.  As Kii Province had sea people, so did Izu Province.  During the Warring States Period, those sea people were organized as sea forces by the Hojo Clan.  So, the Izu Sea Forces were sometimes called Hojo Sea Forces.  After the collapse of the clan, those sea forces all returned to fishing or farming.

     Here, let me introduce two of the several families which belonged to the Izu Sea Forces.

     The Shimizu Family’s ancestry is not clear.  Ise Shinkuro (1432-1519), who would be called Hojo Soun after his death, moved from Kyoto to Suruga Province in 1469, established himself as the lord of Kosokuji Castle in 1487, and formed a small but independent domain around the castle.  In 1491, he unified Izu Province.  The Shimizu Family was presumed to be composed of Shinkuro’s vassal and a local powerful family through marriage or something.

     Shimizu Yasuhide (1532-1591) was one of 5 chief retainers under Hojo Ujiyasu (1515-1571), Ise Shinkuro’s grandson.  The five chief retainers used different colors of banners; yellow, red, blue, white, and black.  Ysuhide’s banners were in a white color.  The Shimizu Family had been based in Kanoyazaki Castle, and Yasuhide was additionally stationed at Shimoda Castle in 1588 or 1589 to build up a defense against Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598).  Shimoda Port was one of the most important ports along the Eastern Sea Region, and played an important role even at the end of the Edo Period.  Yasuhide was the number 1 among the Izu Sea Forces.

     In 1590, Shimoda Castle was attacked by Hideyoshi’s navy; which was composed of the troop of 2,500 of Chosokabe Motochika (1538-1599), the troop of 1,500 of Kuki Yoshitaka (1542-1600),  the troop of 1,300 of Wakisaka Yasuharu (1554-1626), and more.  Yasuhide surrendered the castle and gave in on April the 23rd, after holding it for over 50 days with the troop of 600.

     The Suzuki Family, another relatively well-documented component of Izu Sea Forces, originated from the ancient Hozumi Clan.  The founder of the clan was Nigihayahi (?-?), who arrived at Kawachi Province and entered Yamato Province, preceding the eastward military expedition of Emperor Jinmu (?-585 BC?), the legendary first Emperor of Japan.

     Generations and generations later, Hozumi Kunioki (?-?) was a kind of a priest under a kind of bishop in Kumano Hayatama Taisha Shrine in Muro County, Kii Province.  His second son, Motoyuki (865-926), moved to Kaifu County in the same province, made a priest of Fujishiro Shrine, and started calling themselves Suzuki.

     Suzuki Shigezane (?-?) was the 16th priest of the Shrine.  The position had been handed down by the Suzuki Family for generations.  His first son, Shigetomo (?-?), was ordered by Hojo Takatoki (1303-1333), the 14th and last Regent of the Kamakura Shogunate, to fight against Prince Moriyoshi (1308-1335), the son of Emperor Go-Daigo (1288-1339), who attempted to seize power from the shogunate, and actually attacked the prince in Kumano, Kii Province.  By ill chance, the shogunate collapsed in 1333, and Shigetomo got into a difficult situation.

     In 1336, Shigetomo got away to Izu Province with about 30 of his vassals by sea, and barricaded themselves in Enashi Village there.  In the same year, the Kenmu Restoration Regime under Emperor Go-Daigo collapsed, and Shigetomo returned to Kii Province.

     On November the 30th, 1351, the battle between Ashikaga Takauji (1305-1358) and his younger brother, Tadayoshi (1306-1352) broke out around the Satta Pass in Suruga Province at the dawn of the Muromachi Shogunate under the Ashikaga Clan, Shigetomo took Tadayoshi’s side.  By another ill chance, on January the 5th, 1352, Tadayoshi surrendered to Takauji, was confined to Jomyo-ji Temple in Kamakura, and died a sudden death on February the 26th.

     No matter whether Tadayoshi died of a disease or was poisoned to death as “Taiheiki” (“Chronicle of Great Pease”, a Japanese historical military epic written in the late 14th century) writes, Shigetomo fled to Enashi Village again to live there until his death.  Thus the Suzuki Family in Enashi started, and the head of the Suzuki Family in Fujishiro was succeeded to by Shigetomo’s younger brother, Shigetsune (?-?).

     Shigetomo, however, outlived Ashikaga Takauji as well as Tadayoshi.

     Ashikaga Motouji (1340-1397), Takauji’s 4th son, strived for the establishment of the control and governance over Kanto Region as a kind of Deputy Shogun based in Kamakura.  Shigetomo served Motouji, and in 1367, was appointed as an admiral in Izu and Sagami Provinces by Ashikaga Ujimitsu (1359-1398), the son of Motouji and the second Deputy Shogun in Kamakura.

    In 1491, Ise Shinkuro (1432-1519) unified Izu Province.  When he attacked Kanto Deputy Shogun, Ashikaga Chachamaru (?-1491), Suzuki Shigemune(?-?), the head of the Suzuki Family in Enashi at that time, took Shinkuro’s side.  According to a scratch of the family records which survived a huge tsunami in 1498, Shigemune might have had communication with Shintaro even before Shintaro’s raid into Izu Province.

     When Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) attacked the Hojo Clan, which Shintaro started, in 1590, Shigemune’s grandson, Shigeaki (?-?) was killed in a defensive battle about Nirayama Castle, his great grandson, Shigeharu (?-?), was killed in another defensive battle about Odawara Castle.  Shigeharu’s younger brother, Shigeuji (1576-1645), fled far North to Koyase Village, Nukanobu County, Mutsu Province, the northernmost province at that time, with 7 samurais, 24 followers, and his mother, who was one of the four daughters of Hojo Ujimasa (1538-1590), who surrendered his castle, Odawara Castle, to Hideyoshi and committed harakiri suicide himself.

     Kajiwara Kagemune (?-?) was effectively a Fleet Admiral of Hojo Sea Forces, although he was not one of native Izu Sea People.  He was from Arida County, Kii Province, and used to be a sea trader.  In one document, he was even mentioned as a pirate.

     Hojo Ujiyasu (1515-1571) permitted him trading between Kii and Sagami provinces and virtually hired him as a kind of guest samurai.  Kagemune was said to have brought an atake-bune warship to Kanto first.  Only Kii Province, which was abundant in woods, could supply atake-bune in the 16th century.

     The Hojo Clan left some documents and records.  Hojo Ujiyasu wrote to Kagemune asking him to stay in Izu Province for the maritime defense there.  When the Hojo Clan fought against the Satomi Clan in Kazusa Province, the success of Kii people was recorded.  Kagemune also signed many trading documents and contracts published by the Hojo Clan along with Ando Ryosei (?-?), an old vassal of the clan.

     Ando Ryosei served the three generations of the Hojo Clan, Ujiyasu (1515-1571), Ujimasa (1538-1590), and Ujinao (1562-1591), as a treasurer magistrate.  According to one record, he became a magistrate by 1563.  He jointly edited the list of estates and obligations under the clan.  Official square wooden measuring cups used in Hojo's domain were nicknamed "ando cups" after him.  They were widely believed to have been worked out by Ryosei.  His name was last recorded in September, 1589, when Tama River flooded, and, consequently, conflicts over boundaries broke out.  Ryosei was sent there as an inspector.  It is not known whether he lived another year to witness the last days of the clan or not.

     When the Hojo Clan was attacked by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) in 1590, Kajiwara Kagemune had an atake-bune warship with 50 samurais and 50 oarsmen aboard, equipped with a cannon.  Kuki Yoshitaka (1542-1600), an admiral of Hideyoshi's, on the other hand, had 6 atake-bune warships, each with 200 oarsmen and 3 50-meter-ranged cannons.

     After the war, Hojo Ujimasa, the son of Ujiyasu, committed a harakiri suicide, and Ujimasa's son, Ujinao was placed under house arrest in Mt. Koya in Kii Province.  Presumably, Kagemune returned to Kii.  His name can be last recognized in a thank-you letter from Ujinao to Kagemune for 50 mackerels in 1591.

     Let’s get back to talking about the Mamiya Family.

     Mamiya Nobutaka (1553-1584), was also the captain of the sea forces, and fought for Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616).  He was killed in the 1584 Siege of Kanie, which was fought between Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598).  The Kuki Sea Forces was on Hideyoshi’s side and had a large warship called Atakebune.

     Mamiya Rinzo (1775-1844), who explored Sakhalin, was their descendant.

     As the fort’s name shows, the site might have been Kannon precincts from the older times.  The Kannon statue is about 18-centimeter tall, and is said to have made by Visvakarman.  It means by a foreigner craftsman.

     When the Port of Yokohama was opened to foreign countires, James Curtis Hepburn (1815–1911) stayed in the temple.  He was an American physician and Christian missionary.  He is known for the Hepburn romanization system, which transcribed the Japanese language into the Latin alphabet.  He also published a Japanese–English dictionary.

Address: 10-6 Kogaya, Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 221-0051Phone: 045-461-5617

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #7 Hongoku-ji Temple

     Legend has it that Eisai (1141-1215) founded Hongaku-ji Temple in 1226.  Simply inconsistent.  Maybe, it was the followers of Eisai who founded the temple.  Eisai studied in China and belonged to Linji Sect of Chan (or Zen in Japanese) Buddhism, and the temple belonged to the sect at first.

     The flames of war struck the temple in 1510.

     Ueda Masatada's ancestors were members of one of the Musashi Seven Corps.  The most part of Musashi Province was plateaus deeply covered with volcanic-ash soil, which was suitable for stock farming, not for rice growing.  In ancient times, many of the naturalized Silla people then were sent to Musashi Province, and engaged in the stock farming.  That stimulated people there, and many stock farms were set up, including 6 imperial stock farms.  The custodians of those farms later formed small-scale samurai families.  By marriage, those samurai families composed 7 corps on the plateaus in the province.

     Masatada had been fighting for the Ogigayatsu-Uesugi Clan.  He fought hard in the Chokyo War (1487-1505), won in local fights, and succeeded in occupying the Kanagawa Port, which had been ruled by their opponent, the Yamanouchi-Uesugi Clan.  Unluckily, in the broader war situation, the Ogigayatsu-Uesugi Clan surrendered, and Masatada had to return the port to the Yamanouchi-Uesugi Clan.  Luckily, Ise Sozui (1456-1519) was extending his military power into Sagami Province and had occupied the western half of the province already.  In response to Sozui’s tactics, Masatada raised an army in Gongenyama Castle near the border between Sagami and Musashi Provinces.  Unluckily, the castle was near Hongaku-ji Temple, which was badly damaged in the fights.  Masatada?  The Yamanouchi-Uesugi and Ogigayatsu-Uesugi Clans united and defeated Sozui.  Masatada escaped to Sozui’s new stronghold, Odawara Castle, and died of a disease there.

     The Ise Family became the Later Hojo Clan, and occupied almost all the Kanto Region.  But they were defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598), and his son, Hideyori (1593-1615), was killed by Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616).  Pax Tokugawa realized, and lasted for 2 centuries.  On one of those peaceful days, Yajirobe and Kitahachi, the 2 main characters in the comic book, Tokaidochu Hizakurige (known as Shank’s Mare in English), had a drink, enjoying the magnificent sea view from a Kanagawa Town near the temple.

     Time flies.  On one of the turbulent last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate, on July 4, 1859, Hongaku-ji Temple was requisitioned as the U.S. Consulate in Kanagawa.  They militarily appreciated the magnificent sea view from the temple.  If you want to know the details on the day, please check what Joseph Heco wrote.  He was born in Kansai, and made a sightseeing trip to Edo one day.  On his way back, his boat was wrecked and he was picked up by the American freighter Aukland.  He was sent to San Francisco, and became an interpreter. 

     Let’s get back to the temple.  Even today, you can find some parts of it painted in black, red, green, and white.  The consulate staff might have preferred the colors to the beauty through a sense of austerity and antiquity.  Whether you like the colors or not, that was the first use of paint in Japan.  And, in July, Japan Painting Contractors Association holds a memorial service annually.

Address: 1-2 Takashimadai, Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 221-0833Phone: 045-322-0191

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #6 Zuiryu-in Temple

     Kannon-ji Temple was founded in 1441 by Priest Eiso, who died in 1529.  At the time, the temple was no more than a small hermitage.  If he had founded the temple at the age of 20, he might have died at the age of 108.  Not impossible, but believe it or not.  If he had founded the temple before the age of 11, the youngest age when samurai came of age, he might have died in his 80’s or 90’s.  Quite possible.  If he was forced to live in priesthood in spite of, say, being executed, there must have been a serious incident in 1441.

     Ashikaga Harutora was born on June 13, 1394.  At the age of 9, he entered Seiren-in Temple, on June 21, 1403.  On March 4, 1408, he became a priest, and was named Gien.  Ashikaga Yoshikazu (1407-1425) and Yoshimochi (1386-1428) died of a disease one after another, and the shogunate became vacant.  Chief vassals assembled at Iwashimizu-Hachiman-gu Shrine and decided the next shogun by lot on January 17, 1428.  And Gien became the sixth shogun, Yoshinori (1394-1441), who assassinated his political opponents one after another.

     Ashikaga Mochiuji (1398-1439), the deputy shogun in Kamakura, was forced to commit suicide by Ashikaga Yoshinori (1394-1441), the then shogun.  Yuki Ujitomo (1402-1441) sheltered Mochiuji’s 2 sons, Shuno-maru and Yasuo-maru, in his castle, and rebelled against Yoshinori in 1440. On April 16, 1441, his castle fell and he and his son were killed in the fights.  Shuno-maru and Yasuo-maru were arrested and were to be transferred to Kyoto.  But on their way, at Tarui, Mino Province, they were killed, with their death poems left:

“Summer weeds,

Their flowers blooming in Aono Field

Who knows their future?” (Shuno-maru)

“Who knows the future?

Our lives are to be limited today

Here away from home.” (Yasuo-maru)

     Yoshinori also killed his younger brother, Priest Gisho (1404-1441).  He also killed his powerful vassals, Isshiki Yoshitsura (1400-1440), Toki Mochiyori (?-1440), and others.  Finally he was assassinated by his vassal, Akamatsu Mitsusuke (1381-1441) on June 24, 2 months and 8 days after the execution of the 2 young brothers: Shuno-maru and Yasuo-maru.

     Anything might have happened in 1441.  A too-young-to-kill son of any samurai on any side could have been confined to a small hermitage in a small village near Kamakura in 1441.  The 2 young brothers’ younger brother, Shigeuji (1438-1497), survived.  He later became a deputy shogun in Kamakura, succeeding his late father, Mochiuji.

     Eiso survived too.  Somehow or others, he survived.  So, he could return to secular life, to make a samurai.  But Eiso didn’t.  For some reason, he didn’t.  Instead of making a samurai and killing his opponents as Yoshinori had done, he had to sight countless fights and assassinations after 1441.  He even witnessed the Onin War from 1467 to 1477, which drove the Japanese society into the Warring States Period.  Who knows whose future?  In 1529, when Eiso passed away, Honda Shigetsugu (1529-1596) was barely born.  He was to join the first fight of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616), and also was to help him suppress other war lords and bring Japan under control.  Did Eiso know the future?

     About 20 generations later, Priest Somo (?-1679) lived in the hermitage, and made it a temple.

Address: 501 Kawashimacho, Hodogaya Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 240-0045Phone: 045-371-3574

Trees in the town.

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #5 Shokan-ji Temple

     Nakata Tozaemon (?-1635) built a small hermitage in Kawashima Village in 1594 as a memorial to his father and other family members, who were killed in the fights when Odawara Castle fell and the Later Hojo Clan surrendered in 1590.  Later, he invited Priest Shugyu to make it a Buddhist temple.  Its main deity is his father's portable guardian Arya Avalokitesvara statue.  The temple has a Kannon-do building too, and its deity is the statue of Cintamanicakra, who usually has 6 arms and holds chintamani (a wish-fulfilling jewel) in one of the six.  Besides the building, there stands a stone monument dated 1344.  The precincts might have been holy for the family and villagers since those days.

     Where did the Cintamanicakra statue come from?

     It is recorded that Kasahara Nobutame died in 1577.  Nobutame's son was Yasukatsu, whose son was Terushige, whose son was Shigemasa, who worked for Tokugawa Ieyasu.  Shigemasa's son was Nobushige, whose adapted son was Tametsugu, whose son was Nobutane.  They all succeeded the samurai name of Echizen-no-kami.  In 1722, when one of the Echizen-no-kami's was the head of the family, his wife and daughter died one after another, and also the domain was hit hard by the flood of the Tsurumi River.  He carved 33 statues of Cintamanicakra for himself, chose 33 temples which were associated with Kannon in his domain, and presented the statues to them.  Later in 1732, those 33 temples were organized into Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

     With the Nakata Family returning to the farming from being samurai, Shokan-ji Temple became less prosperous.  After the expulsion of Buddhism at the beginning of the Meiji Restoration, no priest lived in the temple.  Then, in 1928, the 14th head of the family, Yosaku, repaired the building and invited Priest Shunmyo to revive the temple.

Address: ４５-4 Higashikawashimacho, Hodogaya Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 240-0041Phone: 045-381-0682

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #4 Sensho-ji Temple

     Sensho-ji Temple was founded by Myoyo (?-1616), so the establishment should have been by the turn of the 17th century.  The main deity is the Amidaba statue, which is about 85 centimeters tall.  It has a Kannon-do building, with the statue of Cintamanicakra, who usually has 6 arms and holds chintamani (a wish-fulfilling jewel) in one of the six.  The statue is said to have been made by Unkei (?-1223).

Address: 766 Sugetacho, Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 221-0864Phone: 045-471-6717

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #3 Saisho-ji Temple

     Saisho-ji Temple is supposed to have been founded either by Priest Kokaku (?-1470) or by Priest Zenyu (?-1652).  There is  a burial mound, which is about 3-meter large in diameter, in the precincts, but it is said that there used to be 13 of them.  Although it is not recorded who were buried under them, legend has it that those who had been killed in a war or wars had been buried under them.  13 were killed at a time?  Or one after another?  When?  Why?  Nothing is known.  They might be ancient tumuli of a powerful family in the area.

Address: 2713 Sugetacho, Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 221-0864Phone: 045-471-9153

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #2 Sanne-ji Temple

     Sanne-ji Temple is said to have been built by Sasaki Takatsuna (1160-1214).  The temple name "sanne" derived from the meeting Maitreya will hold after she/he/it descends from Tusita to the world and gets enlightened to complete Buddha's teaching under Ryuge Tree (a kind of the Tree of Life).  The meeting will be called Ryuge Sanne and will be held 5.67 billion years after Buddha's death.  That means we still have 5,669,997,597 years to wait for it.

     The Hayagriva temple near Sanne-ji Temple was dedicated for Takatsuna's favorite horse, Ikezuki.  Hayagriva, who has the head of a horse, is one of 6 metamorphoses of Avalokitesvara.

Address: 730 Toriyamacho, Kohoku Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 222-0035Phone: 045-472-4728

Trees in the town.

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama #1 Senkoku-ji Temple

     Senkoku-ji Temple was founded in 1523 as a Buddhist college.

The Guide to Famous Edo Sites was published in 1834 and 1836.  In a picture of the guidebook, Senkoku-ji Temple was drawn, with almost the same size of the precincts and buildings today.  Its deity is the statue of Cintamanicakra, who usually has 6 arms and holds chintamani (a wish-fulfilling jewel) in one of the six.

Address: 256 Kozukuecho, Kohoku Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 222-0036Phone: 045-472-9665

Another Virtual 33 Kannon Pilgrimage or Not

     I have virtually made 2 sets of 33 Kannon pilgrimages near Kyoto: Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Kyoto Prefecture and Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Shiga Prefecture.  If I keep going on another virtual 33 Kannon pilgrimage, I might as well move east, visit eastern provinces, and see what I would or could never see actually.  Some temples near Kamakura would reveal their own tragic memories.

Virtual Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Yokohama

     Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized in 1732, far before Yokohama City was born.  Those days, Tsurumi River flooded almost every year.  To memorialize the flood victims and to pray against the flood, Takino Aisho wanted to organize a 33 Kannon pilgrimage, consulted Priest Soun in Hosho-ji Temple, #33 temple of Kozukue 33 Kannon Pilgrimage today.  The priest, with his colleague priest Choan, visited Priest Tenyo in Senkoku-ji Temple, #1 temple today.  The three reached an agreement, and visited proper and suitable temples in the Kozukue Domain, encouraging them to join their attempt.  They succeeded in organizing 33 temples, and applied to the Tokugawa Shogunate government for the foundation of a new 33 Kannon pilgrimage.

     In 1756, 24 years after the foundation, the member temples displayed their Avalokitesvara statues.  Since then, the member temples have displayed their Avalokitesvara statues every 12 years, in the Year of Rat.  And the pilgrimage came to be also called Zodical Rat Year 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.  2020 is the Year of Rat.

     288 years have passed.  The centuries have witnessed the title of #9 was handed over from Urashima-dera Temple to Tokuon-ji Temple; #11 from Jigen-ji Temple to Shoin-ji Temple; and #23 from Mannen-ji Temple to Tokuon-ji Temple.  In #33 Hosho-ji Temple, there still stands the stone monument which teaches us the list of original 33 member temples.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #33 Shakudo-ji Temple

     Mt. Kodakami (the altitude of 923 meters) itself used to be holy precincts, which were set up by Gyoki (668-749) and Taicho (682-767) in 726.  The holy mountain used to have 5 big temples according to Kodakami-yama History, which was published in 1407: Hokke-ji, Shakudo-ji, Kannon-ji, Takao-dera, and Anraku-ji Temples.  Kannon-ji Temple used to have its branch temples: Keisoku-ji, Iifuku-ji, and Enkan-ji Temples.  a 7 temples according to a record kept in Kofuku-ji Temple: Kannon-ji, Hokke-ji, Shakudo-ji, Mangan-ji, Anraku-ji, Matsuo-ji, and Enman-ji Temples.  In either case, Shakudo-ji Temple was one of those important temples.  And According to the Kofuku-ji Temple’s record, Shakudo-ji Temple was founded by Enho in 726, and revitalized by Saicho (767-822) in 805.  In 1354, Gensho revived the temple.  It moved to the foot of the mountain by the turn of the 16th century.  In 1894, the temple gate burned down, and the living building was washed away by the landslide.  It became priest-less.  In 1914, Shakudo-ji and Takao-ji Temples merged, and became today's Shakudo-ji Temple.  

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #32 Keisoku ji Temple

     Mt. Kodakami (the altitude of 923 meters) is in the unlucky direction for Omi Province, and used to be the center of mountain worship to guard the province.  The holy precincts were set up by Gyoki (668-749) and Taicho (682-767) in 726.  The holy mountain used to have 5 big temples: Hokke-ji, Shakudo-ji, Kannon-ji, Takao-dera, and Anraku-ji Temples.  Kannon-ji Temple used to have its branch temples: Keisoku-ji, Iifuku-ji, and Enkan-ji Temples.  Keisoku-ji Temple was located at the top of the mountain, and Iifuku-ji Temple halfway up the mountain.

     Keisoku-ji Temple was founded by Gyoki in 735, vitalized by Saicho (767-822) in 799, and revived by Jimo in 1269.  Keisoku-ji Temple burned down in 1933, with its name succeeded by Iifuku-ji Temple, which has accordingly 2 names today, and with its main deity, the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, preserved in the Koko-kaku Museum, which was built in 1963, at the foot of the mountain.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #31 Toiwa-dera Temple

     Yoshiro-kaku Museum opened in 1989 to preserve the Buddhist statues in Toiwa-dera Temple, which was founded in 716, and which is out of business today.  Saicho (767-822), Kukai (774-835), Ennin (794-864) and other well-known priests visited the temple one after another.  Over 30 priests were living and training in its high time there.

Toiwa-dera Temple had its Kannon-do building with its deity, the Holding-Fish-Cage Avalokitesvar statue.  The statue is presumed to have been carved in the 9th century, and is a very rare type, which is not included in the popular “6 types”: #1 Arya Avalokitesvara, who is the human-figure prototype of other 6 metamorphoses, #2 Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, #3 Sahasrabhuja, who has 1,000 arms, #4 Cintamanicakra, who usually has 6 arms and holds chintamani (a wish-fulfilling jewel) in one of the six, #5 Hayagriva , who has the head of a horse, #6 Cundi, who has 16 arms and appears to be female, and, #7 Amoghapasa, who usually has 3 eyes and 8 arms.  Didn't I say 6-type?  The Shingon Sect Buddhists assert that the last one should be Cundi, while the Tendai Sect Buddhists maintain that it should be Amoghapasa.  They all believe that Arya Avalokitesvara can metamorphose into 5, and that they can carve 6 types of Avalokitesvara statues in total.

     Anyway, the Holding-Fish-Cage Avalokitesvar statue was not included in those types.  However, later in the Edo Period, Tosa Hidenobu (?-?) published Butsuzo-zui (Illustrated Compendium of Buddhist Images) in 1783.  In the compendium, he listed 33 popular subjects of Buddhism Avalokitesvara drawings and paintings, and the Holding-Fish-Cage Avalokitesvar statue was included in the 33.  Holding-Fish-Cage Avalokitesvar is a localized version of Avalokitesvar statue.

For your reference, the 33 types of Avalokitesvar statues Hidenobu listed were: #1 Holding-Willow-Spray Avalokitesvar, #2 Naga Avalokitesvar, #3 Holding-Buddhism-Scripture Avalokitesvar, #4 Halo Avalokitesvar, #5 Sitting-on-Cloud Avalokitesvar, #6 Pandara Vasini Avalokitesvar, #7 Sitting-on-Lotus-Leaf Avalokitesvar, #8 Looking-at-Cascade Avalokitesvar, #9 Listening-to-Stream Avalokitesvar, #10 Holding-Fish-Cage Avalokitesvar, #11 Brahman (Virtuous-Lord) Avalokitesvar, #12 Looking-at-Reflected-Moon Avalokitesvar, #13 Sitting-on-Leaf Avalokitesvar, #14 Blue-Head Avalokitesvar, #15 Great-Commander Avalokitesvar, #16 Life-Prolonging Avalokitesvar, #17 Relief-from-Ruination Avalokitesvar, #18 In-Cave-with-Venom Avalokitesvar, #19 Wave-Reduction Avalokitesvar, #20 Anavatapta Avalokitesvar, #21 One-Knee-Drawn-Up Avalokitesvar, #22 Leaf-Robe Avalokitesvar, #23 Holding-Lapis-Lazuli-Censer Avalokitesvar, #24 Tara Avalokitesvar, #25 Sit-in-in-Clam Avalokitesvar, #26 Twenty-Four-Hour Avalokitesvar, #27 Universal-Benevolence Avalokitesvar, #28 Celestial Beauty Avalokitesvar, #29 Brahmani Avalokitesvar, who put palms together, #30 Controlling-Thunderbolt Avalokitesvar, #31 Peaceful-Vajrapani Avalokitesvar, #32 Holding-Lotus-Flower Avalokitesvar, and #33 Sprinkling-Purified-Water Avalokitesvar.

     Then, why 33?  Why not 6?

     According to Lotus Sutra Chapter XXV, Avalokitesvara, to save people, manifest herself/himself/itself: #1 into the form of a Buddha, #2 into the form of a pratyekabuddha, #3 into the form of a sravaka, #4 into the form of Brahma, #5 into the form of Sakra, #6 into the form of isvara, #7 into the form of Mahesvara, #8 into the form of the great commander of the devas, #9 into the form of Vaisravana, #10 into the form of a minor king, #11 into the form of a wealthy man, #12 into the form of a householder, #13 into the form of a state official, #14 into the form of a brahman, #15 into the form of a monk, #16 into the form of a nun, #17 into the form of a layman, #18 into the form of a  laywoman, #19 into the form of a wife of a wealthy man, #20 into the form of a wife of a householder, #21 into the form of a wife of a state official, #22 into the form of a wife of a brahman, #23 into the form of a boy, #24 into the form of a girl, #25 into the form of a deva, #26 into the form of naga, #27 into the form of yaksa, #28 into the form of gandharva, #29 into the form of asura, #30 into the form of garuda, #31 into the form of kimnara, #32 into the form of mahoraga, or #33 into the form of Vajrapani.

     Many of the forms, or manifestations, are an enumeration of occupations at the time of Buddha.  Thus most of the 33 manifestations haven't been carved into Buddhism statues or painted in Buddhism pictures in Japan.  Instead, the number 33 came to mean a lot to Avalokitesvara believers in Japan.  That is why 33 temples were organized into one 33 Kannon pilgrimage too.