Virtual Yokohama City 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #25 Kaisho-ji Temple

     It is unknown when Kaisho-ji Temple was founded, but Sonchin established it as a full-scale temple in 1603.  At the time, the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868) made it compulsory for each citizen to affiliate to a Buddhist temple.  The number of temples, thus, increased.

     In April, 1849, Ohama Munetaka presented a fire bell to the temple.  Who was Munetaka?

     The Ohama Family used to be a pirate family, based in Ohama, Toshi County, Shima Province.  Kagetaka (1540-1597) owned an “atakebune,” a big warship at the time, and held naval hegemony in Ise Bay.  However, his provincial lord, the Kitabatake Clan, lost to Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), and Kagetaka himself was chased out of the bay.

     Kagetaka and his atakebune were employed by Takeda Shingen (1521-1573) in 1571.  Among Takeda’s sea forces, only Kagetaka owned an atakebune.  After the Takeda Clan collapsed in 1582, he was re-employed by Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616).  When Ieyasu moved to Kanto in 1590, Kagetaka followed him, and was stationed in Misaki, Miura County, Sagami Province.  His residence was about today’s Honzui-ji Temple.  His son, Mitsutaka, fought for Ieyasu in the Battle of Sekigahara, the most important decisive battle at the end of Warring States Period.

     Mitsutaka's son, Yoshitaka (1600-1664), became a direct retainer of the Tokugawa Shogunate.  And then there came Hirotaka (1652-1705) and Yukitaka (1684-1753).  Munetaka might have been their descendant.

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