Trees in the town.

Virtual Old Awa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #3 Daifuku-ji Temple

     India has many Buddhist caves.  They are rock-cut architecture, which contains Buddhist images.  China also has some Buddhist temple grottoes, which contain Buddhist images.  Japan imported Buddhism from India through China.  The Ancient and Medieval Japanese people seemed to have tried to follow Indian and Chinese people, only to sculpture cliffs into Buddhist images.  There might have been some geological reasons.

     Daifuku-ji Temple has a statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, which was sculptured out of the cliff at the back of the temple in 717.  Tradition has it that it was Gyoki (668-749) who sculptured the statue.  Gyoki got an inspiration from the one who was working for a Shinto shrine, wished for the sea safety and good catches of the local fishers, and sculptured the statue.

     Later, Ennin (794-863) visited the precincts and built a temple building for the statue.

Address: 835 Funakata, Tateyama, Chiba 294-0056

Phone: 0470-27-2247

Virtual Old Awa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #2 Niimi-do Temple

      Niimi-do Temple used to be located halfway up Aokine Hill.  In 1967, the temple was moved to the present place, the site of Shuman-in Temple, which had been collapsed by the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923.

     In the old site halfway up the hill, there still stand the stone statue of Ksitigarbha and a stone tablet inscribed with a haiku poem of Matsuo Basho (1644-1694):

In the spring

Plum trees along Kagami Bay

Stand unseen.

     It is unknown when the temple was founded, but a Japanese pagoda which originally contained a dharani sutra tells that it was built in 1768.

Address: 54 Kamegahara, Tateyama, Chiba 294-0052

Phone: 0470-27-2444    

Virtual Old Awa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #1 Nago-ji Temple

     Empress Yamatonekotakamizukiyotarashi (680-748) succeeded Empress Ahe (661-721) in 715.  In 717, Gyoki (668-749) was visiting Awa Province, and happened to find a piece of foreign wood in the sea.  He picked it up and carved a statue of Sahasrabhuja, who has 1,000 arms, out of it.  By coincidence, Empress Yamatonekotakamizukiyotarashi was having illness, which was cured when Gyoki carved the statue and made prayers to it by chance.  The empress ordered that a temple should be built for the statue.

     The temple used to be located on the top of the hill, but collapsed in the 1703 Genroku Great Earthquake on November 23.  It was rebuilt on the hillside in 1759 with Okamoto Hyoe as the leader of the reconstruction.

     Pilgrims from Edo used to sail across the sea to Nago Port and started their visiting the pilgrimage.

Address: 1125 Nago, Tateyama, Chiba 294-0055

Phone: 0470-27-2444

Trees in the town.

Trees in the town.

Trees in the town.

Virtual Old Awa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

      The anomalous cold weather started in 1229, resulting in a shortage of food. People started to die en masse in 1230.  About one third of the population of Japan were starved to death.  The relief efforts by the Kamakura Shogunate was ineffective.  The social order broke down, and bands of marauding robbers became common.  In stead of further relief efforts, the Shogunate tightened the reins of the society.  On August 27, 1232, they introduced the Goseibai Shikimoku or the Formulary of Adjudications.

     The famine deeply grieved priests and monks in Awa Province.  They composed tanka poems for their Avalokitesvara precincts and organized 33 Kannon pilgrimage in the province in 1232, when the Goseibai Shikimoku was imposed nationally.

http://awa-junrei.jp/

Virtual Miura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

      I have virtually visited Miura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in the midst of another wave of pandemic.  Those more than 80 countries have witnessed my virtual pilgrimages.  Next?  I have come upon some stories related to the Awa pirates in and around the Miura Peninsula.  I’d like to virtually cross the sea and visit Old Awa Province, the southern tip fo Chiba Prefecture today.

Virtual Miura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #33 Shinko-ji Temple

      There used to be Moroiso Village around Shinko-ji Temple.  The village has lost its population steadily.  Even in 1700’s, the temple became a branch temple of Chozen-ji Temple.  Today, it’s just a hermitage out of the precincts of Chozen-ji Temple.  Yet, neighbors have supported the Arya Avalokitesvara statue for years.  The statue is about 1-meter tall, covered with Japanese black lacquer all over, with its left hand holding a lotus flower, with its right arm hanging straight down, with a crown on its head, with muktahara on its chest, and with the Chakraratna wheel on its belly.  The statue is supposed to have carved in the 10-12 century.

Address: Moroiso-224 Misakimachi, Miura, Kanagawa 238-0224

Virtual Miura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #32 Kaizo-ji Temple

      Kaizo-ji Temple stands on a hill which overlooks the view of the Koajiro Bay, in whose caves the Miura Sea Forces hid their shock-troop boats.  In the middle of the 19th century, a tanka poem was composed for the temple:

The top of the hill overlooks the view 

With Mt. Fuji and the Pure Land

Placing themselves together in prayer.

     The temple was founded by Miura Yoshiatsu (1451-August 9, 1516) and his son, Yoshioki (1496-August 9, 1516).

1508 Koajiro, Misakimachi, Kanagawa 238-0225

Virtual Miura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #31 Chokei-ji Temple

      Chokei-ji Temple has the statue of Arya Avalokitesvara, which is said to have been carved by Kukai (774-835).

     In 1793, 7 followers of Basho (1644-1694) built a stone monument with one of Basho’s haiku poem:

In a hermitage of divers

Shrimps are in baskets

Mingled with land shrimps.

Among the 7, only Soshu (?-?) is known to have been born in Mino Province.

Address: 6 Chome-28-7 Nagai, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 238-0316

Virtual Miura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #30 Shoju-ji Temple

      Shoju-ji Temple was founded in 1468 by Ashikaga Yoshimasa, who also built Ginkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto 15 years later.  Its first location is unknown, but, after several moves, it finally removed to the present place by the end of the 19th century.

     The inner circle of the main hall is marked off with vermillion lines.  In the middle of it, the main deity, Avalokitesvara, is deeply concealed in a divine box.  Instead, the substitute Avalokitesvara statue stands in front of the box.

     The main deity is Arya Avalokitesvara.  Tradition has it that the statue used to be the guardian deity of Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1435-1490), the 8th shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate, who also built Ginkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto 15 years later. The Arya Avalokitesvara statue, unlikely from other Arya Avalokitesvara statues, performs a mudra with its hands and fingers like Tathagata, and is called Mudra Avalokitesvara.

Address: 5 Chome-1-5 Hayashi, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 238-0315

Trees in the town.

Trees in the town.

Trees in the town.

Virtual Miura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #29 Muryo-ji Temple

     Muryo-ji Temple has a temple gate with a thatched roof.  The main deity of the main hall is Amitabha.  On its right, the Arya Avalokitesvara statue is enshrined in a divine box.  The statue used to be enshrined in a Kannon-do hall on the other side of the valley.  On September 1, 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake also hit the Miura Peninsula, and collapsed the hall.

     Muryo-ji Temple was founded by Wada Yoshimori (1147-1213) in 1189.  On the Incident of Kajiwara Kagetoki (?-1200) in 1199-1200, Yoshimori conspired with the Hojo Clan.  On the Incident of Hiki Yoshikazu (?-1203) in 1203, He conspired with the clan again.  On the Incident of Hatakeyama Shigetada (1164-1205) in 1205, he conspired with the clan again.  In 1213, however, he was provoked to fight against the clan only to be defeated.

In 1338, the temple invited Zhuxian Fanxian (1292-1348) from China and came to belong to the Linji School of Chan Buddhism.

     By the end of the 16th century, the temple was converted to the Pure And School by Priest Judo.

     The first main deity was carved by Unkei (?-1224) and was burned down in a fire in 1669.  It was re-carved in 1685 with the financial support from Mamiya Mikinojo.

     Mikinojo the first had been Mamiya Nobutaka (1553-1584), who commanded his sea forces for Hojo Ujimasa (1538-1590).  Later, he headed his sea forces for Takeda Katsuyori (1546-1582).  When the Oda and Tokugawa Clans attacked the Takeda Clan in 1582, he switched to the Tokugawa Clan, and supported their food supply.  He fought for the Tokugawa Clan together with the sea forces of Ohama Kagetaka (1540-1597) and Toda Tadatsugu (1531-1597).  When he was fighting against the Kuki sea Forces near Kanie Castle, he was killed in a fight.

     Who were Ohama Kagetaka and Toda Tadatsugu?

     The Ohama Family was a pirate family, based in Ohama, Toshi County, Shima Province.  Kagetaka 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.  He couldn’t live long enough to enter the Battle of Sekigahara, the most important decisive battle at the end of Warring States Period. 

     The Toda Family used to command the Mikawa Bay.  However, Toda Yasumitsu (?-1547), Tadatsugu’s elder brother, was killed in the fight against Imagawa Yoshimoto (1519-1560), when Tadatsugu narrowly escaped to Okazaki, where the Tokugawa Clan used to be based.  When Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) moved to Edo, Tadatsugu got based in Shimoda, Izu Province, and came to control the Izu Sea Forces.

     It is unknown what generation descendant Mikinojo in 1685 was.

Address: 4 Chome-21-18 Nagasaka, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 240-0101

Phone: 046-856-0758

Trees in the town.

Virtual Miura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #29 Muryo-ji Temple

      Muryo-ji Temple has a temple gate with a thatched roof.  The main deity of the main hall is Amitabha.  On its right, the Arya Avalokitesvara statue is enshrined in a divine box.  The statue used to be enshrined in a Kannon-do hall on the other side of the valley.  On September 1, 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake also hit the Miura Peninsula, and collapsed the hall.

     Muryo-ji Temple was founded by Wada Yoshimori (1147-1213) in 1189.  On the Incident of Kajiwara Kagetoki (?-1200) in 1199-1200, Yoshimori conspired with the Hojo Clan.  On the Incident of Hiki Yoshikazu (?-1203) in 1203, He conspired with the clan again.  On the Incident of Hatakeyama Shigetada (1164-1205) in 1205, he conspired with the clan again.  In 1213, however, he was provoked to fight against the clan only to be defeated.

In 1338, the temple invited Zhuxian Fanxian (1292-1348) from China and came to belong to the Linji School of Chan Buddhism.

     By the end of the 16th century, the temple was converted to the Pure And School by Priest Judo.

     The first main deity was carved by Unkei (?-1224) and was burned down in a fire in 1669.  It was re-carved in 1685 with the financial support from Mamiya Mikinojo.

     Mikinojo the first had been Mamiya Nobutaka (1553-1584), who commanded his sea forces for Hojo Ujimasa (1538-1590).  Later, he headed his sea forces for Takeda Katsuyori (1546-1582).  When the Oda and Tokugawa Clans attacked the Takeda Clan in 1582, he switched to the Tokugawa Clan, and supported their food supply.  When he was fighting against the Kuki sea Forces near Kanie Castle, he was killed in a fight.

     It is unknown what generation descendant Mikinojo in 1685 was.

Address: 4 Chome-21-18 Nagasaka, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 240-0101

Phone: 046-856-0758

Virtual Miura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #28 Senpuku-ji Temple

     Senpuku-ji Temple has a Kannon-do building 200 meters out of the precincts.  The statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, is enshrined in it.

     The statue used to be the main deity of Kanmyo-ji Temple nearby, which has been abolished.

     The statue was ordered by Kasuya Kiyotsugu, who was given Sashima and Kikuna in the Miura Peninsula as his fiefs by Hojo Ujiyasu (1515-1571), and was carved by Okura Nagamori, a sculptor of Buddhist images, in 1550.  Nagamori also carved Vajrapani statues for En’yu-ji Temple, Tokyo, in 1559.

Address: 2 Chome-7-1 Sajima, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 240-0103

Phone: 046-856-0227

Trees in the town.

Virtual Miura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #27 Enjo-in Temple

      Enjo-in Temple was founded by Priest Choken in 1332.  

     They perform incantations and prayers to confine asthma in sponge cucumbers.  That is the secret method performed by the priests and monks of Tiantai School of Buddhism.

Address: 4387 Akiya, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 240-0105

Phone: 046-856-8301

Trees in the town.

Virtual Miura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #26 Kansho-in Temple

      Kansho-in Temple was founded by Priest Kozan in 1634, and is managed by Saiko-ji Temple nearby.  Legend has it that the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, was carved by Unkei (?-1224).

 Address: 2154 Isshiki, Hayama, Miura District, Kanagawa 240-0115

Virtual Miura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #25 Gyokuzo-in Temple

      Gyokuzo-in Temple was founded by Priest Roben (689-774) in the middle of the 8th century.  Roben was born in Sagami Province and studied in Yamato Province.  He belonged to the Kegon sect, and was a clerical founder of the Todai-ji Temple in Nara.

Address: 2165 Kamiyamaguchi, Hayama, Miura District, Kanagawa 240-0111

Phone: 046-875-3531 

Trees in the town.

Virtual Miura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #24 Kaiho-ji Temple

      One of the egg-form pagodas in the graveyard tells Kaiho-ji Temple was founded by 1770’s.  The main hall enshrines not only the Arya Avalokitesvara statue but also those of Yama-raja and 10 Judges.  The precincts also has the stone Buddhist images of Six Ksitigarbha and Shozuka Granny as well.  The granny is believed to be waiting for the dead at the bank of the Sanzu River, the border river between this and the other worlds.  If you don’t have 6 coins, you will be stripped of all the clothes by her.  In short, the precincts show you the players in the other world.

Address: 42 Horiuchi, Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0112