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.

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