Virtual Kanesawa 34 Kannon Pilgrimage

 

     Kanesawa 34 Kannon Pilgrimage had been organized by 1755.  As its name suggests, it might have copied Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage in stead of Saigoku or Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

     In 1748, 1749, and 1750 alone, there were 41 peasant uprisings in 17 provinces.  The uprisings had 4 characteristics in common.  First, each uprising was organized in each domain-wide.  Second, local administrators were targeted, and some of them committed harakiri suicides or died of illness.  Third, village heads were also targeted.  Fourth, they broke out not only in daimyo domains but also in shogunate domains.  The 4 features suggest that class differentiation was progressing in villages, and that not only some daimyos but also the shogunate were in fiscal crises.  That is, the patrimonialism which had been reinforced by Tokugawa Yoshimune (1684-1751), who was ironically praised to be the restorer of the Tokugawa Shogunate, was in bankruptcy.  To cope with the crises and the failure of the patrimonialism, mercantilism was going to be introduced in the middle of the 18th century.  That kind of social unsteadiness might have had people look to Avalokitesvara.

     We also have to talk about the Kanesawa Family and its Kanesawa Bunko, or Kanesawa Library.  The family was the branch of the Hojo Clan, and they called themselves Hojo until the fall of the Kamakura Shogunate.

     Kanesawa Sanetoki (1224-1276) studied the Myogyo Discipline, one of the disciplines under the ancient Daigaku-ryo system, an ancient Imperial university in Japan.  The head of the discipline was succeeded by the head of the Kiyohara Family, traced back to Kiyohara Hirozumi (934-1009).  8 generations after, Noritaka (1199-1265) moved to Kamakura and gave lessons to shoguns and other important samurais, including Sanetoki.  Sanetoki was a good students, and collected many classics written in Chinese or in Japanese.  That is, he started building Kanesawa Library.  His descendants kept building the library, and his grandson, Sadaaki (1278-1333), collected and even copied many classics in Kyoto when he was working for Rokuhara Tandai, the Kyoto Agency of the Kamakura Shogunate, from 1302 to 1304.  Sadaaki had an eye disease in June, 1330, and killed himself when Kamakura fell to Nitta Yoshisada (1301-1338), who destroyed the Kamakura Shogunate, cooperating with Ashikaga Takauji (1305-1358).

     I’m looking to something very cultural in Kanesawa 34 Kannon Pilgrimage.

Virtual Kanesawa 34 Kannon Pilgrimage #1 Kaigan-ji Temple

 

     There used to be Kaigan-ji Temple, which was merged into Shomyo-ji Temple.  The main deity of Kaigan-ji Temple, the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, was moved to Shomyo-ji Temple, and now is preserved in Kanesawa Bunko Museum.

     In May, 1314, Kanesawa Sadaaki (1278-1333) got a trouble with Imahie-jingu Shrine.  He dispatched Kashima Suezane to Kamakura to make an excuse.  Suezane met Kenna (1261-1338) at Shomyo-ji Temple, and the two talked behind closed door to settle the trouble.

     It was the Kashima Family that founded Kaigan-ji Temple, while Shomyo-ji Temple was the family temple of the Kanesawa Family.

     Kaigan-ji Temple was abolished in 1907.  Today, Kanesawa Daini Park is located at the site of the temple.

Kanesawacho Daini Park

Address: 184-132 Kanesawacho, Kanesawa Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0015

Phone: 045-781-2511

Kanesawa Bunko Museum

Address: 142 Kanesawacho, Kanesawa Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0015

Phone: 045-701-9069 

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #33 Jigan-ji Temple

     Jigan-ji Temple was founded by Hojo Tsunashige (1515-1587) in the middle of the 16th century.  The main deity was the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, which had been carved around the 13th century.

     Imagawa Yoshitada (1436-1476) was killed in a battle when he invaded Totomi Province in 1476.  His son, Ryuomaru, was just 4 years old then, and his cousin, Oshika Norimitsu (?-1487), was also watching for the succession.  The Ashikaga Shogunate dispatched Ise Moritoki (1456-1519) to mediate the infighting.  It was Ryuomaru who succeeded Yoshitada and changed his name to Ujichika (1471-1526).  When Ujichika died, as he had no son yet, his younger brothers, Nagasane (1517-1536), a child of a concubine, and Yoshimoto (1519-1560), a child of a lawful wife, struggled for the succession.  As the concubine was from the Kushima Family, Kushima Masashige (1492-1536) supported Nagasane and was defeated.  His family asked Hojo Ujitsuna (1487-1541) for protection.  Masashige's son, Tsunashige (1515-1587), became a favorite with Ujitsuna, who married his daughter to Tsunashige.

Address: 5-1-13, Watauchi, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 251-0011

Phone: 0466-23-7413

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #32 Niden-ji Temple

     Niden-ji Temple was founded by Priest Shoku, financially supported by Hojo Ujitoki (?-1531), the younger brother of Ujitsuna (1487-1541), the second head of the Later Hojo Clan.  Ujitoki was the lord of Tamanawa Castle.  After the collapse of the Later Hojo Clan, the temple once declined.  It was revived by Matsudaira Masatsugu, who adopted Okochi Masatsugu (1576-1648), who became the lord of the Tamanawa Domain under the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Address: 3 Chome-13-1 Watauchi, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 251-0011

Phone: 0466-23-8258   

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #31 Shofuku-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when and why Shofuku-ji Temple was founded.  It has had no priest for years and, at the foot of the temple, there lives the Tsubaki Family, who have taken care of the temple for generations.

Address: 1529 Iijimacho, Sakae Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 244-0842

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #30 Tomyo-ji Temple

 

     Sugiura Katsuhisa (?-1776) built Sugi-Shorei Shrine in 1773 to enshrine the soul of his ancestor, Katsuyoshi.  In 1788, the shrine was moved to the precincts of Tomyo-ji Temple.

     Sugiura Katsuyoshi (?-1612) first fought for Matsudaira Hirotada (1526-1549), the father of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616).  In 1560, when Tokugawa Ieyasu sent military provisions to the Otaka Castle, which was surrounded by the army of Oda Nobunaga, Katsuyoshi went scouting and led the operation successful.  In 1563, he participated in suppressing the Ikko-ikki, a rebellion of monks, samurai, and peasants who were strongly against samurai rule and who were bonded through the True Pure Land Buddhism.  He fought well in the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1573, the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, and the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute in 1584.  He was given Kosuzume Village, Kamakura County, Sagami Province in 1591.

Address: 1160 Kosuzumecho, Totsuka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 244-0004

Phone: 045-851-6668 

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #29 Gyokusen-ji Temple

 

     Gyokusen-ji Temple was founded by Tachibana Tsunekiyo in 1321.  His elder brother, Tsunemitsu, was working in Hyuga Province.  Tunemitsu believed in Avalokitesvara and Bhaisajyaguru so devotedly that they sent Tsunekiyo a message that Tsunemitsu had died.  Tsunekiyo built the temple to thank them.

     Priest Shogi transferred it to the Chan Sect, and renamed it Gyokusen-ji in1330’s.

Address: 1595 Kanaicho, Sakae Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 244-0845

Phone: 045-851-1130

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #28 Sengen Shrine

 

     Daiun-ji Temple was founded by Priest Senyo in 1596.

     Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) invaded Korea in 1592 and in 1597.  In 1593, he got a son, and cornered his nephew, Hidetsugu (1568-1595), to commit suicide, and killed Hidetsugu’s children and wives in 1595; 29 of them!  It was one of those days the temple was founded.

     Daiun-ji was officially authorized as a Buddhist temple in 1649.

     Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604-1651), the third shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate, dissolved many clans to strengthen the power of the shogunate.  That increased the number of masterless samurais and destabilized the society.  To stabilize the society, he strengthened the danka system.  Every citizen was supposed to belong to a Buddhist temple.  That increased the number of temples and some masterless samurais became monks or priests.

     It was in one of those years that Daiun-ji Temple was authorized as a Buddhist temple.

     Daiun-ji Temple was quite new and organized artificially.  The precincts still has Koshin-do Shrine, which was based on the Koshin folk faith in Japan.      The faith is a mixture of Taoism, Buddhism, and Shinto.  It used to have an Avalokitesvara shrine, which was called Sengen-do, which might have had something to do with Sengen Shrine nearby.  The precincts also has a Ksitigarbha stone statue, which is believed to have been engraved by Kukai (774-835).

     The precincts of the temple and Sengen Shrine must have been a holy place for people living around them since earlier times.

Daiun-ji Temple

Address: 3 Chome−9−2 Harajuku, Totsuka, Yokohama, Kanagawa 245-0063

Phone: 045-851-6570

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #27 Hoju-in Temple

     There used to be Renge-ji Temple.  The main deity, the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, was said to have been carved by Unkei (?-?).  It is totally unknown when Renge-ji Temple was founded, why and when it was abolished.  The deity was moved to Hoju-in Temple.

Hoju-in Temple

Address: 4 Chome-32-6 Gumizawa, Totsuka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 245-0061

Phone: 045-881-3900

Trees in the town.

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #26 Chuden-ji Temple

 

     Chuden-ji Temple was founded by Priest Ryokaku (?-1617), financially supported by Ishimaki Yasumasa (1534-1613).

     Ishimaki Iesada was succeeded by his eldest son, Yasumori (?-1579), in 1568.  However, Yasumori died young and he was succeeded by the third son of Iesada, Yasumasa.  Both the brothers were such important vassals that they were given “yasu” from their lord, Hojo Ujiyasu (1515-1571).  In 1582, when the Later Hojo Clan was fighting against the Tokugawa Clan, Yasumasa was defending Tatebayashi Castle in Kozuke Province.

     In 1587, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598), the then biggest gun in Japan, forbade other clans to fight each other.  In November, 1589, however, the Later Hojo Clan occupied the Nagurumi Castle in Shimotsuke Province, using a trick.  Yasumasa was dispatched to Hideyoshi to make excuses, which were not accepted by Hideyoshi.  On his way back to the Later Hojo Clan’s territory, Yasumasa was captivated in the Sanmaibashi Castle in Suruga Province.  After the collapse of the clan in 1590, he was taken in custody by Tokugawa Ieyasu.  He was later hired by Ieyasu, and became the lord of Nakata Village.

Address: 2 Chome-11-41 Nakatakita, Izumi Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 245-0012

Phone: 045-802-1415

Trees in the town.

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #25 Shoho-ji Temple

 

     Shoho-ji Temple is regarded as a sub-temple of Hoshin-ji Temple, or a building outside the precincts of Hoshin-ji Temple.  Nothing is known about Shoho-ji Temple, but it has its own grave yard and a shed to keep dippers and buckets for the grave visitors.  That is, it has its own supporting member families.

Address: 5219 Izumicho, Izumi Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 245-0016

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #24 Oishi-ji Temple

 

     Oishi-ji Temple used to be here since early times.  It had enshrined the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, carved by Gyoki 668-749).  The temple was abolished due to the movement to abolish Buddhism and destroy Buddhist images at the beginning of the Meiji Period.  The deity was moved to #23 Kannon-ji Temple.  After the abolishment, the village was prone to bad luck.  The villagers got the statue back in 1952, and enshrined it in the site of Oishi-ji Temple, where Yanamyo Shrine is located today.

Address: 4579 Kamiiidacho, Izumi Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 245-0018

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #23 Kannon-ji Temple

 

     Kannon-ji Temple was founded by Priest Kojun (?-1639), financially supported by Ando Masayoshi (1604-1666), the third head of the Akuwa-Ando Family.  They were the branch family of the Ando Clan from Mikawa Province and moved to Akuwa Village, Kamakura County, Sagami Province, in 1591, following Tokugawa Ieyasu’s moving to the Kanto Region.

     On July 11, 1630, Kawai Matagoro (1615-1634) killed Watanabe Gendayu in Okayama.  Matagoro ran away, and asked Masayoshi to shelter him.  The Tokugawa Shogunate was following the rule: When two fight, both are to blame.  The lord of the Okayama Domain was moved to Tottori, and Masayoshi was placed on a 100-day suspension in Kanei-ji Temple.  However, Gendayu’s elder brother, Kazuma, kept trying to take revenge.  Finally, on November 7, 1634, Kazuma killed Matagoro at the Kagiya-no-tsuji crossroads, in Iga City, Mie Prefecture today.  It became one of the 3 greatest revenge incidents in Japan.  I can hardly understand why it was so great though.

     Kannon-ji Temple used to be the family temple of the Akuwa-Ando Family, with Masayoshi’s grave at O-Haka-yama (1 Chome−７ Akuwaminami, Seya Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 246-0026), along with those of his grandfather, Sadatsugu (1540-1600), who was killed in the Siege of Fushimi.  Fushimi Castle was located between Osaka and Kyoto, and was the westernmost military base for Ieyasu.  When the Toyotomi and Tokugawa Clans fought a decisive war in 1600.  The castle garrison dare to hold the castle suicidally.  Ultimately, the castle fell after 10 days, but the 10 days served a crucial role in allowing for greater strategic victories by Ieyasu.

     Masayoshi's father, Masatsugu (1565-1615), who killed himself during the Siege of Osaka.  On August 7, the father attacked the enemy line and was deadly hurt.  Although he was praised by Tokugawa Hidetada (1579-1632), he killed himself in Gansho-ji Temple in Hirano Village near Osaka on 19, realizing he had been injured beyond recovery.

     It might have exerted great pressure on Masayoshi to have such a heroic grandfather and a father.  He showed unnecessary chivalry. 

Address: 1157 Shinbashicho, Izumi Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 245-0009

Phone: 045-811-1405

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #22 Seigen-in Temple

 

     A Nagabayashi, a relative of Adachi Morinaga (1135-1200) founded Rincho-ji Temple. which was abolished sometime in the Warring States Period.

     Man (1577-1653) was one of the daughters of Masaki Yoritada (1551-1622).  After his death, her mother remarried Kageyama Ujihiro, the 6th descendant of Ashikaga Mochiuji (1398-1439).  He was a vassal of the Later Hojo Clan, which was destroyed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) in 1590.  Ujihiro confined himself to Izu Province.  Somehow or other, Man was adopted by Egawa Hidenaga (1561-1632), when he was working for the Later Hojo Clan.   He killed his coworker, Kasahara Hayato, and ran off to Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616).  When Ieyasu’s second daughter, Fu, was married to Hojo Ujinao (1562-1591), he accompanied her.  When Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) attacked the Later Hojo Clan together with Ieyasu and other warlords, Hidenaga ran off to Ieyasu again.  His father, Hideyoshi (1546-1625), was holding the Nirayama Castle for the Later Hojo Clan.  The father and son had secret communication and had the castle surrendered.  Hidenaga succeeded Hideyoshi’s territory.  On the other hand, the Egawa Family had inherited sake brewing.  One day, Hidenaga and Hideyoshi presented their sake to Ieyasu, who appreciated the sake very highly.  The sake might have worked as a go-between, Man made another concubine of Ieyasu’s.

     Man gave birth to Yorinobu (1602-1671), who started the Kishu-Tokugawa Family, and Yorifusa (1603-1661), who started the Mito-Tokugawa Family.  At the age of over 40, she retired.  In 1616, Ieyasu got sick, and Man paid him a visit.  He was overjoyed and gave her his Amitabha Tathagata statue, which Emperor Go-Shirakawa (1127-1192) had Kaikei (?-?) carve.  After the death of Ieyasu, she looked for a holy place and enshrined the statue at the site of Rincho-ji Temple, and renamed it Chorin-ji.  She made a nun with the name Seigen-in.

     The temple also has the statue of Sahasrabhuja, who has 1,000 arms, which is said to have been carved by Gyoki (668-749).

Address: 4907 Totsukacho, Totsuka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 244-0003

Phone: 045-862-9336

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #21 Zoden-ji Temple

 

     Since 1552 till 1569, Uesugi Terutora (1530-1578) and Hojo Ujiyasu (1515-1571) fought against each other severely.  All fo a sudden, in June, 1569, the two concluded an alliance.  Some vassals of the both sides were discontented with the alliance and left the camps.

     In 1570, Priest Sodo (?-1597) built a hermitage in Kami-Kurata Village and named it Saiko-in.

     After the Later Hojo Clan was destroyed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) in 1590, the Horiuchi Family settled in Kami-Kurata Village as farmers.  They built a hermitage to enshrine their family guardian Buddhist image, the statue of Sahasrabhuja, who has 1,000 arms, which had been carved by Gyoki (668-749).

     Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604-1651), the third shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate, dissolved many clans to strengthen the power of the shogunate.  That increased the number of masterless samurais and destabilized the society.  To stabilize the society, he strengthened the danka system.  Every citizen was supposed to belong to a Buddhist temple.  That increased the number of temples and some masterless samurais became monks or priests.

     In one of those years, Priest Denyo (?-1680) merged the two hermitages and founded a new temple, Zoden-ji Temple.

     In the late Edo Period, Priest Taiun liked composing tanka poems.  Accordingly, many poets and literary men visited the temple.  They included Suzuki Hisayoshi (1774-1846), whose library is still kept in the National Institute of Japanese Literature, Kato Chikage (1735-1808), who started the Chikage style Japanese calligraphy, which Higuchi Ichiyo (1872-1896) studied, and Murata Harumi (1746-1811), whose family business was the fish fertilizer wholesaler which was ruined by his extravagant life.

 

Address: 318 Kamikuratacho, Totsuka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 244-0816

Phone: 045-881-0852

Trees in the town.

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #20 Enpuku-ji Temple

     Enpuku-ji Temple was founded by Priest Bunju at the end of the 16th century.  The statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, had been carved by Genshin (942-1017).  In 1573, the Japanese era name Genki was changed to Tensho.  The new era name was suggested by Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), but not Ashikaga Yoshiaki (1537-1597), the 15th shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate.  Enpuku-ji Temple was founded when Nobunaga was replacing the Ashikaga Clan as the head of samurais.

Address: 336 Maiokacho, Totsuka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 244-0813

Trees in the town.

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #19 Chofuku-ji Temple

 

     Chofuku-ji Temple was founded in 1400 by Priest Zokushu (?-1463).  How long did he live?  The precincts has a small building which enshrines the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, which was carved by Gyoki (668-749) and which used to be the personal guardian Buddhist image of Hojo Masako (1157-1225).

Address: 2589 Maiokacho, Totsuka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 244-0813

Phone: 045-822-3139

Trees in the town.

Trees in the town.

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #18 Jonen-ji Temple

     Taira Tsunenaga (1024-1108) ruled some part of Kazusa and Shimousa Provinces.  His second son, Tsunekane (1045-1126), started calling his family Chiba.  His fourth son, Tsuneyasu (?-?), started calling his family Usui.

     The Usui Family built the Usui Castle by the middle of the 14th century.

     Usui Kagetane (1496-1557) was the last head of the family as the castellan.

     Hara Tanesada (1507-1575) married his daughter to the Usui Family.  Did he have the intension to trap the family into ruin from the start?  I don’t know.

     But Tanesada took away the Usui Castle after he or Hara Chikakimi (?-1589) assassinated his lord, Chiba Chikatane (1541-1557), the then head of the Chiba Clan, on August 7, 1557.  Tanesada kept his daughter's eldest son, Hisatane, in the castle.  Her second son, Tanetomo, escaped and reached Noba, Kamakura County, on August 15, 1557, with 30 of samurais and their family members and 300 of foot soldiers and their family members, that is farmers.  It was an army!  As Hisatane went in exile to the Yuki Castle of Yuki Harutomo (1534-1614) in 1561 at the age of 14, when the Usui Castle fell to Masaki Nobushige (1540-1564), one of the vassals of Satomi Yoshihiro(1530-1578), Tanetomo must have been just 8 or 9 years old at the time.

     7 years later, on March 25, 1564, presumably after Tanetomo came of age, Jonen-ji Temple was founded by him to pray for the repose of Chiba Chikatane and Usui Moritane (?-1557).  Chikatane was assassinated by Hara Tanesada on August 7.  Moritane was also killed on that occasion.

     Tanetomo not only led an evacuation army at the age of 8 or 9, he also built a temple as soon as he came of age.  Above all, he opened up the wilds in Noba to have his army settle there.  How able, competent, efficient, and maybe commanding he was!  Or was he?  There must have been someone else who supported him until he can show his leadership by himself.  As that someone’s name wasn’t recorded, the said person could have been a woman.

     Later, Tanetomo became the subject of the Later Hojo Clan.  But the clan was destroyed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) in 1590.  After that, Tanetomo became a farmer or a village headman at the age of 40 or so.

Generations later, his descendant runs Cafe Koyagi in Noba, Yokohama City today.

Address: 1843 Nobacho, Konan Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 234-0056

Phone: 045-842-7288 

Cafe Koyagi

Address: 1853 Nobacho, Konan Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 234-0056

Phone: 090-4816-1492

http://koyagi1853.blog.fc2.com 

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #17 Sakanaka-ji Temple

 

     Sakanaka-ji Temple has been abolished.  It is unknown when it was founded and when it was abolished.  Its Avalokitesvara statue is supposed to have been moved to Komyo-ji Temple.

     Komyo-ji Temple was founded by Hata Kawakatsu, who was one of the aides to Prince Umayado (574-622).  According to legend, Xiaowu was a great-grandson of Qin Shi Huang (259 BC-210 BC).  Xiaowu’s son, Gongman, came to Japan in 366.  His son, Rongtong, also came to Japan 84 years later.  Really?  Anyway, Kawakatsu was a descendant of Rongtong, whose Japanese name was Yuduki.  Anyway, when Kawakatsu was making an inspection tour in the area, he noticed something radiating among plum trees, and found the statue of Prince Umayado at the age of 16.  By the time he was 16 years old, Prince Umayado had fought against Mononobe Moriya (?-587), and had started politically rivaling against Soga Umako (551-626).  Anyway, Kawakatsu built Sempuku-ji Temple to enshrine the statue.  It is unknown when and why it was renamed as Komyo-ji.

Komyo-ji Temple

Address: 1054 Kamigocho, Sakae Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 247-0013

Phone: 045-891-7729

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #16 Eirin-ji Temple

 

     Eirin-ji Temple was founded by Priest Ryoyu, who died on June 13, 1615.

     In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) destroyed the Later Hojo Clan, and virtually unified Japan.

     Between 1596 and 1615, the Japanese Archipelago had had many big and even great earthquakes: on September 1, 1596, in Iyo Province, on 4 in the same month in Bungo Province, and on 5 around Kyoto, on February 3, 1605.  A great tsunami hit the large Pacific coast, on September 27, 1611.  Another great earthquake in Aizu Province on September, 1611.  Another great tsunami hit the Pacific coast of the northeastern part of Honshu Island on December 2, 1611.  On October 25, 1614, another great earthquake shook many provinces between Aizu in the northeastern part of Honshu Island and Iyo in shikoku Island.

     On May 8, 1615, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) destroyed the Toyotomi Clan.

     Ryoyu might have established Eirin-ji Temple on one of those days, and died about a year before Ieyasu’s death.

Address: 485 Kudencho, Sakae Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 247-0014

Phone: 045-892-3713

Trees in the town.

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #15 Hoan-ji Temple

 

     Hoan-ji Temple was founded by Priest Ryosen on October 3, 1445, and was revived by Priest Chiso in 1508.  It means the temple was once abandoned or became priest-less for some time between 1445 and 1508.  Why?

     First of all, the South and North Courts Period in Japan lasted from 1336 to 1392.  During the period, the institutional changes in the manorial system that formed the bedrock of the income of nobles and warriors alike decisively altered the status of the various social groups.  Even after the period, some undermined groups tried to revive themselves under the name of South Courts, the loser.  On September 23, 1443, a group intruded into the Inner Imperial Palace and took away 2 of the Three Sacred Treasures of the Imperial Regalia of Japan: the sword and the jewel.  The unstable society might have had people look to Buddhism.

     Without any dramatic tradition or a Buddhist image by a famous historical figure, the temple might have been forgotten by people.

     At the turn of the 16th century, when Hoan-ji Temple was revived, Ise Sozui (1456-1519) came from Kyoto to the Kanto Region to make a Warring-States-Period hero there.  He first got based in Izu Province, and then invaded the eastern provinces castle by castle. He captured the Odawara Castle in Sagami Province in 1495, won in the Battle of Tashikawanohara against the Uesugi Clan on September 27, 1504, captured the Gongenyama Castle in Musashi Province in 1510, the Okazaki Castle in the center of Sagami Province in 1512, and the Misaki Castle at the tip of the Miura Peninsula in 1516.  Of course, there were winners and losers.  Some losers might have looked to Buddhism for salvation; some winners for justification.

     After the Warring States Period, there came the Pax Tokugawa.  Didn’t people need to look to Buddhism for salvation?  I don’t know.  Anyway, the Tokugawa Shogunate established the danka system, and every citizen in Japan was supposed to belong to a Buddhist temple.  Accordingly, the number of temples increased.  The Ekadasamukha statue in Hoan-ji Temple has been looking at people with its 11 affectionate faces.

Address: 5 Chome-20-16 Kasama, Sakae Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 247-0006

Phone: 045-892-2825

Trees in the town.

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #14 Tamon-in Temple

 

     There used to be Okano-Kannon-do Temple at the foot of Mt. Rokkokuken-zan.

     Fujiwara Kamatari (614-669) was the founder of the Fujiwara Clan.  The Ancient Japan was under their thumb.  By the 8th century, the Fujiwara Clan founded Kashima and Katori Shrines in Kanto to accelerate the invasion of the Northeast part of Honshu Island.

     Someya Tokitada was the fourth descendant of Kamatari.  The clan members of the same generation included Fujiwara Uchimaro (756-812), who was in control of the Imperial Court.  Tokitada was commanding the Imperial armies in the 8 provinces of Kanto; Kozuke, Shimotsuke, Hitachi, Musashi, Kazusa, Shimosa, Awa, and Sagami.  He was based in Yuhi, Kamakura, Sagami.

     One day, his 3-year-old daughter was kidnapped for vengeance or power struggles.  She was torn to bits.  He built 7 towers in Kamakura where her bits were found.  Her main part was found at the southern foot of Mt. Rokkokuken-zan (literally means 6 Provinces View Mountain), from which 6 provinces(Musashi, Kazusa, Shimosa, Awa, Sagami, and Izu) could be seen, a very profound and significant place to abandon the little body.  The reported suspects shared some features with medieval tengu.  That might mean they were the ancient ancestors of tengu or mountain people.  The tragedy also reminds me of what broke out around Komatsu-ji Temple, #26 of Old Awa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, in medieval days.

     At the foot of Mt. Rokkokuken-zan, Tokitada enshrined the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, with her bones in it.  Later, it came to be called Okano-Kannon-do Temple.

     After the Meiji Restoration, because of the movement to abolish Buddhism and destroy Siddhartha images, the temple was abolished and the statue was moved to Tamon-in Temple.

     Among the 7 stone towers, only one is left at 5-1 Sasamecho, Kamakura.  More than 12 centuries have passed.  How long the sorrow of losing beloved daughter has lingered!

Address: 2035 Ofuna, Kamakura, Kanagawa 247-0056

Phone: 0467-46-3591

Trees in the town.

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #13 Kamei-do Temple

 

     In 1735, the Bessho Family invited the god of Iwashimizu-Hachiman Shrine here.  At the foot of the stone steps, there used to be Kamei-do Temple, which used to enshrined the Arya Avalokitesvara statue.  The history of the temple is totally unknown, save that it has been abolished sometime somehow.

Address: 1929-2 Dai, Kamakura, Kanagawa 247-0061

Phone: 0467-45-4891

Trees in the town.

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #12 Butsunichi-an Temple

     Engaku-ji Temple was founded in 1282 by Hojo Tokimune (1251-1284), who was the practical ruler of Japan then.  He experienced the Mongolian Invasions of Japan in 1274 and in 1281 and built the temple to hold memorial service for the war dead of both the parties.

     Butsunichi-an Temple is a branch temple of Engaku-ji Temple, and, presumably, the body of Tokimune was buried beneath it.  The temple enshrines the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, which was the guardian Buddhist image of Tokimune.

     After the fall of the Hojo Clan, the temple also declined.  In the latter half of the 16th century, when numerous warlords were competing with one another for power, with multiple alliances formed and dissolved, Priest Kakuin Shuin from the Later Hojo Clan revived it.

Address: 434 Yamanouchi, Kamakura, Kanagawa 247-0062

Phone: 0467-25-3562

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #11 Tokei-ji Temple

 

     Tokei-ji Temple was founded in 1285 by Nun Kakusan, the wife of Hojo Tokimune (1251–1284).  She was from the Adachi Family.  After Tokimune’s death, her son, Sadatoki (1272-1311), destroyed the family, but she sheltered the children of the family.  She made up her mind to build a shelter for war widows, and founded Tokei-ji Temple.

     Nun Yodo (?-1396), the fifth chief nun, was the daughter of Emperor Go-Daigo (1288-1339).  The emperor was successful in overthrowing the Kamakura Shogunate and restoring the  direct government by an emperor.  However, the royal government was soon overthrown by the Muromachi Shogunate.  Prince Moriyoshi (1308-1335) was confined in a dungeon in Kamakura.  His sister, Yodo, was sheltered in Tokei-ji Temple.

     Nun Kyokuzan (?-1557), who was the 17th chief nun, was the second eldest daughter of Ashikaga Yoshiaki (?-1538), who was killed in the battle against Hojo Ujitsuna(1487-1541).

     When Yoshiaki was killed, his wife and 3 daughters tried get sheltered by the Satomi Clan in Awa Province.  But, under the hard pressure from Ujitsuna,  the Satomi Clan extradited them to the domain of Ujitsuna, Sagami Province, where the four were sheltered or captivated in Tokei-ji Temple.  Ujitsuna might have known the asset effect of the girls with the noble bloodline as a young ladies of the Ashikaga Clan, the shogunate clan.

     After coming of age, the eldest daughter, however, became a nun and moved to Taihei-ji Temple, where she made the chief nun later.  After coming of age, the second daughter also became a nun and stayed in Tokei-ji Temple, where she made the chief nun later.  The youngest daughter alone got married to Uesugi Norihiro (?-1551), the Butler or Regent of Kanto Deputy Shogun.  The elder two could have remembered tragedies of battles too clearly.  So believed the people of the Later Hojo Clan, as well as the second daughter.

     Like a bolt in the blue, in 1556, the eldest eloped from Kamakura with Satomi Yoshihiro(1530-1578), the ruler of Awa Province then.  Hojo Ujiyasu (1515-1571) was ruling Sagami Province, where Kamakura was located.  Ujitsuna refereed to the elopement as "an incomprehensible attempt.”  How did the second daughter assess their attempt?  Taihei-ji Temple was abolished by Ujiyasu out of spite.  Nun Kyokuzan died almost a year later.

     The eldest also “sneaked” the Arya Avalokitesvara statue in Taihei-ji Temple with her.  After her death, the statue was returned to Kamakura to let Ujiyasu save face, and was enshrined in Tokei-ji Temple.  That was years after the death of Nun Kyokuzan.   What did the second feel in her grave with the statue which had gone back and forth?  Or was she already enlightened enough to feel nothing?

     Nun Tenshu, the 20th chief nun, was the daughter of Toyotomi Hideyori (1593-1615).  Hideyori was killed by Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616), but she was sheltered in Tokei-ji Temple.  In 1630’s, she burst a gut.  In the Aizu Domain, the lord, Kato Yoshiaki (1563-1631), came into a conflict with the chief retainer, Hori Mondo.  Mondo ran away from the domain with 300 of his family members and followers, shooting guns against the castle.  He escaped into Mt. Koya, but was arrested and executed with his younger brothers.  His wife escaped into Tokei-ji Temple.  Nun Tensho refused her extradition resolutely.

     The Tokugawa Period enjoyed a long peace, and the shelter changed its character.  In Japan, men could easily divorce their wives but wives had great difficulty divorcing their husbands.  Tokei-ji Temple allowed women to become officially divorced after staying there for two years.  During the Tokugawa period alone, an estimated 2,000 women sought shelter there.

     After the Meiji Restoration, the modern government tried to be almighty, and took away the power from the temple. Since then, we have enjoyed modern governance for centuries.  But I wonder women really don’t need shelters. 

Address: 1367 Yamanouchi, Kamakura, Kanagawa 247-0062

Phone: 0467-22-1663

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #10 Hatto Hall

 

     Hatto Hall was built in 1275, 12 years after Hojo Tokiyori (1227-1263) died. We often have a Buddhist memorial service for the dead 2 years ater their death, sometimes after 6 years, and rarely after 12 years.  Tokiyori must have been very memorable.  In fact, he was a very popular statesman who built a welfare-warfare shogunate.  His popularity spinned off the Noh play, Hachinoki:

     At dusk with snow falling heavily, a traveling monk appeared at the hermitage on the outskirts of Sano Village and asked for a night’s lodging. The resident samurai once refused.  He was too poor to entertain him.  But he let the monk in, who was suffering from the snowy road.  He served a small meal. His name was Sano Genzaemon.  He said that he formerly owned more than 30 villages, but that he was deprived of everything by the embezzlement of his relatives and fell down like this. As he talked, all the firewood was exhausted and the fire was about to go out, but there was no firewood to add. Genzaemon brought three pots of pine, plum, and cherry, which were a proudest boast that had been collected in the old days when he prospered.  He found them useless now, and used them as firewood.  He broke them and put the pieces on the fire. Although he had lost everything, he still kept his armor, naginata and an old horse.  He said that once he was summoned from Kamakura, he would ride on his horse, rush to Kamakura with his naginata as soon as possible and fight for his life.

     In the new year, spring came, and suddenly Kamakura called for an emergency call. Genzaemon put on old armor, carried a rusty naginata on his back, and rushed on a thin horse.  When he arrived in Kamakura, he was summoned before Hojo Tokiyori. While the generals were lined up, Tokiyori said to Genzaemon who prostrated in torn armor, "Do you remember the monk traveling in the snowy night? That wa actually me.  I'm glad that you've come so early."  Tokiyori not only returned Genzaemon his former territories, but also gave him three territories (the territory of Umeda Manor in Kaga Province, Sakurai Manor in Etchu Province, and Matsuida Manor in Kozuke Province) as new prizes. Genzaemon gratefully withdrew and returned to Sano Village cheerfully.

Address: 8 Yamanouchi, Kamakura, Kanagawa 247-0062

Phone: 0467-22-0981

Virtual Old Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #9 Kencho-ji Temple

 

     The area where Kencho-ji Temple is located today used to be called Jigoku-dani Valley (namely Hell Valley), where criminals were executed.  There used to be Shinpei-ji Temple (literally Peaceful Mind Temple), but it was moved when Kencho-ji Temple was built.

     Kencho-ji Temple was founded by Lanxi Daolong (1213-1278), who had been born in Shu Province (present-day Sichuan Province), China.

     Later, Wuan Puning (1197-1276) also visited the temple from China. Wuan is pronounced “gottan” in Japanese.  He made such difficult lectures that they were troublesome for his students.  We came to use a Japanese phrase “gotagota” for something troublesome after Wuan’s troublesome lectures.

Address: 8 Yamanouchi, Kamakura, Kanagawa 247-8525

Phone: 0467-22-0981

Trees in the town.