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