Virtual Kanesawa 34 Kannon Pilgrimage #12 Deigyu-an Hermitage

     Deigyu-an Hermitage was built by Priest Nanzan Shiun (1254-1335) after the Hojo Clan was destroyed by Nitta Yoshisada (1301-1338) at the end of the Kamakura period.  Hojo Takatoki (1304-1333) had asked the priest before his death to enshrine his guardian deity, the Arya Avalokitesvara statue, and to pray for the comfort of the Hojo Clan in the other world.

     In 1438, the Eikyo War broke out between Ashikaga Mochiuji (1398-1439) and Uesugi Norizane (1410-1466) in the Kanto Region today.  Monk Ebina was fighting for Mochiuji, who lost.  Finally, the monk killed himself in Deigyu-an Hermitage.

     Deigyu-an Hermitage was moved to the present location when Yonekura Tadasuke (1706-1735) built his mansion around the precincts.

     Tadasuke was the 6th son of Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu (1659-1714), a favorite of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (1646-1709), the 5th shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Tsunayoshi is known for instituting animal protection laws, particularly for dogs. This earned him the nickname of "the dog shogun" somewhat in contempt.

     In 1710, Tadasuke was adopted by Yonekura Masateru (1683-1712), the lord of Minagawa Domain in Shimotsuke Province, and succeeded to the head of the Yonekura Clan and became the lord of Minagawa Domain in 1712.

     After Yoshiyasu died in 1714, Tadasuke’s luck waned.  On July 27, 1722, he was transferred to Mutsuura Domain in southern Musashi Province, (Kanesawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, today).

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