Virtual Quasi-Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage #31 Chosen-ji Temple

 

     It is unrecorded when Chosen-ji Temple was founded, but Kono Michiari presented 2.5 hectors of farmland to Chosen-ji Temple.  When?  And, above all, who was Kono Michiari?

     When Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) moved to Edo after the collapse of the Later Hojo Clan 1590, he organized the Hachioji Corps of the Thousand with the ex-vassals of the Takeda Clan.  The corps were led by 10 families, and the Kono Family was one of the 10.  They claimed themselves to be the descendants of the Kono Clan in Iyo Province.

     The Kono Clan in Iyo Province had collapsed when Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) invaded the Shikoku Island in 1585.  Kono Michishige (1510-1595) moved to Kai Province and became a vassal of the Takeda Clan.  6 generations later, Kono Michiari presented 2.5 hectors of farmland to Chosen-ji Temple.  Let me make a slight digression.  Michiari’s grandson, Chujiro (1827-1882), fought the Battle of Ueno against the Imperial troops.

     Chosen-ji Temple used to be located in Fudo Gorge west of Yamada Village.  Priest Kakusui, who died sometime between 1744 and 1747, moved the temple to the present place.

     In 1742, a super-typhoon made landfall at Osaka and hit Edo.  It started raining on August 26, and the storm hit the provinces between Osaka and Edo, causing many rivers to flood.  Along Chikuma River alone, more than 200 tons of water was estimated to have flooded.  On 30, the typhoon hit Edo, and not only downtowns but even samurai mansions on the heights were flooded.  On September 1, Tone, Ara, and Tama Rivers flooded.  On 6, another typhoon hit the Kanto Region, and it kept flooding till 8.  Presumably, the former temple buildings, written documents, and precincts were lost in the flood.

Address: 7 Chome-10-4 Kitayamata, Tsuzuki Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 224-0021

Phone:  045-591-3024