Virtual Tama River 34 Kannon Pilgrimage #23 Io-ji Temple

 

     From October, 1708, to May, 1709, measles raged nationwide.  Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (1646-1709), the 5th shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate, died of it.  A farmer in Omaru Village founded a temple to enshrine a statue of Bhaisajyaguru, who is the Buddha of healing and medicine.  The statue is sitting and 79 centimeters tall, and has Suryaprabha and Candraprabha statues on its left and right, with the statues of Twelve Heavenly Generals surrounding the three; Kiṃbhira, Vajra, Mekhila, Antila, Anila, Santhila, Indala, Payila, Mahala, Cidala (Kimnara), Caundhula, and Vikala, which are to protect and guard Bhaisajyaguru.

     The temple belonged to the True Pure Land Buddhism at first, but was transferred to Tiantai Sect by Priest Eijun in 1737.

     Between the temple and Tama River, there is a cluster of mounds.

Nitta Yoshisada (1301-1338) raised his army in Ikushina Shrine in Kozuke Province with 150-strong cavalry on May 8, 1333.  He was to meet 100,000-strong cavalry of the Kamakura Shogunate somewhere between Kozuke and Sagami Provinces.  The shogunate had been established by the Minamoto Clan, beating down the Taira Clan, but had been controlled by the Hojo Clan, who were the branch clan of the Taira Clan, after the 4th shogun.  The Nitta Family was one of the powerful branch families of the Minamoto Clan.

     Yoshisada had pride in his bloodline and content against the Hojo Clan.  When he arrived at Tone River, the number of his cavalry increased to 7,000 strong.  After crossing the river, the number jumped to 207,000.  He defeated the garrisons of the Kamakura Shogunate along Iruma River on May 11, and along Kume River on the 12th.  On the 15th, he carried out a forced crossing of Tama River, the strategic point for both, in the face of the 100,000-strong cavalry of the shogunate.  He outnumbered the shogunate, but his cavalry was not well-organized.  He retreated to Horikane Village along Iruma River. 

    On the night, Otawa Yoshikatsu entered in the war for Yoshisada from Miura Peninsula with 6,000-strong cavalry.  At break of dawn next day, Yoshisada and Yoshikatsu made another forced crossing with 10,000-strong cavalry at Bubai Riverbank, and defeated the shogunate’s, who were off guard.  He finally seized and captured Kamakura on the 22nd.

     After the war, he built a mound by Bubai Riverbank.  The mound was one of those called Jusan Mounds, namely Thirteen Mounds.  That type of a mound cluster consisted of 13 mounds, usually a big one and smaller 12.  Those mound clusters spread across Japan from Iwate Prefecture in north and Kagoshima Prefecture in south.  They once counted over 300.

     Some say 13 samurai were buried under a cluster.  That might be the case with a couple of clusters, but it is almost unbelievable that there were more than 300 battle fields where just 13 samurai were killed.  Above all, why don’t we have, say, clusters of less than 12 mounds, or more than 14 mounds?

     Some others say the 13 mounds have something to do with the belief in the Thirteen Buddhas, who judge the dead certain days or years after the death: Acala after 7 days, Sakyamuni after 14 days, Manjushri after 21 days, Samantabhadra after 28 days, Ksitigarbha after 35 days, Maitreya after 42 days, Bhaisajyaguru after 49 days, Avalokitesvara after 100 days, Mahasthamaprapta after 1 year, Amitabha after 2 years, Akshobhya after 6 years, Vairocana after 12 years, and Akasagarbha after 32 years.

     A folk tale tells us that they are the graves of a rat and 12 cats.   Once upon a time, a monster started haunting in a temple.  The priest of the temple was very scared.  One day, a traveler with 12 cats asked for a lodging for the night.  The priest told him the monster story but the traveler just had no other choice.  In the middle of the night, the monster appeared and the 12 cats bravely stood up against it.  The battle lasted for a night.  At dawn, the priest and the traveler timidly and cautiously peeped outside and found a big rat dead.  The traveller's 12 cats also died out.  The priest and the travellar built a big mound for the rat and small ones for the cats.

     You can believe whichever you like.

     The temple keeps a wooden bowl made with  the technique or work of inlaying thin layers of pearl shells as a treasure.  It was presented by a head of the village sometime.  No more story is known about the bowl.

Address: 1417 Omaru, Inagi, Tokyo 206-0801

Phone: 042-377-1568