Virtual Hachioji 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #30 Fukuden-ji Temple

 

     Fukuden-ji Temple was founded as a shrine temple of Koyasu Shrine by 1533.

     During the World War II, the Nakajima Aircraft Company made fighter aircrafts in the Musashi Plant.  As the plant was bombed by the U.S. Air Force, they built an underground plant in Hachioji, which was targeted by the air force next.

     At 20:55 on August 1, 1945, an air-raid alert was issued in Hachioji City.  After 00:00 the following morning, 169 Boeing B-29 Superfortresses raided the city, dropping 1600 tons of incendiary bombs for about 2 hours.  2.9 out of 3.5 square kilometers of urban area was burned.  Fukuden-ji Temple was reduced to ashes. 

     Koyasu Shrine was founded in 759 by Tachibana Ukyoshoyu to pray for the safe delivery of the Empress.  Ukyoshoyu was a job title, so it is difficult to tell who Tachibana Ukyoshoyu was right away.

     As Emperor Oi (733-765) had succeeded to the throne in 758, the Empress must have been Awata Morone.  Her last record was in 758, so she might have died of difficult delivery in 759.

     Awata Morone was first married to Fujiwara Mayori, who was alive till 749.  After his death, she kept living in the residence of Fujiwara Nakamaro (706-764), Mayori’s father.  Before long, Oi, who was still one of princes, started visiting her.  Oi became the Crown Prince on April 4, 756.  Inscrutable were the ways of Heaven.

     Let’s get back to Tachibana Ukyoshoyu.  Tachibana Yasumaro (739-821), who was the third head of the Tachibana Clan.  Ukyoshoyu was a member of the Tachibana Clan, could have been a contemporary of Yasumaro, and was working temporally or permanently in Musashi Province at the time.  

Address: 4 Chome-10-6 Myojincho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0046

Phone: 042-642-4262