Virtual Buso 48 Kannon Pilgrimage #18 Kojo-ji Temple

 

     Kojo-ji Temple has kept its documents and oral tradition quite well.

      The precincts of Kojo-ji Temple used to be the site of the fort of the Kunugida Family.  The family was started by Yokoyama Tokishige’s 4th son, Shigekane.  Tokishige’s sister was the wife of Kajiwara Kagetoki (1140-1200), and his daughter was married to Wada Yoshimori (1147-1213).  Who were the Yokoyama Family?

     The most part of Musashi Province was plateaus deeply covered with volcanic-ash soil, which was suitable for stock farming, not for rice growing.  In ancient times, many of the naturalized Silla people then were sent to Musashi Province, and engaged in the stock farming.  That stimulated people there, and many stock farms were set up, including 6 imperial stock farms.  The custodians of those farms later formed small-scale samurai families.  By marriage, those samurai families composed 7 corps on the plateaus in the province: the Musashi Seven Corps. The Yokoyama Family, or the Yokoyama Corps, was of of the seven.

     Kojo-ji Temple was founded by Priest Reizan in 1394 and was financially supported by Nagai Takanori (?-1402), the lord of Katakura Castle.  In 1505, the temple was transferred from Linji Chan Sect to Soto Chan Sect by Priest Kotatsu (?-1518).

     In 1559, the temple burned down.  Komiyayama Minbu presented the main hall in 1575.  Minbu’s son, Kiyoshiro, also called himself Minbu.  Kiyoshiro's daughter was married to Kono Michiharu (1586-1655).  Michiharu was one of the leaders of the Hachioji Corps of the Thousand, which was organized with the ex-vassals of the Takeda Clan by Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) when he moved to Edo after the collapse of the Later Hojo Clan in 1590.  The corps were led by 10 families, and the Kono Family was one of the 10.  The family claimed themselves to be the descendants of the Kono Clan in Iyo Province.

     Centuries later, Imawano Kiyohiro (1951-2009), a rock musician, was buried in Kojo-ji Temple.

     The main deity of Kojo-ji Temple is the Pandara Vasini Avalokitesvar statue, which had been the personal guardian Buddhist image of Fuse Daini, and which was presented to the temple in the 1560’s.

     Tosa Hidenobu (?-?) published Butsuzo-zui (Illustrated Compendium of Buddhist Images) in 1783.  In the compendium, he listed 33 popular subjects of Buddhism Avalokitesvara drawings and paintings: #1 Holding-Willow-Spray Avalokitesvar, #2 Naga Avalokitesvar, #3 Holding-Buddhism-Scripture Avalokitesvar, #4 Halo Avalokitesvar, #5 Sitting-on-Cloud Avalokitesvar, #6 Pandara Vasini Avalokitesvar, #7 Sitting-on-Lotus-Leaf Avalokitesvar, #8 Looking-at-Cascade Avalokitesvar, #9 Listening-to-Stream Avalokitesvar, #10 Holding-Fish-Cage Avalokitesvar, #11 Brahman (Virtuous-Lord) Avalokitesvar, #12 Looking-at-Reflected-Moon Avalokitesvar, #13 Sitting-on-Leaf Avalokitesvar, #14 Blue-Head Avalokitesvar, #15 Great-Commander Avalokitesvar, #16 Life-Prolonging Avalokitesvar, #17 Relief-from-Ruination Avalokitesvar, #18 In-Cave-with-Venom Avalokitesvar, #19 Wave-Reduction Avalokitesvar, #20 Anavatapta Avalokitesvar, #21 One-Knee-Drawn-Up Avalokitesvar, #22 Leaf-Robe Avalokitesvar, #23 Holding-Lapis-Lazuli-Censer Avalokitesvar, #24 Tara Avalokitesvar, #25 Sit-in-in-Clam Avalokitesvar, #26 Twenty-Four-Hour Avalokitesvar, #27 Universal-Benevolence Avalokitesvar, #28 Celestial Beauty Avalokitesvar, #29 Brahmani Avalokitesvar, who put palms together, #30 Controlling-Thunderbolt Avalokitesvar, #31 Peaceful-Vajrapani Avalokitesvar, #32 Holding-Lotus-Flower Avalokitesvar, and #33 Sprinkling-Purified-Water Avalokitesvar.  Some subjects came directly from Lotus Supra Chapter XXV, some were based on folklore in China, and others were created in Japan.  He put stronger emphasis on the number 33, and might have ramified a couple of subjects to increase the number to 33.  He also might have considered the 33 subjects to be artistically more meaningful manifestations of Avalokitesvara than those from Lotus Sutra, at least in Japan.

     In 1574, Hojo Ujinao (1562-1591) presented a Buddhist string of crystal beads to Kojo-ji Temple.

     When Maeda Toshiie (1538-1599) seized Hachioji Castle in 1590, he stayed at Kojo-ji Temple.  it was recorded that he paid 93,000 coins (=4348 grams of silver) to the temple.

     Kubota Tadakado (?-1613), one of the leaders of the Hachioji Corps of the Thousand, invited Sarasvati to the temple.

     Okubo Nagayasu (1545-1613) purchased 19 logs from the temple in October, 1602.

     Satake Yoshinaga (1655-1741) had 2 daughters and 2 sons.  Kon was the elder sister.  Yoshinaga adopted Yoshimichi (1701-1765) as Kon’s husband.  Kon gave birth to Yoshiharu (1723-1758) and donated to Kojo-ji Temple in 1749, when her first grandson became 1 year old.

     The temple enshrines 33 statues of Avalokitesvara, which aren’t shown to the public usually but in every April in the Rabbit Year.  The next chance is to be the year 2023.

     Kojo-ji Temple is also the #19 temple of the Hachioji 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

 

Address: 1425 Hatsuzawamachi, Hachioji, Tokyo 193-0845

Phone: 042-661-6852