Virtual Buso 48 Kannon Pilgrimage #25 Fumon-ji Temple

     Fumon-ji Temple was founded sometime between 729 and 748 by Gyoki (668-749).

     The precincts have 6 old itabi.  The oldest is dated 1260, when Hojo Tokiyori (1227-1263) was the 5th Regent of the Kamakura Shogunate.

     Tokiyori was a very popular statesman who built a welfare-warfare shogunate.  He shortened regal proceedings and ensured fairness.  Ordinary samurai were to guard either Kyoto or Kamakura for half a year, but he shortened the term to 3 months.  He also protected ordinary people’s livelihood.

     Tokiyori's popularity helped inspire the Noh play, Hachinoki:

     At dusk with snow falling heavily, a traveling monk appeared at the hermitage on the outskirts of Sano Village and asked for a night’s lodging. The resident samurai refused at first.  He was too poor to entertain him.  But he let the monk in, who was suffering from the snowy road.  He served a small meal. His name was Sano Genzaemon.  He said that he formerly owned more than 30 villages, but that he was deprived of everything by the embezzlement of his relatives and fell down to his current condition. As he talked, all the firewood was exhausted and the fire was about to go out, but there was no firewood to add. Genzaemon brought three pots of pine, plum, and cherry, which were his proudest possessions that had been collected in the old days when he had prospered.  He found them useless now, and used them as firewood.  He broke them and put the pieces on the fire. Although he had lost everything, he still kept his armor, naginata (a Japanese halberd) and an old horse.  He said that once he was summoned from Kamakura, he would ride on his horse and rush to Kamakura with his naginata as soon as possible and fight to his life.

     In the New Year, spring came, and suddenly Kamakura made an emergency call. Genzaemon put on his old armor, carried a rusty naginata on his back, and rushed on a thin horse.  When he arrived in Kamakura, he was summoned before Hojo Tokiyori. While the generals were lined up, Tokiyori said to Genzaemon who prostrated in torn armor, "Do you remember the monk traveling in the snowy night? That was actually me.  I'm glad that you've come so early."  Tokiyori not only returned Genzaemon his former territories, but also gave him three territories (the territory of Umeda Manor in Kaga Province, Sakurai Manor in Ecchu Province, and Matsuida Manor in Kozuke Province) as new prizes. Genzaemon gratefully withdrew and returned to Sano Village cheerfully.

     On September 15, 1256, Tokiyori caught measles.  He recovered on the 25th in the same month, but his daughter died of the disease on October 13.  On November 3 in the same year, he was affected by dysentery.  In 1263, he got another serious illness, became worse in November, and finally passed away around 8 on the evening of the 22nd of the month.

     The samurai buried under the itabi might have lived and died contemporary with Tokiyori.

     Others are dated 1267, 1270, 1272, and 1292.  The other is unreadable.

     The temple was revived by Priest Raishin (?-1707) in 1698.  What happened in the Pax Tokugawa?  In those days, Edo had 3 big fires.  On October 17, 1697, 363 samurai residences burned down.  On September 6, 1698, 308 samurai residences, 232 temples and shrines, and 18700 houses burned down.  On November 29, 1704, 275 samurai residences, 75 temples and shrines, and 20 thousand houses burned down.  There must have been dry spells those days, and Fumon-ji Temple might have had a fire.

Address: 200 Nakazawa, Midori Ward, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0117

Phone: 042-782-2100