Virtual Buso 48 Kannon Pilgrimage #36 Yoju-in Temple

     Entsu-an Hermitage is located in the precincts of Yoju-in Temple, which was founded by Priest Sonshuku (?-1630).

     Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604-1651), the third shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate, dissolved many clans to strengthen the power of the shogunate.  This increased the number of masterless and jobless samurai and destabilized society.  To restabilize the society, he strengthened the danka system.  Every citizen was supposed to belong to a Buddhist temple.  That was a business opportunity for would-be priests.  Sonshuku took full advantage of the opportunity, and might have changed the hermitage to a temple.

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