Virtual Shimousa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #14Fukumitsu-ji Temple

     Fukumitsu-ji Temple was believed to be founded by Priest Sonkei sometime in the reign (781-806) of Emperor Giiyateri (737-806).  Its oldest record dates back to November 8, 844.  The temple is located in the valley in the south of Lake Tega-numa.  The lake used to be a bay of Katori Sea., at the eastern entrance of the sea, Katori Shrine was located.

     Just to the north of Shimousa Province, there used to lie an orifice of a big inland sea, Katori Sea.  On the peninsula between Katori Sea and the Pacific Ocean, there stood Kashima Shrine.  On the southern coast of Katori Sea, there stood Katori Shrine.

     Kashima Shrine was officially considered and actually worked as the gateway to invade the Tohoku Region, the northeastern part of Honshu, which was later called Mutsu Province, or to subdue and rule Emishi, who were not subject to the imperial central government.

     Katori Shrine used to be the gateway to the Kanto Plain, and governed the water transportation on Katori Sea.  Scatters of medieval documents suggest that the shrine even put up some checkpoints along the rivers and collected tolls and taxes, which, in Western Japan, pirates along the Seto Inland Sea did.  That is, Katori Shrine used to be a semi-governmental pirate.  it has been always difficult to draw the line between state-run navies and private pirates.

     Emperor Giiyateri dispatched Sakanoue Tamuramaro (758-811) to north to subdue Emishi there, and was very aggressive in managing northern territories.  The foundation of Fukumitsu-ji Temple might have been a process of expanding military and religious support of his northern colonialism.

     The precincts have many itabi.  The oldest itabi is dated November, 1310.  Almost one year later, on October 26, 1311, Hojo Sadatoki (1272-1311), the 8th Regent of the Kamakura Shogunate, died.  His son, Takatoki (1304-1333), became the last Regent of the Kamakura Shogunate.  On May 7, 1333, Ashikaga Takauji (1305-1358) went over to Emperor Go-Daigo and captured the Kyoto Office of the Kamakura Shogunate.  On the 8th in the same month, Nitta Yoshisada (1301-1338) took up arms in Kozuke Province and advanced to Kamakura.  His army reached Kamakura on May 18, and broke into the samurai capital on the 22nd.  Takatoki retreated to Tosho-ji Temple and killed himself in the cave there.

     There are newer itabi in the precincts, so the descendants of the samurai who was buried under the 1310-dated itabi might have survived the upheaval of the Northern and Southern Courts Period.

     The temple enshrines a statue of Arya Avalokitesvara, who is the human-figure prototype of the other 6 metamorphoses, which was believed to have been carved by Prince Shotoku (574-622), and which was a personal guardian Buddhist image of Sakamaki Wakasanokami, who was one of the Seven Samurai of Taira Masakado (?-940) along with Ishihara, Ishido, Yoshino, Tomise, Kuji, and Zama, and who was said to be Masakado’s double or stand-in.

     Sakamaki used to enshrine the statue in his residence at Okke, Oi, Soma County, Shimousa Province.  After his death, the statue was moved to the eastern height of Fukumitsu-ji Temple, and, in the Edo Period, it was moved to its present place in a hollow along the valley.

Address: 1708 Oi, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0902

Phone: 04-7191-1469