Virtual Shimousa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #23 Kannon-ji Temple

       Sakasai Village, which was in Katsushika County, Shimousa Province, used to have at least 7 tumuli.  One of them was in Nakajima Hamlet in the village and was a holy place.  A statue of 11-faced Ekadasamukha was enshrined near the tumulus.  The hermitage burned down and was rebuilt in 1595.  

     Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) invaded Korea in 1592 and in 1597.  In 1593, he got a son, and cornered his nephew, Hidetsugu (1568-1595), who was regarded to be Hideyoshi's heir, to commit suicide. Hidetsugu had 34 wives.  Hideyoshi killed them with their children  on August 2, 1595.  It was in those days that the hermitage burned down and was rebuilt.

     In 1690, the main hall burned down, and was newly built in its present place in 1742.  The Kannon-do hall was moved to the present place in 1782.

     Although the temple name is Kannon-ji, its main deity isn’t Ekadasamukha but Acalanatha.  The repeated fires and step-by-step relocation might have caused the confusion.

Address: 523 Sakasai, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0042

Phone: 04-7173-5256