Virtual Aduma 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #27 Toko-ji Temple

     Toko-ji Temple was founded by Priest Joshin sometime between 1532 and 1555, when the Takagi Family was becoming a warlord along the left bank of Edo River.

     At the beginning of the Warring States Period (1467-1590), the Takagi Family was subject to the Hara Family, and the Hara Family was subject to the Chiba Family.   In those days, Takagi Taneyoshi (1501-1565) moved his base from Negiuchi Castle to Kogane Castle, which commanded Edo, Naka, and Ara Rivers.  Accordingly, Taneyoshi controlled the inland waterway between Edo Bay and the northern part of the Kanto Region.  He also ruled the salt industry in Gyotoku, the largest in the Kanto Region.  He was trying to become independent from the Chiba and Hara Families.

     In 1560's, Taneyoshi's son, Tanetoki (1537-1583), succeeded to the head of the family.  In 1566, when Uesugi Kenshin (1530-1578)attacked the Chiba Family and seized Moto-Sakura Castle in Shimousa Province, Tanetoki drove off the Uesugi army.  Tanetoki married with a daughter of Chiba Katsutane (1471-1532), the lord of Moto-Sakura Castle.  In the mean while, the Hara Family thought of nothing but to protect their base, Usui Castle.  In 1570's, the hierarchy of the 3 families collapsed, and they all became vassals of the Later Hojo Clan.  For Tanetoki, that meant the independence from the Chiba and Hara Families.

     Under the Tokugawa Shogunate, temples were highly stratified to control people and thus to support the shogunate.  At the beginning of the Tokugawa Period, Toko-ji Temple was ranked the lowest and its priest wore a black robe.  Priest Yusan (?-1803) organized a private elementary school for ordinary people in the temple.  His pupils built a stone monument to commemorate his social activities, and that helped the temple to climb the social ladder  After him, the priests of the temple were allowed to wear a colored robe.

     The Tento Nenbutsu or the Sun Nianfo was said to have started from Toko-ji Temple and spread around the Kanto Region and the southern part of the Tohoku Region in the Tokugawa Period.  In spring, people repeated chanting the name of Amitabha to pray to the Sun for good sunlight and against damages from insects which were sometimes caused by too little sunlight.

     The temple was reduced to ashes in the Boshin War (1868-1869), which were fought between the Imperial and the Tokugawa Shogunate Armies.

Address: 5 Chome−13−17 Miyamoto, Funabashi, Chiba 273-0003

Phone: 047-422-3019