Virtual Old Kasai 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #18 Mokubo-ji Temple

 

     When Prince Oama (?-686) fought against Prince Otomo (648-672) in Mino Province, Oama pitched a camp in the residence of the wealthy family of Nogami, and Otomo pitched a camp on the opposite bank of the Sekinofuji River.

     After generations, a woman called Hanagozenn was married to Yoshida Korefusa at Kitashirakawa, Kyoto.  She gave birth to Umewakamaru.

     When Umewakamaru was 5 years old, his father, Korefusa, passed away.  At the age of 7, he was left at Geturin-ji Temple, Enryaku-ji, Mt. Hiei.  He was praised and admired as the best partner of male homosexuality.  He was envied by monks in Tomon-in Temple, which had a popular partner, Matsuwakamaru, and was attacked by them.  He wandered around in the mountain and arrived at Biwa Lake, where he was kidnapped by Shinobu Tota, a slave trader.  Tota was going to sell him in Mutsu Province.  On their way to the province, Umewakamaru fell ill and died on March 15th, 976, at the bank of the Sumida River.  He was no more than 12 years old.

     Chuen, a pilgrim monk, and locals buried him and planted a willow tree on the grave.

     After Umewakamaru became missing in Mt. Hiei, his mother, Hanagozen, had started searching for him.  Just after 1 year after his death, coincidentally on March 15th, she arrived at the Sumida River and knew Umewakamaru's death.  Monk Chuen built a hermitage for her, and she lived there for a while.  One day, however, she threw herself into Kagami-ga-ike Pond across the river.

     In 1189, Minamoto Yoritomo(1147-1199) called at the grave.  In 1485, Ota Dokan (1432-1486) founded Baijaku-ji Temple by the grave in the year.  Baijaku is Chinese-style pronunciation of Umewaka.  In 1485, Banri Shuku (1428-?) visited the grave and composed a Chinese poem.  In 1486, Priest Doko visited the temple.  In 1590, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) visited the temple and gave it a sango, Bairyuzan.  In 1607, Konoe Nobutada 1565-1614), an ex-Regent of the Imperial Court, visited the temple and renamed it Mokubo-ji.  The Chinese character Bai is composed with the left-hand radical "moku" and the right-hand radical "bo".

Address: 2 Chome-16-1 Tsutsumidori, Sumida City, Tokyo (631-686)131-0034

Phone: 03-3612-5880