Virtual Edo Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #19 Nichirin-ji Temple

      Taira Masakado (903-940) was born in Shimousa Province: specifically and presumably either in Toyoda or Sashima County, which were both along the Kinu River.  Later, he left for Kyoto at the age of either 15 or 16 to be hired by Fujiwara Tadahira (880-949), who was the 2nd Prime Minister at the time and who became the Prime Minister in 924, to climb up the social ladder.  After 12 years or so, he returned to the Kanto Region, without achieving anything in the central political circles.  In 939, Masakado tried to be independent from Japan in the Kanto Region.  His revolt was suppressed by Tawara Tota (891-958), and his head was believed to be buried in some places around Japan.

     An ancient burial mound was in Shibasaki Village, Toshima County, Musashi Province.  Years after Masakado's death, the mound came to be believed to be the mound for Masakado's head.  People built a temple for him, named it Nichirin-ji, and had it belong to the Tiantai Sect.

     Sometimes, a belief distorted reality. When a plague spread in the area, people believed that it was a curse by Masakado. Monk Ta-Amitabha (1237-1319), or shortly Ta-A, soothed Masakado's vengeful spirit by giving him a posthumous name, Ren-Amitabha, restored the mound, built an itabi on it, evived Nichirin-ji Temple, and transferred it to the Ji-shu Sect in 1307.

     Ta-Amitabha followed Ippen (1234-1289), who traveled through Japan with a band of his followers, preaching the importance of reciting the name of Amitabha.  His followers were called the Ji people.  When Ippen died, the band dissolved.  Ta-Amitabha soon continued to travel through the country and reorganized Ippen's followers.  It was Ta-Amitabha who actually founded the Ji Sect of Buddhism as a religious organization and who compiled and established its doctrine.

     The temple was moved to Gin-machi at the beginning of the Edo Period, and was moved again to its present place in 1603.

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