Virtual Modern Edo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #12 Shonen-ji Temple

 

     Shonen-ji Temple was founded by Priest San'yo at Hakusan, Teshima County, Musashi Province, in 1598.  It had a thousand-armed Sahasrabhuja statue which had been carved by Prince Shotoku (574-622).

     In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) destroyed the Later Hojo Clan and transfered Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) to the clan’s ex-territory, the Kanto Region.  Ieyasu chose Edo as his stronghold and moved to Edo Castle on August 1st in the same year, when the castle was no more than one of local castles.  Ieyasu concentrated energy on developing its castle town rather than enlarging the castle itself.  He leveled the hills in Kanda and reclaimed the inlets in Hibiya.  He allocated the newly developed land to his vassals and townspeople.  He dug a canal from Edo Castle to the sea, between today’s Wadakura Gate of the Imperial Palace and the Gofukubashi Interchange, to transport everyday and military supplies to the castle.  To supply more fresh water to the town, he dug the Kanda River to gather fresh water of the Zentsuji and Myushoji Rivers, and built stone embankments at the foot of Mejiro to stop sea water flow upstream.  Roughly speaking, the western side of the castle became uptown areas where samurai lived, and the eastern side became downtowns where townspeople lived.  The population on both sides increased, and they needed more temples.

     The temple burned down in World War II, and was merged with Joshin-ji Temple.

Joshin-ji Temple

Address: 2 Chome-17-4 Mukogaoka, Bunkyo City, Tokyo 113-0023

Phone: 03-3821-0951