Virtual Western Edo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #15 Saikai-ji Temple

 

     There used to be Takeshiba-dera Temple.  In 1621, Makino Tadanari (1581-1655) established Saikai-ji Temple at the site.  The temple functioned as the family temple for the samurai working in Edo for the Nagaoka and Matsuyama Domains, or the Makino and Matsudaira Clans until 1874.

     The site of Takeshiba-dera Temple is the holy land for the fans of Sarashina Nikki or the Sarashina Diary, which was written by Sugawara Takasue’s Daughter (1008-1059).  The diary says:

     Now it is the Province of Musashi. There is no charm in this place. The sand of the beaches is not white, but like mud. People say that purple grass grows in the fields of Musashi, but it is only a waste of various kinds of reeds, which grow so high that we cannot see the bows of our horsemen who are forcing their way through the tall grass. Going through these reeds, I saw a ruined temple called Takeshíba-dera. There were also the foundation-stones of a house with a corridor.

     "What place is it?" asked I, and they answered:

     "Once upon a time there lived a reckless adventurer at Takeshiba. He was offered to the King's palace by the Governor as a guard to watch fire. He was once sweeping the garden in front of a Princess's room and singing:

     Ah, me! Ah, me! My weary doom to labour here in the Palace!

     Seven good wine-jars have I, and three in my province.

     There where they stand, I have hung straight-stemmed gourds of the finest.

     They turn to the West when the East wind blows,

     They turn to the East when the West wind blows,

     They turn to the North when the South wind blows, and

     They turn to the South when the North wind blows.

     And there I sit watching them turning and turning forever.

     Oh, my gourds! Oh, my wine-jars!

     "He was singing this alone, but just then a Princess, the King's favourite daughter, was sitting alone behind blinds.  She came forward, and, leaning against the doorpost, listened to the man singing. She was very interested to think how gourds were above the wine-jars and how they were turning.  She wanted to see them. She became very jealous of the gourds, pushed up the blinds, and called the guard, saying, 'Man, come here!' The man heard it very respectfully, and with great reverence drew near the balustrade. 'Let me hear once more what you have been singing.' And he sang again about his wine-jars. 'I must go and see them, I have my own reason for saying so’, said the Princess.

     "He felt great awe, but he made up his mind, and went down towards the Eastern Province. He feared that men would pursue them, and that night, placing the Princess on the Seta Bridge, broke a part of it away, and bounding over with the Princess on his back arrived at his native place after seven days' and seven nights' journey.

     "The King and Queen were greatly surprised when they found the Princess was lost, and began to search for her.  Someone said that a King's guard from the Province of Musashi, carrying something of exquisite fragrance on his back, had been seen fleeing towards the East. So they sought for that guard, and he was not to be found. They said, 'Doubtless this man went back home.' The Royal Government sent messengers to pursue them, but when they got to the Seta Bridge they found it broken, and they could not go farther. In the Third month, however, the messengers arrived at Musashi Province and sought for the man. The Princess gave audience to the messengers and said:

     "I, for some reason, yearned for this man's home and made him carry me here; so he has carried me. If this man were punished and killed, what should I do? This is a very good place to live in. It must have been settled before I was born that I should leave my trace [i.e. descendants] in this Province. Go back and tell the King so.' So the messenger could not refuse her, and went back to tell the King about it.

     "The King said: 'It is hopeless. Though I punish the man I cannot bring back the Princess; nor is it met to bring them back to the Royal City. As long as that man of Takeshiba lives I cannot give Musashi Province to him, but I will entrust it to the Princess.'

     "In this way it happened that a palace was built there in the same style as the Royal Palace and the Princess was placed there. When she died they made it into a temple called Takeshíba-dera.  The descendants of the Princess received the family name of Musashi. After that the guards of the watch-fire were women.” 

     On August 10th, 1859, French ships visited Shinagawa, and concluded the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the Tokugawa Shogunate on the 26th.

     Gustave Duchesne de Bellecourt (1817–1881) stayed in Saikai-ji Temple from 1859 to 1864 first as a consul and then as an envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary after 1861.  On September 17th, 1860, the servant of Bellecourt was attacked with a sword and badly wounded in front of Saikai-ji Temple.  Michel Jules Marie Léon Roches (1809–1901) replaced Bellecourt and stayed in the temple.  He left Japan in 1868.

     Saikai-ji Temple is also the #26 member temple of theOld Edo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

  

Address: 4 Chome-16-23 Mita, Minato City, Tokyo 108-0073

Phone: 03-3451-1082