Virtual Western Edo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #25 Kogaku-in Temple

     There used to be a Bhaisajyaguru hermitage in Maruyama, today’s Mt. Atago (1 Chome-5 Atago, Minato City, Tokyo 105-0002).  Priest Zenryo changed it to be a temple and named it Soei-ji in 1594.   Sakuma Yasumasa (1555-1627) changed its name to be Kogaku-in after the posthumous name of his last son, Katsumune (1589-1616).  The temple was moved to its present place in 1653.

     Yasumasa was the second son of Sakuma Moritusgu (?-1568), who was a vassal of Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) and who was killed in the siege of Mitsukuri Castle in Omi Province in November 1568.  Yasumasa was married with a daughter of Yasuda Tomomune (?-1583) and was taken into the Yasuda Family, who were subject to the Hatakeyama Clan, which was one of the distinguished families under the Ashikaga Shogunate and which was based in Kii Province.  The clan was attacked by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) and was destroyed as a warlord.  After the Hatakeyama Clan’s decline, Tomomune and Yasumasa moved to Owari Province, depending on the Sakuma Family, and became subject to Shibata Katsuie (1522-1583).  After Nobunaga’s death, Hideyoshi and Katsuie became hostile against each other, and Katsuie was killed by Hideyoshi.  Tomomune was killed in one of the battles then and Yasumasa moved farther east and became subject to the Later Hojo Clan in the Kanto Region.  Yasumune divorced his wife, who returned to Kii Province.  Unluckily again, the Later Hojo Clan was destroyed by Hideyoshi in 1590.  He was employed by Gamo Ujisato (1556-1595), who was promoted to be a daimyo in Mutsu Province.  In Mutsu Province in the year, local samurai rebelled against another new lord, Kimura Yoshikiyo (?-1598).  Ujisato helped Yoshikiyo and Yasumune fought to suppress the rebellion.  After Ujisato’s death, Yasumune became subject to Hideyoshi.  After Hideyoshi’s death, the Toyotomi Clan was destroyed by Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616).  By that time, however, Yasumune had learned a lesson in his unlucky life, and had dumped the Toyotomi Clan for Ieyasu.  His misfortune, however, continued, his son, Katsumune died young at the age of 28.  Yasumune renamed Soei-ji Temple to Kogaku-in after the posthumous name of his last son, to pray for the comfort of Katsumune in the other world.

     At the end of the Edo Period, the Tokugawa Shogunate ended their national isolation policy and opened Japan to the world.  They also prepared legations for the Western countries.  The shogunate chose Kogaku-in, Rosei-ji, Jokyo-ji, and Eiryu-ji Temples as the candidates for the Prussia Legation.  From the largeness of the precincts and the sizes of the buildings, Kogaku-in Temple was selected as their legation.  The shogunate told Maximilian August Scipio von Brandt (1835-1920) to stay there on April 3rd, 1865, but the legation was moved to Shunto-in Temple next year.  The main hall of Kogaku-in Temple is the only building left that was used as a legation at the end of the Edo Period, however short its diversion was.

     The precincts have the grave of Nabeshima Naotaka (1809-1860), who was known as a grower and a scientist of morning glories.

Address: 1 Chome−24−6 Takanawa, Minato City, Tokyo 108-0074

Phone: 03-3441-4335