Virtual Tama Aqueduct Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #4 Ogawa-an Temple

 

     Inogata Ogawa Tomb was built with a stone chamber in a cave in the latter half of the 7th century.  In the 13th century, the mound, or precisely the cave, was used to store a sutra.  Presumably, a hermitage was built to station a caretaker.

     The building was abolished sometime after the Meiji Restoration.  Where has its Avalokitesvara statue gone?

Inogata Ogawa Tomb

Address: 3 Chome-21-6 Inogata, Komae, Tokyo 201-0015

Virtual Tama Aqueduct Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #3 Senryu-ji Temple

 

     Roben (689-773) visited Izumi Village, Tama County, Musashi Province, in 765.  He prayed for rain, and a spring gushed out.  Or because of the spring, the area came to be called Izumi, literally a spring.  Anyway, Roben founded Senryu-ji Temple and had it belong to the Huayan School of Buddhism.  In 949, Monk Zoga visited the temple, changed it to Tiantai Sect, and enshrined the statue of Arya Avalokitesvara, who is the human-figure prototype of the other 6 metamorphoses, which had been carved by Saint Hodo, who was from India and who lived in Japan in the 6th or 7th century. Zoga was even mentioned in the Essays in Idleness, written by Monk Kenko (1283-1350).

     The temple was revived by Ishigaya Masakiyo (1503-1574), who invited Monk Zuigo (?-1612).

     The precincts have a mound, which is one of a dozen of mounds in the village, so the area was a holy place since prehistoric times.

Address: 1 Chome-6-1 Motoizumi, Komae, Tokyo 201-0013

Phone: 03-3489-6778

Virtual Tama Aqueduct Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #2 Gyoho-in Temple

 

      According to the shrine's legend, Okunitama Shrine was established near the Musashi Provincial Government's office on May 5th, 111.  The 6 gods in the province were grouped together in the precincts.  The 6 gods were invited to Otsukayama, Kitatani Village, Tama County, Musashi Province, in 889 and the shrine was called Rokusho-gu, namely 6 Local Shrine.  In 1550, Tama River flooded, its precincts subsided, and the shrine moved to its present place.  Sometime, Gyoho-in Temple was founded as its shrine temple.  After the Meiji Restoration, the shrine was renamed Izumi Shrine, and Gyoho-in Temple was abolished.

     The 6 gods were believed to be local manifestations of Eleven-Faced Ekadasamukha, whose statue, which was said to have been carved by a legendary Buddhist sculptor, Kasuga, was presented to the shrien by Ishigaya Tetsunojo.

     Kasuga is said to have worked in Kawachi Province.  Legend has it that he carved Buddhism images and statues day and night.  One day, the villagers noticed him carving something other than Buddhism images.  It became a big crane statue.  Next morning, the villagers found nobody in his house, but a big bird flying to the east in the morning glow, with something or someone on its back.  It is unknown whether Kasuga carved the statue in Kawachi Province or in Musashi Province.

     The Ishigaya Family was from Ishigaya Village, Sano County, Totomi Province.  The village’s name, namely Rock's Valley, was from 9 big rocks in the valley.  Ishigaya Masakiyo (1503-1574)  was first subject to Imagawa Yoshimoto (1519-1560).  After Yoshimoto was killed by Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), he became subject to Yoshimoto’s son, Ujimasa (1538-1615).  However, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) started invading Totomi Province in the 1560’s and Masakiyo was subject to Ieyasu in 1569.  Masakiyo was buried in Senryu-ji Temple, the #3 temple of the Tama Aqueduct Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, in Izumi Village, Tama County, Musashi Province, under the Tokugawa Shogunate.

     As the Ii Family was also from Totomi Province, they also presented some money and rice to the shrine as well as the Ishigaya Family annually on September 20th.

Address: 3 Chome-21-8 Nakaizumi, Komae, Tokyo 201-0012

Phone: 03-3489-8105

Virtual Tama Aqueduct Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #1 Gyokusen-ji Temple

 

       The first 7 member temples of the Tama Aqueduct Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage are located in Komae City.

       In ancient times, there used to be the Musashi Seven Corps.  The most part of Musashi Province was plateaus deeply covered with volcanic-ash soil, which was suitable for stock farming, not for rice growing.  Many of the naturalized Silla people then were sent to Musashi Province, and engaged in the stock farming.  That stimulated people there, and many stock farms were set up, including 6 Imperial stock farms.  The custodians of those farms later formed small-scale would-be-samurai families.  By marriage, those would-be-samurai families composed 7 corps on the Musashi Plateaus. The Nishi Corps was one of the 7, and included the Hirayama, Tatekawa, Kawaguchi, Yui, Tamura, Iso, Ogawa, Komiya, Takahashi, and Komae Families.  Those families were basically based in the 6 Imperial Farms in Tama Hills, Musashi Province.

     Dairin-ji Temple was founded on the right bank of Tama River in October, 634, with Bhaisajyaguru and Manjusri statues as its main deities.

     The building went into ruin after centuries.  Hojo Tokiyori (1227-1263) was believed to have ordered the rebuilding of the temple hall in 1260 or 1261.  As he ranked his sons in 1261 to avoid struggles to become his successor, he sensed when it was his time.  He died in 1263

     The temple survived battles between the Northern and Southern Courts, and fighting in the Warring States Period.  It, however, was damaged seriously by repeated floods of the Tama River and lost the Manjusri statue in one of them.

     On October 17th, 1504, Priest Son'yu moved the temple to the left bank, enshrined an eleven-faced Ekadasamukha statue which had been carved by Gyoki (668-749), and renamed the temple Gyokusen-ji.

     Why in 1504?  Why to the left bank?

     In the 1470's, Ise Shinkuro (1432-1519) came to the Kanto Region from Kyoto to become a Warring-States-Period hero.  In 1493, he invaded and unified Izu Province.  In 1495, he seized Odawara Castle in Sagami Province.  The castle became a stronghold of his family.  On September 27th, 1504, he fought against Ashikaga Masauji (1462-1531), the second Koga Kanto Deputy Shogun, and Uesugi Akisada (1454-1510), The Regent of the Kanto Deputy Shogunate.  Although Shinkuro was a part of an allied forces, he took a firm step to destroy the ancien regime in the Kanto Region.  It is unknown whether he invited the temple to come to the Sagami side of the river to make it a station for his army, or whether the priest found the side safer under Shinkuro's new rule.

Address: 3 Chome-10-23 Higashiizumi, Komae, Tokyo 201-0014

Phone: 03-3480-2330

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag

       I have walked through the Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, the 13th oldest Kannon pilgrimage in Edo.  Technically speaking, all the member temples were located in the outskirts of Edo.  Tokyo and Saitama Prefectures both belonged to Musashi Province in their Medieval days and some of the 33 temples are located in Saitama Prefecture.  

     Of course, it is a difficult question what area was called Edo.  After Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) moved into Edo in 1590, the city was always expanding.  In December 1818, Abe Masakiyo (1775-1826),  the Elder, one of the highest-ranking government posts under the Tokugawa Shogunate, drew a red line on a map to show the boundary of Edo.  The city area was basically inherited by the 15 wards of Tokyo City after the Meiji Restoration.  The area of the Tokyo Special Wards is much larger than that of the 15 wards.  The number has also increased to 23.  The nickname of the Tokyo “city” is 23-ku, namely 23 wards.

Trees In the Town

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #33 Myozen-in Temple

 

     Myozen-in Temple was founded by Sawa Yoshimune, who invited Priest Donken (?-1652), for his late father, Yoshitsuna, in Mikajima Village, Iruma County, Musashi Province.  

     The history of the Miyadera area, the surrounding area of Mikajima Village, goes back to the Stone Age, about 16,500 years ago or more.  The Sunagawa Site of the Stone Age is located in Mikajima.  In medieval days, the Miyadera area was ruled by the Miyadera Family, who was a branch family of the Murayama Corps.  Later, Mikajima Village branched out of Miyadera Village.  The Miyadera Family declined.  In the Warring States Period, the Yamaguchi Family, who was another branch family of the Murayama Corps, became the ruler of the village.  At the end of the period, the Sawa Family was the local samurai and the head of the village.  It is unknown whether the Sawa Family was a branch family of the Yamaguchi Family or a local powerful family who drove them out.  Sawa literally means a stream.  A couple of streams run through the village from the south-west to the north-east.  Myozen-in Temple is located along one of them, the Suna-gawa River, which runs into the Ara River.  It’s so tiny that the upper stream is considered to be a natural stream but the lower stream is regarded as drainage.  The Sawa Family was a tiny family along a tiny stream.

     At the end of the Warring States Period, the Sawa Family was subject to the Later Hojo Clan.  After the clan collapsed in 1590, Sawa Yoshitsuna became subject to the Tokugawa Shogunate and was the first head of the family under the shogunate.  The 7th head of the family was Yoshizumi.  His third son, Yoshinori, painted the portraits of past heads of the family in 1854.  He painted actual portraits of his father and mother, his elder brother and sister-in-law, and his nephew and niece-in-law, and imaginary portraits of previous 6 heads of the family including Yoshitsuna.  The paintings were presented to the temple by the 10th head of the family, Yoshinaga, and are now conserved by the Tokorozawa City.  However tiny samurai they might have been, they left their footprints in history, thanks to their productive artist.

Address: 3 Chome-1410 Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-1164

Phone: 04-2949-2918

Trees In the Town

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #32 Jigen-an Hermitage

 

     Nothing is known about the hermitage’s history.

Address: 5 Chome-804-1 Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-1164

Trees In the Town

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #31 Chosho-ken Temple

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #31 Chosho-ken Temple

     Chosho-ken Temple is a small shrine which was founded by Priest Kakushu sometime between 1704 and 1710.  The main deity, a horse-headed Hayagriva statue, is 24 centimeters tall and was said to have been carved by Kukai (774-835).  It was brought to the temple from Kongo-Ji Temple (1032 Amagasecho, Ome, Tokyo 198-0087) by Kakushu.

     The 1707 Hoei Earthquake shook Japan on October 4th, 1707. It was the largest earthquake in Japanese history until surpassed by the 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake.  Less than 2 months later, the Hoei Eruption of Mt. Fuji started on November 23rd.  People needed something to rely on.

Address: 143 Horinouchi, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-1165

 

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #30 Shorin-ji Temple

 

     Shorin-ji Temple was founded by Ginkoku (?-1653).  It means the temple was founded after the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate to meet the religious needs of the increasing population in the outskirts of Edo.  Nothing else is known about the temple.  It is also the #15 member temple of the Musashino 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

Address: 2 Chome-147 Hayashi, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-1167

Phone: 04-2948-1839

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #29 Saisho-in Temple

     Emperor Shomu (701-756) ordered building of Saishoo-ji or Saishoo-in Temples in provinces.  Tradition says Saisho-in Temple is a successor of a Saishoo-in Temple in Musashi Province, which was founded in Yadera Village, Iruma County.  According to tradition, Kano Shimotsukenokami built Miyadera Fortress during the period of the Northern and Southern Courts (1336-1392) and moved Saisho-in Temple to its present place.  It is recorded that there used to be a Miyadera Family as a branch family of the Murayama Corps, so the Kano Family might have had something to do with the Miyadera Family or could have replaced them presumably in the Kamakura Period (1185-1333).  The Ino Family seems to have overpowered the Kano Family in the Warring States Period (1467-1590).  At the end of the period, Miyadera Fortress was abandoned with Saisho-in Temple left in its site.  Even today, you can find a trench in the west of the temple and an earthen wall in the east.  Under the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Omori Family moved in from Mikawa Province.

Omori Kinjiro was subject first to Taokugwa Nobuyasu (1559-1579) and then to Tokugawa Hidetada (1579-1632).  In Pax Tokugawana, instead of living in the fortress, he built a residence in where the Omori Hall is located today.

     The temple was revived by Priest Chiyo (?-1619) at the beginning of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Address: 489 Miyadera, Iruma, Saitama 358-0014

Phone: 04-2934-4615

Omori Hall

Address: 2595-2 Miyadera, Iruma, Saitama 358-0014

 

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #28 Nishikubo-Kannon-do Temple

      Nishikubo-Kannon-do Temple was founded when Gyoki (668-749) visited Iruma County, Musashi Province, in the spring of the year 728. The temple used to have 2 Arya Avalokiteshvara statues, but one of the two was stolen by a Rokubu. Rokubu was a shortened form of Roku-ju-roku-bu, literally 66 Copies. Rokubu was a pilgrim who carried 66 handwritten copies of the Lotus Sutra and visited 66 holy places to present a copy to each.  Did the Rokubu exchange the statue for a copy?  Didn’t that ruin his long-time religious efforts? 

Address: 1544-1 Miyadera, Iruma, Saitama 358-0014

Phone: 04-2964-4889

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #27 Jusho-ji Temple

 

     Jusho-in Temple was founded by the third priest of Fusai-ji Temple (4 Chome−20−46 Shibasakicho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-0023), Seichin (?-1409), in Takane Village, Iruma County, Musashi Province. As Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) was enshrined in Nikko as a god, the number of travelers between Edo and Nikko increased. Nihongi Village became a staging post and its population increased. The third priest of Jusho-in Temple, Bunpo, moved the temple to Nihongi Village and changed its name Jusho-ji.

     What did the Takane villagers do without a temple? As both villages used to be ruled by the Miyadera Family, one of the branch families of the Murayama Corps, they mightn't mind traveling to Nihongi Village.

Address: 1255 Nihongi, Iruma, Saitama 358-0015

Phone: 04-2934-6349

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #26 Yamagiwa-Kannon-do Temple

      Murayama Yorito's 5th son, Iehira, came to live in Kaneko Village, and started the Kaneko Family of the Murayama Corps.  It means the Murayama Corps was busy developing mountain villages in Sayama Hills while the Yokoyama Corps was expanding their power south to Sagami Province.  Yamagiwa literally means the edge of mountains.  As the temple's eleven-faced Ekadasamukha statue was commonly known as West Kannon, Miyadera Village was the western frontier for the Murayama Corps.

Address: 1708 Miyadera, Iruma, Saitama 358-0014

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #25 Fukusho-ji Temple

 

     The most part of Musashi Province was plateaus deeply covered with volcanic-ash soil, which was suitable for stock farming, not for rice growing.  In ancient times, many of the naturalized Silla people then were sent to Musashi Province, and engaged in the stock farming.  That stimulated people there, and many stock farms were set up, including 6 imperial stock farms.  The custodians of those farms later formed small-scale samurai families.  By marriage, those samurai families composed 7 corps on the plateaus in the province: the Musashi Seven Corps.  The Murayama Corps was one of the 7.

     The Murayama Corps included the Murayama, Kaneko, Miyadera, Yamaguchi, Semba, and other Families.  The Murayama Family was based in Kishi, Ishihata, and Tonogayatsu Villages, and had a fortress in Tanogaya Village, namely Lord's Valley Village.  Fukusho-ji Temple was founded in the fortress by Tensho (?-1338).  He later invited Priest Kyoen (1258-1325) and had the temple belong to the Linji School of Chan in 1318.

     Nitta Yoshisada (1301-1338) raised his army in Ikushina Shrine in Kozuke Province with 150-strong cavalry on May 8, 1333.  He was to meet the 100,000-strong cavalry of the Kamakura Shogunate somewhere between Kozuke and Sagami Provinces.  The shogunate had been established by the Minamoto Clan, beating down the Taira Clan, but had been controlled by the Hojo Clan, who were the branch clan of the Taira Clan, after the 4th shogun.  The Nitta Family was one of the powerful branch families of the Minamoto Clan.

     Yoshisada had pride in his bloodline and content against the Hojo Clan.  When he arrived at Tone River, the number of his cavalry increased to 7,000 strong.  After crossing the river, the number jumped to 207,000.  On May 11th, his army encountered 30,000-strong cavalry of the Kamakura Shogunate with Hojo Sadakuni (1287-1333) as a general, and with Nagasaki Takashige (?-1333), Nagasaki Yasumitsu, and Kaji Jirozaemon as vice generals.  Over 300 of Nitta's and more than 500 of the shogunate's were killed in the battle.  Both armies were exhausted.  Nitta's army retreated to Iruma River, and the shogunate's army pulled out to Kume River.

     To advance to Kume River, Yoshisada pitched a camp on Hakkokusan Hill.

Yoshisada defeated the garrisons of the Kamakura Shogunate along the Iruma River on May 11th, and along the Kume River on the 12th.  On the 15th, he carried out a forced crossing of Tama River, the strategic point for both, in the face of the 100,000-strong cavalry of the shogunate.  He outnumbered the shogunate, but his cavalry was not well-organized.  On the 16th, Yoshisada made another forced crossing with 10,000-strong cavalry at Bubai Riverbank, and defeated the garrisons of the Kamakura Shogunate.  On the 18th, Yoshisada tried to make a forced crossing across Kashio River at Muraoka just out of Kamakura in vain.  Instead, he took a sea shore route, and finally seized and captured Kamakura on the 22nd.  Murayama Shigenobu was killed in one of those battles.

     The Murayama Family rebuilt the Kannon-do Hall in the precincts in 1546.

     Murayama Yoshimitsu was subject to the Later Hojo Clan.  He died on August 12th, 1587, and his wife, Tama, died on January 7th, 1637.  After them, the family was said to have become farmers.

Address: 1129 Tonogaya, Mizuho, Nishitama District, Tokyo, Tokyo 190-1212

Phone: 042-557-0650

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #24 Zensho-ji Temple

 

     Zensho-ji Temple was founded by Priest Keizan (?-1461) in 1428.

     In ancient times, there used to be the Musashi Seven Corps. The most part of Musashi Province was plateaus deeply covered with volcanic-ash soil, which was suitable for stock farming, not for rice growing. In ancient times, many of the naturalized Silla people then were sent to Musashi Province, and engaged in the stock farming. That stimulated local people there, and many stock farms were set up, including 6 imperial stock farms. The custodians of those farms later formed small-scale would-be-samurai families. By marriage, those would-be-samurai families composed 7 corps on the Musashi Plateaus. The Murayama Corps was one of the 7, and Higashimurayama City was named after the Murayama Corps.

     Then there came the medieval days, the days of samurai. The Musashi Seven Corps basically supported the establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate, the government by samurai, for samurai, and of samurai. Some corps members climbed up the social ladder through the battles to overthrow the ancient establishment, while others remained half-farmer and half-samurai. Through marriage ties, or by blood, those common half-farmer and half-samurai families formed a provincial common ring or mafia, Musashi Hei-ikki, or the Musashi Commonwealth.

     When the Kamakura Shogunate collapsed, they banded together, jumped on the bandwagon, and luckily picked a winner, the Ashikaga Clan.  During the South and North Courts Period, they banded together and picked a winner, the Ashikaga Clan.  After the establishment of the Ashikaga Shogunate, there broke out the Kanno Incident in 1351, basically the infighting within the Ashikaga Clan, they banded together and picked a winner, Takauji (1305-1358).  Under the first Kanto Deputy Shogun, Ashikaga Motouji (1340-1367), and the first Regent of the Kanto Deputy Shogunate, Hatakeyama Kunikiyo (?-1362), they banded together and distinguished themselves in battles.  When Motouji feuded with Kunikiyo, they banded together and picked a winner.  Uesugi Noriaki (1306-1368) became the Regent, and the Kanto Deputy Shogunate became settled.  Peace at last?  The Establishment were always driven with lust.  Once the tug-of-war among them was settled, they set their eyes on common samurai.  What the Musashi Commonwealth had achieved by distinguishing themselves in battles were deprived.  Musashi Hei-ikki Revolt broke out in 1368.  This time, their unity was split as the divide and rule was the old trick of the establishment.

     It is unknown whether Musashi Shirahataikki was organized before the collapse of Musashi Hei-ikki, stimulated by the organization and success of Musashi Heiikki, or after Musashi Heiikki was destroyed.  Musashi Shirahata-ikki meant the Musashi White-Flag Commonwealth.  Here, the white flag didn't mean surrender but meant their support for the Mitamoto Clan, to which the Ashikaga and Uesugi Clans belonged.  The Minamoto Clan used white flags against red flags of the Taira Clan at the end of the ancient times.

     Anyway, after the collapse of Musashi Hei-ikki, Musashi Shirahata-ikki organized left-over low-ranking samurai of Musashi Heiikki.  Gradually, Musashi Shirahata-ikki was split up into 3 groups geographically at the turn of the 15th century: Joshu-ikki in Kozuke Province, North Bushu-ikki in the northern part of Musashi Province, and South Bushu-ikki in the southern part of Musashi Province.

     The first documented case of South Bushu-ikki was about Koma Norikazu.  In December, 1417, he wrote a letter to the Kanto Deputy Shogunate in Kamakura, demanding a reward for taking part in suppressing Uesugi Ujinori (?-1417), the Regent of the Kanto Deputy Shogunate, who revolted against Ashikaga Mochiuji (1398-1439), the fourth Kanto Deputy Shogun.  In August, 1419, Mochiuji ordered South Bushu-ikki to mop up the remnants of Ujinori.

     The Koma Family was based in Koma County, Musashi Province.

     Koma County was established in 716 by 1,799 immigrants from Gogulyeo.  Gogulyeo had been destroyed by Tang China and Silla in 668.  The immigrants had first settled in 7 provinces in Tokaido Region: Suruga, Kai, Sagami, Kamiusa, Shimousa, Hitachi, and Shimotsuke Provinces.  They were moved to Musashi Province, presumably to develop stock farms in the province.  The first governor of the county was Yagwang.

     Yagwang first visited Japan in 666 as a vice leader of a diplomatic mission dispatched from Gogulyeo.  He seemed to have come into exile in Japan after the collapse of Gogulyeo.  As he was given the Konikishi title by the Japanese government in 703, he was a member of the royal family of Gogulyeo.

     Anyway, Zensho-ji Temple might have been founded in those days, supported by a member family of South Bushu-ikki, or the Musashi Shirahata Commonwealth at large.

The Kannon-do Hall was built in 1594.

     The Kanto Region was ruled by Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) after he was moved to the region by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598).  The region itself was relatively stable, but Ieyasu was ordered to suppress the revolts in the Tohoku Region in 1591.  Besides, Hideyoshi started invading the Korean Peninsula in 1592.  The Kannon-do Hall was built in those days.  Zensho-ji Temple was located in Kishi Village, where the Ogawa Family was half-farmer and half-samurai.  Under the Tokugawa Shogunate, the family became farmers.  Instead of becoming samurai, they became developers.  Ogawa Kurobe (1622-1670), for example, developed rice fields on the Musashi Plateau 10 kilometers east-south-east from Kishi Village, taking advantage of the water from the Tamagawa Aqueduct, which was constructed by the Tokugawa Shogunate to supply drinking and fire-fighting water from the Tama river to Edo in 1653, 

Address: 3 Chome−37−7 Kishi, Musashimurayama, Tokyo 208-0031

Phone: 042-560-3417

Trees In the Town

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #23 Jigan-ji Temple

 

     Jigan-ji Temple was founded by Priest Kiun in Mitsugi Village, Tama County, Musashi Province.  At the beginning of the Tokugawa Era, Mitsugi Village was ruled by the Okochi Family, who were from Suruga Province.

     Okochi Tadamasa (?-1600) was first subject to the Imagawa Clan in Suruga Province.  After the province was invaded by the Takeda Clan, he became subject to the Takeda Clan.  After the Takeda Clan was destroyed by Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), he became masterless for a while, but was employed by Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) later.  His son, Masakatsu (?-1605), was given Mitsugi Village.  Masakatsu's grandson, Tadakatsu (?-1712), left Mitsugi Village and lived in Edo.

     It is unknown when the temple was founded, whether it was founded before the arrival of the Okochi Family or before.

Address: 5 Chome−32−3 Mitsugi, Musashimurayama, Tokyo 208-0032

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #22 Kissho-in Temple

 

     Choen-ji Temple was founded in Nakato Village, Tama County, Musashi Province, in 1568, when Musashi and Sagami Provinces were ruled by the Later Hojo Clan relatively stably and steadily although the clan was surrounded by enemies on all sides with the Uesugi Clan in the north, the Satake Clan in the north-east, the Satomi Clan in the east across the Edo Bay, the Takeda Clan in the west, and the Imagawa Clan in the west-south.  As Imagawa Yoshimoto (1519-1560), the warlord in Suruga and Totomi Provinces, was killed by Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), Hojo Ujimasa (1538-1590) invaded Suruga Province in 1598.  The power balance lasted just for a generation.

     The third priest of Choen-ji Temple, Donko (?-1699), founded Kissho-in Hermitage as a retreat at the beginning of the Tokugawa Era.

Address: 4 Chome-34 Honmachi, Musashimurayama, Tokyo 208-0004

Choen-ji Temple

Address: 3 Chome-40-1 Honmachi, Musashimurayama, Tokyo 208-0004

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #21 Harayama-Kannon-do Temple

     Oishi Sadahisa (1491-1549) used to be based at Yugi Castle, and he built Takigawa Castle in 1521 to guard Musashi Province against the invasion of the Later Hojo Clan, who had unified Sagami Province by 1516.  Kannon-ji Temple was founded in Nakato Village, Tama County, Musashi Province, to guard the North-East of the castle, which was considered to be the unlucky direction.

     In 1524, the Later Hojo Clan advanced on Musashi Province, the domain of the Ogigayatsu-Uesugi Clan.  On their way to Kawagoe Castle, the stronghold of Uesugi Tomosada (1525-1546), who was practically the last head of the Ogigayatsu-Uesugi Clan, the Later Hojo Clan's army set fire to Takigawa Castle on December 14th.

     After 1546, Sadahisa dumped the Uesugi Clans to Hojo Ujiyasu (1515-1571) and adopted Ujiyasu’s third son, Ujiteru (1542-1590), as the husband of his daughter, Hisa (?-1590).  The Oishi Family was half taken over by the Later Hojo Clan.  Sadahisa retired to Tokura Castle.  Ujiteru started building Hachioji Castle in 1571, and moved out of Takigawa Castle in 1587.

     On June 22nd, 1590, Maeda Toshiie (1538-1599) set fire to Takigawa Castle.

     Whether  Kannon-ji Temple in Nakato Village effectively guarded Takigawa Castle is the matter of the angle from which you look at the issue.  Only 2 defeats in more than half a century might not be so bad.  Anyway, after the collapse of the Later Hojo Clan in 1590, the Kanto Region was ruled by the Tokugawa Clan, and the castle became needless, and Kannon-ji Temple didn't have to guard the unlucky direction of the castle.

     When the village developed new rice fields in the first half of the 18th century, the temple was moved to 2 Chome−27−8 Nishimachi, Kokubunji, Tokyo 185-0035, with its Arya Avalokitesvara statue left at the former site.

     Do you remember Takigawa Castle?  Oh well, never mind.  Everybody forgot the castle under the Tokugawa Shogunate, or under Pax Tokugawana, and Takigawa Castle became one of the most well-preserved remains of Medieval castles in Japan.

Address: 3 Chome−85 Chuo, Musshimurayama, Tokyo 208-0003

Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in My Order ---in Coastal Central Izumi---

      I visited the last 2 temples of the southerly leg of the Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.  I first drove south along a so-called Osaka Prefectural Road #13, which is actually the the Osaka Prefectural Road #30.

#23 Kumeda-dera Temple

     Since the dry season  was long and water was scarce in Izumi Province, Emperor Obito (701-756) ordered the construction of an irrigation reservoir in the midland of the province.  They built a 500-meter long embankment to dam up Haruki River.  Kumeda Pond was completed after 14 years of construction from 725 to 738.  He also ordered the founding of Kumeda-dera Temple in 738 to maintain and manage the reservoir.

     Under the management of the temple, the embankment was repaired in 1289 and 1361.  During the Warring States period, the maintenance and management was handed over to 12 irrigated villages (Ikejiri, Nakai, Midoro, Araki, Omachi, Haruki, Kamori, Yoshii, Komatsuricho, Tajime, Shimoikeda, and Nishioji Villages) and they formed Kumeda-ike Union.  Kumeda Pond is still the largest pond in Osaka Prefecture.

     During the Heian period (794-1185), Kumeda-dera Temple was under the control of Ichijo-in Temple, a branch temple of Kofuku-ji Temple in Nara.  In the Jokyu War in 1221, samurai invaded and devastated the temple, but it was revived by Ando Rensho (1239-1329) under the Kamakura Shogunate.

     After the collapse of the shogunate in 1333, some samurai threatened the temple’s territory.  Under the Ashikaga Shogunate, it was designated as one of the Ankoku-ji Temples nationwide.

     During the Warring States period, it was almost destroyed by fire in the Battle of Kumeda in March, 1562, in which Miyoshi Yoshikata (1527-1562) and Hatakeyama Takamasa (1527-1576) fought.  When Oda Nobunaga attacked Ishiyama-Hongan-ji Temple from September 12th, 1570, to August 2nd, 1580, the temple was burned down.  It was reconstructed in 1674 under the Tokugawa Shogunate.  Repairs were carried out from 1751 to 1763, and its main hall was rebuilt in 1770.

Address: 934 Ikejiricho, Kishiwada, Osaka 596-0813

Phone: 072-445-0392

     When I pilgrimed the westernmost leg of the Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, I actually tried to visit #27 Kisshoon-ji Temple.  As I approached the temple, the street became narrower, and I finally gave up the call.  I stopped depending on a navigation system, and checked the map carefully.  Today, I parked my car in a nearby supermarket, and visited the temple on foot in the hot sun.

#27 Kisshoon-ji Temple

     In the latter half of the 7th century, an eleven-faced Ekadasamukha statue emerged from the sea on a seashell.  The statue on the shell went up the Mide River and arrived at Kaida, on the left bank of the river.  Somehow, it crossed the river and was enshrined in Kisshoon-ji Temple on the right side of the river.  It is enshrined in the Kannon-do Hall in the precincts of the temple.

     Kisshoon-ji Temple has a Sri-mahadevi statue, which was mentioned in the Record of Miraculous Events in Japan, which was compiled by Monk Kyokai at the beginning of the 9th century.

     Kisshoon-ji Temple exceptionally has no supporting families, but is supported by its individual believers.

     The temple has a picture of the Sixteen Arhats, who are a group of legendary Arhats in Buddhism: Pindola Bharadvaja, Kanakavatsa, Kanaka Bharadvaja, Subinda, Nakula, Sribhadra, Mahakalika, Vajriputra, Gopaka,Panthaka, Rahula, Nagasena, Angaja, Vanavasin, Ajita, and Cudapanthaka.  The picture was painted by Cho Densu (1352‐1431).   Matsudaira Yasusada (1748-1807), the lord of the Hamada Domain in Iwami Province, took it away to Hamada Castle, and made it a folding screen.  Then, the castle has tragedies, and he was troubled and annoyed everynight.  He finally returned it to the temple. 

Address: 703 Oji, Kaizuka, Osaka 597-0051

Phone: 072-423-1654

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #20 Shimpuku-ji Temple

     Shimpuku-ji Temple was founded by Gyoki (668-749) in 710.  The temple burned down in the fire caused by lightning in 1220, and was revived by Priest Ryusho (?-1290)

     The precincts have a Kannon-do Hall.  People presented Avalokitesvara statues, which count 100 today.

Address: 1 Chome−37−1 Nakato, Musashimurayama, Tokyo 208-0001

Phone: 042-561-0369

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #19 Hayashi-do Temple

 

     Cintamanicakra, who usually has 6 arms and holds chintamani (a wish-fulfilling jewel) in one of the six, was enshrined in Hayashi Hamlet, Imokubo Village, Tama County, Musashi Province.  It is unknown when and why the Cintamanicakra statue was brought to the village, which has Toyo-Kashima Shrine as its village shrine.

     When a foreign god came to the province in 707, the shrine was founded to quiet the god.  The Ishikawa Family have been a Shinto priest of the shrine since ancient times.  At the end of the Warring States Period, the family was half-farmer and half-samurai.  Instead of hiring the family as hatamoto samurai, Tokugawa Ieyasu  (1542-1616) brought Sakai Saneaki, who used to be subject to the Takeda Clan, which collapsed in 1582.  Some ex-Takeda samurai were hired by Ieyasu, and were brought to the Kanto Region after 1590.  Far from Jupiter, far from his thunder?

Address: 3 Chome-1664 Imokubo, Higashiyamato, Tokyo 207-0033

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #18 Unsho-ji Temple

 

     The Ishikawa Family lived in Narahashi Village, Tama County, Musashi Province, for generations.  They were half-farmer and half- samurai.  In 1439, they presented a hall to Unsho-ji Temple.

     Ashikaga Mochiuji (1398-1439) became the 4th Kanto Deputy Shogun in 1409 at the age of 11.  Uesugi Ujinori (?-1417) became the Regent of the Kanto Deputy Shogunate in 1411 in his 40’s.  As Mochiuji entered the rebellious stage, he preferred Uesugi Norimoto (1392-1418).  Mochiuji replaced Ujinori with Norimoto in 1415.  Ujinori was forced to commit suicide on Joanuary 10th, 1417, but the aftermath led to the Eikyo War in 1438

In 1438, the Eikyo War broke out between Ashikaga Mochiuji (1398-1439) and Uesugi Norizane (1410-1466), the Regent of the Kanto Deputy Shogunate, in the Kanto Region.  Although the Ishikawa Family and villagers had kept a village shrine since ancient times, they might have needed Buddhism to relieve themselves when the Kanto Region was plunging into the Warring States Period.

     In 1575, defeated and fleeing samurai damaged the building of Narahashi-Hachiman Shrine, which had been the village shrine of Narahashi Village from ancient times, and the family rebuilt it.  

     From 1560 to 1574, Uesugi Terutora (1530-1578), who was the warlord of Echigo Province, invaded the Kanto Region almost every year.  In 1575, Hojo Ujimasa was busy wiping out Kagetora's remnants.  As the Ishikawa Family didn't attack the remnants, the family might have taken a neutral stance.  As fence-sitters, the family naturally changed their lord from the Later Hojo Clan to the Tokugawa Clan in 1590, when the Later Hojo Clan was destroyed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598).  As fence-sitters, they weren't promoted, and just kept ruling the village. 

     In 1592, Ishikawa Taroemon, the head of the family, was hired by Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) as hatamoto.  In 1727, Tokugawa Yoshimune (1684-1751), the 8th Shogun, installed a new merit system to the shogunate.  To increase the number of meritocracy population, he pulled out low-ranking hatamoto samurai from their domains.  As a result, Narahashi Village was expropriated in 1733, and the Ishikawa Family moved to Edo.

Unsho-ji Temple’s graveyard has the graves of the first 5-generation graves of the head of the family under the Tokugawa Shogunate.

     The new merit system installed by Yoshimune caught hatamoto samurai in a monetary economy and caused many of low-ranking samurai to fall into poverty, but it also worked.  Ishikawa Tadafusa (1756-1836) became the head of the family in August 1764.  He was so competent that he was appointed as a negotiator when Adam Laxman (1766-1806) visited Nemuro, Hokkaido, on October 20, 1789, to request the opening of Japan.  Tadafusa even became the Minister of Finance in 1797.  He was not only an efficient bureaucrat but also who understood the sufferings of ordinary people as he had been a low-ranking samurai.  In 1798, he reformed the highway system and reduced the labor and expenses of the locals along highways.  He was praised to be a living god, and you can find small shrines to honor him along the old Nakasen-do Highway.

     Tadafusa’s grave is not in Unsho-ji Temple but in Kokoku-ji Temple (2 Chome-20 Haramachi, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 162-0053).

Address: 1 Chome-363 Narahashi, Higashiyamato, Tokyo 207-0031

Phone: 042-561-0842

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #17 Reisho-an Hermitage

 

     Reisho-an Hermitage was founded by Priest Ken'yo (?-1159).

     The Okura Battle broke out on August 16th, 1155, when Minamoto Yoshihira (1141-1160) attacked Minamoto Yoshitaka (?-1155), who was based in Tago County, Kozuke Province in the Northern Kanto Region at the end of the Heian Period (794-1192).  Yoshihira’s father, Yoshitomo (1123-1160), was based in Kamakura, Sagami Province, in the Southern Kanto Region.  Yoshitaka married a daughter of Chichibu Shigetaka (?-1155), who was based in Chichibu County, Musashi Province, which belonged to the Southern Kanto Region, and built Okura Fortress in Hiki County, Musashi Province, to advance to the Southern Kanto Region.

     Yoshitaka’s advance was a political and economical threat to Yoshitomo and Yoshihira.  Yoshihira killed Yoshikata and Shigetaka, who happened to stay in Okura Fortress on that day. The battle, the dispute over the family reign of the Minamoto Clan, the central samurai clan, involved local samurai in the Kanto Region.  The Governor of Musashi Province, Fujiwara Nobuyori (1133-1160), condoned the battle among the Kanto samurai, which even shook the central politics in Kyoto and caused the Hogen Battle there.  At the end of the ancient times, samurai were revealing their significance, without awareness though.

     It was in those days that Priest Ken'yo founded Enjo-in Temple and built Reisho-in Hermitage in its precincts.

Address: 2 Chome-1329-1 Sayama, Higashiyamato, Tokyo 207-0003

Trees In the Town

Virtual Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimag #16 Sanko-in Temple

 

     Sanko-in Temple was founded by Monk Encho (?-1112).  Priest Shukujo (?-1357) transferred it to Shingon Sect.

     When Sanko-in Temple was founded, the Yokoyama Corps exercised their power in Tama Hills, while the Murayama Corps was based in Sayama Hills, which lies in the south of Tama Hills.  

     In ancient times, there used to be the Musashi Seven Corps. The most part of Musashi Province was plateaus deeply covered with volcanic-ash soil, which was suitable for stock farming, not for rice growing. In ancient times, many of the naturalized Silla people then were sent to Musashi Province, and engaged in the stock farming. That stimulated people there, and many stock farms were set up, including 6 imperial stock farms. The custodians of those farms later formed small-scale would-be-samurai families. By marriage, those would-be-samurai families composed 7 corps on the Musashi Plateaus. The Yokoyama and Murayama Corps were 2 of the 7.

     In Tama County, Musashi Province, the Fujiwara Clan, the most powerful central noble clan in Ancient Japan, owned the Funakida Manor.  The Yokoyama Corps developed the Yokoyama Manor beside the Funakida Manor, presumably serving under and depending on the Fujiwara Clan’s authority.  In the 12th century, the age of the samurai was coming.

On March 4th, 1113, Yokoyama Takakane killed Aiko Naiki, who was based in Aiko County, Sagami Province.  The Imperial Court issued the order to the governors of Sagami, Hitachi, Kozuke, Shimousa, and Kazusa Provinces to suppress the Yokoyama Corps.  The corps endured the suppression for 3 years, and got out of the crisis with the help of Minamoto Tameyoshi (?-1156), whose grandson, Yoritomo, put an end to the Ancient aristocratic politics and started the Kamakura Shogunate of samurai, by samurai, and for samurai.  Anyway, Takakane took control of Aiko County and had his third son, Suetaka, adopted by the Aiko Family. 

     He also married his daughters to Ebina Suesada in Sagami Province, to Chichibu Hiroshige in Musashi Province, and Kajiwara Kagekiyo in Kamakura.  His grandchildren supported Yoritomo’s establishing the Kamakura Shogunate.

     The temple’s precincts have an old itabi dated 1369.  As the itabi employed the year name Oan, its builder belonged to the Northern Court, which was supported by the Shikaga Shogunate in Kyoto.  In 1349, Ashikaga Motouji (1340-1367) became the first Kanto Deputy Shogun in Kamakura under the central shogunate.  The builder, whose posthumous Buddhis name was Nichia, might have witnessed the ups-and-downs of Kamakura, including the collapse of the Kamakura Shogunate, and the confusion among samurai in the Kanto Region.  Some other samurai supported Nitta Yoshisada (1301-1338), who supported the Southern Court.

Address: 4 Chome-1132 Shimizu, Higashiyamato, Tokyo 207-0004

Phone: 042-561-3270