Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in My Order ---the Southernmost Leg---

      I drove southwest along Route 26 to visit Kin’yu-ji Temple, the southernmost member temple of the Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.  As it is, the temple is located in Sennan City, the city in the south of Izumi Province.  In Sennan City, I left Route 26 and drove along the approach to the Hanwa Expressway.  Kin’yu-ji Temple was just off the approach in a valley of Shindachikinyuji.  All the southernmost member temples of the Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage were located in Shindachi Manor in the Medieval days.  As it is, their place names all have Shindachi in them.

#29 Kin'yu-ji Temple

     En Odunu (634-701) dug out a gilded copper statue of Cintamanicakra, who usually has 6 arms and holds chintamani (a wish-fulfilling jewel) in one of the six, carved a wooden Cintamanicakra statue himself, and founded Kin'yu-ji Temple in 682 to enshrine them. 

     On March 6th, 1297, Hojo Sadatoki (1272-1311), the 9th Regent of the Kamakura Shogunate, ordered an exemption from debts to help low-ranking poor samurai.  The exemption shook society despite the ruler's intentions.  Some violently demanded exemption.  In 1299, Kin'yu-ji Temple was set on fire.  All its buildings burned down but its main deity and the Bhaisajyaguru Hall.

     Locals tried to revive the temple in 1312 and 1338, but it was reduced to ashes when Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) invaded Kii Province in 1585.

     The villagers of Shindachi Village rebuilt a Kannon-do Hall and the temple's office in 1654, and they are what we call Kin'yu-ji Temple today.

Address: 813 Shindachikinyuji, Sennan, Osaka 590-0514

Phone: 072-482-3536

     I drove out of the valley.  Rinsho-ji Temple is located at the fot of a hill.

 

#31 Rinsho-ji Temple

     Tradition says that Rinsho-ji Temple was founded by Gyoki sometime between 729 and 748, but the temple's name was given by Emperor Horikawa (1079-1107).

     When Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) attacked the Saika Commonwealth, he burned down Rinsho-ji Temple.

     The The precincts have the Garden of Buddhist Training, designed by Shigemori Mirei (1896-1975).

Address: 395 Shindachiokanaka, Sennan, Osaka 590-0523

Phone: 072-483-2705

     Ojo-in Temple is not so far from Rinsho-ji Temple, but an old pilgrim road is a one-way street and I had to make a detour and drive through a highway.

 

#14 Ojo-in Temple

     Ojo-in Temple was founded by Priest Dosho (629–700) in 680.

     In 653, Dosho travelled to China, studying under Xuanzang (602-664), who had traveled to India to study the Original Buddhism. Dosho studied Yogacara, or Consciousness Only School or Dharma Characteristics School.  After returning from China, Dosho introduced the consciousness-only philosophy and established the Dharma Characteristics School in Japan.

     The temple was burned down when Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) invaded Kii Province in 1585.

     The temple's location is a mystery.  Usually, the #14 temple is located between the #13 and the #15.  Then, Ojo-in Temple must be located in Izumi City.  Was it moved to its present place after the organization of the Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, which was first documented in the 1680's in its present place.

Address: 1248 Shindachimakino, Sennan, Osaka 590-0522

Phone: 072-483-2128

     After Ojo-in Temple, I drove along the Osaka Prefectural Road #30 for several minutes.  Mysteriously enough, the Road #30 is called the Road #13 in Sakai City.  It is not because we Japanese can hardly distinguish the pronunciations of 30 and 13, but due to the history of the construction of the road.  When the Sakai part of the road was constructed as a road with 2 lanes in each direction, it was called 13-gen Road, as its width had 13 gen in the old Japanese unit.  1 gen had about 1.8 meters, and 13 gen had about 23.4 meters.  The road officially became a part of the Osaka-Izumi-Sennan Road in 1964, and number 30 was allocated to the road in 1984.  The locals had a special attachment to the number 13, and the Road 13 became its nickname.

#28 Chokei-ji Temple

     Kaie-ji Temple is supposed to have been founded in the latter half of the 7th century with its buildings arranged like those of Horyu-ji Temple.  It burned down in 988 and was rebuilt in 997. 

     When Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) and Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) invaded Kii Province in 1577 and 1585 respectively, all the temple buildings burned down but the Kannon-do Hall.

     Toyotomi Hideyori (1593-1615) moved the hall to its present place and built other halls in the years of Keicho (1596-1615).  It was renamed Chokei-ji in 1680 by Prince Moronaga (1672-1707), the 2nd son of Emperor Reigen (1654-1732).  Can you guess why the temple was named Chokei-ji?  Because the temple was moved in the years of Keicho.  They reversed the year name!

Address: 815 Shindachiichiba, Sennan, Osaka 590-0504

Phone: 072-483-2692

     I drove back home, impressed with Osaka people’s sense of gags with good lineage.