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.

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