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