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