Virtual Akigawa 34 Kannon Pilgrimage #13 Shinjo-ji Temple

 

     Shinjo-ji Temple was founded by Priest Daiko (?-1357) in 1351, supported by Ashikaga Motouji (1340-1346), who had become the first Kanto Deputy Shogun in 1349.  Presumably, his father, Takauji (1305-1358), the first Shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate (1336-1573), threw a lot of money around in the Kanto Region to celebrate Motouji's inauguration.

     The temple was revived by Oishi Genko.

     Who was Oishi Genko?

     A powerful local family in Oishi Village, Saku County, Shinano Province, became samurai and called themselves Oishi.

     When the Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333) collapsed, Oishi Tameshige moved to the Kanto Region, and became subject to Uesugi Norikai (1306-1368), the first Regent of the Kanto Deputy Shogunate.  As he didn’t have a son, he adopted a younger brother of Kiso Iemura (1292-1339), who was the 7th descendant of Minamoto Yoshinaka (1154-1184) and who was based in Kiso County, Shinano Province, Nobushige (1336-1424), in 1334.

     In 1351, Nobushige took the lead in the Battle of Fuefuki Pass against Nitta Yoshimune (1331-1368), who was the third son of Yoshisada (1301-1338).  Yoshisada had destroyed the Kamakura Shogunate in 1333.  Yoshimune had raised an army on the side of the Southern Court.  As a result of his military exploits, Nobushige acquired 13 villages in Iruma and Tama Counties in Musashi Province in 1356.  He moved to Tama County, and built a residence in Ninomiya (currently Akiruno City).  He also built the Jofukuji Fortress.

     Banri Shuku (1428-?), a monk of the Chan Buddhism, mentioned Oishi Sadashige as the 10th descendant of Minamoto Yoshinaka in the 6th volume of his traveloges to the Eastern Provinces in Chinese, Baika Mujinzo, namely Inexhaustible Apricot Blossoms, which was finished writing in 1506.  Sadashige was described as controlling more than 20 counties of Musashi Province.

     In 1546, Hojo Ujiyasu (1515-1571) won a big victory in the Kawagoe Battle.  He destroyed the Ogigayatsu-Uesugi Family and drove away the Yamanouchi-Uesugi Family out of the Kanto Region.  In short, he destroyed the Uesugi Clan.

     When the Uesugi Clan disappeared from the Kanto Region, Oishi Sadahisa (1491-1549) accepted Ujiyasu’s third son, Ujiteru (1542-1590), to marry his daughter, Hisa (?-1590), and to become his son-in-law.  Actually speaking, the Oishi Family was taken over by the Later Hojo Clan.  In 1569, Ujiteru returned to the Later Hojo Clan, and Sadahisa’s son, Sadanaka (1534-1590), became the head of the Oishi Family, who were subject to the Later Hojo Clan.

Oishi Genko was a member of the Oishi Family and was subject to Ujiteru, who financially supported Genko's revival of Shinjo-ji Temple.

Address: 344 Kamiyotsugi, Akiruno, Tokyo 197-0832