Virtual Hiki Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #7 Choon-ji Temple

 

     Choon-ji Temple was founded by Priest Kaiban sometime between 1532 and 1555, about 2 centuries after the foundation of Chofuku-ji Temple and about 1 century after the settlement of Fukaya Masanao.  Presumably, the development in Kawajima Island had advanced south-east into the lower-reaches and the population had increased.

     Nichiro (1245–1320) was a Buddhist disciple of Nichiren (1222-1282), who established Nichiren Buddhism, or Lotus Sect in Japan.  Nichizo (1269–1342) was one of Nichiro's nine senior disciples.  He went to Kyoto and was successful in acquiring official Imperial recognition of Nichiren Buddhism in 1321.

     In the 16th century, the faith of Nichiren Buddhism spread among many townspeople in Kyoto, centering on Rokujo Honkoku-ji Temple, and became a powerful force.  In 1532 and 1533 under the order of Ashikaga Yoshiharu (1511-1550), the 12th Shogun, the Nichiren Buddhists fought with Hosokawa Harumoto (1514-1563), Rokkaku Sadayori (1495-1552), and Kizawa Nagamasa against the True Pure Land Buddhists.  True Pure Land Buddhists’ stronghold in Kyoto, Yamashina Honganji Temple, which had a temple complex surrounded by earthen walls and a temple town in the Yamashina Basin, was completely burnt down.  The joined forces set fire to the other temples of the True Pure Land Buddhism in Kyoto.

After this, the Nichiren Buddhists gained autonomy over the security in Kyoto and refused to pay taxes.  They expanded their influence in Kyoto for about five years.

     On March 3rd, 1536, Kaobo, a priest of the West Pagoda of Enryaku-ji Temple, was preaching in Kannon-do Hall in Ichijo Karasuma, Kyoto.  On March 11th, when Matsumoto Hisayoshi, a devotee of Nichiren Buddhism from Mobara County, Kazusa Province, visited the hall, Kaobo preached Shingon Buddhism, while slandering Nichiren Buddhism.  Hisakichi listened to the sermon, approached the stage, and asked more than a dozen questions.  At the end of the questions and answers, Kaobo was at a loss of words, Hisakichi dragged Kaobo from the platform and stripped off the robes.

     On May 23rd, rumors arose that the Nichiren Buddhists would attack Shokoku-ji Temple.  On May 29th, Shokoku-ji Temple dug moats around it.  On June 16th, a watchtower was built in front of the east gate along the moat.  Rokkaku Sadayori went to Kyoto from Omi Province on May 29th to mediate between the two.  In July, Kizawa Nagamasa also moved to mediation.  However, mediation was not successful.

     Feeling disgraceful after the debate between Kaobo and Hisayoshi, Enryaku-ji Temple held a meeting on June 1st, and asked the Muromachi Shogunate to stop the Nichiren Buddhists from calling themselves Hokke Sect.  However, the shogunate claimed that the Nichiren Buddhists won the lawsuit based on the Imperial sanction granted by Emperor Godaigo (1288-1339) in 1334.  As a result, Enryaku-ji Temple decided to exterminate Nichiren Buddhists in Kyoto.

     In July of the same year, a group of warrior monks of Enryaku-ji Temple rose up.  The masses of all the temples of Enryaku-ji Temple gathered and demanded that the twenty-one temples of the Nichiren Buddhists in Kyoto become branch temples of Enryaku-ji Temple and pay the fees.  The Nichiren Buddhists rejected their request.  Enryaku-ji Temple asked the Imperial Court and the Shogunate for permission to subjugate the Nichiren Buddhists, and sought cooperation of Asakura Takakage from Echizen Province, as well as Hongan-ji Temple, Kofuku-ji Temple, Onjo-ji Temple, To-ji Temple, etc.  All of them refused to send their troops to Enryaku-ji Temple, but promised neutrality.

     On July 22nd, both sides clashed.  The number of soldiers of Enryaku-ji Temple is said to have been between 150,000 and 30,000.  It is recorded that 3,000 soldiers marched from Miidera Temple too.  On the other hand, the military strength of the Nichiren Buddhists is said to have been 20,000.

     As Nichiren Buddhists had dug ditches in Kyoto from the end of May to prepare for an attack from Enryaku-ji Temple, they had the advantage for a while.  On July 27th, however, the Rokkaku army invaded Kyoto from Shijo Street and set fire to the 21 temples of the Nichiren Buddhists.  On the 28th, Honkoku-ji Temple was also destroyed by fire.

It is said that 10,000 or 1,000 Nichiren Buddhists died in this battle.

     Furthermore, the fires set by Enryaku-ji Temple and the Rokkaku army caused a great fire, destroying the entire Shimogyo area of Kyoto and about one-third of the Kamigyo area. The scale of damage caused by the warfare exceeded that of the Onin War.

     It is unknowable whether Kaiban left Kyoto before or after the battle, but he, anyway, fled east and settled in Kawajima although he belonged to the Shingon Sect.

     In 1539, heavy rains, floods, and locust plagues caused famines in various parts of Japan, and heavy rains and floods again occurred in the next spring.  A large-scale famine occurred in Japan in 1540.  In 1549, the great earthquake occurred in the Kanto Region, but Hojo Ujiyasu (1515-1571) was busy fighting battles and didn't aid his affected people.  Farmers throughout his territory abandoned their villages and fields, and fled on a large scale.

     It is unknown whether Kaiban founded Choon-ji Temple before, in the middle of, or after the famine.

     Anyway, one day, Kaiban was going to close the temple gate to find a suffering pregnant woman in front of the gate.  The priest and his housekeeper carried the woman into the temple, and laid her in a bed.  However, the woman became worse and worse.  A couple of days later, rice cake was offered to the statue of Arya Avalokitesvara, who is the human-figure prototype of the other 6 metamorphoses.  He gave a piece of it to the woman, she became better and gave birth to a boy baby.  What the expecting mother needed was nourishment.  The Arya Avalokitesvara statue became famous for answering prayers for a safe birth and child raising.

Address: 214 Shojiki, Kawajima, Hiki District, Saitama 350-0162

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