Virtual Adachi Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage (the South) #32 Kanpuku-ji Temple

 

     Kanryo-bo Hermitage was founded by Monk Myogaku (1173-1223), who was the first son of Taira Koremori (1159-1184).

     Minamoto Yoshitomo (1123-1160) was assassinated 3 days after he was defeated in the Heiji Rebellion in 1159, in which the Minamoto Clan was suppressed by the Taira Clan.  The Minamoto Clan launched their revengeful battles against the Taira Clan in 1180. 

     In 1183, Minamoto Yoshinaka (1154-1184) advanced to Kyoto and the Taira clan decided to leave the capital.  Koremori was afraid that it would be unbearable for his wife, who was accustomed to the capital life, to flee to the west with him.  He left his wife and children in the capital.

     Koremori's wife and children hid in the north of Daikaku-ji Temple in Kyoto, but was captured by Hojo Tokimasa (1138-1215) in December, 1185, after the fall of the Taira clan. Koremori's first son, Takakiyo, was originally supposed to be sent to Kamakura and beheaded.  Due to the plea of Priest Mongaku to spare his life, he was spared from execution, and his custody was entrusted to Mongaku.  In 1189, Takakiyo shaved his head and took the Buddhist name Myogaku.  Mongaku gave Myogaku a 5-centimeters-tall Thousand-Armed Sahasrabhuja image.  In 1194, Myogaku visited Kamakura as a messenger of Mongaku.  Myogaku, through Oe Hiromoto (1148-1225), conveyed to Minamoto Yoritomo (1147-1199), the first Shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate, that he had become a monk without any ill will against Yoritomo.  Yoritomo remembered Myogaku's grandfather, Shigemori (1138-1179), saved Yoritomo's life after the Heiji Rebellion, and had Myogaku stay in the Kanto Region.

     After Yoritomo's death in 1199, Mongaku was caught in the political strife in the Minamoto Clan and among court nobles.  He was exiled to Sado Island in 1199, returned to Kyoto In 1202, was exiled to Tsushima Island in 1203, and died on his way to the island.

     Losing his protector, Myogoku was said to have been killed on one of those occasions.

In Maekawa Village, however, Myogaku was believed to have lived in Kanryo-bo Hermitage with his Sahasrabhuja image and died on March 17th, 1223.

     Maekawa Shrine used to have its shrine temple, Tofuku-ji.  Manpuku-ji Temple used to be located where Kanpuku-ji Cemetery is.  Tofuku-ji Temple merged into Manpuku-ji Temple in 1868, just after the Meiji Restoration.  Manpuku-ji Temple and Kanryo-bo Hermitage merged at the end of Taisho Era (1912-1926) and became Kanpuku-ji.

Address: 4 Chome-30-13 Maekawa, Kawaguchi, Saitama 333-0842

Phone: 048-265-5279

Maekawa Shrine

Address: 3 Chome-49-1 Maekawa, Kawaguchi, Saitama 333-0842

Phone: 048-265-7718

Kanpuku-ji Cemetery

Address: 4 Chome-30-17 Maekawa, Kawaguchi, Saitama 333-0842