Virtual Saitama City Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage #34 Daien-ji Temple

 

     Daien-ji Temple was founded by Ota Suketaka (1498-1547), who was a grandson of Ota Sukenaga (1432-1486), who built Edo Castle, in Futtono Village, Adachi County, Musashi Province.  The temple was supported by Yokoin later.

     In the old Japanese language, a vulva was called hoto.  The village was between plateaus and looked like a vulva.

     The temple keeps Daienji Kotenmyo Arare-gama.

     Ota Sukenaga (1432-1486) regularly used an arare-gama, namely hail-patterned iron pot, which was made in Tenmyo, Aso County, Shimotsuke Province.  The moldings made in Tenmyo before the Edo Period were called Ko-Tenmyo, namely Old Tenmyo.

     Sukenaga passed his hail-patterned iron pot to his adopted son, Sukeie (?-1522);

Sukeie in turn to his son, Sukeyori (1484-1536); Sukeyori to his son, Sukemasa (1522-1591); and then Sukemasa to his son Ujisuke (1542-1567).  As Ujisuke didn't have a son, his daughter adopted Hojo Kokuzomaru (1564-1582) as her husband.  Kokuzomaru died young, and his wife adopted his brother, Ujifusa (1565-1592).

     After the collapse of the Later Hojo Clan in 1590 and Ujifusa's death in 1592, she became a nun with her Buddhist name Yokoin.  She presented the hail-patterned iron pot to Daien-ji Temple.  When she visited the temple, she made a cup of powdered green tea with the pot, and offered up the tea to the Buddhist memorial tablet of Sukenaga.    Marrying twice, she might have made her best to guard the family.

     What was Tenmyo Village like?

     Tawara Tota (891-958) was an official of the Shimotsuke Provincial Government.  He was from Tawara Village, Kawachi County, Shimotsuke Province.  When Taira Masakado (?-940) tried to be independent from Japan in the Kanto Region in 939, Tota suppressed Masakado’s revolt.  Tota invited 5 casters from Tannan County, Kawachi Province, to Teraoka Village in Shimotsuke Province to have them mold arms.  At the end of the ancient times, their offspring moved from Teraoka Village to Tenmyo Village.  Their rustic but rugged appearance was preferred by samurai in Muromachi Period (1336-1573).  Iron pots made in Tenmyo were ranked alongside those of Ashiya, Chikuzen Province.  Ashiya iron pots were casted from the middle of the 14th century to the beginning of the 16th century.  Their style was called Shinnari.  They looked handsome and their patterns were elegant and graceful.  They were appreciated by the nobles and the high-ranking samurai in Kyoto.

Address: 335 Futtono, Minuma Ward, Saitama, 337-0017

Phone: 048-683-5673