Virtual Musashino 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #22 Ensho-ji Temple

 

     Ensho-ji Temple was founded in Noda Village, Koma County, Musashi Province, in 1205 by Kaji Ieshige to pray for the comfort of his father, Iesue, in the other world.  Iesue was killed in the Battle of Futamata River.

     On June 22nd, 1205, Hatakeyama Shigetada (1164-1205) left his hometown in Obusuma County, Musashi Province, with 130-strong cavalry to answer the emergency call from Kamakura.  When he arrived at Futamata River, what he faced was an army of tens of thousands strong.  He realized he was trapped.  Instead of retreating, he made up his mind to die with a good grace.  It was his old friend, Adachi Kagemori (?-1248), who charged at him first.  Shigetada's first son, Shigehide (1183-1205), fought back against Kagemori.  As Shigetada was shot to death, Shigehide killed himself on the spot.  It isn't so clear which side Iesue fought for, but as the Kaji Family survived, it is more probable that he fought for the Hojo Clan.

     The temple's precincts have 9 old blue itabi.  One is dated May 16th, 1254.  Its epitaph was composed by "a dutiful son", presumably, for his late parents.

     The second oldest is dated November 23rd, 1256, with its epitaph composed by Tanji Yasuie.  He composed another epitaph for an itabi in Raigo-ji Temple.  The itabi is dated February 23rd in the same year.  The third oldest is dated January 13th, 1270.  The itabi was built for Tanji Yasuie by his son, Tanji Muneyasu, who also built a stone statue in Mt. Koya.

     The 4th oldest is dated August 2nd, 1305.  The 5th oldest is dated May 22nd, 1333.

     Nitta Yoshisada (1301-1338) raised his army in Kozuke Province with 150 strong cavalry on May 8th, 1333.  He was to meet the 100,000 strong cavalry of the Kamakura Shogunate somewhere between Kozuke and Sagami Provinces.  The shogunate had been established by the Minamoto Clan, beating down the Taira Clan, but had been controlled by the Hojo Clan, who were the branch clan of the Taira Clan, after the 4th shogun.  The Nitta Family was one of the powerful branch families of the Minamoto Clan.

     Yoshisada had pride in his bloodline and content against the Hojo Clan.  When he arrived at Tone River, the number of his cavalry increased to 7,000 strong.  After crossing the river, the number jumped to 207,000.  He defeated the garrisons of the Kamakura Shogunate along the Iruma River on May 11th.  Before daybreak on May 21st, Yoshisada finally stormed into Kamakura, and cornered the Hojo Clan into their family temple, Tosho-ji Temple, where hundreds of clan members and their followers including Kaji Iesada killed themselves on the 22nd.

     The 6th oldest is dated August 15th, 1354.  Its epitaph was composed by Kaji Morisue.

     The 7th oldest is dated September 5th, 1368.  The 8th oldest is dated August 16th, 1489.  The other is just unreadable.

     The Tanji and Kaji Families belonged to the Tan Corps, one of the Musashi Seven Corps.

     Most of Musashi Province is plateaus covered deeply with volcanic-ash soil, which was suitable for stock farming, not for rice growing.  In ancient times, many of the naturalized Silla people then were sent to Musashi Province, and engaged in 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 samurai families.  By marriage, those samurai families composed 7 corps on the plateaus in the province: the Musashi Seven Corps.    The Tan Corps was one of the 7.

       In the Northern and Southern Courts Period (1336-1392), the Tan Corps fought for the Southern Court, the loser.  When Uesugi Ujinori (?-1417), the Regent of the Kanto Deputy Shogunate, rebelled against Ashikaga Mochiuji (1398-1439), the 4th Kanto Deputy Shogun, in 1416, the Tan Corps fought for Ujinori, the loser.  Accordingly, the corps weakened.

     The itabi in Ensho-ji Temple seem to have been built before the downfall of the Tan Corps.  Noda literally means Field Paddy Field.  There used to be 16 Noda Villages as modern municipalities in Japan.  There should have been countless Noda Villages before the modernization of Japan.  Noda Village concerned was developed in the left bank of Iruma River presumably in the Kamakura Period (1185-1333).

     Ensho-ji Temple enshrines Cintamanicakra, who usually has 6 arms and holds chintamani (a wish-fulfilling jewel) in one of the six, and is also the #11 member of the Koma 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.  What was Koma County?  When Tang China and Silla destroyed Gogulyeo in 668, more than 200,000 Gogulyeo people were taken to China as prisoners of war and about 7,000 were sent to Silla.  Some escaped to Japan.  In 716, those who had settled in Suruga, Kai, Sagami, Kamiusa, Shimousa, Hitachi, and Shimotsuke Province, 1799 of them, were removed to Musashi Province and they established Koma County in the province.  It is unknown whether the re-settlement accorded to the wills of ex-Gogulyeo people or caused by the alternation of Japanese immigration policies.

Address: 158 Noda, Iruma, Saitama 358-0054

Phone: 04-2932-0829