Virtual Musashino 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #10 Shinko-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Shinko-ji Temple was founded in Kami-Arai Village, Iruma County, Musashi Province. 

     Kami-Arai Village became independent from Tokorozawa Village after Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) moved to the Kanto Region in 1590.  If the temple had been founded at the end of the ancient times or even far before as tradition says, there could have been no village but the Kotesashigahara grassland.

     Minamoto Yoritomo (1147-1199) played falconry in Nasunogahara from April 2nd to 23rd in 1193.  Nasunogahara is the largest alluvial cone in Japan, and thus was unsuitable for raising rice.  It was an ideal hunting ground.  On his way to Nasunogahara, he had lunch at Kotesashigahara.  He recognized an Arya Avalokitesvara statue, and presented the day-camping lot he stayed to the statue.  As Nitta Yoshisada (1301-1338) prided himself on being Yoritomo's heir, he called on the statue on his way to attack Kamakura, believing the legend.  After his triumph over the Hojo Clan, he presented some field to the statue.  

     Isn’t something strange?

    Nitta Yoshisada (1301-1338) raised his army in Ikushina Shrine 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 Yoshisada arrived at Tone River, the number of his cavalry increased to 7,000 strong.  After crossing the river, the number jumped to 207,000.  On May 11th, his army encountered 30,000-strong cavalry of the Kamakura Shogunate with Hojo Sadakuni (1287-1333) as a general, and with Nagasaki Takashige (?-1333), Nagasaki Yasumitsu, and Kaji Jirozaemon as vice generals.  Over 300 of Nitta's and more than 500 of the shogunate's were killed in the battle.  Both armies were exhausted.  Nitta's army retreated to Iruma River, and the shogunate's army pulled out to Kume River.

     After the Kamakura Shogunate was destroyed, Hojo Tokiyuki (1325-1353) rose in revolt in June, 1335, and advanced to Kamakura, which was garrisoned by Ashikaga Naoyoshi (1307-1352).  After July 20th, Tokiyuki defeated Naoyoshi's army in Onakagegahara, Kotesashigahara, Musashi-fuchu, and Idenosawa successively.  On the 25th, he finally broke through Naoyoshi's final defense line in Tsurumi.  Tokiyuki occupied Kamakura on the 25th.

     After Tokiyuki was suppressed, Nitta Yoshisada and Ashikaga Takauji (1305-1358) conflicted with each other.  After Yoshisada's death, his son, Yoshioki (1331-1358), occupied Kamakura on February 18th, 1352.  On the 28th, Yoshioki's army and Takauji's army clashed against each other in 3 battlefields including Kotesashigahara.

     It is natural that Yoshisada left his hometown, Ashikaga, went through the Kamakura Highway Upper, and headed to Kamakura, but Yoritomo should have gone through the Kamakura Highway Middle to get to  Nasunogahara.  Actually, when he advanced to Mutsu Province, he took Kamakura Highway Middle.  He left Kamakura on July 19th.  He went through the east part of Musashi Province, and arrived at Utsunomiya on the 25th.  He left Utsunomiya on the next day, and, on the 28th, arrived at Niwatado Station in Nasunogahara.  He reached the Shirakawa Checkpoint between Shimotsuke and Mutsu Provinces on the 29th.  That is the natural course.  It took him 9 days to get to Nasunogahara.  When he played falconry in Nasunogahara later, it took him 11 days, 2 more days, to get there.  Did he make a detour with those 2 days?  Or was it just a legend that Yoritomo visited Kotesashigahara and did Yoshisada make up a story to decorate his career?

     Priest Doko (1430-1501) left Kyoto in June, 1486.  He walked through Wakasa, Echizen, Kaga, Noto, Ecchu, and Echigo Provinces, and then entered the Kanto Region from Kozuke Province.  He toured in the region for 10 months.  He said that there was an Avalokitesvara hermitage in Kotesashigahara.  Hermit Fukusen lived in the hermitage.  As Doko visited the hermitage, Fukusen offered grated yam soup in a bamboo tube to go with sake.  Doko composed a tanka poem:

On a hike in Tokorozawa

He dug a yam

To entertain me.

     Shinko-ji Temple is also the #8 member of the Sayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

Address: 1 Chome−7−3 Miyamotocho, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-1143

Phone: 04-2922-3058

The Monument of Kotesashigahara Historic Battlefield

Address: 2 Chome-13-1 Kitano, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-1152