Virtual New Mutsu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #23 Chosho-ji Temple

 

     A 135-centimeters-tall Thousand-Armed Sahasrabhuja sitting statue was enshrined in the northernmost area under the civilian government of Mutsu Province in 814.  The counties in the north of the area were under the military control of the Imperial Army.  In 849, the hall became a temple and was named Kannon-ji.  The temple was revived by Priest Kakugen, who was supported by Fujiwara Hidehira (1122-1187), and was renamed Chosho-in in 1132, when the Chosho Era started.  The temple's name is supposed to be after the era name.  Cho means Long and Sho means Lasting.  Ironically, the era lasted just less than 3 years.

     The Later Three-Year War was fought in the northeastern part of Japan in the late 1080s.  Kiyohara Iehira (?-1087) and Kiyohira (1056-1128), who had been adopted by the Kiyohara Family, fought against Sanehira (?-1083).  After Sanehira’s death, Iehira clashed against Kiyohira.  From the central government, Minamoto Yoshiie (1039-1106) intervened in the conflict.  The intervention brought victory to Kiyohira, who then picked up his paternal family name, Fujiwara, and the Kiyohara Clan disappeared in 1087.

     After Kiyohira's death in 1128, his first son, Koretsune (1090-1130), and the second son, Motohira (1105-1157), fought over inheritance.  Koretsune and his family were beheaded by Motohira on June 8th, 1130.  In 1132, Motohira's son, Hidehira, was still 10 or 11 years old.  It could habe been Motohira who supported the revival of Kannon-ji Temple.

     In 1334, Chosho-in Temple was revived again by Priest Ryogen and was renamed again Chosho-ji.

     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 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.  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.

     To advance to Kume River, Yoshisada pitched a camp on Hakkokusan Hill.

     Yoshisada defeated the garrisons of the Kamakura Shogunate along the Kume River.  On the 15th, he carried out a forced crossing of Tama River, the strategic point for both, in the face of the 100,000-strong cavalry of the shogunate.  He outnumbered the shogunate although his cavalry was not well-organized.  On the 16th, Yoshisada made another forced crossing with 10,000-strong cavalry at Bubai Riverbank, and defeated the garrisons of the Kamakura Shogunate.  On the 18th, Yoshisada tried to make a forced crossing across Kashio River at Muraoka just out of Kamakura in vain.  Instead, he took a sea shore route, and finally seized and captured Kamakura on the 22nd.

     Whatever idea Yoshisada had in his mind, he destroyed the Kamakura Shogunate, which had been established by his distant ancestor, Minamoto Yoritomo (1147-1199).

     In those days, the pro-shogunate samurai and the anti-shogunate samurai fought against each other in many parts of Japan.  As not all the battles were recorded, there could have been some battles in Mutsu Province, and Chosho-in Temple might have been damaged in one of them.

     In those days, the surrounding area was ruled by the Kasai Family.  The family was forced to adopt Date Harukiyo (1517-1547).  The Date Family, however, suffered from infightings from 1542 to 1548.  Taking advantage of their internal conflicts, Kasai Harutane (1497-1555) ousted Harukiyo and became the 15th head of the Kasai Family.  Harutane was succeeded by his eldest son, Chikanobu (1513-1560).  Chikanobu died of disease and was succeeded by his younger brother, Harunobu (1534-1597), who was the 17th and last head of the family.

     Chosho-ji Temple originally belonged to Tiantai School, but was converted to the Caodong Chan Sect by Priest Tenrin (?-1585) in 1559.  Samurai who spent all their time in fighting loved Chan Buddhism rather than studying doctrines.

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