Virtual Old Tsugaru 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #16 Gumon-ji Temple

 

     A branch of Iwakiyama Shrine was invited to Hyakuzawa Village in 1091 as the original route to Mount Iwaki from Koshinai Village had many accidents.  Hyakutaku-ji Temple was founded as the shrine temple of the new branch shrine in Hyakuzawa Village.

     Oura Tamenobu (1550–1607), the head of the Oura Family, who were based in Tsugaru, Mutsu Province, married the 2nd daughter of Oura Tamenori (1520-1567).  In the process of their marriage, Tamenobu had a trouble with Tamenori's 1st daughter, who died of an illness in despair.  Tamenori's 5th and 6th sons are also said to hve been assasinated by Tamenobu.  Tsugaru Nobuhira (1586-1631) was the third son of Tamenobu.

     Tamenobu was on good terms with Ishida Mitsunari (1559-1600), the leader of the pro-Toyotomi Western Army.  After Mitsunari was defeated by Tokugawa Ieyasu , the leader of the Eastern Army, at the Battle of Sekigahara, in which Tamenobu fought for Ieyasu (1543-1616), in 1600, Tamenobu provided protection for Ishida's son and daughter in Tsugaru.  As a result, Tamenobu was given only a small territory in Kozuke Province in the Kanto Region.  Also after the battle, Tamenobu changed the family name to Tsugaru.

     On October 13th, 1607, Tamenobu’s first son, Nobutate (1574-1607), died.  About 2 months later, on December 5th, Tamenobu died.  As his 2nd son, Nobukata (1575-1597), had died earlier, Nobuhira succeeded to the headship of the Tsugaru Family over the objections of a faction which supported his nephew, Kumachiyo (1600–1623), the young son of Nobutate. This was the first of many Oie Sodo, internal conflicts, in the Tsugaru Family during the Edo Period.  The Tokugawa Shogunate usually abolished samurai families which had Oie Sodo.  To secure his position under the shogunate, Nobuhira married Ieyasu's niece, Mate (1589–1638), with his first wife Tatsu, a daughter of Mitsunari, demoted in status to concubine and exiled to the family's new small subsidiary territory in Kozuke Province.

     In September, 1627, his castle was hit by lightning and burned down.  The lightning accident was largely believed to have been caused by the curse of Tamenori's 1st daughter.

Nobuhira chanted Akasagarbha's Mantra "Om vajraratna, Om trah svaha" a million times.  That religious austerity is called Gumon-jiho in Japanese.  After he finished the austerity, he built Gumon Hall in Hyakutaku-ji Temple.

     After the Meiji Restoration Government issued the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order in 1868, Hyakutaku-ji Temple was abolished with Gumon-do Hall becoming an independend temple, Gumon-ji Temple, which took over the #16 membership of Old Tsugaru 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

Address: Terasawa−29, Hyakuzawa, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-1343

Phone: 0172-83-2373

Iwakiyama-jinja Shrine

Address: Terasawa−27 Hyakuzawa, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-1343

Phone: 0172-83-2135

     As it enshrines Akasagarbha, Gumon-ji Temple is a member of Tsugaru Ichidai-sama.

At the beginning of a new year, many people go to a shrine for the first time in the year in order to spend the new year in good health. In many places, people visit their local or family shrines and temples, but, there is a unique custom in Tsugaru called "Tsugaru Ichidai-sama," which has been widely passed down since the medieval days.  A Tsugaru person worships the zodiac sign of the year in which one was born as a guardian deity, which is called "Ichidai-sama."  Tsugaru people not only visit their zodiac-sign deity on the New Year's Day, but also visit their Ichidai-sama at turning points in life such as having an entrance exam, being employed, and giving childbirth.

     Tsugaru Ichidai-sama includes:

Eleven-Faced Ekadasamukha for the Year of the Rat; 

Taga Shrine

Address: Shimizunagare-104 Sakuraba, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-1441

Phone: 0172-86-2952

Akasagarbha for the Years of the Ox and the Tiger

Gumon-ji Temple

Address: Terasawa−29, Hyakuzawa, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-1343

Phone: 0172-83-2373

Manjusri fo the Year of the Rabbit

Saisho-in Temple

Phone: 0172-34-1123

Hirosaki Tenmangu

Address: 1 Chome−1−34 Nishishigemori, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8273

Phone: 0172-32-5796

Samantabhadra for the Years of the Dragon and the Snake

Kyoun-ji Temple

Address: Yamashita-63 Atago, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-1302

Phone: 0172-82-3429

Mahasthamaprapta for the Year of the Horse

Shirayamahime Shirine

Address: Tomiyama-112 Fukuro, Kuroishi, Aomori 036-0412

Phone: 0172-52-5516

MahAvairocana for the Year of the Sheep and the Monkey

Daien-ji Temple

Address: Muraoka-12 Kuradate, Owani, Minamitsugaru District, Aomori 038-0212

Phone: 0172-48-2017

Acalanatha for the Year of Rooster

Kokujo-ji Temple

Address: Monzen-1-1 Ikarigasekikogake, Hirakawa, Aomori 038-0102

Phone: 0172-45-2446

Yahata or Hachiman for the Years of the Dog and the Boar

Hirosaki Hachimangu

Address: 1 Chome−1−1 Hachimancho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8057

Phone: 0172-32-8719