Virtual Old Tsugaru 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #8 Hoon-ji Temple

 

     Hoon-ji Temple was founded by the 4th lord of Hirosaki Domain, Tsugaru Nobumasa (1646-1710), in 1656 to pray for the comfort of the 3rd lord, Nobuyoshi (1619-1655), who died in Edo in 1655.  Since then, the temple has suffered several fires, and the current main hall was rebuilt in 1704, the first year of the Hoei era, on the 50th anniversary of Nobuyoshi's death.

     Chosho-ji Temple, which belongs to the Caodong Chan School, was the family temple of the Tsugaru Clan at first, but Hoon-ji Temple became their family temple after its foundation.

     Hoon-ji Temple is located in the temple district of Shinteramachi.  It belongs to the Tiantai Sect.  It was originally a branch of Kan'ei-ji Temple in Edo.  It was founded by Priest Honko from Kan'ei-ji Temple.

     Nobuyoshi's mother was Tatsuhime (1592-1623), who was the 3rd daughter of Ishida Mitsunari (1560-1600), who fought against Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), who established the Tokugawa Shogunate.  Ieyasu adopted his nephew, Mate.  He first married her to Fukushima Masayuki (1585-1608).  After Masayuki's death, Ieyasu got Mate and her son back to Edo.  Later, Ieyasu married her to Tsugaru Nobuhira (1586-1631).  Nobuhira and Tatsuhime had Nobuyoshi, while Nobuhira and Mate had Nobufusa (1620-1662).

     When Nobuhira died, Nobuyoshi was still 9 years old, and Nobufusa became his guardian.  All in all, it must have been Nobufusa that founded Hoon-ji Temple, changed the clan's family temple to Hoon-ji from Chosho-ji, and, accordingly, carried out their sectarian conversion, to show their loyalty to the Tokugawa Shogunate, or to show off his relation with the shogunate.

     According to the Tiantai Sect Temples Origin Records (held at Hirosaki Municipal Library), the fourth feudal lord, Tsugaru Nobumasa, founded the temple two years later to commemorate Nobuyoshi, who died in Edo on November 25, 1655 (the first year of the Meireki era). The founder, Honko, brought a portion of the temple's bones to Hoon-ji Temple from the Tiantai Sect Shinryo-in Temple (currently in Taito Ward, Tokyo), the family temple of the Tsugaru clan in Edo. In the same year, the temple was granted 290 koku of land, of which 90 koku was given to the six sub-temples Kanmyo-in, Kozen-in, Shozen-in, Ichijo-in, Ryochi-in, and Rikyo-in Temples (all now abandoned), each receiving 15 koku. As a result, the monks of the six temples served as attendant monks at Hoon-ji Temple, performing morning and evening religious services, offering prayers, lighting candles, burning incense, and cleaning. On September 1st, 1271, the third year of the Meireki era, Prince Ippon bestowed the title of Ichirin-zan Keiko-in Hoon-ji on the temple, making it a branch temple of Kan'ei-ji Temple, and this is considered to be the time when the temple was founded.

Address: 34 Shinteramachi, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8214

Phone: 0172-33-1382