Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #32 Torin-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Torin-ji Temple was founded.  It belongs to Caodong Chan School.  As Hanahatamachi has Jonen-ji and Renge-ji Temples, the area might have formed a defensive line in the east of the Honjo Castle.  Torin literally means East Woods.

     For your information, Renge-ji Temple’s precincts have the graves of low-ranking samurai such as Wada Kosaku (?-1868), Kamata Shibashi (?-1868), and Ishikawa Onnojo (?-1868), who were all killed in the Boshin War, in which the Tokugawa Shogunate was destroyed.  As the 3 samurai belonged to the Honjo Domain, they fought against the shogunate.

Address: 1 Chome-82 Hanabatamachi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0075

Phone: 0184-22-3437

Jonen-ji Temple (Pure Land Buddhism)

Address: 2 Chome Hanabatamachi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0075

Phone: 0184-22-3655

Renge-ji Temple

Address: 2-chome-57-1 Hanabatamachi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0075

Phone: 0184-24-5918

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #31 Gokuraku-ji Temple

 

     Torin-ji Temple is located about 1 kilometer southeast from the Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #30 Tennen-ji Temple.  As the pilgrimage member temples line up from east to west in Hikijimachi, if Gokuraku-ji Temple was located in Hikijimachi, it should have been at the western edge of the town.  If not, the temple could have been somewhere between Tennen-ji Temple and Torin-ji Temple.

     Most of the shrine Buddhist temples were abolished after the Meiji Restoration Government issued the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order in 1868 and they became simply Shinto shrines.  In addition, as we have seen in Hokkaido and Aomori Prefectures, depopulation has caused many temples to be abolished.  It is odd that several temples in the town have been abolished without their Shinto shrines left.  Those temples could have belonged to Shugendo or the Japanese mountain asceticism.  Under the Tokugawa Shogunate, Shugendo wasn’t regarded as an official school or sect of Buddhism.  The Meiji Restoration Government, on the contrary, didn’t consider it to be part of Shinto.   That, anyway, caused many Shugendo temples to be abolished.  Gokuraku-ji Temple could have been one of them.

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #30 Tennen-ji Temple

 

     Tennen-ji Temple was founded by Priest Ryonen as a hermitage in Matsugasaki Village, Akotsu, Yuri County, sometime between 1558 and 1570.  When the new castle town was constructed by Tateoka Mitsushige (1547-1639), it was moved to its current location on the bank of the Koyoshi River in Hikijimachi in 1622, when Shukuyo was the 5th head priest.

     Hikijimachi, where 4 temples including Tennen-ji Temple are lined up, is said to have also played a role as a defense facility for the Honjo Domain against the Kameda Domain of the Iwaki Family.  In 1673, during the time of the 11th head priest Gengai, the 24th priest Rohaku of Zojo-ji Temple gave him a letter of approval as a direct branch of Zojo-ji Temple and a five-stranded gold brocade robe.  After that, Tennen-ji Temple was appointed as the head temple of Pure Land Buddhism in the Honjo Domain.

     Domains' head-temple system was introduced during the Edo Period for the convenience of domains' religion policy.  Mainly to carry out the anti-Christian policy, the Tokugawa Shogunate established the danka system, under which every citizen was supposed to belong to an officially approved Buddhist temple.  The approval was given by the main temple of each Buddhist school, denomination, or sect.  The daily religion policy was, however, performed by domain governments, and domain governments preferred to circulate their notifications through the head temple of each Buddhist school, denomination, or sect.  Accordingly, the head temples were chosen among the temples of each Buddhist school, denomination, or sect.

Address: 65 Hikijimachi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0813

Phone: 0184-24-2959

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #29 Josho-ji Temple

 

     Josho-ji Temple should have been located somewhere between 73 Hikijimachi and 65 Hikijimachi.

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #28 Senryu-ji Temple

 

     Senryu-ji Temple is said to have been founded in the Northern and Southern Courts Period (1336-1392).  In the 14th century, the marine transport through the Sea of Japan grew, and Japanese Buddhism spread along the coast.  Senryu-ji Temple was founded as a branch of Daijo-ji Temple, which was founded in 1263.  At first, Daijo-ji Temple belonged to the Shingon Sect but turned to Caodong Chan Buddhism in 1283, in 1289, or in 1291.

     When the Purple Robe Incident broke out in 1627, Priest Tanden of Myoshin-ji Temple was exiled to Senryu-ji Temple in 1629.

Address: 73 Hikijimachi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0813

Phone: 0184-22-1004

Daijo-ji Temple

Address: Ru−10 Nagasakamachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 921-8114

Phone: 076-241-2680

Myoshin-ji Temple

Address: 1 Hanazonomyoshinjicho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, 616-8035

Phone: 075-461-5226

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #27 Choan-ji Temple

 

     Choan-ji Temple should have been located somewhere between 86 Hikijimachi and 73 Hikijimachi.

     Sudo Zen'ichiro (1863-1937) first learned how to read and write in the private elementary school of Choan-ji Temple.  As usually under-13 children go to such elementary schools, Choan-ji Temple could have been in business till the 1870's.  As the Meiji Restoration took place in 1868, the temple might have been abolished after the Meiji Restoration Government issued the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order in 1868 or due to the movement to abolish Buddhism and to destroy Buddhist images at the beginning of the Meiji Period.  Choan-ji Temple could have had something to do with the mountain asceticism which contained the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism.

     In the middle of the 17th century, the danka system was established by the Tokugawa Shogunate.  Under the system, the shogunate made the affiliation with an official Buddhist temple compulsory to all citizens.

     Shugendo or the Japanese mountain asceticism was not regarded as a school or a sect of the official Buddhism by the shogunate.  Those who believed Shugendo were supposed to belong to an official Buddhist temple.  In the middle of the Edo Period (1603-1867), some domain governments started to handle Shugendo believers' funerals in a flexible manner.  In the Honjo Domain, for example, a Japanese mountain ascetic was allowed to hold his funeral in the Shugendo style although his family were not allowed to do so.  If family members died suddenly and their funerals were held in the Shugendo manner, that should be reported to the authorities.  In Kodaki Village (today’s Kisakatamachi Kodaki, Nikaho, Akita 018-0153), which belonged to Yashima Domain, however, the funerals of all the family members of 5 families were performed in Shugendo style.  It is unknown whether the difference came from the power balance between Shugendo believers and other Buddhist temples in the areas concerned, or from the patriarchy of Shugendo believers in the areas concerned other than in Kodaki Village.

      Several historical documents relevant to Shugendo-style funerals have been found.  In the documents, Choan-ji Temple is mentioned along with other Shugendo temples.  Of those temples, only the 3 followings are left:

Ryuzan-ji Temple (Kinbo Shrine's shrine temple)

Address: Nasosawa-1 Kisakatamachi Kodaki, Nikaho, Akita 018-0153

Phone: 0184-43-2346

Genko-ji Temple Site

Address: Yanomoto Chokaimachi Shimokawauchi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0502

Ryugen-ji Temple

Address: Tayanoshita-26 Yashimamachi Jonai, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0411

Phone: 0184-55-2233

Shugendo believers seem to have tried to improve their situations by becoming the branches of the following 2 powerful Shugendo temples in Kyoto:

Daigo-ji Sambo-in Temple

Address: 22 Daigohigashiojicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, 601-1325

Phone: 075-571-0002

Hokaku-ji Temple

Address: 90 Torisumi, Kurotaki, Yoshino District, Nara 638-0203

Phone: 0747-62-2622

     The following 4 temples provided funeral services to the family members of Shugendo believers:

Fukuo-ji Temple (Shingon Scool)

Address: Tayanoshita-54, Yashimamachi Jonai, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0411

Phone: 0184-56-2393

Taihaku-in Temple (Caodong Chan School)

Address: Muranoue−85 Kisakatamachiseki, Nikaho, Akita 018-0133

Phone: 0184-43-2453

Shoju-ji Temple (Caodong Chan School, Yashima Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #32)

Address: Maenosawa-108-1 Chokaimachi Nakahitane, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0514

Phone: 0184-58-2012

Zenrin-ji Temple (Caodong Chan School)

Address: Jomae-75 Innai, Nikaho, Akita 018-0411

Phone: 0184-36-2577

     It isn't clear whether Choan-ji Temple provided funeral services to the temple's supporters or not.

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #26 Zoken-ji Temple

 

     Zoken-ji Temple was founded by Priest Ryoho in Matsugasaki Village, Yuri County, in 1491, when the Akotsu Family ruled the village, which had Ako-tsu Port.  The Akotsu Family enjoyed good relations with the Ando Pirates while the other powerful families in Yuri County were rather land-battle samurai.  The family built Akotsu Fortress on the top of the hill behind the port.

     The Akotsu Family was dismissed in 1600.  When Tateoka Mitsushige (1547-1639) moved to the area in 1603, he first lived in Kameda Castle.  When he built Honjo Castle in 1610 and moved there, all the townspeople are said to have moved to the new castletown.  Mitsushige was dismissed in 1622, and Rokugo Masanori (1567-1634) moved into Honjo Castle.  Masanori made an effort for the development of the new castle town.

     Zoken-ji Temple moved to Hikijimachi along Koyoshi River in the castletown in 1622 to form a defensive line in the north of the castle with the other temples such as Senryu-in, Ten'nen-ji, and Kosei-ji Temples in the town.  Hikiji literally meant Day Labour, and it is guessed that day laborers lived in the area before the temples moved in.

     The precincts have Boshin Kinno Monument.

     What is noteworthy about this stone monument is that the inscription was written by Ito Tenkai.  Tenkai is the 26th head priest of Zoken-ji Temple.  He was born in Akaishi, Konoura, Nikaho, Akita 018-0311, in 1873, became a Buddhist monk at a young age, and later moved to Tokyo to study under Mishima Tsuyoshi (1831-1919), a traditional Chinese scholar, and learned calligraphy under Kusakabe Meikaku (1838-1922).  Tenkai was accepted into Zoken-ji Temple in 1902.  He left behind many masterpieces of calligraphy until his death in 1950.  The inscription on the monument is his masterpiece in regular script.  His elegant, refined, and spacious brushwork is one the best in Japan.

Address: 86 Hikijimachi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0813

Phone: 0184-22-3227

Akaozu Fortress Site

Address: Takashiro-2 Iwakishimohebita, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-1223

Kameda Castle

Address: Kamedamachi-45 Iwakikamedakamedamachi, Yurihonjo, Akita 018-1217

Honjo Castle

Address: 8 Ozaki, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0871

Trees In the Town

Virtual Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #25 Daisen-ji Temple

 

     In the early Edo Period, Honjo Castle Town was developed between the castle and the town of Furuyukimachi, which was an old port town in the estuary of Koyoshi River.  Merchant town was around Furuyukimachi and Samurai Town was near the castle.  Kannonmachi was part of the merchant town.

     Daisen-ji Temple was founded at the south end of Kannonmachi in 1704 as a branch of Yosen-ji Temple.  Sumiyoshi Shrine is located along Koyoshi River in Kannonmachi and was brought from Utetsu, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0024, by Tateoka Mitsushige (1547-1639) after 1617, when Mitsushige was promoted to Yuri County and before 1615.

     In Yuri County, more than 12 powerful families coexisted in the Warring States Period (1467-1568).  In the 1590's, weaker ones were eliminated and the number decreased to 5: the Nikaho, Akauso, Takizawa, Utetsu, and Iwaya Families.  From the Utetsu area, Mitsushige brought those who believed Sumiyoshi Shrine to the riverbank of Koyoshi River to develop the castle town.

     The town was developed on the riverbank at first at the end of the 17th century.  At the turn of the 18th century, the town had enough population to support a temple.

Address: 25 Kannonmachi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0825

Phone: 0184-23-2946

Yosen-ji Temple (Honjo Domain 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #19)

Address: 44 Kyujincho, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0874

Phone: 0184-22-0044

Sumiyoshi Shrine

Address: Kannonmachi-34−3, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0825

Phone: 0184-22-1895