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