Trees In the Town

Virtual Akata 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #15 Endo Zentaro’s House

 

     After visiting the #14 deity, you cross the Akata River to its left bank and walk down along the river.  Before the street naturally cross the river, you find the #15 deity on the left bank in Yamanota Akata, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0023.

     The #15 deity was taken care of by Endo Zentaro when the Akata 33 Kannon was organized.

Kasagi-dera and Enjo-ji Temples

      On the second day of the “Golden Week,” we left Osaka by car.  Instead of the route the car navigation system recommended, we averted Nara, which should have been too crowded, and approached Kasagi through an old highway, Yagyu Kaido.  As the Yagyu Family provided swordplay instructors for the Tokugawa Head Family, the highway must have been a trunk road in the golden age.  The moment of glory lasts momentarily.  We had difficulty passing a few oncoming cars.  We thought the situation was bad, but worse was to follow.  The uphill to Kasagi-dera Temple was no more than a mountain trail.

Kasagi-dera Temple

     In Japan, natural giant rocks have been objects of worship since ancient times.  They were called iwakura, or sacred rocks, and were considered to be the abode of gods, or, in other words, the dwelling places of invisible gods.  Kasagi-dera Temple was founded when this worship of megaliths was combined with Buddhist thought, and a Maitreya statue was carved into a giant rock in Mount Kasagi.  Other giant rocks became training spots for mountain ascetics along with the caves composed of giant rocks: Senju Cave, Passing-Through-the-Womb Cave, Attributed Akasagarbha Bodhisattva Image Carved into a Giant Rock, Drum Rock, Perturbable Rock, and Equality Rock.  Before we got back to the Maitreya image, we found the site of Emperor Go-Daigo's Temporary Residence.  We could easily imagine how the emperor and his followers missed Kyoto.  Today, a mountain trail is built through some giant rocks and caves as a tourism infrastructure, and we can visit the holy training spots like hiking.  If you'd like to give it a try to Japanese mountain asceticism, Kasagi-dera Temple could be the best place.

Matsumoto-tei Restaurant

     We visited Kasagi-dera Temple and toured among huge rocks for about an hour. After the hard austerity-like sightseeing, we were too tired out and hungry to go down the mountain, and we used Matsumoto-tei Inn as a restaurant. For the first time in my life, I had a dish with pheasant poultry.

     We climbed down Mount Kasagi and headed back to Osaka.  The cat navigation system nagged us to turn right and then left and so on.  When we lost the sense of direction, Enjo-ji Temple, which we plan to visit next time along with Gansen-ji Temple, abruptly appeared on our right.  We pulled the car off into the parking lot, and visited the temple.

Enjo-ji Temple

     Enjo-ji Temple has the Pure-Land garden, which reminded me of Joruri-ji Temple, which we had visited months before.  That type of garden might have been popular among the temples in the southern Yamashiro Province.  It's a pity that the National Treasure Seated Vairocana Statue was absent, exhibited in the Nara National Museum from Saturday, April 16th, to Sunday, June 15th.

Kasagi-dera Temple

Address: Kasagiyama-29 Kasagi, Soraku District, Kyoto 619-1303

Phone: 0743-95-2848

Matsumoto-tei Restaurant

Address: Kasagiyama-20, Kasagi, Soraku District, Kyoto 619-1303

Phone: 0743-95-2016

Enjo-ji Temple

Address: 1273 Ninnikusencho, Nara, 630-1244

Phone: 0742-93-0353

Joruri-ji Temple

Address: Futaba-40 Kamocho Nishio, Kizugawa, Kyoto 619-1135

Phone: 0774-76-2390

Trees In the Town

Virtual Akata 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #14 Taguchi Chojuro’s House

 

     After the #13 deity, you abruptly turn around and go up along the Akata River again into its upper reaches. Between the #12 and the #11, you find the #14 deity on your left in Isogari Akata, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0023.

     The deity was taken care of by Taguchi Chojuro when the Akata 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized.

Trees In the Town

Virtual Akata 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #13 Taguchi Denzaemon’s House

 

     It is simple to visit the #13 deity of the Akata 33 Kannon Pilgrimage after the #12.  You just walk down along the right bank of Akata River, and you find the #13 on your left.  Both the #12 and the #13 are located in Izumino, Akata, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0023.

     The #13 deity was taken care of by Taguchi Denzaemon when the Akata 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized.  Today, 5 Takuchi Families live in Izumino, Akata.

     The Akata Farm was organized as an agricultural producers' cooperative corporation on January 22nd, 2014. 

     Agricultural cooperative corporations are corporations that aim to cooperate in agricultural production. As they are corporations that aim to cooperate in agricultural production, their members are, in principle, farmers.

     As they are corporations that aim to cooperate in agricultural production, the businesses they can carry out are as follows.

     (a) Establishment of shared facilities related to agriculture (including transporting, processing, or storing materials produced by members) or businesses related to the joint operation of agricultural work.

     (b) Agricultural management (business related to the agriculture they carry out, such as manufacturing or processing that uses agricultural and livestock products as raw materials or ingredients, or other businesses specified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ordinance) including the acceptance of agricultural work contracts, and the management of forestry carried out in conjunction with agriculture.

     (c) Businesses incidental to (a) and (b).

     In the Akata Farm, they grow 4 types of rice: 

     Hitomebore is resistant to cold damage and has moderate stickiness, a good aroma and a pleasant texture. It is very popular and is the main type of rice at Akata Farm.

     Menkoina's grains are larger than regular rice.  It is less sticky and with a lighter taste.  It has a nice aroma, does not harden easily when cooled, and retains its flavor even when kept warm for a long time.  For these reasons, it is perfect for rice bowls, sushi, fried rice, pilaf, etc.  It is, in short, suitable for commercial use.

     Tsubuzoroi has larger kernels, a good balance of stickiness, flavor, and aroma, and is delicious even when cooled.  Akada Farm only cultivates this variety in limited areas.

Sakihokore made its market debut in 2022.  It is a new brand of rice from Akita Prefecture that was developed with a focus on good taste, with the concept of surpassing Koshihikari in taste. The Akata Farm has been designated to cultivate it experimentally.

      The Akata Farm also raises Ryuho soybeans, whose skin is yellow-white, and whose kernels are large and have a high protein content, making them excellent for processing into tofu.  They are shipped to Ibaraki Prefecture.

      The Akata Farm has started cultivating asparagus, which is easier for female and aged farmers to grow.  They are not only sold in Akita Prefecture but are also shipped to Tokyo and Yokohama.  They face the problem of having steady yields and to increase productivity.

Akata Farm Office

Address: Izumino-120 AkataYurihonjo, Akita 015-0023

Phone: 0184-22-4415

Akata Farm Rice Mill

Address: Katada-185 Akata, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0023

Trees In the Town

Virtual Akata 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #12 Ito Gishiro’s House

 

     After visiting the #11 deity of the Akata 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, you walk down along the right bank of Akata River to the eastern end of the center of the Akata Valley again.  You find the #12 deity in Sanno Akata, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0023, near Ito Liquor Store, almost just across the streat from the #4 deity.  The waste of time and leg strength might increase the value and even blessing of the pilgrimage.

     The #12 deity was taken care of by Ito Gishiro when the Akata 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was oganized.

Ito Liquor Store

Address: Izumino-25 Akata, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0023

Phone: 0184-22-3487

Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage — My Last Span in My Order —

 

     I rented an electric bicycle near JR Izumi-Fuchu Station, and left eastward.  I first found the stone monument of Kannonji Fortress Site.  Kannon-ji Temple was down the hill along a winding farm road.

Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #20 Kannon-ji Temple

     Kannon-ji Temple was founded at the foot of Mt. Kannonji, where the Fujiwara Clan built a fortress sometime between 729 and 749.  The foundation of the temple could go back to those days.  In the Southern and Northern Courts Period (1336-1392), the forces of Kitabatake Akiie (1318-1338) were based in the fortress to prepare against the attacks by the Northern Court Army.  The present main hall was built sometime between 1751 and 1764.

Address: 128 Kannonjicho, Izumi, Osaka 594-0065

Phone: 0725-41-2303

     After Kannon-ji Temple, I headed to, or at least tried to head toward, Hokoku-ji Temple.  Winding farm roads are chopped by rather modern prefectural roads, which are cut up by highways.  I think I cycled a couple of times more than the shortcut between the 2 temples.

Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #18 Hokoku-ji Temple

     Asukabe Kuromaro was from Naka Village, Asukabe County, Kawachi Province.  He came to the land between Kamiizumi and Sakamoto Villages, Izumi County, Izumi Province, and developed Kurtori Village.  In 759, Ono Hirotachi, the then Governor of Izumi Province, reported Kuromaro's achievement to the Imperial Court, and Emperor Oi (733-765) granted part of the developed land to Kuromaro.  After his death, Kuromaro became the guardian deity of the village and was enshrined in Asuka-Furuie Shrine.  Later, the shrine was renamed Tenman-gu Tenjin-sha Shrine.

     Enpuku-ji Temple was founded as the shrine temple of Tenman-gu Tenjin-sha Shrine but was abolished presumably after the Meiji Restoration Government issued the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order in 1868.  The temple's deity was moved to Hokoku-ji Temple with the deity's hall.

Address: 6 Chome-9-35 Fuchucho, Izumi, Osaka 594-0071

Phone: 0725-41-1710

Kurotori-Tenman-gu Tenjin-sha Shrine

Address: 2 Chome-3-32 Kurodoricho, Izumi, Osaka 594-0022

     After Hokoku-ji Temple, I left Izumi City to enter Izumiotsu City, crossing JR Hanwa Line and the National Highway 26.  Seitoku-ji Temple was along another winding ex-farm road sided by private houses.

Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #17 Seitoku-ji Temple

     It is unknown when Daifuku-ji Temple was founded in the east of Izumi-Anashi Shrine, but it was already an old temple in 1594.  When Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was recorded in the 1680's, Daifuku-ji Temple was its #17 member temple.  The temple was located in today's 2 Chome Toyonakacho, Izumiotsu, Osaka 595-0023, in 1702.  The temple was recorded in 1722 that it had no parishioner.  It was abolished before the Meiji Restoration and its deity was moved to Seishu-ji Temple, which burned down in May, 1848.  Although it was rebuilt but was merged to Seitoku-ji Temple recently.

     It is unknown whether Daifuku-ji Temple had something to do with Izumianashi Shrine or not.  Izumianashi Shrine enshrines the couple: Oshihomimi and Takuhadachiji.

Address: 2 Chome-12-14 Toyonakacho, Izumiotsu, Osaka 595-0023

Phone: 0725-32-3677

Izumianashi Shrine

Address: 1 Chome-1-1 Toyonakacho, Izumiotsu, Osaka 595-0023

Phone: 0725-32-2610

     The area between Seitoku-ji Temple and Kannon-do Hall is laid out in a rather grid pattern.  That made me be off my guard.  Again, the old messed up alleys in an ex-fishing town are confused by the modern highway, and Kannon-do Hall is located in a long and narrow block, which is hardly detected as a block. 

Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #16 Kannon-do Hall

     According to the legend of Sefuku-ji Temple, Priest Hokai, who revived Sefuku-ji Temple, recognized the image of Kannon Bodhisattva in the sea of Otsu and founded Kannon-do Hall therethe sometime between 770 and 781.

     Sometime after 1573, the temple was destroyed by fire in the battles of Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), but was later rebuilt. Sometime between 1673 and 1681, Priest Unryu, who revived Amida-ji Temple, moved there and spent the rest of his life devoting to chanting Namo'mitabhaya Buddhaya.

     According to the temple and shrine register for the Fuchu area in 1698, it was recorded as Uda Otsu Village Kannon Hall, and Buddhist altar implements with inscriptions from that time still remain.  All in all, the temple could have been a branch of Amida-ji Temple and became independent later.

     The temple was abolished in 1875, but was revived in 1892.  It enshrines an Eleven-Faced Ekadasamukha statue.  While many temples have been maintained under the protection of powerful families or high priests of the time, this is one of the few that has continued to be protected by the faith of the local people.

Address: 8-15 Ebisucho, Izumiotsu, Osaka 595-0041

Phone: 0725-32-2464

Sefuku-ji Temple

Address: 136 Makiosancho, Izumi, Osaka 594-1131

Phone: 0725-92-2332

Amida-ji Temple

Address: 118 Onocho, Izumi, Osaka 594-1134

Phone: 0725-99-0358

     After all the fuss, I finished actually visiting all the 33 member temples of the Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage,  adding it to the pilgrimages that I have already accomplished: Fukuhara 33 Kannon Pilgrimage and Osaka 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.  If I were playing games, I should have gained a skill or bonus points.

Without gaining any skill or equipment, I treated myself to lunch.

Trees In the Town

Virtual Akata 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #11 Taguchi Chojiemon’s House

 

     The deities of the Akata 33 Kannon Pilgrimage are distributed unpredictablly.  After visiting the #10 deity at the western end of Akata Village, you are supposed to turn around and go upstream again.  You go out of the center of the Akata area, half way up to Futago Shrine, you find #11 deity on the right bank of the river.

     The #11 deity was taken care of by Taguchi Chojiemon, who lived in today’s Tsutsumigashira Akata, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0023, when the Akata 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was oganized.

Trees In the Town