Virtual Kubota Castle Town 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #7-2 Banno-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Banno-ji Temple was founded in Narayama Village, which was first documented in 1591.  The present priest is the 25th.

     The town planning of the Narayama samurai residential area began in 1629.  It is adjacent to the south of Kamenocho Part of Kubota Castle, and is an outer part of the castle without moats or earthworks other than the Asahi and Taihei Rivers.  It was mainly inhabited by low-ranking samurai and foot soldiers.  According to tradition, they didn't build large buildings or even plant trees for fear of being occupied by enemies.  In the event of an emergency, the area was to be burned down so as to provide a number of people.  Along with Hodono and Kawaguchi, the Narayama area was the front line of defense of the castle.

     Anyway, due to the development of the samurai town, Banno-ji Temple might have been founded to put the danka system into practice.

     The temple's precincts have the grave of Chigama Zengoro (1817-1889), who was the pioneer of the development of oil resources in Japan.

     Today's Yabashi seems to have had natural oil sources since ancient times.  The river that flows through the area is called the Kusozu River.  "Kusozu" is the Japanese name for oil, and the phrase means "smelly water."

     Zengoro, an oil merchant for the former Kubota Domain, had been interested in signs of oil fields around Akita in the end of the Edo Period (1603-1867), and discovered oil seeping out of Inugawahara Hamlet, Yabashi Village, and began full-scale oil extraction there in 1869.  That is said to be the first oil field development in Akita Prefecture.  In 1870, he set up an oil refinery in the grounds of Kimyo-ji Temple.  In 1872, he ordered oil lamps from Tokyo and tried to sell the lamps and kerosene, but sales were poor because the refining technology at the time was crude and the lamps produced foul odors.

     In front of the temple gate of Banno-ji Temple has a stone monument which says that the temple is the #7 member temple.  Some say the temple has the Kubota Castle Town #7 deity.

Address: 1-31 Narayama Kinshomachi, Akita, 010-0036

Phone: 018-833-3644

Kimyo-ji Temple

Address: 2 Chome-3-37 Yabasehoncho, Akita, 010-0973

Phone: 018-823-9340

Yabashi Outer Asahikawa Oil Well

Address: Koyachi Sotoasahikawa, Akita, 010-0802

Phone: 03-5572-0200