Virtual Kubota Castle Town 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #26 Tofuku-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Tofuku-ji Temple was founded in Tofukuji Nakazoe Komagatacho

Yuzawa, Akita 012-0104.  The temple is said to have moved some times and was located in its present place in 1613 to form Teramachi in Kubota Castle Town.

     Tofuku-ji Temle has the five-ringed tower, a type of Buddhist pagoda which is used for memorial or funerary purposes.  The tower was dedicated for Princess Hasu, who was the 2nd daughter of Nanbu Nobunao (1546-1599), and who died on July 3rd, 1620.  She had the marriage in convenience with Ando Hidesue (?-1635), a younger brother of Sanesue (1576-1660), who was a warlord in Dewa Province.

     Sanesue sent Hidesue to Obama, Wakasa Province, to rebuild the buildings of Haga Temple from 1593 to 1601.  He sent wood from Akita to Obama Port.  Sanesue was demoted to Hitachi Province in 1602 under the Tokugawa Shogunate.  Presumably after the demotion, Hasu returned to her hometown, Sannohe in Mutsu Province.  She is said to have composed love tanka poems for Hidesue and died in Sannohe, where there is another five-ringed tower for her in Choei-ji Temple.

     It is, of course, understandable that the princess's memorial monument is in Sannohe.  Why, however, in Kubota Castle Town?  The monument should have been built after 1620, when Akita was not under the rule of the Ando Family but under the rule of the Satake Family.  Hidesue didn’t follow his brother and later became subject to Sakai Tadakatsu (1587-1662), who became an independent daimyo on April 24th,  1620, and who became the 1st lord of the Obama Domain in Wakasa Province in 1638.  It isn’t clear how Hidesue spent his life after 1602 and before his death in 1635.  Hidesue's offspring lived in Obama.  Did Hidesue build the monuments between 1620 and 1635 or did his children build them after 1638?

     Presumably, Hidesue was masterless and thus jobless after 1602.  Hasu returned to her hometown and raised their children under her parents’ protection.  Hidesue was economically supported by Akita Toshisue (1598-1649), who was the son of Sanesue.  Sanesue had changed his family name to Akita.  When Toshisue fought in the Siege of Osaka Castle under Honda Tadatomo (1582-1615) for the Tokugawa Clan in 1615, Hidesue took part in the war and might have been set the eyes on by Tadatomo.  In July, 1616, Toshisue was ordered to join in building the Nikko Tosho-gu Shrine.  Hidesue's experience in rebuilding Haga-ji Temple could have been a great help.  In 1619, Toshisue and Sanesue became on bad terms.  In 1631, Sanesue was ordered to confine himself to Eisho-an Temple in Asakuma, Ise Province, with only a few attendants.  After several twists and turns, Hidesue was hired by Tadakatsu, Tadatomo’s father, in 1633.  Hidesue changed his name to Abe Genba and brought the children, who were in their adulthood already, presumably to Edo, where Tadakatsu was working for Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604-1651).  Hidesue died on July 5th, 1635, and the eldest son succeeded to his position.  After 1638, the children went to Obama and lived and worked there.  They built the five-ringed tower for Hasu in Kubota Castle Town, where Hasu had her memories with Hidesue, and they built the five-ringed tower for Hasu in Sannohe, where they had their memories with Hasu.  Hidesue’s grave was built in Haga Temple.  Hidesue or Genba’s 18th generation offspring still live in Obama.

     For your information, Hidesue's younger brother, Hidekatsu, was subject to Toyotomi Hideyori (1593-1615) during the Siege of Osaka Castle in 1614 and 1615 and became masterless after Hideyori's death.  He became a monk, Kyusai.  After the samurai who held Osaka Castle were pardoned, he became subject to Hotta Masamori (1609-1651).  Hidekatsu had no successor.  That might be why he dared to make a one-hit wonder in Osaka to turn the tables.

Address: 7-42 Kyokuhokusakaemachi, Akita, 010-0922

Phone: 018-862-5424

Choei-ji Temple

Address: Furumagitaira−49, Doshincho, Sannohe, Sannohe District, Aomori 039-0134

Phone: 0179-23-3509

Haga-ji Temple

Address: 83-5 Haga, Obama, Fukui 917-0017

Phone: 0770-52-4502

Nikko Tosho-gu Shrine

Address: 2301 Sannai, Nikko, Tochigi 321-1431

Phone: 0288-54-0560

Eisho-ji Temple (ex-Eisho-an Temple)

Address: 1212 Asamacho, Ise, Mie 516-0021

Phone: 0596-22-0509