Virtual North Kawachi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #12 Shonen-ji Temple

 

     When Ashikaga Yoshiharu (1511-1550) was the 12th Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate from 1521 to 1546, the local samurai, Kataoka Masahisa and Kawabata Tsunahisa, formed a league and organized an autonomous village, Shodai Village, with Keio-ji Temple as their center.  However moderate they were, as the temple belonged to True Pure Land Buddhism, it was a part of Ikko-ikki, or armed military leagues organized around True Pure Land Buddhism.  Renjun (1464-1550), the 6th son of Rennyo (1415-1499), the 8th head of True Pure Land Buddhism, authenticated Keio-ji Temple as one of his branches.  Shodai Village grew and became a minor kind of a holy city.  The village, because of their moderateness, swore allegiance to Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) when he became a national ruler.  When Akechi Mitsuhide (1528-1582) killed Nobunaga on June 2nd, the village showed their obedience to him.  Their moderateness did harm to them.  On the 13th, Mitsuhide was killed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598), who became a national ruler.  Hideyoshi didn’t overlook the village’s “support” for Mitsuhide.  Their autonomy was taken away.

     What was I talking about?  Yes, Shonen-ji Temple should have been founded in the second half of the 16th century, when Shodai Temple was in its heyday.

Address: 1 Chome-13-1 Shodai Motomachi, Hirakata, Osaka 573-1133

Phone: 072-855-5000

Keio-ji Temple

Address: 3 Chome-16-37 Shodai Motomachi, Hirakata, Osaka 573-1133

Phone: 072-856-6624