Virtual Settsu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #10 Kaburai-ji Temple

 

     According to temple tradition, the mountain on which Kaburai-ji Temple stands has been a sacred mountain since ancient times.  The area is also said to be the birthplace of Princess Hoshihito, who gave birth to Prince Shotoku, and Shotoku built the temple in 581. At that time, a kabura-ya arrow was donated, and the temple was named Kaburai-ji.  Kaburai literally means Kabura to Shoot.

     For your information, a kabura-ya arrow whistled when shot and was used in ritual archery exchanges before formal medieval battles in Japan.  The usage of a kabura-ya arrow was first documented in the Tale of Hogen, which is a Japanese war chronicle or military tale, and which relates the events and prominent figures of the Hogen Rebellion in 1156.  The tale is believed to have been completed around 1320 in the Kamakura Period.  

     So, it is uncertain if a kabura-ya arrow existed in Japan in the 6th century.

     The temple was burned down in a war during the Southern and Northern Courts Period (1336-1392), and it was burned down again in a forest fire in the Edo Period (1603-1867).  The temple was rebuilt in 1862 by Priest Yua.

     The Tenchugumi Incident, which was a military uprising to revere the Emperor and to expel the foreigners, broke out in Yamato Province on September 29th, 1863.  They were finally defeated in September, 1864.  The uprising was supported not only by some people in Yamato Province but also by some in the surrounding provinces.

     In 1873, when some ex-samurai in Mita called themselves the remnants of Tenchu-gumi, attacked temples and shrines, Kaburai-ji Temple was attacked and burned down, and it was abolished.

     In the autumn of 1955, a decade after Japan was defeated in World War II, Prince Kuni Asaakira (1901–1959), who was an elder brother of Empress Kojun (1903-1989), visited the site where Kaburai-ji Temple used to stand.  It is unknowable what he prayed for.  Let me list his economic performances:

     October 14th, 1947: As he was demoted to commoner status, a lump sum of 8,393,000 yen (approximately 420 million yen in 2024 value) is paid by the government.

     1947: He declared his assets for property tax purposes. 7,048,000 yen (approximately 350 million yen in 2024 value) worth land, excluding national land he actually owned.  To pay property tax of 5,352,000 yen (approximately 270 million yen in 2024 value), he sold his main residence in Miyashiro-cho to Masaichi Nagata (1906-1985) for 7,700,000 yen (approximately 385 million yen in 2024 value), and moved to a villa in Tokiwamatsu-cho, Shibuya Ward (today's Shibuya 4-chome).

     1950: The national land of his villa in Tokiwamatsu-cho becomes his private property through a related party transfer.  Around this time, the Imperial Household Agency intervened in the financial recovery of the Kuni Family, and a "Reconstruction plan for the Imperial Family" was drawn up to increase the family's assets by reselling land.  The family moved to a new home in Nishi-Ochiai, Shinjuku Ward, and secured an annual income of 2.7 million yen (54 million yen  in 2024 value) by managing the remaining assets.

     1951: He sold the villa to Matano Kensuke (1894－1984), president of Iino Kaiun Co., Ltd., for 13.5 million yen.

     1951: When the lot of the former Kuni Family's residence was sold by the government to the University of the Sacred Heart, he took possession of part of it through a personal transfer and resold it to Sacred Heart for a profit.

     1951: He launched the Japanese-made perfume brand Kuni Perfume.

     1952: He contracted to cover up a crime committed by an Indian trader, gave gifts to the Chief Prosecutor of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, and entertained customs officials.

     1952: He sold art and real estate, earning 22 million yen (approximately 400 million yen in 2024 value).

     His colorful history of love affairs was more gorgeous than his economic achievements, and I, such a common and ordinary person, would rather avoid explaining in detail.  Some say he had over a dozen of love children.

     Nakamura Masataka entered the temple in May 1959, the goma hall was rebuilt in May, 1965, and the Three-Storied pagoda was built in May, 1973.

     A branch was founded in Hakodate City in 1978.

     The Main Hall was rebuilt in 1992, and the Bentendo Hall in 1994.

     Ancient lotus plants, whose seeds were discovered by Nishino Mariko under the guidance of Oga Ichiro (1883-1965) at a Jomon ruins in the University of Tokyo Kemigawa Athletics and Sports Ground, are grown in the pond on the temple grounds.

     What did Asaakira pray for in 1955?

Address: Ikuno-1078-1 Dojocho, Kita Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 651-1503

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The University of Tokyo Kemigawa Athletics and Sports Ground

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