Virtual Upper Tada Manor 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #15 Anraku-ji Temple

 

     Anraku-ji Temple was founded by Priest Shikei in Sasao Village, kwabe County, Settsu Province, in 1428.

     Sasao Village was first documented as Sasahara Village in Keicho Kuni Ezu, Provincial Maps in Keicho Era (1596-1615), which was drawn by the Tokugawa Shogunate, based on the survey ordered to domains in September, 1605.  In 1617, the village was mentioned as Sasao.  In 1627, when the village came to be ruled by Aoki Shigekane (1607-1682), the second lord of the Asada Domain, its name's reading was recorded s Sasau.

     For your information, Aoki Kazushige (1551-1628) was born in Mino Province as the eldest son of Shigenao (1528-1614), who first served Toki Yorinori (1502-1582), the Guradian Samurai of Mino Province, and then Saito Toshimasa (1494-1556), who exiled Yorinori.  For unknown reasons, Kazushige left his father and initially served Imagawa Ujizane (1538-1615) in Suruga Province.

     In the Battle of Niisaka, Kazushige fought with a spear and took the enemy's head, receiving a gold reward.  When the Takeda and the Tokugawa forces invaded Suruga Province at the time of the downfall of the Imagawa Clan in 1568, he was injured in combat, and then lived in seclusion in Kakegawa, Totomi Province.

     In 1570, Kazushige served Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616).  In the Battle of Anegawa in June, he killed Takamoto (?-1570), the son of Magara Naotaka (1536-1570), the general of the Asakura Clan, and was given a wakizashi, a short sword, as a reward.

     In the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1573, Kazushige was sent to defend Takatenjin Castle as a reinforcement together with Honda Toshihisa (?-1603).  At Mikatagahara, his younger brother, Atsumi Shigetsune, was killed in fighting back against the Takeda forces.  In the same year, Kazushige fled from the Tokugawa Family and served Niwa Nagahide (1535-1585), a senior vassal of Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), whom his father, Shigenao, served.

     As a vassal of the Niwa Family, he participated in the Battle of Yamazaki in 1582 and the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583.  After Nagahide's death in 1585, he served Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598), became a messenger, and was later selected for the Life Guard of Hideyoshi.  In the same year, he was given a fief in Teshima County, Settsu Province, and was given additional small territories in Shitsuki, Asaguchi, and Oda Counties, Bitchu Province, and in Shufu County, Iyo Province.  His fief in total became big enough for him to be called a feudal lord.  He was based in Asada Residence.

     Sasao Village and others were exchanged for the small territory in Iyo Province in 1627.

Address: Dodani−14, Sasao, Inagawa, Kawabe District, Hyogo 666-0227

Phone: 072-768-0737

Asada Domain Residence Site

Address: 3 Chome-2 Hotarugaike Nakamachi, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0033