Virtual Kawabe 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #33 Kongo-in Temple

 

     Zenraku-ji Temple was founded in 904 by Priest Rigen of Daigo-ji Temple in Yamashiro Province with Bhaisajyaguru as its main deity.  Kongo-in Temple was originally a branch of Zenraku-ji Temple, which was later abandoned due to war.

     In 1150, Minamoto Tametomo (1139-1170) stayed at Kongo-in Temple.  He had a miraculous dream about Gozu and revived the temple.

     The Japanese word Gion comes from Jetavana, which was one of the 5 most famous Buddhist monasteries or viharas in India. The five are believed to have already existed while the Buddha still lived. Gion Shrine enshrines the guardian god of Jetavana, who was called Gozu in Japan. Gozu chose to be born as a son of Mudang as a part of the syncretism of Buddhism. The son had a bull head, and grew up to find no bride to get married with. One day, he set out on a journey to find a bride. In brief, at last, he got married to a daughter of Naga, who lived in the ocean. Gozu might have had the power to control water as a natural process.

     Gozu was first enshrined at Hiromine Shrine in today’s Himeji. He was invited to today’s Kyoto when the Kamo River flooded and plague spread, they wished for the healing and anti-flood power of Gozu. He was made the main deity of Gion Shrine, or Yasaka Shrine today, in Kyoto.  He was further invited to many parts of Japan, as we had many floods and epidemics, and he is enshrined in more than 2,300 shrines.

     In 1579, the temple was burned down when Araki Murashige (1535-1586) fought against Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582).  Between 1592 and 1596, Priest Chosho of Ganjoju-ji Temple, which is now Anraku-in Temple, in Senzo Village entered the temple and revived it.  In 1594, the temple was exempted from paying taxes by Katagiri Katsumoto (1556-1615) as the Magistrate of Settsu Province.  In 1685, Konoe Motohiro (1648-1722) revived the temple according to the Settsu Meisho Zue, or the Illustrated Guide to Famous Places in Settsu, which was first published in 1796.

     For your information, the Konoe Family had their fief in Uji County, Yamashiro Province.  In 1661, due to the construction of Manpuku-ji Temple, Gokasho Village was confiscated by the Tokugawa Shogunate, and, in exchange, the family was given equivalent land in Itami Village, Kawabe County, Settsu Province.

     1702, the fire broke out in Nakashoji Village, spread north, and reached around today's Kitahonmachi Park, burning down 439 houses.  The temple's Yakuimon Gate was burned down but was later rebuilt.

     In 1900, the main hall burned down.

     The Yakuimon Style gates were first constructed in the late Kamakura Period (1185-1333) or early Muromachi Period (1336-1573). They were initially used in samurai residences and noble residences, but eventually came to be used in temples and shrines as well.  2 supporting pillars are installed behind the 2 main pillars to distribute the load and ensure structural stability. They generally have double swing doors.

     The current main hall is the former Jibutsu-do hall.

     A Jibutsu-do hall is where Buddhist images and memorial tablets that are worshipped on a daily basis are placed.

Address: 2 Chome-2-7 Miyanomae, Itami, Hyogo 664-0895

Phone: 072-782-1434

Daigo-ji Temple

Address: 22 Daigohigashiojicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, 601-1325

Phone: 075-571-0002

Anraku-in Temple

Address: 3 Chome-22 Senzo, Itami, Hyogo 664-0898

Phone: 072-777-5353