Virtual Arima County 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #21 Shinko-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Shinko-ji Temple was founded in Tera-mura Village, Arima County, Settsu Province, as a temple of Caodong Chan School.  Tera-mura literally means Temple Village, and the village was named so because the area belonged to the Arima 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #19 Kinshin-ji Temple, which belongs to Shingon Sect.

     The village was first documented in Keicho Kuni-ezu, or the Keicho Maps of the Provinces.  Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616), the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, conducted a land survey of the distribution and rice yields of the feudal lords' territories and the lands of temples and shrines across Japan in September, 1605.  He appointed Nishio Yoshitsugu (1530-1606) as magistrate in charge of Eastern Provinces and Tsuda Hidemasa (1546-1653) as magistrate in charge of Western Provinces.  The maps are said to have been made based on this survey.

     The village could be quite newly developed at the foot of the Hakkei Hills (Hakkeicho, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1524) and the temple could be as new as the village.  The hills used to have Tateishi Fortress, which is supposed to have been built to attack Sanda Castle.

     For unknown reason, the village had the water irrigation rights of Sanda-Oike Pond (5 Yashikimachi, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1532).  Maybe, the village inherrited the rights from Kinshin-ji Temple.  As the pond lied south to Sanda Castle, the rights were sometimes restricted for the sake of the castle's defence.

Address: 4352 Teramuracho, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1523

Phone: 079-562-2977

Kinshin-ji Temple

Address: 3 Chome-28-45 Tenjin, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1531

Phone: 079-563-3084

Sanda Castle Site

Address: Yashikimachi 2 Chome-2-20, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1532

Tateishi Fortress Site

Address: Teramuracho, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1523