Virtual Arima County 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #26 Chosho-ji Temple

 

     Chosho-ji Temple was founded in today's Ichigayatamachi,Shinjuku City, Tokyo 162-0843, in 1616, when Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) died, by Priest Eiteki, with Priest Somo (?-1675) as a nominal founder.  Later, Chosho-ji Temple was moved to its present place.  Another Chosho-ji Temple was relocated within Edo City in 1635, when the Outer Moat of Edo Castle was widened.  As Kuki Hisataka (1617-1649), who was the lord of the Sanda Domain, was a member of the constructors of the castle, the temple could have been moved to the domain in 1635, too.

     The remove of Chosho-ji Temple to the domain was supported by Ozawa Seibei and Yamaoka Gorosaku.

     The mystery of Chosho-ji Temple has 2 points.  First, who was Somo?  Why did the priest who could have been no more than a baby or a toddler when Ieyasu died have to be confined in a Buddhist temple?  Did Seibei and Gorosaku take part in the construction, meet Somo, and pity him?  Which did Somo move, to the one in Edo or to the one in the Sanda Domain?

     Chosho-ji Temple in the Sanda Domain was founded at the foot of Kuwabara Fortress.  The Kuwabara Family was ousted from the fortress by Araki Murashige (1535-1586) sometime between 1573 and 1592.  Kuwabara Sadanari was subject to Sengoku Hidehisa (1552-1614), who fought for Tokugawa Hidetada (1579-1632), the second Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate.  In 1600, Hidehisa was in the army of Hidetada, they were unable to reach the Sekigahara main battle in time.  However, Hidehisa successfully spared both he and Hidetada after the blunder.  Hidetada remained grateful to Hidehisa for the remainder of his life.  Did that have something to do with the relocation of the temple?  If so, was Somo an obstacle for Hidetada to be the second Shogun after Ieyasu's death? 

     Somo is said to have been the 3rd priest (or would-be 3rd priest?) of Choryu-ji Temple, which had been founded in 1593 by Kono Morimasa (1541-1617), who had been subject to Takeda Harunobu (1521-1573) and his son, Katsuyori (1546-1582), in Kai Province.  After Katsuyori was cornered to commit suicide on March 11th, 1582, by Ieyasu, Morimasa became subject to Ieyasu in June.  Anyway, did Somo have something to do with the Takeda Clan?

     If Seibei and Gorosaku had pity on him, how did Somo live in the domain from 1635 to 1675?  40 years is long enough to fully have a life. 

Address: 69 Yamata, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1511

Phone: 079-562-2043

Chosho-ji Temple

Address: 9 Ichigayayakuojimachi, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 162-0063

Phone: 03-3341-0997

Kuwabara Fortress Site

Address: Kuwabara, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1521

Choryu-ji Temple

Address: 2 Chome-31-2 Koenjiminami, Suginami City, Tokyo 166-0003