Virtual Old Innami County 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #27 Kannon-do Hall

 

     The exact founding date of the Kannon-do Hall in Shimizu Village (Innami County, Harima Province) remains unknown, as does the precise timing of Shimizu’s independence from Shimotomiki Village.

     According to the Shoho Gocho (1644), Shimotomiki Village had a recorded yield of 455 koku. However, the Genroku Gocho (1700–1702) indicates this output decreased significantly to 190 koku. This suggests that Shimizu Village likely became independent during the latter half of the 17th century.

     Given its modest scale, Shimizu Village may not have had the financial resources to maintain an independent official Buddhist temple. Instead, it likely maintained a Kannon-do hall as a branch of a larger established temple. Based on this, the hall could have been located near the present-day Shimizu Cemetery. The reasons for its eventual dissolution remain unclear.

     For context, the Kanae area currently hosts two temples (Nanshu-ji and Myoshin-ji) and two shrines (Otoshi and Daisai). However, these are clustered in the southern part of the district, making them unlikely candidates for the historical site of the Shimizu Kannon-do.

The current Shimizu Cemetery is a relatively new site, situated adjacent to the Kakogawa Sports Park. The park was developed to serve as a venue for the 2006 "Nojigiku Hyogo" National Sports Festival.

It is highly probable that the original communal cemetery was relocated and its accompanying Kannon-do Hall was abolished during the construction of this sports complex. It was a common practice during such large-scale public land redevelopments to consolidate local religious structures.

     While the physical hall may have vanished during the early 2000s, it is possible that the sacred icons or memorial stones were moved to another nearby temple in the Kanae area. This would explain why the 27th station of the Innami 33 Kannon Pilgrimage is no longer found at its historical coordinates.

Shimizu Cemetary

Address: Kanae Nishikankicho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0047

Nanshu-ji Temple

Address: 644 Nishikankicho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0047

Phone: 079-431-5252

Myoshin-ji Temple

Address: 109 Nishikankicho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0047

Phone: 079-432-3924.

Otoshi Shrine

Address: 814 Nishikankicho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0047

Dasai Shrine

Address: Kanae-177 Nishikankicho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0047