Virtual Kako County Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #10 Joju-ji Temple

 

     The stone monument marking the original site of Joju-ji Temple stands in front of the Kakogawa City General Welfare Center. The temple is said to have been founded by Prince Shotoku (574–622), alongside Kakurin-ji and Saiko-ji (later renamed Shomyo-ji) Temples.

     In 1389, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358–1408), the third Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate, stayed at the temple. As the Ashikaga family held the position of the head of the prestigious Minamoto Clan, Yoshimitsu was revered as its supreme commander, and his stay bestowed immense prestige upon Joju-ji Temple. This status endured into the Edo Period (1603–1867) under the Tokugawa Shogunate, whose ruling family also claimed Minamoto lineage. This deep-rooted prestige attracted numerous high-ranking samurai—even those outside the Minamoto Clan. The high volume of elite visitors eventually led to the establishment of the Himeji Domain's Jinya (a regional government office), which functioned as a reception hall, within the area in 1752. Around this time, a magnificent pine tree on the temple grounds was celebrated as Kako no Matsu (the Pine of Kako).

     However, the Meiji Restoration of 1868 brought the samurai era to an abrupt end. Along with these societal shifts, Joju-ji Temple entered a period of physical transition, relocating first to the vicinity of today's Kakogawa Plaza Hotel, and eventually to its current location.

     Given that Joju means "to settle or remain forever," the temple’s history of relocation sounds rather ironic.

Background and Details of the Relocations

The First Relocation: From Jikemachi to Mizonokuchi

• Time: Late Meiji to early Taisho era

• Reason: Land acquisition for the expansion of Nippon Keori (Nikke)

• Details: Originally, Joju-ji Temple was located in Jikemachi (Temples Township). However, following the opening of the Kakogawa Plant of Nippon Keori Co., Ltd. (commonly known as Nikke) in 1899, the company rapidly expanded. As Nikke acquired and developed vast stretches of surrounding land for factory sites and company housing, the temple surrendered its historic grounds and made its first relocation to Mizonokuchi, a prime location in front of Kakogawa Station.

The Second Relocation: From Mizonokuchi to Honmachi

• Time: 1984 (Showa 59)

• Reason: The Kakogawa Station Front Land Readjustment Project (Urban Redevelopment)

• Details: In the late 1970s and 1980s, Kakogawa City launched a large-scale urban redevelopment initiative known as the "Land Readjustment Project" to modernize the area around the station. The entire precinct of Joju-ji Temple in Mizonokuchi was included in the planned redevelopment zone. The city and the Kakogawa Chamber of Commerce and Industry acquired the temple site to build a new chamber building and a modern urban hotel. Consequently, the temple relocated once again in 1984 to its present location in Honmachi. The Kakogawa Plaza Hotel was constructed on the former temple site the following year.

     Today, Joju-ji Temple stands near the historic site of the Kako River Ferry Port, which has since been replaced by the Kakogawa Bridge. Despite the ironic nature of its name, the temple has proven to be an incredibly resilient survivor of countless historical upheavals: the Great Harima Earthquake of 868, the turbulence of the Northern and Southern Courts period (1336–1392), the Warring States period (1467–1568), the anti-Buddhist movement (Haibutsu Kishaku) at the dawn of the Meiji era, the devastation of World War II, and the rapid post-war economic miracle (1955–1973) that erased so many other minor historic sites without a trace.

     Having stood the test of time through these vast historical shifts, what changes will the temple witness as it looks ahead into the age of AI and the distant future?

Address: Honmachi−214-7 Kakogawacho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0037

Phone: 079-422-2263

Kakogawa City General Welfare Center

Address: Jikemachi−177-12 Kakogawacho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0066

Phone: 079-424-4318

Kakurin-ji Temple

Address: Kitazaike-424 Kakogawacho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0031

Phone: 079-454-7053

Shomyo-ji Temple

Address: Honmachi-313 Kakogawacho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0037

Phone: 079-422-2262

Kakogawa Plaza Hotel

Address: Mizonokuchi−800 Kakogawacho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0064

Phone: 079-421-8877

Kako River Ferry Port

Address: Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0037

Kakogawa Bridge

Address: Yonedacho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0053