Virtual Kako County Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #11

 

     Although the pilgrimage was established relatively recently in the Taisho Era (1912-1926), all records of the 11th station have completely vanished, leaving its location and identity a mystery.  Given its location between the 10th and 12th stations, it may have been a small roadside chapel or a privately owned statue that disappeared during modern urban development.

 

Virtual Kako County Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #12 Joraku-ji Temple

     Joraku-ji Temple is said to have been founded in 645 by the legendary hermit Hodo. What does the legend imply?

A Turning Point in East Asia (642–676)

     The year 642 marked a shift toward the restructuring of East Asia, culminating in Silla’s unification of the Korean Peninsula in 676. In 642, King Uija (599–660) of Baekje invaded Silla, capturing over 40 fortresses and killing the daughter and son-in-law of Kim Chun-chu (603–661), the future King of Silla.

     Domestically, King Uija established an autocratic regime, purging political opponents to solidify his grip. This concentration of power was mirrored across the region: Yeon Gaesomun (d. 666) seized power in a coup in Goguryeo, while in Japan, Soga Emishi (586–645) and his son Iruka (d. 645) tightened their control following the death of Emperor Jomei (593–641) and the ascension of Empress Kogyoku (594–661).

The Exile’s Persona: From "Field" to "Valley"

     Just as Sakanoue no Tamuramaro (758–811) was invoked as a symbolic founder of temples in the Tohoku region, "Hermit Hodo" served a specific purpose in Eastern Harima.

     During the mid-7th century, high-ranking Baekje nobles fleeing King Uija’s purges likely sought refuge in the Japanese archipelago. Some of these exiles settled in Eastern Harima, moving from the open "Fields" (flat lands) like Kusuhara (Camphor Field) into the deeper, oak-filled "Valleys" like Kashidani (Oak Valley) to reclaim the land. For these immigrant communities, Hodo—a legendary hermit said to have traveled from India through Tang China and Baekje—provided the perfect founding "persona," linking their local religious sites to a prestigious continental lineage of Buddhism.  For your information, Hodo, who is supposed to have originally borne the Sanskrit name Dharmapatha, might have been called Puap-dauh in China, Papp-do in Korea, and Papotau or Fafatau when he arrived in Japan.

     In the late Kamakura period, it was revived by the prominent Buddhist monk Monkan (1278–1357), and a thirteen-story stone pagoda was erected within its precincts in 1325.

     Monkan is believed to have been born into the Shinto priest family of Hioka Shrine, which is believed to have been founded in 730. Returning to his hometown in Harima Province around 1303–1306 as a young monk in his late twenties, he became a leading figure of the Shingon-Ritsu sect in the region. At his core, Monkan was a Ritsu monk dedicated to public salvation, directing major civil engineering and reclamation projects:

     Cultivation of Takokusa: Monkan initiated a land reclamation project in what was then the wasteland of Takogusa Kita-mura. He expanded cultivation southeastward along the Kumogawa River, covering the area of present-day Takokusa (Inami Town, Kako District). This effort was sustained by his successors after his death, culminating in the major expansion of the Tenma O-ike Pond at the end of the 14th century (a reservoir originally constructed in 675).

     The Gokai Irrigation System: To combat the chronic droughts of eastern Harima, medieval expansion and renovation were executed on the Gokai Irrigation System. This monumental project expanded its beneficiary area from 200 hectares to 700 hectares, serving as the foundational source of regional wealth for centuries.

     Monkan also possessed a brilliant political mind. By constructing the East Harima Showa-era Stone Pagodas and dedicating them to the Daikaku-ji imperial lineage, he secured the patronage of the era’s most powerful figures, including Emperor Go-Uda (1267–1324) and Crown Prince Takaharu (later Emperor Go-Daigo, 1288–1339).

     However, building such massive upstream irrigation systems was a double-edged sword, as it threatened the water supply of downstream areas. Monkan and his followers in upper eastern Harima became staunch supporters of the Southern Court, and their descendants frequently clashed over water rights with coastal communities—conflicts that persisted well into the Edo period. This perpetual tension over vital water resources may have provoked the coastal populace to organize into self-defense networks, ultimately contributing to the formation of the medieval Ikketsushu (united local leagues) along the Kakogawa river basin and coastal areas.

     The Kako County Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage might have been established in the 20th century to finally overcome the centuries-long conflicts over water rights.

Address: Ono-1762 Kakogawacho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0061

Phone: 079-424-5882

Hioka Shrine

Address: Ono-1755 Kakogawacho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0061

Phone: 079-422-7646

Tenma O-Pond

Address: Rokubuichi, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1112