Virtual Kako County Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #23 Zuio-ji Temple

 

     The place name "Futami" was first documented in a tanka poem. On April 22nd, 1005, Fujiwara Takato (949–1013), on his way to take up his post as the Dazaifu no Daini (Senior Assistant Governor-General), composed a poem titled "At Futami Bay":

Waiting for a favorable wind, 

We anchored in Futami. 

I gaze upon the dawn at the break of day, 

To find the rough waves still pounding the bay.

     While some traditions suggest that Zuio-ji Temple is as ancient as Kakurin-ji Temple, whose ancestral hermitage may date back to the 6th century, its exact founding date remains unknown. The temple was restored in 1573 by the priest Tengen and subsequently served as the family temple for Higashi-Futami Village.

     During the Edo period, a terakoya (temple school) was established within the complex. Following the promulgation of the modern education system in the Meiji era, Futami Elementary School was officially opened at the temple. It later merged with Sogan Elementary School (located at Itoku-in Temple in Nishi-Futami), becoming the direct predecessor of the current Futami Elementary School.

     Today, the temple grounds preserve important links to the past: the grave of Matsuo Chubei, the driving force behind the construction of Futami Port, and a Japanese cycad tree in the rear garden that is said to be over 400 years old.

Address: Higashifutami-1910 Futamicho, Akashi, Hyogo 674-0092

Phone: 078-942-1198

Kakurin-ji Temple

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

Phone: 079-454-7053

Itoku-in Temple

Address: Nishifutami-943 Futamicho, Akashi, Hyogo 674-0094

Phone: 078-942-1184

Futami Elementary School

Address: Higashifutami-454 Futamicho, Akashi, Hyogo 674-0092

Phone: 078-918-5820