Virtual Kako County Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #22 Kannon-ji Temple

 

     Nankai-zan Hosen-ji Temple was reportedly founded in 1267. Historical temple inscriptions reveal that Ogawa Masatatsu restored the temple in May 1442, building a tiled main hall and changing its name to Hoda-san Kannon-ji. This restoration suggests that the temple was likely damaged or destroyed during the Kakitsu Incident (1441), which devastated the region and temporarily wiped out the Akamatsu Clan.

    The temple was revived again in 1472 by Yokogawa Kimitaka, who invited Priest Ryushu from Kyoto's Kennin-ji Temple. This took place around the same time Akamatsu Masanori (1455–1496) restored his clan’s status as rulers of Harima Province during the Onin War (1467–1477).

     In October 1593, Yokogawa Shigenaga invited Priest Seicho from Myoshin-ji Temple in Kyoto to serve as the founding abbot, renaming the temple Fuda-san Kannon-ji. After centuries of maintenance, the 19th head priest, Shusho, rebuilt the main hall into a three-story reinforced concrete building in 1993, about a century after the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The temple is currently led by the 20th head priest, Kotari Toyomitsu, who took office in 1997.

     Ultimately, Kannon-ji Temple's ups and downs seem to have been deeply intertwined with the rises and falls of the samurai clans in Harima Province. The Ogawa family survived as samurai through the 15th and 16th centuries, but are supposed to have become farmers after the Siege of Miki (1578–1580). While it remains unknown whether any of their offspring were among the supporting members who helped rebuild the temple in 1993, the memory of its founders continues to endure.

     Kannon-ji Temple is also the #27 member temple of the Harima 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

Address: 1643 Futamicho, Akashi, Hyogo 674-0092

Phone: 078-942-1480

Kennin-ji Temple

Address: 584 Komatsucho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto 605-0811

Phone: 075-561-6363

Myoshin-ji Temple

Address: 1 Hanazonomyoshinjicho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, 616-8035

Phone: 075-461-5226