Virtual Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #11 Chofuku-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Chofuku-ji Temple was founded in Mizuashi Village, Kako County, Harima Province. The village appears in the Keicho Kuni-ezu (the provincial map compiled in 1611). It is also unknown when the temple was abolished, and its exact location can no longer be traced today.

     The Mizuashi area currently has two cemeteries and a Yakushi-do hall, suggesting that Chofuku-ji may have stood near one of these sites. A particularly strong candidate is the area around the present-day Mizuashi Community Center. With Wakamiya Shrine nearby and a former public pool in Mizuashi Park, this neighborhood appears to have served as the center of both daily secular life and religious devotion for the local community.

     Additionally, an elevated expressway, the Higashi-Harima Road, now runs directly adjacent to this area. It is entirely possible that the former grounds of Chofuku-ji Temple lie buried beneath its massive piers and overpass, hidden forever by modern infrastructure.

Hirooka Cemetery

Address: Mizuashi-550-5 Noguchicho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0019

Dosaka Cemetery

Address: Mizuashi-694 Noguchicho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0019

Yakushi-do Hall

Address: Noguchicho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0019

Mizuashi Community Center

Address: Mizuashi-660 Noguchicho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0019

Wakamiya Shrine

Address: Mizuashi-248 Noguchicho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0019

Mizuhashi Park

Address: Mizuashi-1693-3 Noguchicho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0019