Virtual Kasai Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #24 Kensho-ji Temple

 

     Kensho-ji Temple, the 24th temple on the Kasai District Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, was originally established in Tawara Village, Harima Province (present-day Tawara-cho, Kasai City), belonging to Caodong Chan sect. It was founded by Unkitsu, though it remains unclear whether Unkitsu was a Buddhist priest or a lay patron. The construction of the temple culminated with the completion of its main gate in 1700.

     In the 17th century, the Tokugawa Shogunate established the danka system, which made affiliation with a local Buddhist temple compulsory for all citizens. Because Kensho-ji was the only temple within Tawara Village, its founding in 1674 likely served a vital purpose for the community. By establishing their own temple rather than relying on one in a neighboring village, the villagers could maintain their independence and avoid owing obligations during inter-village conflicts.

     This autonomy was particularly crucial regarding water rights. Tawara Village first appears in historical records around 1600 in documentation concerning an irrigation dispute with neighboring Abiki Village, highlighting how essential self-reliance was for the village’s survival and negotiations.

　The temple in Abiki Village was Shuhen-ji, the 24th station of the Kasai Saigoku 33 Kannon pilgrimage, and belongs to the Shingon sect.  The village was first documented in 1322.  Obviously, Kensho-ji Temple was founded to rival Shuhen-ji, or to help Tawara rival Abiki.

     In 1674, however, persistent heavy rains swept across western Japan from spring through summer, triggering severe flooding known as the Enpo Floods. That September, a devastating typhoon struck Harima Province and the Seto Inland Sea coast, wiping out crops and homes. These consecutive disasters led directly to the widespread Enpo Famine of 1675.

     It is unknown whether Unkitsu began establishing the temple before or during these catastrophes. Regardless, overcoming such severe hardships likely meant that fully completing the temple complex took over a quarter of a century.

     Kensho-ji Temple’s Buddhist tanka poem is:

Within the sacred garden’s calm,

The whispering pines, the temple toll,

Awaken in the seeking soul

The timeless truth of Buddha’s balm.

Address: 2605 Taharacho, Kasai, Hyogo 675-2114

Phone: 0790-49-0242