Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kasai Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #25 Amida-ji Temple

 

     In 1694, Akamatsu Motonobu supported the foundation of Amida-ji Temple in Kasahara Village, Kasai County, Harima Province.  The village was first documented in 1059.  The Akamatsu clan used to rule the province, but no big name among them had Moto or Nobu in their 1st names.  Motonobu could have belonged to a very minor branch of the clan.  His ancestors could have become farmers after the collapse of the clan in the Warring States Period (1467-1568).

     The temple's 3rd priest Kinmyo improved the temple buildings and documents after 1751, and finally had the temple authorized as an official Buddhist temple under the danka system. Although Kasahara Village was old, Amida-ji was the only temple in Kasahara village, which might have been under the strong influence of Ichijo-ji Temple, the next station of the Kasai Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

     Amida-ji Temple’s Buddhist tanka poem is:

Oh, how divine! The Buddha's grace descends,

A sacred mercy that forever flows.

The vow of peace and comfort never ends,

Where Kasahara's timeless temple glows.

Address: 798 Nishikasaharacho, Kasai, Hyogo 675-2213

Phone: 0790-48-3006