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Virtual Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #19 Innan-ji Temple

     The historical context surrounding the founding of Innami-ji Temple (Rinzai Zen, Myoshin-ji branch)—the 19th station of the Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon pilgrimage—can be reconstructed through the lens of regional social history.

     After the Siege of Miki (1578–1580), surviving retainers of the defeated Bessho clan settled in the Harima countryside, transitioning into local gentry and village leaders (shoya). Their engineering capabilities and organizational capacity were vital in executing the reclamation projects of the Innami-no plateau in the late 17th to early 18th century.

     The affiliation of Innami-ji with Rinzai Zen strongly reflects this warrior heritage, as Rinzai Buddhism was widely patronized by the Sengoku-period samurai of Harima. The temple was therefore founded not merely as a local place of worship, but as a dedicated institution for ancestral veneration and religious registration (shumon-aratame) for a village built by samurai-descended farmers.

     The naming of "Innami-ji" carries a deep historical resonance that transcends a mere geographical label. Innami-no (the Innami Plain) was celebrated as a classical Utamakura—a poetic landmark—in the Man'yoshu, Japan’s oldest poetry anthology compiled in the 8th century. For the former samurai who disarmed after the fall of Miki Castle and turned to farming, identifying their new settlement with this ancient, prestigious name was a statement of profound pride. Though stripped of their warrior status and reduced to tilling the soil, these land-owning leaders (shoya) retained a strong sense of identity and cultural dignity. Naming their newly founded temple "Innami-ji" was not merely a matter of administrative convenience; it was a silent assertion of their unyielding spirit, anchoring their newly forged agrarian community to the timeless heritage of classic Japanese history.

Address: 1559 Innami, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1111

Phone: 079-495-0275

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Virtual Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #18 Kannon-do Hall

 

     It is unknown when the Kannon-do hall, which later became the 18th station of the Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon pilgrimage, was built in Innami Shinmura (Innami New Village). As the village was developed in the early 18th century, its foundation must have been during that period or later.

     The Innami area still retains small religious structures, such as Hokke-to pagodas and Gyoja-do halls, alongside two Buddhist temples: Kongo-in and Innami-ji. There may have been even more during the Edo period (1603–1867). Under these circumstances, the current "Innami-no-do" hall is the primary candidate for the historical Kannon-do hall, though it remains possible that either the Into or Inzai Community Center now stands on its former site.

Innaminodo

Address: 4-1 Innami, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1111

Hokke-to Pagoda

Address: 7 Innami, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1111

Innamigyojado

Address: Innami, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1111

Inzaikokaido

Address: 1625 Innami, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1111

Intokokaido (Into Community Center)

Address: 215-5 Innami, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1111

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Virtual Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #17 Kongo-in Temple

 

     The exact founding date of Kongo-in Temple in Innami Shinson (Harima Province, Kako County) is unknown. Innami Shinson was the last new village developed during the Edo period (1603–1867) in this region. The area's development began between 1704 and 1711, when Kaemon moved from Sakai, Izumi Province, to reclaim the land. In 1712, Numata Riheiji, originally from neighboring Kako Shinmura, was appointed as the village head (shoya) of Innami Shinson and led its full-scale land reclamation. By 1737, the village had grown to 171 households with a population of 886. Based on this rapid settlement, Kongo-in Temple was likely founded in the first half of the 18th century.

     It is plausible that political and social friction influenced the leadership shift from Kaemon to Numata Riheiji. As a merchant from Izumi Province, Kaemon was an outsider (takokusha) to both the Himeji Domain and the local farmers. The domain likely preferred an experienced local farmer to ensure stable tax collection, while incoming settlers and neighboring villages would have resisted being led by an urban merchant unfamiliar with local agricultural customs and water rights. Consequently, while Kaemon provided the initial impetus, Riheiji—a local figure from neighboring Kako Shinmura—was appointed as shoya to establish a stable, functioning farming community.

Address: 549 Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1111

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Virtual Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #16 Kunioka-Kannon-do Hall

 

     The exact date of the hall's construction is unknown, but there is a legend that a thatched-roof hall existed there before Kunioka Shinmura, Kunioka New Village, was organized in 1662.

     It was rebuilt in 1881, when the principal image was enshrined.

     As the 16th sacred site of the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage in the county, it was once a popular pilgrimage site for pilgrims, and the Banshu Ondo dance was performed during the Jizo Bon festival.

     The principal image is an eleven-faced Kannon Bodhisattva statue (wooden, seated, 1 shaku 4 sun tall), was originally created before 1575 by the lord of Miki Castle,

Bessho Nagaharu, and was believed to have been a personal prayer for him.

     After the fall of Miki Castle, his retainers enshrined it in Bessho, but for some reason, Shoji Jisaburo of Kunioka acquired it along with related documents, and it has been enshrined by his family ever since. Afterward, a woman who had been diligently praying every day received a divine message that if she built a temple facing east, as per tradition, and enshrined Jizo on the right and Prince Shotoku on the left, she would remain in this place. This became the impetus for the reconstruction of the temple in its current location.

     From the reconstruction until around 1985, the temple was cared for by a resident caretaker. Since then, it has been cared for by members of the local Buddhist prayer group and the caretaker committee.

     While older reconstruction records are unknown, reconstructions were carried out in 1997 and 2014.

Address 677-1 Kunioka, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1115

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Virtual Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #15 Seikyu-ji Temple

 

     Seikyu-ji Temple was founded in 653, according to the documents kept in the temple. This coincided with the enshrinement of the deity for the predecessor (Oji Gongen) of the nearby Kuniyasu Tenman Shrine, marking a symbolic milestone in the area's development and the establishment of local religious life. In 1553, the temple was revived as a Caodong Chan temple by Priest Seiryo. In 1601, Ikeda Terumasa (1565-1613), the then-Lord of the Himeji Domain, issued an official document with his black seal, granting Seikyu-ji Temple a land endowment of 3 koku—alongside a 5-koku grant for Kuniyasu Tenman-gu Shrine. This serves as evidence that the temple enjoyed official protection from the domain lord as a vital religious institution deeply rooted in the local community.

Address: 435 Oka, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1113

Phone: 079-492-0232

Kuniyasu-Tenman Shrine

Address: 539 Kuniyasu, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1114

Phone: 079-492-0741

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Virtual Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #14 Kannon-do Hall

 

Historical Deduction: The Identity and Successor of the 14th Station (Terada Kannon-do Hall)

1. The Origin: Terada Shin-mura (Mid-17th Century)

     During the Meireki era (1655–1658) of the early Edo period, a new village development named Terada Shin-mura (or Terada Shinden) was established in the area of present-day Shinzaike, Hiraoka-cho, Kakogawa City. As was customary during land reclamation in this era, the newly formed community established its own communal village chapel—a Kannon-do Hall—to pray for peace, protection, and abundant harvests. This chapel served as the origin of the 14th station.

2. Rejection of the "Jingu-ji Temple of Gosha Shrine" Theory (Timeline Mismatch)

     One alternative hypothesis suggests that the Kannon-do Hall might have been a Jingu-ji Temple (a shrine-temple attached to a Shinto shrine) associated with the nearby Gosha Dai-jinja (2293 Hiraokacho Shinzaike). However, this theory presents a clear chronological contradiction:

     Anti-Buddhist Movement (Haibutsu Kishaku): Any shrine-temple (Jingu-ji) attached to Gosha Dai-jinja would have been abolished or dismantled in the early Meiji period (around 1868) due to the government-mandated separation of Shinto and Buddhism.

     Pilgrimage Establishment: The Kako-gun Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage route was established much later, during the Taisho era (1912–1926).

     Conclusion: It is highly implausible that a shrine-temple lost in the early Meiji era would be designated as an official pilgrimage station decades later in the Taisho era.

3. The "Terada Community Center" Theory (Most Plausible Successor)

     When the Kako-gun pilgrimage route was formed in the Taisho era, it incorporated the independent, locally maintained village chapel (Kannon-do) that had belonged to Terada Shin-mura since the Edo period.

     In modern Japan, particularly during mid-to-late 20th-century post-war developments, many unmanned, community-managed village chapels were renovated into local assembly halls or community centers (kominkan). Thus, the Terada Community Center (Terada Kominkan) in Shinzaike, Hiraoka-cho, stands as the most logical direct successor—or physical site—of the original Kannon-do.

Summary Timeline

1655–1658 (Edo Period): Terada Shin-mura is founded; a local Kannon-do is established as the village chapel.

1868–1870s (Early Meiji): Separation of Shinto and Buddhism dismantles shrine-temples (Jingu-ji), but independent village halls like Terada's Kannon-do survive.

1912–1926 (Taisho Period): The Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage is designated, registering the active Terada Kannon-do as Station #14.

Modern Era: The historic Kannon-do transitions into the modern Terada Community Center, where the sacred image or small altar is likely still preserved on-site or housed within a nearby temple.

Terada Community Center

Address: Hiraokacho Shinzaike, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0101

Goshadai Shrine

Address: 2293 Hiraokacho Shinzaike, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0101

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #13 Kannon-do Hall

 

Historical Analysis of Station No. 13 (Notsuji)

1. Exclusion of Bankokusan Taihei-ji

     Although Taihei-ji Temple is located near the former ko-aza (sub-village) of Notsuji, it can be ruled out as the 13th station. Established as recently as 1970 under the Hokke Sect (Honmon-ryu), it has no historical connection to the Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, which was founded in the Taisho period (1922).

2. Historical Context of Notsuji-shinmura in Edo period

     Branch Village (Eda-go) Status: Developed around 1666, Notsuji-shinmura was a branch village (eda-go) subordinate to the main village (hon-go), Shinzaike.

     Absence of a Parish Temple (Bodai-ji) and Graveyard: Residents of branch villages relied on the main village's temples for funerary rites and family graves. Consequently, Notsuji naturally lacked its own independent temple or cemetery.

     Role of the Village Hall (Kannon-do): Despite having no formal temple, the community maintained a local hall (Kannon-do) for daily devotion, agricultural prayers, and communal gatherings.

3. Creation of the Pilgrimage (1922) and Post-War Transition

     Taisho Period Allocation: By the time the Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was established around 1922, Notsuji had long been merged into neighboring administrative structures. However, local pilgrimage routes were designated based on micro-level sub-communities rather than formal modern administrative borders. Thus, the local Kannon-do was designated as Station No. 13.  

     Modern Integration into the Community Center: Following post-war land developments (such as the reclamation of local irrigation ponds) and urbanization, maintaining standalone village halls became difficult. Throughout the Harima region, small halls or statues were commonly relocated to or housed within newly built community centers (kominkan).

Conclusion

     Given that Notsuji was historically a branch village without a formal temple, the local Kannon-do existed solely as a small communal worship site. With the modern restructuring of land and community spaces, the Notsuji Community Center (Notsuji Kominkan) stands as the most logically sound successor to the historic 13th station.

Notsuji Community Center

Address: Hiraokacho Shinzaike, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0101

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Virtual Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #12 Kannon-do Hall

 

     Based on historical and geographical evidence, Kitano Village likely emerged in the late Sengoku period (late 16th century) as a secondary settlement formed by clearing the wilderness directly north of Noguchi Village—an origin reflected in its inclusion in the Keicho Kuniezu (1605 provincial map) and its name, meaning "northern field." Because Kitano was an offshoot village, it never established an independent Buddhist temple of its own; instead, its villagers relied on the major established temples in adjacent Noguchi for funerary services and ancestral rites.

     However, as was common in early modern rural communities, the village maintained an unstaffed local hall—the Kannon-do hall—for collective worship. During the mid-to-late Edo period, further agricultural expansion led to the creation of the satellite settlement Kitano Shinden (Kitano New Lands). In the Taisho era, when the Kakogun Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was established, this local shrine was selected as the 12th station.

     As 20th-century modernization reorganized local infrastructure, the original structure of the Kannon-do hall was likely dismantled or repurposed. Its former site was most probably converted into a community hub—such as the present-day Kitano Shinden Civic Center or the Kitano Kita Community Center—or redeveloped into the Kitano Cemetery Park, with any remaining sacred statues either consolidated into local civic grounds or transferred to nearby temples.

Kitano Shinden Community Center

Address: Kitano-1056-2 Noguchicho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0011

Kitanokita Community Center

Address: Kitano-733-3 Noguchicho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0011

Goshadai Shrine

Address: Kitano-1289-10 Noguchicho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0011

Trees in the Town