Trees In the Town

 

Sanuki no Suke’s Diary Volume 2 (1)

 

     October arrived in the meantime.

     I received and read a letter from Fujiwara Mitsuko (1060–1121), the nurse of the New Emperor.

     "Perhaps because he has heard so much of your exceptional service and admirable character during your many years with the late Emperor," she wrote, "Ex-Emperor Shirakawa (1053–1129) has issued a royal command. He insists that the new Emperor’s palace requires someone of your caliber and that you should present yourself immediately. Pray, take this to heart."

     I was stunned as I read these words, so utterly blindsided that I thought I must have misread the letter.

     I had heard rumors of such a request while the late Emperor was still alive. However, since he had remained resolutely silent and never granted his permission, I believed it was because he wished to keep me by his side. To show up now, as if I had merely been waiting for his passing to accept the offer, felt like an outrageous betrayal.

     I was reminded of Taira Chushi (1037–1109). When Emperor Go-Reizei (1025–1068) passed away, she was commanded by Emperor Go-Sanjo (1034–1073) to return to the palace on the seventh day of the seventh month—the night of Tanabata. She composed this tanka in her grief:

Though I hear the Milky Way flows just the same

As it does every seventh night of July,

It is still sorrowful to know

That I will cross it once again.

Her feelings, I realized, were exactly my own.

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Miki County 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #33 Horin-ji Temple

 

     Horin-ji Temple was founded in 651 by Hermit Hodo.  The temple enshrines the Hayagriva statue, which is a masterpiece by a legendary Buddhist sculptor, Kasuga.

     Hodo, who traveled from India through Tang China and the Korean kingdom of Baekje to Japan from the 6th to 7th centuries.

     Kasuga is said to have worked in Kawachi Province.  Legend has it that he carved Buddhism images and statues day and night.  One day, the villagers noticed him carving something other than Buddhism images.  It became a big crane statue.  Next morning, the villagers found nobody in his house, but a big bird flying to the east in the morning glow, with something or someone on its back.

     God Onamuchi arrived at the giant rock at the foot of the hill, on which Horin-ji Temple is located, from Heaven, and was enshrined in the rift of the rock.  The temple was founded in 651 by Hermit Hodo at the top of the hill.  Following a divine message, a parishioner became a Japanese sake brewer.

     All in all, the area has been a holy place since prehistoric days, and the temple’s history is filled with legends and mysteries.

     Miki City produces the largest amount of Yamada Nishiki, a short-grain Japanese rice famous for its use in high-quality sake, in Japan.  Oh, it'snothing but the fact.

Address: 567 Hosokawacho, Miki, Hyogo 673-0703

Phone: 0794-88-2004

Trees In the Town

 

Sanuki no Suke’s Diary (26)

 

     A rattling sound, as if something were being torn down, echoed from the midday chamber (Hi-no-omasho), accompanied by a commotion of many voices. When I listened intently, wondering what could be happening, a lady-in-waiting—with whom I had shared a long and close service—suddenly rushed into my room. She wept bitterly, unable to find words. Seeing her state, an uncontrollable urge to cry surged within me, even before I knew the cause.

     After a while, struggling to suppress her tears, she managed to speak: "Oh, how pitiful it is! At this very moment, there is a great stir as the Imperial Seal and the Sword are being transferred to the New Emperor. They are drawing the curtains around the midday chamber and removing the sacred mirror and other items. That sound you hear... it is the sound of them dismantling the curtain stands." Her words struck me with unbearable sorrow.

Earlier that day, Takashina Nariko had already been assigned to the duty of guarding the Imperial Sword. She was there, attending to her task and recounting stories of the Emperor’s life. Since I had had no part in what went on in the Breakfast (Asa-garei) Room, her words were nothing but a distant, hollow murmur to me—beyond my concern, and beyond my heart.

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Miki County 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #32 Yusho-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Yusho-ji Temple was founded along Ogawa River, a tributary of the Mino River.  Ogawa means Stream.  All in all, Yusho-ji Temple is an obscure temple in an obscure village.

Address: Nakazato-1683 Hosokawacho, Miki, Hyogo 673-0702

Phone: 0794-88-2976

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Miki County 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #31 Gaya-in Temple

 

     According to temple tradition, Daikei-ji Temple was founded in 645 by Hermit Hodo as an Imperial prayer temple of Emperor Karu (596-654).  It was also called Toichi-bo.  It was the first year of the Taika Era (645-650), when the emperor started his reform to bring about greater centralization and to enhance the power of the Imperial Court.

     Hodo is a legendary figure said to have flown from India to Japan on a cloud.  Given the numerous temples in Southern Hyogo Prefecture with Hodo founding legends, there could have been mountain ascetics who served as a model or models for Hodo existed, regardless of whether they actually flew from India.  Similar to other temples with Hodo founding legends, the exact date and circumstances of the temple's founding remain unclear.

     Around the 11th century, the temple flourished, boasting dozens of halls and over 130 monks' quarters, and Emperor Kazan (968-1008) is recorded to have visited the temple.

     When the Battle of Miki was fought between Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) and Bessho Nagaharu (1558-1580) from 1578 to 1580,, Nagaharu's forces were stationed in the temple.  It caught fire and suffered great damage.  Then, in 1609, another fire broke out, burning down all the temple buildings except for the fortress-like stone walls.  The existing temple buildings were donated by feudal lords after 1610.

     In 1681, by Imperial decree of Emperor Gosai (1638-1685), the temple was renamed Gaya-in, after Bodh Gaya in today's Bihar, India.

     From the medieval period onward, it held influence as a Shugendo temple affiliated with Shogo-in Temple.  During the Edo Period (1603-1868), it wielded considerable power in the Shugendo society as one of the 4 leading temples of the Tiantai-Sect Ascetics.  Even today, on Health and Sports Day in October, numerous Shugendo practitioners gather from all over Japan, and the largest-scale Big Bonfire Koma Ritual in the Kansai Region is held.

     The entrance fee of Gaya-in Temple is to weed 10 stalks of grass.

Address: Otani-410 Shijimicho, Miki, Hyogo 673-0513

Phone: 0794-87-3906

Shogo-in Temple

Address: 15 Shogoin Nakamachi, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-8324

Phone: 075-771-1880

Shakuzen-in Temple

Address: Shogoin Nakamachi, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-8324

Trees In the Town

 

Sanuki no Suke’s Diary (25)

 

     After all the wet nurses had departed, I remained by the body alongside Fujiwara Koreko, a maid of honor with whom I shared a particularly close bond. We stayed there, lost to the passage of time. Koreko wept bitterly, repeating through her tears, "Of all those who served, it is this deep karmic connection that allowed me to remain by his side until the very end." Her words only deepened my own overwhelming grief, making it almost unbearable to remain.

     Suddenly, a frantic voice called out from my chambers: "Come quickly! Kenshi has fainted!" I was hurried away from the body to find Kenshi looking like a corpse herself, her breath so faint it was barely perceptible. As dusk fell, a crowd gathered to lift her into a carriage and take her home.

     The room where the Emperor lay had fallen eerily still. The transformation was hard to believe; the chaotic commotion of recent days, once so deafening that one could hardly hear a word, had vanished—silent now, as if a fire had been suddenly extinguished. Not a sound remained.

     Though Ieko’s chamber was separated from mine by only a single wall, I could still hear the muffled weeping of those within, echoing the cries of the day. Then, I heard Ieko’s voice crying out:

     "Ah, at this hour, I used to worry about how quickly we should lower the lattices, but now there is no longer any need to say a word. How has it come to this? Please, help me... just summon me to where His Majesty is. I beg of you, please!"

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Miki County 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #30: Shijimi-no-Iwamuro

 

     Around the 5th century, during a violent succession dispute, Prince Ichinohe-no-Oshiha was killed by the faction of Emperor Ohatsuse Wakatake.  The prince’s 2 sons, Princes Oke and Woke—who would later ascend as the 24th Emperor and the 23rd Emperor, respectively—fled for their lives.  Local tradition holds that they sought refuge in this stone chamber in Shijimi.

     The Nihon Shoki (The Chronicles of Japan), completed in 720 AD, explicitly identifies this site as the "Shijimiyama Stone Chamber."

     The chamber itself is an impressive natural formation, measuring 2.7 meters high, 14.5 meters wide, and 7.2 meters deep. While it remains a sacred site today, it is unknown exactly when the statue of the Eleven-Faced Ekadasamukha was first enshrined within its depths.

Addreaa: 1708 Shijimicho, Miki, Hyogo 673-0515

Trees In the Town

 

Sanuki no Suke’s Diary (24)

 

Fujiwara Kenshi, though frail and wasted by illness, had wept incessantly and without pause since the moment she had been carried in and cast down. While her grief was understandable, her lack of composure seemed almost excessive. Looking toward her son, Takashina Tameie, I urged him:

"Take her away from his side."

But she appeared so broken that Tameie could only plead, "She has lost her mind. Please, have mercy on her."

"Words are useless now," I replied. "Please, return to your chambers," and I moved to separate her from the Emperor.

But she cried out, "How can you say such things? The bitterness of knowing I shall never look upon his beautiful face again is beyond words!" She wept with a resentment directed entirely at me, and I felt it was only natural she should feel so.

When I touched the Emperor’s arm, it was cold, yet the flesh remained as supple as if he were still alive. Clinging to hope, they tried to revive him, praying, "If only for a moment, please return to us and speak." During this time, I did not press Kenshi to leave; together, we held onto his arm.

Before we knew it, however, his limb grew utterly rigid. Realizing it was now in vain, I said:

"You must step back now. There is no longer any reason to remain. It was one thing to stay while we hoped for a final word, but now..."

I attempted to pull her away, but Kenshi clung fiercely to the corpse. Tameie seemed unable to restrain her, so I told him, "If you cannot carry her yourself, call for the servants from her quarters."

At this, Kenshi—who until then had seemed entirely lost to reason—suddenly snapped, "Why would I allow a servant to approach His Majesty's presence?" and dissolved into fresh tears. Considering she had been brought there like a mere burden on the back of an attendant, it was clear she had completely lost her senses to say such a thing.

Finally, I summoned my own attendant. Abandoning all ceremony and disregard for her state, we had her hoisted onto someone’s back and carried her away.

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Miki County 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #29 Unko-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Unko-ji Temple was founded in Kotoda Village, or Small Toda Village, Miki County, Harima Province.  Otoda, or Big Toda, Village was first documented in 1483.

     The prince of Baekje and his about 250 followers who are believed to have developed the Ogo Manor are said to have first arrived at Toda and then have climbed up to the Ogo Valley, where Ogo Lake is believed to have existed.  Those Baekje refugees are believed to have reclaimed rice fields from the lake.

     It is unknown why Unko-ji Temple became priestless.  The temple is taken care of by Shoryu-ji Temple, which was founded in Otoda Village.  Presumably, the population of the smaller part of the Toda area became too small to support a Buddhist temple.

Address: Toda-908 Shijimicho, Miki, Hyogo 673-0514

Shoryu-ji Temple

Address: Toda-564 Shijimicho, Miki, Hyogo 673-0514

Phone: 0794-87-3710

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Miki County 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #28 Kosho-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Kosho-ji Temple was founded near the Ogo Fortress.

Address: Ogo−592, Ogocho, Kita Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 651-1603

Ogo Fortress Site

Address: 380 Ogocho, Kita Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 651-1603

Sanuki no Suke’s Diary (23)

 

     When the Minister of the Interior, Minamoto Masazane, arrived, he took but one look at the Emperor. I know not what was in his heart, but as he drew the ribs of his fan together, he rubbed them gently, making a faint, rustling sound, before departing in tears. Shortly after, he gave the command: "Lower the lattices at once." Immediately, two of his kinsmen, Akikuni and Iesada, rushed to lower the heavy shutters and withdrew—even though the sun was still shining with brilliant clarity.

     "How heartless! What is happening?" I thought, my mind reeling. "The setting of the sun is beyond our power, yet in the past, I would always wait impatiently for the lamps to be lit before ever thinking of closing the lattices. But today, in the full light of noon, they have lowered them all, plunging us into a deliberate darkness." I felt as if I were losing my sanity. My sister, Kenshi, cried out:

     "How cruel! Why must they treat us so? We can do nothing for him now by gazing upon his face, yet I wished to look upon him in the light while I still could."

     She broke into a fresh paroxysm of weeping.

     Masazane then reappeared and spoke: "We must now change his raiment and replace the tatami with thinner mats, as dictates the custom." His voice faltered, and unable to finish his words, he simply brought a shroud of thin white silk and draped it over the body.

     As soon as Masazane stepped away from the bedside, Kenshi rushed forward and collapsed, lying there as still and silent as the Emperor himself. Seeing this, Masazane summoned his son, Akimichi, and ordered him to lead her away. Akimichi and Kenshi’s maid gently lifted her and departed. Meanwhile, the Emperor’s wet nurse, Ieko, was likewise scooped up and carried away by her sons and others.

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Miki County 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #27 Taizo-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Taizo-ji Temple was founded in Nose Village, Miki County, Harima Province.  The village was along Byobu River, a tributary of Ogo River, and was first documented in a letter dated February 1st, 1353, from Taira Masauji to Shakubu-ji Temple.

     As Hojo Tokiharu (?-1333) ruled Ogo Manor, called his family Ogo, and the Hojo Clan claimed to be a branch of the Taira Clan, Masauji could have been a member of the Ogo Family.

     As Taizo-ji Temple belongs to Caodong Chan School, the temple must have been founded after 1227, when the school was introduced to Japan by Dogen (1200-1253).

Address: 529 Ogocho, Kita Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 651-1623

Phone: 078-958-0037

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Miki County 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #26: Shakubu-ji Temple

 

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The Legend of Hermit Hodo and the Geopolitics of the 7th Century

According to temple tradition, Shakubu-ji Temple was founded in 651 by the hermit Hodo at the request of Emperor Kotoku (Emperor Karu, 596–654). The temple’s primary deity is Ksitigarbha. Other traditions state that in 747, the monk Gyoki (668–749) constructed the Bhaisajyaguru-do Hall, and in 823, a three-story pagoda was erected at the behest of Emperor Saga (786–842).

It is striking that many temples in the Miki County 33 Kannon Pilgrimage claim to have been founded by Hermit Hodo in the year 651. To understand why, we must look beyond the legend and toward the great upheaval of East Asia in the mid-7th century.

A Turning Point in East Asia (642–676)

The year 642 marked a shift toward the restructuring of East Asia, culminating in Silla’s unification of the Korean Peninsula in 676. In 642, King Uija (599–660) of Baekje invaded Silla, capturing over 40 fortresses and killing the daughter and son-in-law of Kim Chun-chu (603–661), the future King of Silla.

Domestically, King Uija established an autocratic regime, purging political opponents to solidify his grip. This concentration of power was mirrored across the region: Yeon Gaesomun (d. 666) seized power in a coup in Goguryeo, while in Japan, Soga Emishi (586–645) and his son Iruka (d. 645) tightened their control following the death of Emperor Jomei (593–641) and the ascension of Empress Kogyoku (594–661).

The Exile’s Persona: From "Field" to "Valley"

Just as Sakanoue no Tamuramaro (758–811) was invoked as a symbolic founder of temples in the Tohoku region, "Hermit Hodo" served a specific purpose in Eastern Harima.

During the mid-7th century, high-ranking Baekje nobles fleeing King Uija’s purges likely sought refuge in the Japanese archipelago. Some of these exiles settled in Eastern Harima, moving from the open "Fields" (flat lands) like Kusuhara (Camphor Field) into the deeper, oak-filled "Valleys" like Kashidani (Oak Valley) to reclaim the land. For these immigrant communities, Hodo—a legendary hermit said to have traveled from India through Tang China and Baekje—provided the perfect founding "persona," linking their local religious sites to a prestigious continental lineage of Buddhism.

The Resilience of the Ogo Clan

One prominent example is the Ogo Manor, reportedly reclaimed from Lake Ogo by a Baekje prince and his 250 followers. These continental leaders intermarried with powerful local Japanese families, eventually forming the Ogo Clan. The clan proved remarkably resilient; even after the fall of the Kamakura Shogunate—during which the 4th brother of the Hojo family, Tokiharu (d. 1333), had been adopted into the lineage—the Ogo name endured.

The Ogo family maintained their base at Ogo Fortress for centuries. Though the fortress fell to the army of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598) during the Siege of Miki (1578–1580), the family was tenacious. Branches of the clan survived by serving high-ranking court nobles like Tokudaiji Kinnobu (1606–1684) or working as samurai for the Kurume Domain. Generations later, an Ogo descendant named Masanori returned to his ancestral home in Ogo on behalf of his lord, bridging a history that began with a flight from the Korean Peninsula nearly a millennium before.Address: 110-1 Ogocho, Kita Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 651-1621

Phone: 078-958-0822