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

Trees in the Town

 

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

 

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

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #10 Zensho-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown exactly when Zensho-ji Temple was founded in Ishimori Village, Kako County, Harima Province.

     The village name Ishimori first appeared in the Shoho Go-cho (Shoho Village Notebooks)—a comprehensive national survey of villages. In 1644, the Tokugawa Shogunate ordered all feudal domains to compile statistical records of their territories. Because this initiative began in the first year of the Shoho era, these records are known as the Shoho Go-cho.

     The haiku poet Zenko Seira (1714–1766) once visited Zensho-ji Temple, shaved his head, and composed the following haiku:

From this day forth—

I wear the hood,

To know the blessing of the cloth.

Considering that the village is missing from the Keicho Kuni-ezu (the provincial map compiled in 1611), the village itself was likely developed sometime after 1611. Consequently, Zensho-ji Temple was most likely founded around the time the village was established.

Address: 147 Kannocho Ishimori, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0005

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #9 Kannon-do Hall

 

     It is unknown exactly when the Kannon-do hall was founded in Nodani Village (Kako County, Harima Province). However, the history of Nodani is closely tied to the development of Nodani Shinmura (Nodani New Village), which was established around 1692 by the headmen of Nodera and Kusadani Villages. Nodani might have been the contraction of Nodera and Kusadani. While it remains unclear whether the new village was ever officially divided into separate administrative units, the area was locally split into upper (Kami) and lower (Shimo) sections. The Kannon-do hall is located in the upper section (Kaminodani). Kaminodani Cemetery (Bochi) is located nearby, suggesting that this site served as a center for ancestral memorial services for the local community.

Address: 468-4 Nodani, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1103

Bochi (Kaminodani Cemetery)

Address: Nodani, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1103

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #8 Kannon-do Hall

 

     It is unknown when the Kannon-do Hall was built in the Sanshiken’ya Hamlet, Kako-Shinmura Village, Kako County, Harima Province. The hamlet itself was likely developed in either the 17th or 18th century.

     When I conducted my virtual tour of the Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, I assumed this Kannon-do Hall was its 14th site. However, since it actually belongs to the Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, that cannot be the case. I will need to look for another candidate for the 14th site of the Bando pilgrimage.

Address: 3063 Kako, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1105

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #7 Kannon-do Hall

 

     It is unknown when Kannon-do Hall was founded in Naka-Shinden Hamlet, Kako-Shinmura Village, Kako County, Harima Province.

     Similarly, the exact period of the Naka-Shinden area’s initial development remains uncertain.

     Given that the neighboring Kita-Shinden area was first developed in 1660, Naka-Shinden is thought to have been developed sometime after that.

     Today, the hall stands within the grounds of the Naka-Shinden Community Center.

Nakashinden Community Center

Address: 2623 Kako, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1105