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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.

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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

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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

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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!"

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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The Continuous Quest for the East: From Hyuga to the Katori Sea

 

I. The Departure from Hyuga

Ugaya, whose ancestors originated from a region later mythologized as Takamagahara, ruled the Hyuga region on the eastern coast of Kyushu. Abandoned by his mother in infancy and raised by his aunt, he later married her and had four sons: Itsuse, Inahi, Mikenu, and Sano.

Tragedy eventually fractured the family. Inahi perished at sea while searching for his mother, and Mikenu sailed eastward, vanishing toward the "land of the dead." The remaining brothers, Itsuse and the youngest, Sano, embarked on a northward expedition. While the exact cause of this migration remains unknowable, it marked the beginning of a centuries-long expansion.

II. The Conquest of Yamato

Itsuse moved eastward along the Seto Inland Sea, spending years in Aki and Kibi to consolidate power. However, at the eastern terminus of the Inland Sea, he was wounded in battle against a local leader named Nagasune and died at Port O in the Kii region.

Sano took up his brother’s fallen mantle. Guided by a local tribe identified by the symbol of a three-legged crow, he navigated the treacherous Totsu and Yoshino Rivers to reach the Yamato Basin. Through a combination of subversion, underhanded assassinations, and "pork-barrel" political maneuvering, Sano dismantled local resistance and established his seat of power in Iware. Until the end of World War II, these events were widely believed in Japan to have taken place over two millennia ago.

III. The Katori Sea: Gateway to the East

Sano’s descendants continued this eastward quest, establishing crucial advanced bases as they pushed further. Beyond Kumano, they reached Ise, building the Ise Shrine at the southern edge of the Ise Plain. In the Owari region, they secured the river mouth with the Atsuta Shrine.

They were not voyagers of the open ocean, but masters of the coastline and inland waterways. Their expansion was a methodical leap from one bay to the next, securing the 'stepping stones' of the archipelago.

The expansion eventually reached the Kanto Plain, which was then dominated by a massive geographical feature: the Katori Sea. Known then as Uchi-umi (Inland Sea) or Nagare-umi (Flowing Sea), this water body was the strategic heart of the East. The Katori Shrine was established on its southern coast, functioning not merely as a place of worship, but as the administrative and military gateway to the Kanto Plain.

The shrine commanded 77 ports across Shimousa and Hitachi Provinces, governing the "sea people"—fishermen and sailors—who served as the empire’s navigators. By establishing maritime checkpoints to collect tolls and taxes—much like the "pirates" of the Seto Inland Sea—the central power solidified a system of resource extraction that fueled further expansion.

IV. The Launchpad for the North

The raw power of the Katori Sea was immortalized in the Man'yoshu by the poet-soldier Hasetsukabe Atahiohohiro: “A wave suddenly washed over the bow; / The spray unexpectedly fell over me.” Like many others, he was swept into the state's military machine, sent to the distant west as a sakimori, while the logistical might of the Katori network was turned toward the north.

On the northern shore of the Katori Sea, across the water from Katori, the Kashima Shrine was established. This was the final logistics hub, a forward command post designed for the relentless invasion of Northern Japan. Backed by this sophisticated deprivation system, on January 11, 802, the government ordered 4,000 young farmer-soldiers to migrate north. Driven by the allure of colonial profit and the momentum of a quest that began centuries earlier in Hyuga, the Yamato forces finally crossed the threshold into the deep Tohoku frontier.

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Virtual Miki County 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #25: Yoshun-ji Temple

 

The exact founding date of Yoshun-ji Temple in Kashidani Village (Miki County, Harima Province) remains a mystery. However, historical records offer clues about the village's origins. In the Keicho Kuni-ezu (Provincial Maps of the Keicho Era), the settlement is recorded as "Kamidani" or "Kaidani" Village.

For historical context, Tokugawa Ieyasu—following the administrative precedents of Toyotomi Hideyoshi—ordered a nationwide land survey in September 1605 to determine rice yields and the distribution of territories. This survey led to the creation of the Keicho Kuni-ezu and the Gocho (Village Registers). While the originals are believed to have perished in the fires of Edo Castle, surviving copies are largely restricted to Western Japan. Some scholars argue that these maps were not truly nationwide but were instead part of a targeted policy to monitor and pressure the tozama (outsider) daimyo in the western provinces.

By the time of the Genroku Gocho (compiled between 1700 and 1702), the village’s name had shifted to "Okutani." In Japanese, Kami denotes "Upper," while Oku refers to the "Inner" or "Back" reaches of a valley. Alternatively, the sounds Kami, Kai, or Kashi can refer to the Japanese Emperor Oak (Kashi). This suggests the valley was once a dense forest of oaks that was gradually cleared and settled.

Behind the temple stands a twin-body Dosojin (a traveler's guardian deity). While Dosojin are typically associated with liminal spaces—village boundaries, crossroads, and mountain passes—to ward off evil, a twin-body Dosojin depicts a male and female figure in a harmonious embrace. This specific form is often a prayer for successful matches, fertility, and the flourishing of a new community.

From this evidence, we can infer that the village was organized during the 17th century by developing the deep valley covered with Japanese emperor oaks. It is fascinating to note the contrast between "Kashidani" (Oak Valley) and the adjacent "Kusuhara" (Camphor Field). While the camphor tree (kusunoki) is often associated with ancient, sacred sites, the oak (kashi) represents the rugged, practical resources of the deep forest. The contrast is striking: Kusuhara (Camphor Field) suggests an ancient, stable settlement on relatively flat, accessible land where sacred camphor trees could flourish. In contrast, Kashidani (Oak Valley) points to a later frontier—a rugged, deep valley once dominated by hardy oaks, reclaimed through the grit of 17th-century settlers.  Yoshun-ji Temple might have been founded as a spiritual sentinel on the boundary between the established lands of Kusuhara and this newly developed frontier.

Address: 1068 Yokawacho Okudani, Miki, Hyogo 673-1242

Phone: 0794-72-0252

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