Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kasai Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #24 Kensho-ji Temple

 

     Kensho-ji Temple, the 24th temple on the Kasai District Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, was originally established in Tawara Village, Harima Province (present-day Tawara-cho, Kasai City), belonging to Caodong Chan sect. It was founded by Unkitsu, though it remains unclear whether Unkitsu was a Buddhist priest or a lay patron. The construction of the temple culminated with the completion of its main gate in 1700.

     In the 17th century, the Tokugawa Shogunate established the danka system, which made affiliation with a local Buddhist temple compulsory for all citizens. Because Kensho-ji was the only temple within Tawara Village, its founding in 1674 likely served a vital purpose for the community. By establishing their own temple rather than relying on one in a neighboring village, the villagers could maintain their independence and avoid owing obligations during inter-village conflicts.

     This autonomy was particularly crucial regarding water rights. Tawara Village first appears in historical records around 1600 in documentation concerning an irrigation dispute with neighboring Abiki Village, highlighting how essential self-reliance was for the village’s survival and negotiations.

　The temple in Abiki Village was Shuhen-ji, the 24th station of the Kasai Saigoku 33 Kannon pilgrimage, and belongs to the Shingon sect.  The village was first documented in 1322.  Obviously, Kensho-ji Temple was founded to rival Shuhen-ji, or to help Tawara rival Abiki.

     In 1674, however, persistent heavy rains swept across western Japan from spring through summer, triggering severe flooding known as the Enpo Floods. That September, a devastating typhoon struck Harima Province and the Seto Inland Sea coast, wiping out crops and homes. These consecutive disasters led directly to the widespread Enpo Famine of 1675.

     It is unknown whether Unkitsu began establishing the temple before or during these catastrophes. Regardless, overcoming such severe hardships likely meant that fully completing the temple complex took over a quarter of a century.

     Kensho-ji Temple’s Buddhist tanka poem is:

Within the sacred garden’s calm,

The whispering pines, the temple toll,

Awaken in the seeking soul

The timeless truth of Buddha’s balm.

Address: 2605 Taharacho, Kasai, Hyogo 675-2114

Phone: 0790-49-0242

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kasai Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #23 Shuhen-ji Temple

 

     It is said that Shuhen-ji Temple originated in 651, when the ascetic Hodo enshrined a portion of a sutra he had transcribed onto stone and erected a hall, naming the site "Kyo-no-o" (Sutra Ridge).

     Shuhen-ji Temple’s Buddhist tanka poem is:

Before us spreads the ocean blue, behind, the mountains rise,

Across the sacred, rugged pass, beneath the boundless skies.

Upon Mt. Nyoi's tranquil height, the gentle moonlight gleams,

To guide our weary pilgrim steps with pure and holy beams.

Overlooking History: The Historical Depth of Mt. Nyoi's Pilgrimage Hymn

     The pilgrimage hymn (Goeika) of Shuhen-ji Temple captures more than just an immediate physical landscape—it evokes a deep sense of Japan's ancient and medieval history.

     "Before us lies the sea, and behind us stand high mountain peaks, / As we cross through the long and rugged pass."

     To appreciate the true resonance of these lines, one must look at the unique geographical position of Kasai and the Harima region.

1. Ancient Arrivals: Crossing the Divide

     Historically, the mountains behind Kasai formed a natural boundary between the Sea of Japan coast and the Seto Inland Sea. According to local legends, the hermit Hodo Sennin—the mythical founder of Shuhen-ji in 651—arrived from overseas via the northern coast and crossed these rugged mountains to establish sacred sites in Harima. For ancient migrants and seafaring travelers from the Korean Peninsula or the Izumo region, climbing these passes was a journey from the northern sea to a new life along the southern coast.

2. Medieval Crossroads: Conflict and Commerce

     Beyond ancient myth, these mountain passes served as a vital geopolitical artery during the medieval period. During the turbulence of the Muromachi period—most notably the Kakitsu Incident of 1441—the powerful Yamana clan swept down from their base in the San'in region, crossing the watershed into Harima to challenge the Akamatsu clan. For centuries, soldiers, traders, and monks traversed these exact ridges, linking the cultural spheres of the north and south.

3. The Pilgrim’s Reflection

     When pilgrims reach the summit of Mt. Nyoi and look out toward the distant sea with the mountains at their back, they stand at a historical crossroads. The bright moon shining over Shuhen-ji has illuminated countless travelers through the ages—from ancient immigrants seeking new homes to medieval warriors and peaceful pilgrims. The hymn stands as a poetic testament to the timeless human journey across the mountains of Harima.

Address: 1964 Abikicho, Kasai, Hyogo 675-2113

Shuhen-ji Kyo-no-o (Shuhen-ji Sutra Ridge)

Addres: 1964 Abikicho, Kasai, Hyogo 675-2113

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kasai Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #22 Mitsuzo-in Temple

 

     Shuhen-ji Temple is said to have been founded by the hermit Hodo in 651. It is unclear when Mitsuzo-in, one of its sub-temples, was established.

     However, the grounds of Mitsuzo-in feature the Sekikan-butsu (a stone Buddha carved into a slab from an ancient megalithic tomb), which is estimated to date from the late Kamakura period (1185–1333) to the Nanboku-cho (Southern and Northern Courts) period (1336–1392). This suggests that the temple may have been founded around that time.

     Mitsuzo-in Temple’s Buddhist tanka poem is:

Upon Mt. Nyoi’s sacred peak, deep vows of grace abide,

Clear streams of Dharma logic flow down the mountain side.

Like cleansing waters pure and cool, they wash all sins away,

And all living souls shall truly thrive beneath its holy ray.

Address: 831-42 Abikicho, Kasai, Hyogo 675-2113

Phone: 0790-49-0558

Shuhen-ji Temple

Address: 1964 Abikicho, Kasai, Hyogo 675-2113

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kasai Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #21 Fukusho-ji Temple

 

     Fukusho-ji Temple was originally located near Kanatsurube Fortress, but was moved to its current site between 1532 and 1555 by Nakamura Rokurozaemon.

     The Nakamura family, based at the fortress, was driven out by Beppu Kuro around 1533. It is believed that Rokurozaemon then fled to Kuwaharada Village—a settlement first documented in 1059. The Beppu family was subsequently destroyed by the Bessho clan between 1558 and 1570.

     Fukusho-ji Temple subsequently fell into decline but was revived sometime between 1624 and 1644 by the monk Kyoen, who had come from an eastern province.  Some time between 1655 and 1658, it attained the formal status of a Buddhist temple.

     Fukusho-ji Temple’s Buddhist tanka poem is:

Though my deepest faults are heavy,

And my sins reach far and wide,

Under the merciful moon's soft glow,

I am cleansed and purified.

Address: 471 Kuwaharatacho, Kasai, Hyogo 675-2111

Kanatsurube Fortress Site

Address: 114 Showacho, Ono, Hyogo 675-1359

Phone: 0794-63-1000

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kasai Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #20 Hyakudai-ji Temple

 

     Hyakudai-ji Temple was founded by Kukai (774-835) in 830.  In 830, he was busy writing 10 volumes of Secret Mandala Ten States of Mind and 3 volumes of The Precious Key to the Secret Treasury.

Kukai's Ten Stages of Mind are as follow:

1. The Mind of the Ram-like Deluded Being (第一異生羝羊心)

Ordinary beings are foolishly drunk, unaware of their own faults;

They think only of lust and food, just like a ram in the field.

2. The Mind of the Foolish Child Observing Precepts (第二愚童持齋心)

Spurred by external causes, one suddenly thinks to practice restraint;

The heart of generosity begins to sprout, like a seed meeting favorable soil.

3. The Fearless Mind of the Young Infant (第三嬰童無畏心)

Non-Buddhist practitioners attain rebirth in heaven, gaining temporary respite;

They are like an infant or a young calf blindly following its mother.

4. The Mind of Mind-and-Matter Only and No-Self (第四唯蘊無我心)

Understanding only the reality of elements (dharmas) while denying a permanent self,

The "Goat-Cart" teachings (Savaka) of the Tripitaka are fully encompassed in this verse.

5. The Mind Freeing Seeds of Karma (第五拔業因種心)

Cultivating the body through the Twelve Chains of Causation, the roots of ignorance are pulled out;

As karmic rebirth is eliminated, the silent realization of Pratyekabuddhahood is attained.

6. The Mahayana Mind of Compassion for Others (第六他縁大乘心)

Conditionless compassion arises, igniting the initial spark of Great Compassion;

Observing the mind as an illusion, Consciousness-Only (Vijnaptimatra) rejects external reality.

7. The Mind Awakened to the Unborn (第七覺心不生心)

The Eight Negations cut through conceptual play, and a single thought contemplates emptiness;

The source of the mind is inherently tranquil, providing formless peace and bliss.

8. The Mind of the Unconditioned Single Way (第八如實一道心)

The ultimate reality is intrinsically pure, where object and wisdom completely merge;

Knowing this true nature of the mind, one is called Vairocana.

9. The Mind Beyond Any Self-Nature (第九極無自性心)

Water has no fixed nature, turning into waves when touched by the wind;

The Dharmadhātu has no ultimate boundary; awakened by shock, one abruptly advances.

10. The Secretly Adorned Mind (第十祕密莊嚴心)

Exoteric doctrines brush away the dust with medicine, while Shingon opens the storehouse;

The secret treasures are suddenly revealed, and all infinite virtues are instantly realized.

     Hyakudai-ji Temple’s Buddhist tanka poem is:

The Buddha’s sacred light shines far and wide,

Illuminating every realm below;

For all praying souls who seek a guide,

Salvation's healing grace will surely flow.

Address: 329 Hanjocho, Kasai, Hyogo 675-2101

Phone: 0790-49-1548

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kasai Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #19 Daigan-ji Temple

 

     Daigan-ji Temple was founded sometime between 1655 and 1658 by inviting Priest Tennen Zentoku from Sanpo-ji Temple in Kitanakajima, Settsu Province. Although it was originally a Rinzai sect temple, the second head priest, Inko, converted it to the Obaku sect in 1673.  It is said that he designated the Chinese monk Nangen (1631-1692) as the temple's founding master while serving as its second abbot himself.

     Historically, there was no administrative area named "Kita-Nakajima" (北中島) in Osaka. The historical Nakajima area was divided into Nishi-Nakajima (West Nakajima) and Higashi-Nakajima (East Nakajima).  Sanbo-ji Temple is located further west (in present-day Nishiyodogawa Ward, Osaka). This discrepancy likely stems from minor inaccuracies or generalizations in local, orally transmitted temple documents recorded in later periods.

     Nangen Shoha (1631–1692) was a Chinese Obaku monk who arrived in Japan in 1654 alongside Ingen Ryuki (1592-1673), the founder of the Japanese Obaku sect. Nangen played a key role in founding Manpuku-ji Temple in Uji, Kyoto.  It was a common custom during the Edo period for newly converted or newly established temples to designate a highly prestigious monk—such as a direct Chinese disciple of Ingen—as their symbolic or founding abbot to raise the temple's status and institutional legitimacy.  Given Nangen's prominent status at Manpuku-ji and Kokubun-ji in Settsu Province, it is highly probable that he served as an honorary/honorific founder rather than being physically resident at Daigan-ji in Kasai.

     Daigan-ji Temple’s Buddhist tanka poem is:

O sacred Kannon, changeless and divine,

Across all ages, clear Your graces shine.

With boundless power to fulfill every prayer,

The Elephant King is filled with holy care.

Address: 1071 Uzuranocho, Kasai, Hyogo 675-2103

Phone: 0120-538-175

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kasai Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #18 Kongo-ji Temple

 

     Kongo-ji Temple is said to have been founded by the priest Gimoku in 1798, although its main hall was reportedly constructed earlier, in 1774.

     In 1631, the Tokugawa Shogunate issued an edict prohibiting the establishment of new temples, effectively freezing the number of temples nationwide. Temples built before 1631 were classified as koseki (historical sites), whereas those established later were designated as shinchi (new sites). Although some temples were built covertly, they were eventually brought under strict control, particularly through regulations such as the 1692 decree. Consequently, the construction of new temples was generally permitted only under the pretext of reviving dilapidated, pre-existing ones—a process known as the "revival of old temples" (koseki fukko).

     This strict regulatory framework likely explains why nearly a generation elapsed between the construction of the main hall and the official recognition of Kongo-ji as a formal Buddhist temple.

1. Famine in Harima and the Executed Martyr (Late 1750s–1764)

Unseasonable Weather and Local Famine (from c. 1757):

     Just before the 1760s, the Harima region suffered from persistent unseasonable weather. In Taka District (present-day Taka Town and Nishiwaki City), which was under the direct administration of the Shogunate’s Ikono Magistrate Office (Ikono Daikansho), unusually cold and unstable weather severely damaged rice yields. The local populace faced near-starvation conditions, leading to widespread inability to pay land taxes (nengu) that lasted into the early 1760s.

The Martyrdom of Natsuume Taroemon (1764):

     Against this backdrop of extreme hardship, the Ikono Magistrate Office attempted to impose extraordinary tax burdens (goyokin) on the impoverished peasantry. In response, Natsuume Taroemon, the headman (shoya) of Kumanobe Village (now Yachiyo Ward, Taka Town), bypassed official channels and appealed directly (essho) to the magistrate to save the villagers’ lives. In June 1764, Taroemon was executed by burning at the stake as a public warning. However, his sacrifice succeeded in reducing the tax burden and saved the local population from mass starvation.

2. The Spreading Riots of 1768 (Uchikowashi)

The Osaka Riots (Spring–Summer 1768):

     Outraged by soaring rice prices and monopolistic distribution schemes, angry crowds in Osaka launched violent riots (uchikowashi), targeting the residences and warehouses of prominent merchants involved in the newly established rice management offices (sahaisho).

Spread to Harima:

     Word that "rioting forces down rice prices" quickly traveled west along the Saigokukaido Highway and upstream along rivers such as the Kako River into Harima Province.

     Kato District (May 9): Impoverished peasants from 20 surrounding villages descended upon the residence of the wealthy Kondo family in Ichiba Village (now Ono City), forcing them to agree to sell rice at discounted rates.

     Itto District (May 20): A similar mass mobilization occurred in Shinzaike Village (now Aboshi Ward, Himeji City). The crowd consistently demanded a ban on rice shipments to Osaka (tsudome) and forced the local release of cheap rice for the regional populace.

3. Suppression, Relief Measures, and the Shogunate's Direct Control

Military Mobilization and Suppression:

     Alarmed by the widespread unrest, the Shogunate and local domains strengthened security. Because jurisdiction in Harima was highly fragmented, neighboring domains were ordered to guard strategic points; for instance, the Himeji Domain (Sakai clan) dispatched troops to maintain order and secure land and sea routes around Hyogonotsu Port. Once the riots subsided, ringleaders were hunted down and severely punished.

Relief Efforts (Osukui):

     To prevent further uprisings and starvation, authorities implemented relief measures alongside military suppression:

Merchants and domains reluctantly approved temporary price cuts for rice.

     Domains (such as Himeji and Akashi) and Shogunate magistrates distributed free rice (semai) and relief funds (osukui-kin) to needy households. Wealthy merchants and village leaders were also ordered to make donations to fund public relief kitchens.

The Annexation of Strategic Ports (Meiwa no Jochi, 1769):

     Recognizing that relying on individual domains to manage key logistical hubs like Hyogonotsu and Nishimiya threatened the security and grain supply of the Kinai region, the Shogunate took decisive action. In 1769 (Meiwa 6), the Shogunate forcibly confiscated these strategic coastal areas from domains such as Amagasaki and brought them under direct Shogunate control (Tenryo).

     Although no surviving records explicitly link the founding of Kongo-ji Temple to these regional lines of events, it is highly plausible that this turbulent socio-economic backdrop shaped the process of its establishment and eventual official recognition.

     Viewed against the backdrop of 18th-century social turmoil, the sacred hymn (goeika) of Kongo-ji Temple takes on a profoundly poignant resonance:

True is the prayer from a heart so strong,

Here where the rock-firm faith belongs.

At Kongo-ji, the solid and grand,

Every wish finds its fulfillment at hand.

     The phrase kataki ("rock-firm") references not merely an abstract spiritual devotion, but the indestructible resilience of a populace that endured severe famines, tax oppressions, and social uprisings. Through sheer collective will, they carved out a sanctuary of hope in defiance of strict Shogunate regulations.

     Yet, the complete fulfillment of their prayers—a world free from the rigid constraints of the feudal order—would require another full century to realize. It was not until the Meiji Restoration of 1868 that the Shogunate system finally collapsed, paving the way toward a new era. In this light, the enduring stones and sacred verses of Kongo-ji Temple stand as a quiet testament to the enduring hopes of the common people, who preserved their faith and dignity through a century of waiting.

Address: 320-1 Nojocho, Kasai, Hyogo 675-2202

Phone: 0790-48-3978