Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #23 Gokuraku-ji Temple

 

     The exact foundation date of Gokuraku-ji Temple remains unknown. It sits in a unique temple district alongside Jurin-ji Temple—which reportedly dates back to 815 and serves as the 3rd station of the Kako Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage—and Enmei-ji Temple, the 2nd station of the Kako Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. Geographically, the Kako Bando route seems to complete a large, figure-eight-like loop at Gokuraku-ji (the 23rd station), before leading just 300 meters east to the 24th station, Gyoja-do Hall.

     The history of Gyoja-do Hall is also lost to time. Today, the building resembles a pre-WWII private house and appears virtually abandoned. Confronted with the sudden disappearance of the subsequent stations (#25 through #33), I am left to consider two hypotheses:

The pilgrimage was never fully completed: The Kako Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage may have originally launched with only about twenty-four stations or less, with the intention of expanding the network over time. However, their efforts likely stalled at the 24th station, possibly due to the economic devastation of the 1929 Great Depression, which struck shortly after the pilgrimage's establishment in the Taisho era (1912-1926).

The remaining stations were lost to modernization: The pilgrimage did once include stations #25 through #33, which consisted of small, community-maintained local halls. Since Gyoja-do (#24) was situated at the edge of the historic port town, the route would have continued east across the river—precisely where a massive industrial zone and urban sprawl rapidly expanded along the coastline after World War II, swallowing these modest structures in the process.

Address: 1074 Takasagocho Yokomachi, Takasago, Hyogo 676-0051

Phone: 079-442-4556

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #22 Jizo-do Hall

 

     The exact construction date of the Jizo-do Hall in Nodani Shinmura (Nodani New Village), Kako County, Harima Province, remains unknown. The new village was originally developed by the headmen of Nodera and Kusatani Villages. The new village’s name Nodani comes from Nodera’s No and Kusatani’s tani.  Between 1695 and the mid-19th century, the assessed agricultural yield (kokudaka) of the village nearly tripled; however, it remains uncertain whether actual agricultural productivity had increased or if the taxation base had simply been expanded. In 1748 and 1749, a large-scale peasant revolt broke out within the Himeji Domain, led by Izaemon, a resident of this new village.

     Today, no independent Jizo-do hall can be found within the current Nodani area. Instead, one stands in the adjacent Innami area, just south of the contemporary border between Nodani and Innami. Innami Shinmura was developed at the beginning of the 18th century, nearly a century after Nodani Shinmura. Consequently, it is highly possible that the hall was originally situated at the southernmost edge of Nodani Shinmura before the development of Innami Shinmura.

Jizosama

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

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #21 Gessai-ji Temple

 

     Gessai-ji Temple is said to have begun as a small hermitage founded by the Buddhist monk Gessai.

     Gessai was born in 1637 as a descendant of Ota Sukenaga (1432–1486), the renowned builder of the original Edo Castle. Gessai entered the priesthood in 1645 at the young age of nine. After undergoing rigorous training in Kyoto, where he was given the name Gessai, he furthered his spiritual practice at Zojo-ji Temple in Edo. Throughout his life, he renounced worldly desires and honors, dedicating himself entirely to nenbutsu-zanmai (total immersion in the recitation of the Buddha's name) while traveling across Japan.

     After journeying through the Tohoku region and Sado Island, he arrived in Takasago on February 28th, 1707, aboard a vessel belonging to the local Shibaya merchant family. In Takasago.  Gessai built a hermitage on the former site of Hatta Jibudayu's residence, a location deeply rooted in the teachings of Priest Honen (1133–1212). There, Gessai lived a life of profound simplicity, chanting the nianfo alongside the common people, so utterly absorbed in his devotion that he would often forget to eat or sleep.

Address: 930 Takasagocho Minamihonmachi, Takasago, Hyogo 676-0047

Phone: 079-442-1526

Zojo-ji Temple

Address: 4 Chome-7-35 Shibakoen, Minato City, Tokyo 105-0011

Phone: 03-3432-1431

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #20 Jizo-do Hall

 

     It is unknown when Jizo-do Hall in the Takasagocho area of Takasago City was founded, and virtually nothing is known about its history. Furthermore, because there are several Jizo-do halls in the Takasago area, it is not entirely certain if this specific one is the 20th station of the Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. Indeed, the pilgrimage typically employed secondary religious institutions in the county; however, this particular site is the most well-known Jizo-do hall in the area.

Address: 1-18 Takasagocho Kisomachi, Takasago, Hyogo 676-0024

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #19

 

      Nothing is known about the 19th station of the Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage—not its whereabouts, its history, or even its name. When writing about the 18th station, Jizo-do Hall, I hypothesized that the 19th station could be Kuniyasu Kannon-ko (Kuniyasu Avalokitesvara Association), located on the same grounds. If that is not the case, an alternative candidate might lie somewhere between the 18th and 20th stations, with the latter situated in Takasago City. But is a linear path guaranteed? While stations #20 and #21 are located in Takasago City, station #22 seems to jump back to Inami Town before station #23 returns to the city. Ultimately, if my first guess is wrong, the 19th station could theoretically be located anywhere within the former Kako County.

Kuniyasu Kannon-ko (Kuniyasu Avalokitesvara Association)

Address: 473-2 Kuniyasu, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1114

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #18 Jizo-do Hall

 

A Hypothesis on the 18th Station and the "Lost" 19th Station of the Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

     The 18th station of the Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage is recorded as a "Jizo-do" (Jizo hall) located in the Kuniyasu area of Inami Town. Upon visiting the specified area, there is a building labeled "Kuniyasu Kannon-ko" (an Avalokitesvara worship group hall) and a smaller structure resembling a Jizo-do nearby.

     While the 19th station's name and location have long been lost to history, the presence of this "Kannon-ko" hall right next to the Jizo-do hall suggests a compelling theory: rather than being located further away toward Takasago, where the 20th station is located, the missing 19th station might actually be this very Kannon-ko hall, placed adjacent to the 18th station within the same historical plot of land.

Address: 473 Kuniyasu, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1114

Kuniyasu Kannon-ko (Kuniyasu Avalokitesvara Association)

Address: 473-2 Kuniyasu, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1114

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #17 Kannon-do Hall

 

     Based on historical geographical clues and local rezonings in Inami Town, the original location and the current status of the 17th Kannon-do Hall (originally recorded as being in Aza Okahigashi, Kako Shinmura) can be deduced through the following two major hypotheses:

Hypothesis 1: The Site of the Former Okahigashi Cemetery (Near Kuniyasu-higashi Park)

     There is a record that the "Okahigashi Cemetery" once existed around what is now Kuniyasu-higashi Park in the Kuniyasu district, even though the area now belongs to a different administrative sector.

     Reasoning: In historical villages of Harima Province, it was standard practice to build Kannon-do or Jizo-do Halls at the entrance or within the grounds of community cemeteries to offer prayers for the deceased and to serve as pilgrimage stops.

     Conclusion: When the old Okahigashi Cemetery was later consolidated into the Kuniyasu Joint Cemetery, the original Kannon-do Hall was likely dismantled, and its sacred Avalokitesvara statue was relocated.

Hypothesis 2: Integration into the Current Bishamon-do Hall

     Another strong possibility is that the Avalokitesvara statue from the 17th station is now housed inside the existing "Bishamon-do Hall" in the Kako Okahigashi area, right next to the Okahigashi Community Center (Okahigashi Kokaido).

     Reasoning: As rural populations shifted and the maintenance of small, independent religious structures became difficult from the Meiji era onward, it was very common to consolidate multiple deities into a single remaining hall.

     Conclusion: Although the building is publicly known today as "Bishamon-do," the Avalokitesvara statue may well be enshrined inside, placed quietly alongside the main deity of the hall.

Summary

     The Kannon-do Hall itself no longer stands as an independent structure. However, by tracing the historical footprints of the old Okahigashi Cemetery near Kuniyasu-higashi Park, and by examining the interior or local lore of the current Bishamon-do Hall, the spiritual legacy of the 17th station of the Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage can likely be found preserved within these sites.

Okahigashi Bishamon-do Hall

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

Okahigashi Community Center

Address: 389 Oka, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1113

Kuniyasuhigashi Park

Address: 316-53 Kuniyasu, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1114