Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #10 Goken'ya-Jizo-do Hall

 

     It is unknown exactly when Goken'ya-Jizo-do Hall was founded in Goken'ya Hamlet, Kako Shinmura Village (Kako County, Harima Province) to tend to the nearby cemetery.

     The foundation of the village itself dates back to the 17th century. Sawabei Kako, the shoya (village head) of Naka-Nishijo Village (present-day Nakanishijo, Yawata-cho, Kakogawa City), conceived the idea of developing the terrace situated between the Kumori River to the south and the Kusadani River to the north. He began by trial-cultivating crops like rice, wheat, and soybeans for three years. Finding the yields promising, he spent another three years living there seasonally—only during summer and winter—to assess its suitability for permanent settlement. In 1660, after receiving development authorization from the Himeji Domain, he commenced the reclamation project alongside Kiheiji of Kami-nishijo Village and Jihei of Shimo Village. This newly developed village was named Kako Shinmura (New Kako Village).

     It remains unclear when Goken'ya Hamlet was officially formed within the village. However, as "Goken'ya" literally translates to "Five Houses," it is highly probable that five pioneer households originally settled in the area north of the Yorozutame-ike Irrigation Pond. Interestingly, the Kako area features a total of seven cemeteries along its boundaries. Given that communal cemeteries were traditionally established either within temple precincts or on the outskirts of villages, it is likely that the residents of the newly developed Kako Shinmura continued to be buried in these pre-existing cemeteries located around the borders of their ancestral villages. In any case, this situation supports the hypothesis that the stations of the Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage were heavily allocated to such secondary religious facilities, rather than major independent temples.

Address: 110 Kako, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1105

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #9 Jison-in Temple

 

     While the origins of Jison-in Temple in Arai Village are shrouded in mystery, local history offers some fascinating clues. We know that Sugioka Yasushige, a vassal of Akamatsu Mitsusuke (the military governor of Harima Province), originally established the Arai Fortified Residence here, around the location of today’s Hachiman Shrine. However, following the turmoil of the Kakitsu Rebellion in 1441, the power structure shifted dramatically. Memos by Uragami Norimune (1429–1502), the rising power in the region, reveal that the Kajiwara Family had taken over the administration of Arai Village, effectively replacing the Sugioka Family.

     What is particularly striking is how this political shift aligns with the layout of the village's temples. Risho-ji Temple, a stop on the major Kako County Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, sits right near the old fortified residence, suggesting it served as the community's primary, established spiritual hub. This leaves Jison-in Temple, a site on the Bando Pilgrimage, in a secondary role.

     This geographic and historical relationship strongly implies that Jison-in was not a public village temple. Instead, it could very well have been founded as a private sanctuary—perhaps a quiet retreat for the displaced Sugioka Family after losing their residence, or conversely, a private family temple built by the newly arrived Kajiwara Family to solidify their own spiritual presence in their newly acquired territory.

Address: 8-9 Araicho Nakashinmachi, Takasago, Hyogo 676-0012

Phone: 079-443-1151

Hachiman Shrine

Address: 1 Chome-10-7 Araicho Otabi, Takasago, Hyogo 676-0005

Risho-ji Temple

Address: 1 Chome-9-11 Araicho Otabi, Takasago, Hyogo 676-0005

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #8 Yakushi-do Hall

 

The Mystery of the 8th Station of the Kako County Bando 33-Kannon Pilgrimage: A Historical and Geographical Hypothesis

     The exact location of the Yakushi-do (the 8th station of the Kako County Bando 33-Kannon Pilgrimage) remains unknown, except for the record that it once existed in the Nishi-Futami area of Futami-cho, Akashi City. Interestingly, while the neighboring Higashi-Futami area hosts Kannor-ji Temple of the "Kako County Saigoku Pilgrimage," Nishi-Futami has no stations belonging to that particular network. This leads to the hypothesis that the "Bando" designation was specifically allocated to Nishi-Futami to bridge this spiritual gap. While Higashi-Futami does have a prominent temple called Yakushi-ji, it is highly unlikely to be a clerical error for the Nishi-Futami station, given the distinct geographical records.

     To trace the now-lost Yakushi-do in Nishi-Futami, local communal cemeteries serve as a crucial clue. While the Itoku-in Nishi Cemetery can be ruled out due to its direct association with Itoku-in Temple itself, the adjacent Nishi-Futami Nishi Cemetery stands as a potential candidate. However, because both are located very close to the coast, it is highly probable that these cemeteries were newly established on reclaimed land as Futami-cho underwent rapid urbanization and population growth in the modern era.

     A far more compelling candidate is the site around Kaminishi Sakura Park, where the Kaminishi Cemetery is said to have existed. Although the cemetery cannot be confirmed on modern Google Maps, the "Kaminishi Koseikan" (a community center) stands nearby. In Japanese rural history, it was incredibly common during the post-war high economic growth period for dilapidated, priestless village halls (O-do) to be demolished and replaced by public community centers. Therefore, it is highly plausible that the Kaminishi Koseikan was built on the former grounds of a religious facility—specifically, the lost Yakushi-do.

     This hypothesis sheds light on the structural differences between the two pilgrimage networks in the Kako district. The "Kako County Saigoku Pilgrimage" comprises relatively large, well-established temples that survived the ages. In contrast, the "Kako County Bando Pilgrimage," while fully active during the Taisho era (1912–1926), likely included many smaller, village-level religious facilities. These modest structures were subsequently lost under the waves of post-war modernization and social change.

Yakushi-ji Temple

Address: Higashifutami Futamicho, Akashi, Hyogo 674-0092

Itoku-in Temple

Address: Nishifutami-943 Futamicho, Akashi, Hyogo 674-0094

Phone: 078-942-1184

Kannon-ji Temple

Address: 1643 Futamicho, Akashi, Hyogo 674-0092

Phone: 078-942-1480

Itokuin Nishi Cemetery

Address: Nishifutami Futamicho, Akashi, Hyogo 674-0094

Nishifutaminishi Cemetery

Address: Nishifutami-1258 Futamicho, Akashi, Hyogo 674-0094

Nishifutamisakura Park

Address: 249-7 Futamicho, Akashi, Hyogo 674-0094

Kaminishi Community Center

Address: 515 Futamicho, Akashi, Hyogo 674-0094

Phone: 0789422015

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #7 Shimonodani Kannon-do Hall

 

     It is unknown exactly when the Kannon-do hall was founded in Nodani Village (Kako County, Harima Province). The history of Nodani is tied to the development of Nodani Shinmura (Nodani New Village), which was established around 1692. While it remains unclear whether the village was ever officially divided into separate administrative units called Kaminodani and Shimonodani, the area was locally split into upper (Kami) and lower (Shimo) sections. The Kannon-do hall is located in the lower section, which served as the original heart of the village. The spacious grounds of the Shimonodani Community Center, situated directly in front of the hall, suggest that this site was likely the location of a local school during the early Meiji period. Regardless of its unrecorded origin date, this specific hall is traditionally referred to as the Shimonodani Kannon-do.

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

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #6 Taishi-do Hall

 

     The tide of the time has extinguished some 33 Kannon Pilgrimages, let alone some member temples of some pilgrimages.  There used to be Taishi-do Hall in Rokubuichi, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1112, but its whereabouts is totally unknown.  The hall could have belonged to Rokubuichi Otoshi Shrine or to Rokubunichi Cemetery (Bochi).

Rokubuichi Otoshi Shrine

Address: 315 Rokubuichi, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1112

Bochi (Rokubuichi Cemetery)

Address: Rokubuichi, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1112

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #5 Kannon-do Hall

 

     What makes the Kako County 33 Kannon Pilgrimages (Saigoku, Bando, and Chichibu) so unique is that—unlike most historical replicas—they were remarkably established during the Taisho period (1912–1926). This timeline provides a critical clue to solving the mystery of the missing 5th site.

     While the Kunioka area already hosts the Kunioka Kannon-do Hall (the 16th site of the Kako County Chichibu Pilgrimage), it stands to reason that the 5th site of the Kako County Bando Pilgrimage must have been a separate Kannon-do structure nearby.

     A likely candidate for this location is within the Kunioka settlement. Kunioka Shinmura (Kunioka New Village) was established in 1662 as a joint development by the neighboring Kuniyasu and Oka villages. In that same year, Atago Shrine was founded by inviting its deity from Kyoto. Over the centuries, the shrine’s precincts became deeply syncretic, integrating En Ozunu (Shugendo's founder) in 1715, Acalanatha (Fudo Myoo) in 1737, alongside a Hokyointo, a Koshin-do, a Ksitigarbha (Jizo) hall, and a Daishi-do dedicated to Kukai.

     However, the Meiji Government's Shinto-Buddhism Separation Decree of 1868 disrupted this sacred space. In 1879, the statue of Mahavairocana (Dainichi Nyorai), which had been enshrined in Atago Shrine's main hall, was relocated to the En Ozunu Hall.

     Given that the Kako County Bando Pilgrimage was organized later during the Taisho period, its founders likely had to utilize existing Buddhist sanctuaries that survived the Meiji purges. While the En Ozunu Hall—which had already served as a refuge for displaced images like Mahavairocana—is a strong candidate for the 5th Bando site, other possibilities cannot be ruled out. In the Harima region, there are known precedents where Kannon statues from defunct pilgrimages were preserved inside Jizo halls. Therefore, the missing 5th image of Avalokitesvara (Kannon) might have been relocated to, or enshrined within, the shrine's existing Daishi-do, Koshin-do, or Ksitigarbha (Jizo) halls.

Kunioka-Atago Shrine

Address: 1412 Kunioka, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1115

Atago Shrine

Address: 1-1 Sagaatagocho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto 616-8458

Phone: 075-861-0658

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #4 Takokusa-Mido Hall

 

     The exact origins of Takokusa-Mido Hall in Takokusa Village, Kako County, Harima Province, remain unknown.

     Although agricultural activity in Takokusa began as early as the Asuka period (593–629), the full-scale development of rice paddies occurred during the Edo period (1603–1867). The construction of Hirotani Pond in 1703 secured a vital irrigation source for the farmland, which subsequently boosted the village population. Despite this growth, the community remained too small to independently maintain an official Buddhist temple to take care of their cemetery, leaving the Mido as their central place of worship.

Address: 991 Takokusa, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1116

Hirotani Pond

Address: Takokusa, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1116