Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #2 Eisho-ji Temple

 

     Eisho-ji Temple is said to have been founded in 1504 by Bessho Norisada, the lord of Miki Castle, and his younger brother Murashige, both sons of Noriharu (?-1513).

     The temple houses the Stone Coffin Buddha Image of the Amida Triad, which was created in 1343 during the Nanboku-cho (Southern and Northern Courts) period (1336–1392). Made of tuff, the image measures 167 centimeters in height and 95 centimeters in width.

     A seated image of Amida Nyorai in the jo-in (meditation) mudra is carved into the underside of a house-shaped stone coffin lid, flanked by standing images of Seishi Bosatsu and Kannon Bosatsu. The entire composition is framed by a carved outline.

     The inscription reads: "This work is dedicated to the memorial rites for the parents and the salvation of all sentient beings. October 18th, Koei 2 (1343); respectfully offered by the patron."

     The Stone Coffin Buddha Image was originally enshrined along a prefectural road, but was relocated south of the Eisho-ji Temple gate due to road widening. The central Buddha figure stands approximately 62 centimeters tall.

     Although its precise original site cannot be pinpointed, the image is thought to have been relocated merely a few dozen meters. This strongly implies that the area was already a sacred ground or burial site long before the establishment of Eisho-ji, or perhaps home to an earlier prototype of the temple.

Address: 828 Kannocho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0009

Phone: 079-438-5354

Miki Castle Ruins

Address: 5 Uenomarucho, Miki, Hyogo 673-0432

Phone: 0794-82-2000

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #1 Joko-ji Temple

 

     Joko-ji Temple was founded in 1336 by Ashikaga Takauji (1305-1358), who was forced to retreat to the west in February, 1336. He accepted the counsel of Akamatsu Norimura (1277-1350) and headed down to Kyushu.  He seized Kyoto again in June.  He honored Monk Beppo Daishu (1321-1402) as the temple’s founder. The temple flourished with a full complex of temple buildings and a three-story pagoda. It later fell into decline following a fire. It was revived during the Eisho era (1504–1521) by Akamatsu Yoshimura (?-1521) and renamed Shoko-ji. However, it burned down again in the battles during the Tensho era (1573–1592). Later, during the Eiroku era (1558–1570), a man named Juken, who is supposed to have belonged to the Kako Family, built a hall and renamed it Joko-ji.

     In 1648, the Chan master Nanshitsu (1591–1671), a descendant of the Akamatsu Clan, was invited from Keiun-ji Temple in Himeji to serve as the temple's restorer and second founder. Although the temple soon suffered another fire that destroyed its buildings, Buddhist statues, and treasures, it was rebuilt by Nanshitsu during the Manji era (1658–1661). Subsequently, during the tenure of the eleventh head priest, Kuho, a monks' hall was opened to serve as a training center for itinerant monks.

Address: Kanno-332-1 Kannocho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0003

Phone: 079-438-8022

Keiun-ji Temple

Address: 10-1 Nozatokeiunjimaecho, Himeji, Hyogo 670-0813

Phone: 079-222-3918

Trees in the Town

 

Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

  

The origins of the Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage (est. 1922) are shrouded in mystery, with no record of its founders. However, its simultaneous creation alongside the local Saigoku and Bando routes suggests a deliberate, coordinated effort. Given that the Kako Bando route had already organized the more secondary religious institutions in each area, let us see how the organizers managed to gather yet another set of 33 Kannon temples within such a small county.

I will withhold my final conclusion until I complete the entire Kako County Chichibu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. However, one fascinating observation is already clear: the Chichibu Route has preserved many more active temples than the Bando Route. Interestingly, where the Bando Route was dominated by the Pureland Sect, the Chichibu Route is centered on the Shingon, Caotong, and Linji sects, hinting at a calculated distribution of temples when these spiritual networks were established.

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #25-33

 

     The stations from #25 to #33 are missing.  They could have extended eastward along the seashore, distributed in port towns and fishers’ villages.  The industrial areas there tell us it's a waste of time to explore the traces and marks of the stations among them.  Obviously, the pilgrimage is endangered.

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #24 Gyoja-do Hall

 

     It is unknown when Gyoja-do Hall was built in the port town of Takasago.  Between the hall and Kakogawa River, there expands the port town, which still keeps old architecture such as Hanai Family Residence, Osaki Family Residence, Masso-kura Storehouse, and Inari-bashi Bridge, carrying the elegance of the port town’s golden age.

Address: 1451 Takasagocho Shimizumachi, Takasago, Hyogo 676-0035

Former Hanai Family Residence

Address: 1511 Takasagocho Takasemachi, Takasago, Hyogo 676-0036

Site of Hyakkengura Storehouse and Site of Tsudome Kokudome Guardhouse

Address: 1711-32 Takasagocho Aiyamachi, Takasago, Hyogo 676-0037

Osaki Family Residence

Address: 1667 Takasagocho Aiyamachi, Takasago, Hyogo 676-0037

Inari-bashi Bridge

Address: 1510 Takasagocho Takasemachi, Takasago, Hyogo 676-0036

Masso-kura Storehouse

Address: Takasagocho Higashihamamachi, Takasago, Hyogo 676-0032

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