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

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #3 Kannon-do Hall

 

     Until the early Edo period, the Kotake area was an undeveloped land covered in bamboo groves known as "Tamba Yabu." In 1642, the Kotake Pond was constructed to alleviate water shortages, and in 1657, development was permitted, and the area became known as New Kotake Village (where "Ko" means lucky and "take" means bamboo).

     Therefore, this Kannon-do hall is estimated to have been erected sometime after the mid-17th century, located in what is now Kotake, Inami Town, Kako District, Hyogo (675-1126). It is believed to have been either a shrine-temple for Kotake Tenman Shrine or an auxiliary facility for a cemetery.

     The hall was likely abolished either after the Meiji government's 1868 decree separating Shinto and Buddhism, or during the post-WWII economic boom.

Kotaketenman Shrine

Address: 371 Kotake, Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1126

Bochi (Cemetery)

Address: Inami, Kako District, Hyogo 675-1126

Trees in the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #2 Enmei-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown exactly when Enmei-ji Temple was founded in Takasago Village, Kako County, Harima Province. As the temple belongs to the Seizan-Zenrinji Sect of Pure Land Buddhism, it must have been founded after the 13th century, when the sect was established by Joon (1201–1271).

     Enmei-ji Temple constitutes a unique Teramachi (temple township) together with Saifuku-ji, Gokuraku-ji, and Jurin-ji Temples from north to south. Mysteriously enough, all four temples belong to the exact same sect, whereas a usual temple township consists of various traditions to share supporting families.

     The key to this mystery may lie in the fact that Enmei-ji Temple's precincts house a so-called Christian Stone Lantern. The number of active Christians in Japan was estimated to be around 200,000 in 1582. Later, the second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada (1579–1632), issued the expulsion of all missionaries from Japan in 1617. In the same year, the shogunate required all subjects across domains to register at their local Buddhist temples. Under this oppressive system, the Catholic remnants were driven underground, becoming known as Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians). The aforementioned stone lantern is supposed to have been erected in the middle of the Edo Period (1603–1867), specifically around the 18th century, hinting at a hidden faith woven into the temple's history.

Address: 1080 Takasagocho Yokomachi, Takasago, Hyogo 676-0051

Phone: 079-442-1216

Saifuku-ji Temple

Address: 1079 Takasagocho Yokomachi, Takasago, Hyogo 676-0051

Phone: 079-490-2248

Gokuraku-ji Temple

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

Phone: 079-442-4556

Jurin-ji Temple

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

Phone: 079-442-0242

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #1 Hozo-ji Temple

 

     While legend has it that Hozo-ji Temple was founded by the priest Gyoki (668–749), historical geography suggests otherwise. Even in the 9th century, the lower reaches of the Kakogawa River split into numerous branches near its mouth, forming vast deltas, sandbars, and wetlands. The coastal areas of present-day Befu-cho and Onoe-cho in Kakogawa City were subsequently formed through sediment accumulation since the Middle Ages, land reclamation during the Edo period (1603-1867), and landfill projects in the Showa era (1926-1989). Therefore, it is estimated that the coastline at that time extended only slightly south of the current Sanyo Electric Railway Main Line (near Befu Station and Onoe-no-Matsu Station).

     Even today, Hozo-ji Temple is located right next to the dike along the Beppu River. Consequently, it is highly unlikely that the temple was situated at its present location in the 8th century.

     In 1624, the Great Kan'ei Fire struck the temple, reducing its historical documents to ashes and leaving its early history untraceable. Only the principal image—a standing statue of Amida Buddha, believed to date back to the Muromachi period (1336–1573)—testifies to the temple's long and enduring history.

Address: 1 Chome-23 Befucho Honmachi, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0126

Phone: 079-437-8271

Trees In the Town

 

Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

 

The date of compilation of Harima no Kuni Fudoki, which lists Kako County, but it must have been around 715.  Although the county is very old, the Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized quite new.  The origins of the Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage (est. 1922) are shrouded in mystery, with no record of its founders. However, its simultaneous creation alongside the local Saigoku and Chichibu routes suggests a deliberate, coordinated effort. Let’s see how the organizers gathered another set of 33 Kannon temples in a small county.

Trees In the Town

 

Virtual Kako County Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #33 Saiho-ji Temple

 

     Saiho-ji Temple was founded in the mid-Edo period (1603–1867) in Nagasuna Village, Kako County, Harima Province. A defining moment in the temple’s history occurred in 1717, during a nationwide cultural boom surrounding the legend of Princess Chujo (Chujohime). In this year, the temple's 14th chief priest, Giryu, dedicated the Taima Mandala, a sacred and intricate Buddhist painting depicting the Pure Land (Buddhist Paradise). This masterpiece was painted by Takuma Ryoga, a celebrated Buddhist painter who held the prestigious title of Hokkyo during the Kamakura period (1185–1333).

      Desiring to share the profound teachings of this mandala and the inspiring faith of Princess Chujo with the local community, Priest Giryu established the temple's signature annual event: the Chujohime Twenty-Five Bodhisattva Procession Ceremony (Amida Raigo Neri-kuyo). To ensure its spiritual authenticity, the ritual’s sacred masks, dazzling costumes, and ceremonial procedures were formally brought to Saiho-ji Temple from Tokusho-ji Temple in Arida (Wakayama Prefecture), a historic sanctuary where Princess Chujo once lived.

     Held every year on May 3rd to commemorate the anniversary of Princess Chujo's passing, this Buddhist folk ritual remains a profound spiritual spectacle. A solemn procession of twenty-five bodhisattvas, adorned in radiant costumes and golden masks, quietly crosses the vermilion Raigo-bashi bridge leading to the main hall, which symbolizes the Pure Land of Amida Buddha.

Address: 567 Noguchicho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0016

Phone: 079-423-5588