okikamuro island fan club, 沖家室島ファンクラブ|Kamuro party かむろ会

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masato_katsuyama 

Masato Katsuyama

Kyoto


Okikamuro island, roots

About Suzaki Kannon-do Hall

Masato Katsuyama    received july 29, 2024

 

 Mr. Ishimaru Hiroshi has asked a question about the Kannon Bodhisattva of Suzaki. I will provide as much information as I know.


 Please note that I obtained such information at libraries or through the internet search, and did not verify on primary sources such as archives. It is found in documents that are available to the public. All sources are listed. I have listed corresponding Tomozawa Family ancestors based on the era.


 

 Hakusei-ji Temple was originally a hermitage of the Zen sect, but in 1663, it was granted permission by Chion-in Temple in Kyoto to become a branch temple. It is recorded that the person who traveled to Kyoto at that time was "Tomozawa Hikoshichi’s ancestor," which refers to the first Soemon Noriaki (Kani Shigekimi Ed.. History of the Temples of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Complete. 1977: Fudo Chushin-an, Oshima-gun Saiban, 11, Okikamuro). However, this was written later, and documents at that time seem to state that it was Enryu Shonin himself, the refounder of Hakusei-ji Temple, who traveled to Kyoto (Hayashi Tando. Record of the Reconstruction of Hakusei-ji Temple).


 

 According to the inscription on the bell in the bell tower, it was donated by the second Soemon Masaaki in November of 1721 (The Origins of Bocho Temples and Shrines, Vol. 1, 1982), and the Fudo Chushin-an states that it was "donated by Tomozawa Soemon, an ancestor of Tomozawa Hikoshichi."


 

 On the other hand, the small bell of the Kannon-do Hall was donated by "the donor Tomozawa Soemon" in 1685 (The Origins of Bocho Temples and Shrines, Vol. 1), which refers to the first Soemon Noriaki. The statue of Sho Kannon Bodhisattva in the Kannon-do Hall, which is said to have been made by Gyoki, was "placed in the temple kitchen during the Kanbun era, which had been personal belongings of Tomozawa Hikoshichi’s ancestor" (History of the Temples in Yamaguchi Prefecture), which also refers to the first Soemon Noriaki. According to "Towa Town History - Volume of Materials – Vol. 3, Cultural Properties of Shrines and Temples in Towa Town, 1996," a plaque reading "Reigen-an, Shizan Jigaku" is hung on the front of the inner sanctuary of the Kannon-do Hall, and on the back it says that Tomozawa Sobei-jo was the sponsor and asked Zen Master Jigaku to write the inscription, which was acknowledged by the first abbot of Hakusei-ji Temple, Ton-yo Enryu. This "Sobei-jo" also refers to the first Soemon Noriaki. Furthermore, the plaque on the dedication to the Jizo-do Hall in Suzaki reads "Tomozawa Family, the 8th year of Genroku," which corresponds to 1695 when the first Soemon Noriaki died.


 

 Although exaggerations may be contained, these descriptions suggest that the founder of the Tomozawa Family, Soemon Noriaki (the eldest son of Ishizaki Kanzaemon II), made a great contribution to the development of the area around the Kannon-do Hall in Suzaki. The existence of the graveyard of the Okikamuro Tomozawa Family (the family that did not serve the Mohri Family as samurai but remained in Okikamuro: my maternal ancestors) in the top row of the Kannon-do cemetery and the fact that the Okikamuro Tomozawa Family had a residence in Suzaki may also support indirectly such reasoning.


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