The low hill rising north of the Bikan Historical Area is a mountain called Tsurugatayama.
Atop Tsurugatayama are a shrine called Achi Shrine and a temple called Kanryuji Temple.
In fact, Kanryuji Temple still bears traces of the turmoil of the Bakumatsu period, when Japan’s history underwent great upheaval.
Here we introduce Kanryuji Temple, a site connected to the Bakumatsu turmoil that also took place in Kurashiki.
The information presented here was current when this article was published in October 2022. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Kanryuji Temple
Kanryuji Temple is atop Tsurugatayama, which rises north of the Bikan Historical Area.
The stone steps on the left (west) side of the “Tsurugatayama Tunnel,” which runs through Tsurugatayama from north to south, form the approach to the temple.
Kanryuji Temple’s mountain name is “Hoju-san,” and it belongs to the Omuro School of Shingon Buddhism.
It enshrines Dainichi Nyorai as its principal image.
Dainichi Nyorai is a Buddha representing “the truth of the universe itself” and is an important figure in Japanese esoteric Buddhism.
In 985, during the Heian period, Kanryuji Temple was founded in Nishigaoka, in the northern part of present-day Kurashiki City.
It moved to Kurashiki Village (the area around the present-day Bikan Historical Area) during the Muromachi period.
With a history of more than 1,000 years, it is one of Kurashiki’s oldest temples.
Highlights of Kanryuji Temple
Kanryuji Temple has extensive grounds.
Here, we have selected some of its highlights to introduce.
If the main gate is open, you are free to enter the temple grounds.
Visitors are generally not allowed inside buildings such as the Main Hall.
The Main Gate and Spear Marks
First is the main gate, reached after climbing the stone steps.
It is the entrance to the temple grounds.
This main gate is a very old structure, built in 1768 during the Edo period.
There are also small gates on either side of the large entrance at the front of the main gate.
A highlight is the lintel above the small gate on the left.
There are marks on the lintel of the small gate on the left.
In fact, these marks are of historical significance.
At the end of the Edo period, an incident occurred in which an attacking force raided the Kurashiki Magistrate’s Office.
This incident is known as the “Kurashiki-Asao Incident.”
After raiding the Kurashiki Magistrate’s Office, the attacking force barricaded itself inside the grounds of Kanryuji Temple.
These are the marks left when members of the force struck the main gate with their spears.
At the end of the Edo period, Japan was a time of conflict between supporters of overthrowing the shogunate and supporters of the shogunate.
The marks on Kanryuji Temple’s main gate vividly convey the conflicts of that time to the present day.
The Kurashiki-Asao Incident is discussed below.
Myokendo Hall
Just through the main gate, on the right, is Myokendo Hall.
It is also called Myokengu Shrine.
It is said that a drum has been dedicated inside.
Before 1869, Achi Shrine was known as “Myokengu Shrine.”
Kanryuji Temple was the bettoji, or temple responsible for managing the shrine.
However, in 1869, under the “Shinbutsu Bunri Edict,” the sacred object of Myokengu Shrine and other items were moved to the temple buildings of Kanryuji Temple.
Later, in 1908, Ohara Koshiro, father of Ohara Magosaburo, built Myokendo Hall, and it remains as it is today.
The torii gate can be seen as a remnant of the time when Kanryuji Temple managed Myokengu Shrine.
Daishido Hall
Near the center of the temple grounds is Daishido Hall.
Daishido Hall is a hall enshrining Kobo Daishi (Kukai), who was bestowed the title “Daishi.”
The title “Daishi” was an honorific bestowed only on highly esteemed monks.
Kanryuji Temple suffered two fires during the Edo period, but the Daishido Hall that remains today was built during the Kyowa era (1801–1804), after the fires.
Main Hall
The Main Hall is on the west side of the temple grounds, at the farthest point from the main gate.
Kanryuji Temple’s Main Hall was destroyed in two fires during the Edo period.
The current Main Hall was rebuilt about 270 years ago, in 1749.
For this reason, Kanryuji Temple’s Main Hall is one of the oldest buildings remaining in the Bikan Historical Area.
The Main Hall enshrines Dainichi Nyorai.
There is an offertory box, so make an offering, put your hands together, and pray.
Please note that visitors are generally not allowed inside the Main Hall.
Bell Tower
On the south side of the temple grounds, near the center, the building visible just to the left after passing through the temple gate is the bell tower.
A bell tower houses a bell called a bonsho, and is one of the symbols of a temple.
The current bonsho at Kanryuji Temple was recast in the late Showa period.
View from Sensho-an in front of the Bell Tower
In front of the bell tower is a building called Sensho-an.
Popular as a scenic viewpoint in the Bikan Historical Area, it is one of the best spots for taking photos.
The Tsurugatayama Bell Tower east of the temple grounds
Looking east from the temple grounds, you can see a large bell tower just outside the grounds.
This bell tower is not part of Kanryuji Temple’s grounds, but is known as the Tsurugatayama Bell Tower.
To reach the Tsurugatayama Bell Tower, go east (to the right as you face it) from the gate of Kanryuji Temple. It is just a short distance away.
The bell tower was built in 1742, in the mid-Edo period, by Ono, the village headman of Kurashiki Village.
Residents took turns ringing the bell to tell the people of Kurashiki Village and the town of Kurashiki the time. It was known as the Time Bell.
All bells were requisitioned during the war, so none of the original remains. The current bell tower was rebuilt in 1949 by Ohara Soichiro and donated to the former Kurashiki City.
For the recasting, printmaker Munakata Shiko designed the bell’s decoration.
The ringing of the Time Bell had also been suspended, but resumed in 1977 after the Kurashiki Lions Club donated an automatic bell-ringing mechanism to Kurashiki City.
Please note that visitors cannot enter the Tsurugatayama Bell Tower.
Goshuin at Kanryuji Temple
You can receive a goshuin at Kanryuji Temple.
When receiving a goshuin, please pay the 300-yen copying fee.
Please note that goshuin may not be available depending on circumstances.
History of Kanryuji Temple
Originally located in the northern part of present-day Kurashiki City
Kanryuji Temple is said to have been founded in 985, in the early Heian period.
It was not built at its present location, but in an area called Koi-no-sho in Kuboya District.
Koi-no-sho corresponds to the area around the Nishioka district in northern Kurashiki City today.
At the time, it was called Hoshakuin, not Kanryuji Temple, and its mountain name was Hokutozan.
At the time, there was a temple called Saianji Jishoin, and Hoshakuin was one of its 12 subtemples.
Of the 12 temples that were subtemples of Saianji during the Heian period, two—Gyogan-in (formerly Zaizen-in) and Ryusho-in—still remain in the Nishioka district.
Saianji is also said to have been founded by Ganjin during the Nara period.
Moved to its present location toward the end of the Muromachi period
In the early 1500s, toward the end of the Muromachi period, Hoshakuin moved from Koi-no-sho to the south side of present-day Mt. Tsurugata.
The new location was around the bottom of the stone steps at Kanryuji Temple, where the temple’s visitor parking lot is now located.
When Kanryuji Temple was in Nishioka, Kurashiki City, and known as Hoshakuin, it enshrined Myoken-gu Shrine as its guardian deity.
Myoken refers to the Big Dipper and the North Star.
In other words, the Big Dipper and the North Star were enshrined as the temple’s guardian deities.
Myoken-gu Shrine was the predecessor of what is now Achi Shrine.
When Hoshakuin moved south to Mt. Tsurugata, Myoken-gu Shrine moved with it.
Later, in 1594, Myoken-gu Shrine was moved to the site where Achi Shrine now stands.
From around this time, Myoken-gu Shrine came to be worshipped not only by Hoshakuin but also by the villagers.
Renamed Kanryuji Temple during the Edo period
In 1624, at the beginning of the Edo period, the temple grounds were moved to their present location on top of Mt. Tsurugata.
The temple’s name was officially changed to its present name, Kanryuji, and its mountain name became Hoju-san.
In 1638, Kanryuji Temple was appointed the bettoji of Myoken-gu Shrine, a temple responsible for managing a shrine.
Later, during the Enkyo era (1744–1748) of the Edo period, the temple suffered two fires, which destroyed much of its temple complex, including the Main Hall.
After the fires, the buildings were gradually rebuilt throughout the Edo period.
Many buildings rebuilt during the Edo period still remain on the grounds of Kanryuji Temple today.
| Current building | Construction period |
|---|---|
| Main Hall | Rebuilt for the third time in 1749 |
| Former Guest Hall | Rebuilt in 1762 (used as a guest hall until the Kyowa era) |
| Temple Gate | 1768 |
| Other halls | 1772–1781 |
| Daishi Hall | 1801–1804 |
| Guest Hall | 1801–1804 |
During the Edo period, the monks Kyoson and Kyokai were active at Kanryuji Temple during the Bunka and Bunsei eras (1804–1830) and were renowned as eminent priests.
As a result, cultural figures such as Rai San'yo and Kan Chazan visited Kanryuji Temple.
The Kurashiki-Asao Incident broke out at the end of the Edo period
Toward the end of the Edo period, conflicts between supporters of overthrowing the shogunate and supporters of the shogunate broke out across Japan.
In fact, conflict also broke out in Kurashiki.
On the morning of April 10, 1866, a force of about 100 men led by anti-shogunate supporter Tateishi Magoichiro attacked the Kurashiki Magistrate’s Office (the office where the shogunate’s magistrate carried out official duties; now Kurashiki Ivy Square).
The Kurashiki magistrate was away, but the attackers killed or injured 11 men and women inside.
Kurashiki was a shogunal domain, directly controlled by the Edo shogunate and governed by a magistrate sent by the shogunate. As an important stronghold, it was targeted by anti-shogunate forces.
After attacking the Kurashiki Magistrate’s Office, the force barricaded itself at Kanryuji Temple to rest.
At that time, members of the force damaged the gate’s lintel with their spears, and the marks are still visible today.
The force left Kanryuji Temple that afternoon.
Two days later, on April 12, the force burned down the Asao Domain headquarters in Monde, Soja City, north of present-day Kurashiki City.
This series of events is known as the Kurashiki-Asao Incident.
Separated from Achi Shrine in the Meiji period
In the Meiji period, the separation of Shinto and Buddhism was carried out in 1869 to clearly distinguish shrines from temples.
As a result, Myoken-gu Shrine, which had been under the management of Kanryuji Temple, was separated and became independent as Achi Shrine.
The sacred objects of Myoken-gu Shrine were moved to Kanryuji Temple, and Myokendo Hall was built on the temple grounds in 1908.
The bell was recast in the late Showa period.
Timeline
| Nara period | Event |
|---|---|
| Nara period | Ganjin founded Saianji in Koi-no-sho, Kuboya District, Bicchu Province (around present-day Nishioka, Kurashiki City). |
| 985 | Hokutozan Hoshakuin, later Kanryuji Temple, was established as one of Saianji’s 12 subtemples. |
| Sengoku period (1500s) | Hoshakuin moved to the southern foothills of present-day Mt. Tsurugata. |
| 1624 | Moved to its present location on Mt. Tsurugata and renamed Hoju-san Kanryuji Temple. |
| 1638 | Became the bettoji of Myoken-gu Shrine (now Achi Shrine). |
| 1739 | Kannon Hall was built, and became the 29th sacred site on the 33 Kannon Pilgrimage Sites of Western Bicchu. |
| 1744 | Much of the temple complex was destroyed by fire. |
| 1747 | The buildings were rebuilt, but another fire broke out three months later and destroyed them. |
| 1749 | The Main Hall was rebuilt for the third time (the present Main Hall). |
| 1762 | The Guest Hall was rebuilt (the present Former Guest Hall). |
| 1768 | The Temple Gate was rebuilt (the present Temple Gate). |
| 1772–1781 | Other halls were rebuilt. |
| 1801–1804 | The Daishi Hall was rebuilt (the present Daishi Hall). A new Guest Hall was also built (the present Guest Hall). |
| 1866 | The Kurashiki-Asao Incident broke out, and the attacking force barricaded itself on the grounds of Kanryuji Temple. |
| 1869 | Myoken-gu Shrine became independent as Achi Shrine following the separation of Shinto and Buddhism. |
| 1908 | Myokendo Hall was built on the grounds of Kanryuji Temple. |
Kanryuji Temple has watched over Kurashiki’s history.
We interviewed the head priest, Murata Ry zen.
Kanryuji Temple Information
| Name | Kanryuji Temple |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Hoju-san |
| Buddhist sect | Omuro school of Shingon Buddhism |
| Address | 2-25-22 Achi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-422-0357 |
| Parking | Available |
| Principal image | Mahavairocana Buddha |
| Blessings | Fulfillment of wishes, peace in this life, etc. |
| Goshuin (offering for sutra transcription) | Available (300 yen) |
| Visiting hours | Daytime only |
| Closed | None |
| Admission | Free |
| Payment methods for admission and sutra offering |
|
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