Manganji Temple

Overview

Manganji Temple is a Koyasan Shingon sect temple located in Manganji-cho, Kawanishi City, Hyogo Prefecture. According to temple records, in the Nara period, Shodo Shonin was commissioned by Emperor Shomu to establish "Manganji" temples throughout Japan, with this temple being the one in Settsu Province. The mountain name, Shin'shu-zan, is said to originate from Susanoo-no-Mikoto's first landing on earth after being exiled from Takamagahara to Izumo Province. In the mid-Heian period, Minamoto no Mitsunaka, the founder of Tada-in, became a devotee, and the temple subsequently flourished as a place of prayer for the Minamoto clan, eventually becoming one of the Tada Sanzan temples. In 1325 (during the Shochu era of the Kamakura period), it became a royal temple under Emperor Godaigo, and in the Muromachi period, it served as a place of prayer for the Ashikaga Shogunate, a branch of the Minamoto clan. At its height, it had 49 sub-temples. However, it declined after suffering from fires during the Sengoku period. While there were nearly 20 sub-temples in the Edo period, they gradually declined, leaving only Engaku-in (the current main temple building) by the Meiji period. The temple grounds hold numerous historical sites, including the national Important Cultural Property nine-storied stone pagoda, the grave of Sakata Kintoki (a retainer of Minamoto no Yorimitsu), and the grave of Minamoto no Mitsunaka's wife. Why not stroll through the serene grounds and imagine the stories of the past?