Next to the old gate of Koan-ji Temple, there were windmills and a number of Mizuko Jizo statues

Windmills of Mizuko Jizo spinning at Koan-ji Temple — Mizuko Jizo at Koan-ji Temple

There is a temple called Koan-ji Temple along the old Koshu Kaido Road in Fuchu. It is an unassuming temple. Nevertheless, if you look at the names of the people who were involved in the temple, you will be surprised to see some of the biggest names in Japan's medieval history.

The first person to appear is Fujiwara no Hidesato, a man from the Heian period. He was the one who ousted Taira no Masakado, who advocated the independence of the eastern provinces. It is said that the precincts of Koan-ji Temple were once the residence of Fujiwara no Hidesato. In the Kamakura period (1185-1333), Yoshitsune and Benkei are said to have stopped by here, and in the Nanbokucho period (1336-1333), Nitta Yoshisada set up his headquarters here during the Battle of Bubaigawara.

In the Muromachi period (1336-1573), Ashikaga Takauji, the first shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, invited Daitetsu Zenji of Kencho-ji Temple in Kamakura as the founder of the temple, and it was rebuilt as a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect. Later, under the patronage of the Muromachi Shogunate, Koan-ji became a large temple with many pagodas and branch temples at its peak.

However, today's Koan-ji Temple does not have the dignity of a large temple. Although it still has a magnificent gate and bell tower, it does not feel like a large temple. There were no more pagodas or branch temples, and what greeted me when I stepped into the temple grounds were a number of Mizuko Jizo statues and windmills.

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