Kogetsuin Temple

Matsudaira-Area

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Kogetsuin is a temple of the Jodo (Pure Land) school of Buddhism that overlooks the eastern end of the village of Matsudaira (Matsudaira-go) at the foot of Mt. Rokusho. It is the ancestral temple of the Matsudaira family and has been the main Buddhist site of worship in the area since the time of Matsudaira Chikauji (d. 1394?), the first head of the family.

The temple was founded under the name Jakujoji in 1367 by a traveling monk on behalf of the Ariwara, the first family to cultivate land in what became Matsudaira-go. In 1377, Chikauji expanded the temple and renamed it Kogetsuin. He also donated a statue of Amida Buddha and funded the construction of several halls and other structures. Kogetsuin thereby became the Matsudaira family temple, a status that was to ensure its prosperity for centuries.

After Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), a Matsudaira descendant, unified Japan and established the Tokugawa shogunate (1603–1867), Kogetsuin was granted significant lands. The third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu (1604–1651), is said to have donated the temple’s former gates and main hall. Subsequent Tokugawa shoguns continued to support Kogetsuin to ensure the upkeep of their ancestors’ tombs. Those tombs are located at the very back of the grounds, on a small terrace above the graves of the temple’s former priests.

Kogetsuin Temple: Matsudaira Tombs

Kogetsuin is the Matsudaira family temple and was responsible for conducting funeral rites for the family’s dead. This status guaranteed it a significant degree of protection and funding from the time of Matsudaira Chikauji (d. 1394?), the first head of the family, until the fall of the Matsudaira-descended Tokugawa shogunate in 1867.

The Matsudaira family tomb is located on a small hillside terrace at the back of the temple grounds, beyond the graves of Kogetsuin’s former priests. The three tombstones there are for Chikauji (center), his successor Yasuchika (right), and the mother of Nagachika, the fifth head of the family (left). All three are thought to be monuments rather than actual repositories for remains.

Only the first two generations of the family had their funerals at Kogetsuin because the Matsudaira left their ancestral homeland following territorial gains made during the time of Nobumitsu (1404–1488), the third head of the family. Nagachika’s mother’s tombstone was likely moved to Kogetsuin after one of her other sons became the temple’s abbot.

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Address	〒444-2202 44 Samugairi, Matsudaira-cho, Toyota City
Cost	Free admission
Business hours	Open all day
Phone number	0565-58-1623
Parking	70 free parking spaces
Restrooms	Available
Closed	Open every day
Directions by public transportation	[Directions from Nagoya] ・From Nagoya Station on the Higashiyama subway line, go to Fushimi Station and transfer to the Tsurumai subway line (which connects to the Meitetsu Toyota Line from Akaike). Get off at Meitetsu Toyotashi Station. ・From Meitetsu Nagoya Station, take the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line to Chiryu Station. Transfer trains and get off at Meitetsu Toyotashi Station. ・From JR Nagoya Station, take the JR Chuo Main Line to Kozoji Station. Transfer to the Aichi Loop Line and get off at Shin-Toyota Station. Click here to check transportation directions and fares in Toyota. http://michinavitoyota.jp/portal/map_en.html*
Directions by car	Approx. 15 min. from Toyota-Matsudaira Interchange on the Tokai-Kanjo Expressway

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Kogetsuin Temple

Kogetsuin Temple: Matsudaira Tombs

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