Tokuzoji Temple
This temple is called Fukujusan and belongs to the Daitokuji school of the Rinzai sect.
It is said to have been founded in the period of 1615 to 1624 (during the Genna era).
It was formerly known as the “Temple of Scattered Things,” because it collected many itabi monuments such as the “Genko no Itabi,” which is a national important cultural asset, and many archeological and folk materials.
The two-story “Tokuzoji Itabi Preservation Museum” was established in 1968 (Showa 43), and these valuable materials are currently open to the public. The experience of being surrounded by about 170 itabi cannot be had anywhere else.
The “Genko no Itabi” is a historical document corroborating Nitta Yoshisada’s attack on Kamakura, with the names of the fallen in battle together with the battlefield to support the description in the Taiheiki (the Record of the Great Peace).
From 1784 (Tenmei 4) to 1816 (Bunka 13), it is stated in village picture maps, topographical descriptions, and elsewhere that it was located in Hachikokuyama, and then it was moved to the precincts of Tokuzoji Temple and protected there.
In the museum you can see the “Genko no Itabi” as well as a paired itabi monument, which is a Higashimurayama tangible folk cultural asset, and a funeral urn supported on animal legs.
