Gōshō-ji (Takarazuka)


Gōshō-ji is a Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist temple in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The other name of this temple is Kohama-gobō. Kohama is the name of the area around the temple and along the Arima Kaidō, which connected Osaka and Kyoto to Arima Onsen during the Edo period.

History

Gōshō-ji is said to have been established during the Meiō era. During the Sengoku period of the 16th century, the town of Kohama developed into a typical temple town around Gōshō-ji. However, the town and the temple were burned down by General Fukushima Masanori in 1595, by order of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, because it was the hometown of one of the wives of Toyotomi Hidetsugu, called either Kohama-hime or Kame-hime. Hideyoshi had already killed both Hidetsugu and his Kame-hime. Even though Hidetsugu was a nephew of Hideyoshi, his loyalty came into doubt and Hideyoshi suspected he might try to usurp power from either him or Toyotomi Hideyori, the only son of Hideyoshi.
During the Meiji Period, Gōshō-ji was given the title of Bekkaku, literally meaning special, by the sect.

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