meetsHometown!This issue’s theme［History of Kokubunji］The Musashi Kokubunji Temple, from which the name Kokubunji is derived, once stood within the grounds of the Musashi Kokubunji Temple Remains, which is located just behind the Rion office building and is now designated as a national historic site. Kokubunji itself was the name given to the numerous temples built throughout Japan in response to Emperor Shomu’s decree in 741 (Nara period).Why did Emperor Shomu have temples built all over Japan? His reign was plagued by epidemics of smallpox, in addition to natural disasters and failed harvests. The devastation brought on by the smallpox epidemics was severe. Estimates indicate up to one-fifth or even one-third of the population at that time perished. The temples were built as a means for people to pray for protection of the coun-try from the devastation through the power of Buddhism.Mr. Masui, the curator, introduced an episode that gives us a glimpse into Emperor Shomu’s character. “He claimed that he was responsible for the endless series of natural disasters and the growing number of sinners; that the world was in this precarious state due to his poor rule. This was a time when there was no medicine or science. He wanted to find a way to bring peace to all people. And his answer was to issue an imperial re-script to build the Kokubunji Temples.”The temple built in Musashi Province (an area corresponding to present-day Tokyo pre-fecture, Saitama prefecture, and Yokohama and Kawasaki in Kanagawa prefecture) in response to this imperial rescript was the Mu-sashi Kokubunji. In a vast Musashi Province territory, this location was selected due to its proximity to the capitol (government office), availability of spring water, convenient access to the main road of Tosando Musashimichi, and the fact that it offered ideal conditions for ensuring protection from the four deities from a feng shui viewpoint. It is such a perfect location that Mr. Masui asserts he himself would have chosen this place if he had been alive at the time. Another notable feature of the Musashi Kokubunji Temple is its large site area and the presence of one of the largest main halls (kondo halls) in the country. “I think these features show how whole-heart-edly the people of Musashi accepted Emperor Shomu’s wishes and how hard they worked to build the temple,” says Mr. Masui.It’s interesting to know that the name Kokubunji was once in danger of being lost to history. When the government planned to merge several villages during the Meiji era (1868-1912), including Kokubunji village, there were difficulties in deciding on a new name for the village. At one point, a com-pletely different name was suggest ed. But after talks that lasted for a year, the decision was made to retain the name Kokubunji. This might have been due to the shared understanding that Kokubunji was an important name that had been continued to be used since the days of Emperor Shomu. Sixty-eight Kokubunji temples had been built throughout Japan, but this is the only one where the name Kokubunji remains as the name of a geographical location. Mr. Masui remarks that someone convinced of the greatness and significance of the Kokubunji place name persuaded others during the naming discussions at the time.“I think we Japanese can be proud that the name Kokubunji persists. The wonder-ful thing here is that the people cherished the name and have preserved it. When we study history, we often focus on objects and events. But I want to dig deeper and try to convey the passion of the people.”As we strolled around this historic site, which is now a park, Mr. Masui picked up something that looked like a piece of stone. “It’s a piece of tile made 1,300 years ago,” he said as he presented it to me. Looking closer around me, I saw similar fragments lying here and there. At this site, historical relics are so ever-present they become commonplace items. These roof tile fragments remind us of just how important it was for people since the Nara period to preserve Kokubunji Tem-ple. That’s why it still stands.After interviewOUR FAVORITE TOWN, KOKUBUNJI—RION STAFF SHOW YOU AROUNDRion staff members visit people and places active in Kokubunji and rediscover the charms of Kokubunji.This time, we visited the historical site and museum of the Musashi Kokubunji Temple Remains.Here, visitors can learn about Musashi Kokubunji, the area which gave the city its name, as well as the results of past excavations at historical sites in Kokubunji.Mr. Masui, the curator, recounted various fascinating aspects of history not necessarily found in textbooks.Time flew by in the interview as we talked on and on about episodes involving Kokubunji Temple. Mr. Masui discloses his secret to providing easy-to-understand historical ex-planations. He continues improving explana-tions based on what children chat about after hearing his explanation and how they respond when seeing the exhibits. One of the many appeals of Kokubunji is the numerous sites within its grounds where one gets a pal-pable sense of history. And learning about the passion of the people who worked to pro-tect these places has changed my perspec-tive. Now I understand that learning history is about getting an opportunity to learn about values and ideas distinct from our own.(Yuki Okabe, RION Technical Journal Staff)Musashi Kokubunji Temple The temple was built by the de-cree of Emperor Shomu. Due to its scale and its historical value, it was designated a national heri-tage site in 1922. Preservation efforts continue on the site, in clud-ing a portion of the grounds turned into a municipal historical park.Musashi Kokubunji Temple Remains MuseumThe concepts underlying this museum are to see, learn, and visit. The main exhibits of the museum include artifacts excavated onsite from the Musashi Kokubunji Temple Re-mains, accompanied by the results of past ex-cavation surveys, other cultural properties in the city, and projects to preserve the Musashi Kokubunji Temple Remains into the future.Alma MasuiCurator, Musashi Kokubunji Temple Remains MuseumAfter graduating from university with a degree in ar-chaeology, he worked at the Stone Cultural Assets Sur-vey and Research Institute and at the Shinagawa Historical Museum. He is currently on the Board of Edu-cation of the Kokubunji City as the head of the Cultural Properties Preservation Section of the Local Cultural Properties Department of the Education Division. After spending four years at the Municipal Strategic Planning Office of Kokubunji City (while also serving on the Tour-ist Association Bureau), he is currently working to turn the history of Kokubunji City into a tourism resource. He plans numerous events and pursues educational out-reach activities in both Kokubunji and other places from the perspective of tourism and urban development.19The origin of the name Kokubunji and creating a link from the people of the Nara period to the presentRionKOKUBUNJI
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