Taisei-in Temple, Fukui

Family temple of the Fukui Han's chief samurai officer

Takako Sakamoto Jul 17, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>Cozy entrance gate of Taisei-in Temple, Fukui</p>

<p>Stone signage of Taisei-in Temple</p>

<p>Beautiful wooden eaves of Taisei-in Temple's entrance gate</p>

<p>The stone signage explaining that this is a family temple of the chief samurai officer and advisor to the first lord of Fukui Han (region), Yuki Hideyasu</p>

<p>Steppingstones in a small temple garden</p>

<p>Steppingstones leading to the cemetery at the back of the temple</p>

<p>Colorful plants surrounding the steppingstones</p>

<p>There was nobody in the small, quiet garden...how lucky!</p>

<p>The temple looked as though it was a private house of someone</p>

<p>Statues and tomb stones in the cemetery</p>

<p>Impressive tomb stones...one of them must be the tomb of the chief samurai officer but I couldn't tell which was whose</p>

<p>Purple flowers fluttering in the wind in a silent cemetery</p>

At the foot of the Mt. Asuwa in Fukui city there is a small temple called, 'Taisei-in Temple'. This small temple is the family temple of the chief samurai officer and advisor to the first lord of Fukui Han (region), Yuki Hideyasu. Unfortunately, I don't have any information on him other than the fact that he committed ritual suicide when Yuki Hideyasu passed away. This act of following his lord to the grave was called 'martyrdom' and was accepted, or even admired in feudal Japan. When you enter the gate and walk through the pretty garden, there will be the small cemetery in which some large, impressive tomb stones stand. Even if you are not interested in this chief samurai officer this is a good place to spend some time alone in peace.

Takako Sakamoto @takako.sakamoto

I was born in and grew up in Tokushima prefecture, and have lived in many places since then: Nishinomiya, Kyoto, Nara, Mie, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Fukuoka and Fukui. I am currently living in Yokohama City. All the places I lived, all the places I visited, I have loved dearly. The histor...