Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543 – 1616) was one of Japan’s three Great Unifiers, along with Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and the first Shogun and founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which ruled from 1603 until 1868. Born in Okazaki Castle (Aichi Prefecture) the son of a minor daimyo, as a child Ieyasu lived as a hostage under the rival Oda and Imagawa, gaining his freedom aged 19, later allying himself and building his strength under Oda Nobunaga. After Nobunaga’s death, Ieyasu declared allegiance to the Toyotomi, and on being relocated to Edo (now Tokyo), became the most powerful daimyo and the most senior officer under the Toyotomi regime. After Hideyoshi’s death and the decisive Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Ieyasu seized power being appointed Shogun in 1603, passing the position to his son in 1605, although maintaining de facto control of the government until his death in 1616.
Tokugawa Yoshinao (1601 – 1650) was born to the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu and Lady Okame. In 1610, as Ieyasu’s ninth son, Yoshinao was appointed head of Owari Domain, one of the nation’s most important regions, thus founding the Owari Tokugawa house, based in the magnificent Nagoya Castle.
Yoshinao was a practitioner of Yagyu Shinkage-Ryu combat swordsmanship from the age 16 and was named the fourth master at the age of 21. A fine administrator, he actively worked to increase rice production, developing irrigation waterways and new fields within the domain. He also established effective tax reforms based on land surveys and encouraged education.
Lady Okame (1573-1642) was born into the Shimizu family of shrine officials at Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine in Yawata City, Kyoto. She had been married to Takekoshi Masatoki, later becoming a concubine of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
In 1595, she gave birth to Ieyasu’s eighth son, Senchiyo, who died in February 1600 at the age of six. In November that year, she bore Ieyasu’s ninth son, Yoshinao. Yoshinao’s half-brother Matsudaira Tadayoshi died in 1607, and Yoshinao succeeded him as lord of Kiyosu Castle. With the construction of Nagoya Castle, Kiyosu was abandoned, and the town relocated to the new city of Nagoya. Yoshinao became the first lord of Nagoya Castle.
When Ieyasu died in 1616, Okame shaved her head, became a nun, changing her name to Souou-in and relocated from Sunpu to Nagoya to be with Yoshinao. In 1619, she moved to the main residence in Edo, where she raised her grandson, Mitsutomo, born to Yoshinao’s concubine, and Mitsutomo’s wife Chiyo-hime, who was only three years old and of the Shogun’s family. Lady Okame died at the Edo (Tokyo) residence in 1642. In 1643, Yoshinao founded the Souou-ji Temple as her funerary temple on land east of Nagoya Castle.
Throughout the Edo period, the concubines and children of the feudal lords were buried at Souou-ji Temple. Cedar door paintings and temple treasures that are said to have decorated Lady Okame’s room have been preserved. Some of the wall paintings and tableware used by Lady Okame are in the collections of the Nagoya City Museum and the Mikawa Samurai no Yakata Ieyasu-kan in Okazaki Castle, Ieyasu’s birthplace.
Souou-ji Temple is the family temple of Okame no Kata (Sououin), a concubine of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. In July 1643, the first feudal lord Tokugawa Yoshinao established the temple on a site of over 12,000 tsubo (approximately 40,000 square meters) in Yamaguchi-cho, Higashi Ward (now Higashi-ku, Nagoya), in commemoration of the first anniversary of his mother’s death.
The ranma (transom) on the front of the inner sanctum of the main hall features a large peony carving in the center. This was carved by Lord Yoshinao for his mother, who loved peonies.
Additionally, the characters on the plaques of the main gate, the sanmon gate, and the main hall are handwritten by Yoshinao. Furthermore, there are two portrait paintings of Sououin in her later years, also drawn by Yoshinao.
In 1650, Yoshinao died at his residence in Edo, and his remains were enshrined and honored at this temple. Later, a mausoleum was built for Yoshinao at Jokoji Temple, where he was buried. The temple received a grant of 300 koku of land, and since then, the wives and children of the Owari Tokugawa family have been buried there, along with their personal belongings.
The temple served as a spiritual center for the rulers of Owari Province (western Aichi Prefecture) and Mino Province (southern Gifu Prefecture), who revered and visited the temple. In 1662, the “Suruga Goten” or “Okame Goten,” a residence where Okame no Kata lived, was relocated from Suruga Province (eastern and central Shizuoka Prefecture).
In 1934, the main hall, the main gate, the sanmon gate, the bell tower, and the residence known as the Suruga Goten (or Okame Goten) were relocated from Yamaguchi-cho in Higashi Ward to Shiroyama-cho in Chikusa Ward.
In 1932, the city of Nagoya developed the Shiroyama area, modeling it after Higashiyama in Kyoto. The village name was changed from “Tashiro Village” to “Higashiyama Village,” and many temples (10 temples) gathered in the Shiroyama area.
Souou-ji Temple, in particular, was built in a scenic location, and a stage similar to that of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto was constructed in front of the main hall. A statue of the Thousand-armed Kannon, a hidden Buddha figure, was granted from Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto and is currently not open to the public. On the 18th of every month, a grand ceremony is held for Kannon-sama, and before the war, many citizens visited the temple, known as the Kiyomizu Temple of Nagoya.
In April 2024, five items from the Souou-ji Temple collection were designated as Nagoya City Designated Tangible Cultural Properties. These include two portrait paintings of Sououin by Lord Yoshinao, a sugito painting, a painting of the reclining Buddha (Nirvana), and a mandala painting. Additionally, in August 2024, three buildings of Souou-ji Temple (the main hall, the main gate, and the sanmon gate) and a statue of the Thousand-armed Kannon Bodhisattva were registered as cultural properties.
Due to the registration as cultural properties, early restoration is expected. Currently, the roofs have been stripped of their tiles and are covered with plastic sheets, highlighting the urgent need for restoration.
Souou-ji Temple features a large temple bell, with a total height of 147 cm, relocated from its original belfry. The bell bears an inscription by Hayashi Razan, a Confucian scholar revered by Lord Yoshinao, and was crafted by Fujiwara Masanaga. The inscription indicates that the bell was dedicated to Souou-ji Temple on September 16, 1643, with Yoshinao as the patron.
Hayashi Razan, the author of the inscription, was a Confucian scholar of the Zhu Xi school who served Shoguns Ieyasu and Iemitsu, and was highly respected by Yoshinao. The inscription expresses Yoshinao’s eternal filial piety towards the late Sououin, and it is said that the characters were written by Yoshinao himself.
The Souou-ji Temple bell is a significant example in the history of cast metalwork in the early modern period, as the patron, creator, date of creation, and purpose of creation are all clearly documented. In the sixth year of the Reiwa era, it was designated as a Nagoya City Designated Tangible Cultural Property.
Souou-ji Temple preserves two plaques handwritten by Lord Tokugawa Yoshinao and two portrait paintings of Sououin. The plaques feature grand characters, while the portraits depict Sououin in her later years. The depictions are both delicate and innovative, showcasing Yoshinao’s exceptional skills in both the literary and martial arts.