Tensoji Temple

Tensoji Temple, which belongs to the Rinzai Zen School of Buddhism, is the family temple of Takahashi Shoun, the father of Tachibana Muneshige, the first lord of the Yanagawa Domain. Like Bekki Dosetsu, Shoun was a retainer of the Otomo Clan, which ruled Bungo Province (present day Oita Prefecture) in the Sengoku era. Originally called Shigetane, he was the biological son of Yoshihiro Akimasa, who served under Otomo Yoshishige (later known as Sorin). He inherited the Takahashi name after Takahashi Akitane rebelled against the Otomo family and later served as the administrator of Iwaya and Homan Castles in Chikuzen Province. At the end of the Sengoku era, an army from Satsuma (present day Kagoshima Prefecture) led by Shimazu Yoshihisa advanced into northern Kyushu. The army attacked Iwaya Castle, which Shoun was guarding with more than 700 troops, and after a fierce battle, Shoun was killed and his men were wiped out. He was 39 years old. In 1634, Tachibana Muneshige instructed his adopted son Tadashige, the second lord of the Yanagawa Domain, to build a family temple dedicated to Takahashi Shoun to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Shoun's death. The temple, originally called Keirin-an, was established by the monk Shunrei Soitsu, but it was later renamed Tensoji Temple. Tensoji Temple houses Shoun's mortuary tablet as well as a memorial tablet for the martyrs of Iwata Castle, and a memorial service is held for Shoun every year.