Sogo Reido Sanctuary is a temple of the Buzan school of the Shingon sect located in Narita City. Its official name is Toshoji Temple, but it is well known as Sogo Reido Sanctuary because it enshrines Sakura Sogo, the righteous person related to the peasant protest.
It is said that Toshoji Temple was originally built during the era of Emperor Kanmu by General Sakanoue no Tamuramaro as a memorial service for the war dead.
Later, in the early Edo period, Sakura Sogo, the head of Kozu Village, stood up for peasants who were suffering from heavy tax imposed by the feudal lord Hotta Masanobu and made a direct appeal to the shogun.
However, Sogo was executed along with his family, and it is said that his angry ghost forced Masanobu to strip his position of the feudal lord.
Sogo’s remains were buried at the site of the execution, which is now the precincts of Toshoji Temple, and a tomb was built later.
Now approximately 7,000 hydrangeas are planted within the grounds, and the Sougo Reido Sanctuary Hydrangea Festival is held in every June.
Information
■Location: 1-558 Sogo, Narita City, Chiba Prefecture
■Telephone number: 0476-27-3131
■Access: 20 minutes by car from Tomisato Interchange on Higashi-Kanto Expressway / 20 minutes on foot from Sogo-sando Station on Keisei Main Line, or 5 minutes on Narita City Community Bus from Keisei Narita Station on Keisei Main Line, Get off at “Sogo Reido” Bus stop
*This article cites the following source:
https://travelogues.jp/sightseeing/narita_city/
https://gimin.travelogues.jp/e37/
Historic Site in Japan 