character/[id]

In March 1868, Katsu Kaishu met Saigo Takamori at the Satsuma domain residence near Zojoji and achieved the bloodless surrender of Edo. It is said Kaishu was prepared to burn Edo if negotiations failed, but Saigo's decisive acceptance averted catastrophe.

Katsu Kaishu inherited devotion to Myoken Bosatsu from his father Katsu Kokichi and is said to have prayed to Myoken before the Kanrin Maru's transpacific voyage in 1860 and the bloodless surrender of Edo Castle in 1868. Nose Myokenzan was venerated as the head temple of three generations of Katsu family faith, and Tokyo's Nose Myokenzan Betsuin belongs to the same religious community. Myoken devotion held profound meaning as the spiritual pillar supporting Kaishu's eventful life.

In March 1868, the historic meeting between Katsu Kaishu and Saigo Takamori took place at the Satsuma domain residence near Takanawa Okido. That the negotiation to save Edo from war happened at Edo's southern gateway symbolizes how the city's fate was sealed at its very doorstep.

Katsu Kaishu spent his later years at his villa 'Senzoku-ken' by Senzoku Pond, praising it as 'the finest scenery under heaven.' He died in 1899 at age 77 and was buried by the pond per his wishes. A memorial to his former adversary Saigo Takamori was later erected nearby — the two former enemies standing side by side, symbolizing the spirit of the bloodless surrender.

Katsu Kaishu's father Kokichi, long without an heir, prayed fervently to Myoken Bosatsu at this temple and was blessed with his son Rintaro (later Kaishu). Kaishu inherited this devotion from childhood. Before the Kanrin Maru's 1860 Pacific crossing, he prayed to Myoken for safe voyage. He is also said to have prayed here before the bloodless surrender of Edo Castle in 1868. This three-generation Katsu family devotion to Myoken was the spiritual pillar that sustained Kaishu through his extraordinary life.