Myōtoku-ji

Meitoku-ji is a Soto Zen temple in Matsushiro, Nagano, founded in 1390 by Myotoku of Togofuin in Echigo Province. During the Warring States period, the temple received deep patronage from Kasuga Toratsuna (Kosaka Masanobu), a retainer of the Takeda clan, who sponsored major repairs in 1533. In the early Edo period, it received a land grant of 20 koku from Matsudaira Tadateru, and thereafter was protected by successive lords of the Matsushiro domain, the Sanada clan. The temple grounds contain the grave of Kasuga Toratsuna, standing as a quiet witness to its layered history.