Historical Power Spot in Gunma: Tying Fates at a Japanese-Style Toilet? Mantokuji, an Edo Shogunate-Authorized "Divorce Temple" in Ota City

In Ota City, Gunma Prefecture, the Enkiridera Mantokuji Museum showcases the history and culture of its past as a "divorce temple" that aided women during the Edo period.

The museum's signature attraction is the "Enkiri-Enmusubi Kawaya" (Relationship-Severing and -Tying Toilet), a popular spot that combines Mantokuji's history with similar facilities that existed at temples in western Japan. Visitors write their wishes for both severing bad ties and forming good ones on a paper slip (200 yen) and flush it down a dedicated toilet. It is said that entrusting one's troubles—such as relationships one can't seem to end or begin—to the water provides a sense of relief. A new promotional video focusing on this unique toilet has been released.

Mantokuji's reputation as a divorce temple dates back to the Edo period, a time of strict gender discrimination. For a couple to divorce, a "letter of separation" (mikudarihan) from the husband was required. If a husband refused, a woman could flee to Mantokuji, and the temple, with the help of the magistrate for temples and shrines, could compel the husband to write the letter. In essence, Mantokuji was a place where a woman's wish for divorce could be realized through state power.

Historically, only two divorce temples were officially recognized by the Edo shogunate: Mantokuji and Tokeiji in Kamakura. The reason lies with Princess Sen, the granddaughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu. At the age of seven, she married Toyotomi Hideyori, but returned to the Tokugawa side after the Toyotomi clan was defeated in the Siege of Osaka. It is said that she formally severed her ties with the Toyotomi family at Mantokuji, located in what is now Tokugawa-cho, the ancestral home of the Tokugawa clan. This act solidified the temple's unshakeable prestige as a divorce temple.

Furthermore, during the Siege of Osaka, Princess Sen saved the daughter of Toyotomi Hideyori and his concubine, adopting her. This child later became a nun at Tokeiji Temple, taking the name Tenshuni. It is said that when Tenshuni met with Ieyasu, she pleaded for Tokeiji to be allowed to remain a divorce temple as it had been since ancient times. Thus, these two temples, connected by their bond with Princess Sen, became known to posterity as the two officially recognized divorce temples.

The Enkiridera Mantokuji Museum has recently gained attention as a place to reflect on "women's freedom" and "gender history," attracting many visitors as a rare museum themed around a "divorce temple."