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Sunday, August 04, 2019

The 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Japan

I have found 56 lists of the 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, each of which has 33 Kannon temples listed.  Each of the list shows the order of visiting the 33 Kannon temples in the list as a pilgrimage.  It means I have found 56 “33 Kannon Pilgrimages."  I didn’t know Japan has so many 33 Kannon Pilgrimages.  Of course, they started from Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, which was started by Priest Tokudo, who was working for Hase-dera Temple in today’s Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, as early as in 718.  After the more-than-two-century-long oblivion, the pilgrimage was restarted by Emperor Kazan (968-1008), who got the idea of revitalizing the pilgrimage when he was confining himself in Seiganto-ji Temple in Kumano.
Why 33?
According to Lotus Sutra Chapter XXV, Avalokitesvara, to save people, manifest herself/himself/itself: #1 into the form of a buddha, #2 into the form of a pratyekabuddha, #3 into the form of a sravaka, #4 into the form of Brahma, #5 into the form of Sakra, #6 into the form of isvara, #7 into the form of Mahesvara, #8 into the form of the great commander of the devas, #9 into the form of Vaisravana, #10 into the form of a minor king, #11 into the form of a wealthy man, #12 into the form of a householder, #13 into the form of a state official, #14 into the form of a brahman, #15 into the form of a monk, #16 into the form of a nun, #17 into the form of a layman, #18 into the form of a  laywoman, #19 into the form of a wife of a wealthy man, #20 into the form of a wife of a householder, #21 into the form of a wife of a state official, #22 into the form of a wife of a brahman, #23 into the form of a boy, #24 into the form of a girl, #25 into the form of a deva, #26 into the form of naga, #27 into the form of yaksa, #28 into the form of gandharva, #29 into the form of asura, #30 into the form of garuda, #31 into the form of kimnara, #32 into the form of mahoraga, or #33 into the form of Vajrapani. Many of the forms, or manifestations, are an enumeration of occupations at the time of Buddha.  Thus most of the 33 manifestations haven't been carved into Buddhism statues or painted in Buddhism pictures in Japan.  Instead, the number 33 came to mean a lot to Avalokitesvara believers in Japan.
Other 55 have been started, basically, as a copy of Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage for those who couldn’t travel so far from their hometowns.  There might be some more, whose lists I haven't found yet.
Adachi Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Aichi Baika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Aizu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Akita Six Counties 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Asaka 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Awa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Awa Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage
Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage
Chita 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Chugoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Edo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Ena 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Enshu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Harima 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Hida 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Hokkaido 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Hokuriku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Hokuriku Hakuju 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Ise 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Kanazawa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Kawachi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Kodama 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Kumano 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Kunisaki Six Counties 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Kyoto Rakusei 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Kyushu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Mikawa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Mino 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Mogami 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Musashino 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
New Joshu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
New Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Omi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Oshu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Owari 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Rakuyo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Sagara 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Sano Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Sanuki 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Senility-Prevention Kanto 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Setouchi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Settsu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Shikoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Shinano 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Shinshu Chikuma 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Shintatsu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Suo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Tokai Hakuju 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Tsugaru 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Wakasa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
Wakayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
West Mino 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

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