Sagara 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

     Sagara 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized by the end of the 18th century.  Their members are Kannon statues not Kannon temples.  And it has 2 #22s and 2 #24s.  33 Kannon Pilgrimage is usually composed with Kannon temples as its members.  A few pilgrimages have 2 temples for the same number for a certain, probably historical, reason.

     Why are they particular over the number 33?  Why didn't they call it Sagara 35 Kannon Pilgrimage instead?

     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 at large as well as locally in Sagara.

     Unfortunately, they don't have #1 Kiyomizu, #2 Nakao, #4 Sanjigaharu, #5 Unokuchi, #7 Ishimuro, #8 Yunomoto, #11 Nagata (or Ashihara), #12 Kashinomine, #14 Toshima, #19 Uchiyama, #20 Uefukada, #21 Nagamine, #22 Uwate, #22 Kakuin, #23 Suyama, #24 Shozen-in, #24 Ryusen-ji, #25 Fumon-ji, #26 Kamizato-no-machi, #27 Hoda-ji, #28 Nakayama, #30 Akitoki, and #33 Akaike Kannon Statues listed on TripAdvisor.