Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #29 Sairin-ji Temple

     Sairin-ji Temple is at the top of Mt. Nanazuga-take, namely 7-head Mountain, where 7 mountain ridges meet.  Annually on April 18 and November 3, the villagers climb the mountain and gather in front of the Kannon-do building in the temple.  The event is called “naruko mairi”, in which they used to visit the temple with a newborn baby on their back and rice cakes covered with bean jam in their hands.

     The temple also has a small pond called Ruri Ike (namely Lapis Lazuli Pond).  Once, a girl with a skin disease prayed to Avalokitesvar and washed herself, to find her illness cured.  Very effective, isn’t it?  You have to climb for about 2 hours though.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #28 Gensho-ji Temple

     Gensho-an Temple used to belong to the Shingon Sect of Buddhism.  It became a branch temple of Toju-in Temple, #30 and the northernmost member temple of Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, by the mid 15th century, and converted to the Soto Sect.

     There used to be more temples around the area: Saifuku-an, Eiden-an, Jizai-an, Zenshu-an, Gintetsu-an, Soshin-an, Joju-an Temples as well as Genshi-an.  Those small temples became out of business one by one after the Meiji Restoration, and were finally consolidated into Genshi-ji Temple.  Accordingly, the temple has surprisingly many Buddhist statues.

     There used to be Churin-ji Temple, which became out of business.  The statue of Arya Avalokitesvar in Genshi-ji is said to have belonged to Churin-ji.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #27 Shomyo-ji Temple

     The main deity of Shomyo-ji Temple is Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces.  In 1697, the Yogo area had heavy rain.  The downpour caused landslides, which buried the temple.  The statue went missing.  One day, the statue appeared in the dreams of villagers, and told them where it was.  They dug it up, built a new temple building, and enshrined the statue in it.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #26 Hosho-ji Temple

     Hosho-ji Temple keeps the grave of a legendary founder of the Higashino Family.  The family became powerful in 1330's.  When the Imperial Court broke up into the Northern Imperial Court and the Southern Imperial Court.  Not only the courts but the whole country was divided, and fought violently against each other.  Who belonged to which side?  Everybody chose their side arbitrarily for the purpose of self-justification.  They just wanted to fight for more estates.  The Higashino Family built their fortress half way up Mt. Gyoichi, at the depth of the Higashino Valley.  Later they moved their stronghold to the hill, Mt. Doki, at the exit of the valley.  And they expanded their territory to the Yogo Valley.  When the Warring States Period started after 1467, they built a castel on Mt. Higashino, the eastern side of the Higashino Valley.

Together with the other powerful families in the northern part of Omi Province, the Higashino Family fought for the Kyogoku Clan with a lot of lives of the family members sacrificed.  When Azai Sukemasa (1491-1542), one of those powerful families, overpowered the Kyogoku Clan, the Higashino Family followed Sukemasa and his successors.  Even when Sukemasa’s grandchild, Nagamasa (1545-1573), was defeated by his brother-in-law, Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), the family members fought hard for the purpose of stalling for time to let Nagamasa commit suicide.

After the battle, the family survivors withdrew into the Higashino Valley.  But one of the descendants, Yukinobu, became a samurai again and was hired by Yamauchi Kazutoyo (1545-1605).  When Kazutoyo made the lord of the Tosa Domain,  Yukinobu followed him and another Higashino Family started in Tosa Province.

     It is unknown when the legendary grave was erected, it might have shown the family’s pride and self-respect.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #25 Zencho- ji Temple

     In 1469, Priest Zencho opened a Pure Land Sect Buddhism temple in Ikehara Village with an Amitabha statue as the main deity.  He called the temple Zencho-bo after his Buddhist name.

     There used to be Manpuku-ji Temple nearby, whose main deity was Hayagriva , who has the head of a horse.  The Hayagriva statue has either a furious look, unlike the other types of Avalokitesvar statues, or a mild look, like the other types of Avalokitesvar statues, with 2 or more arms.  The main deity of Manpuku-ji Temple had a furious look with 6 arms.  The temple was burnt down during the Warring States Period, and was reconstructed together with the Hayagriva statue at the turn of the 17th century.  The temple, however, became out of business in the Meiji Era, and the statue was moved to Zencho-ji Temple.

Zencho-ji Temple also has a statue for the Menju brothers.

     In May, 1583, the Battle of Shizugatake broke out between Shibata Katsuie (1522-1583) and Toyotomi Hideyoshi  (1536-1598).  Menju Shosuke (1558-1583) was fighting for Katsuie, who lost to Hideyoshi at the end of the day.

When the odds became against Katsuie, he was trying to make a suicide attack against the main body of Hideyoshi’s army.  Shosuke stopped him, advising to retreat to Kitanosho Castle, their stronghold, and to pull their forces together.  With the words, he picked up Katsuie’s armor and charged the enemy with his elder brother, to get all killed.

     In spite of their brave fight, Kitanosho Castle fell, and Katsuie committed suicide with his wife, leaving their 3 daughters to Hideyoshi.

After all the battles, Hideyoshi praised the brothers highly, and gave their heads back to their mother.

     What did the mother feel?  Even Avalokitesvar does not always give a mild look.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #24 Kosho-an Temple

     Kosho-an Temple started as a branch temple of TendaiSect Buddhism.  Priest Zencho was the founder of Zencho-ji Temple, and his successor revived Kosho-an Temple.

     The present main deity, the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, used to belong to Anyo-ji Temple, which used to be a shrine temple of Kusaoka Shrine.  After 1868, in accordance with the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order by the new Meiji government, the statue was moved to Entsu-an Temple first.  They found the temple too cramped, and moved it to Kosho-an Temple.

The Ekadasamukha statue is 110 centimeters tall with the wooden core inside and lacquered decorations outside.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #23 Fukusen an Temple

     Fukusen-an Temple’s main deity, an Arya Avalokitesvara statue, was carved out of a Japanese cypress wood, and is 59 centimeters tall.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #22 Kawanami-Jizo-do Temple

     I climbed down from Mt. Oiwa to the eastern shore of Lake Yogo.  In Kawanami Village along the western shore of the lake, there stands Kawanami-Jizo-do Temple.  Its main deity was Ksitigarbha, with Bhaisajyaguru standing on its right, and Arya Avalokitesvara standing on its left.  The Avalokitesvara statue is presumed to have been made sometime between the 9th and 12th century.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #21 Daigan-ji Temple

     Daigan-ji Temple is located on the ridge of Mt. Oiwa.  It takes about 20 minutes on foot from a prefectural road which ran along the eastern foot.  They display the main deity, Arya Avalokitesvara, only once in a year.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #20 Daitaku-ji Temple

     Gyoki  (668-749) carved out the main deity, the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, and founded Daitaku-ji Temple in 724.  The temple bell was made in 1412.  Sakuma Morimasa (1554-1583), a vassal of Shibata Katsuie (1522-1583), stroke it wildly to let other warriors on his side know the arrival of the enemy troops of Toyotomi Hideyoshi  (1536-1598) when the Battle of Shizugatake broke out in May, 1583.  In the battles, the temple buildings were burnt down, but the main deity was saved by the villagers and moved to Kanzan-ji Temple in Sakaguchi Village, Yogo.  The statue returned to Daisaku-ji Temple in 1879.

     Legend has it that a celestial nymph had given birth to a boy, who had been raised in Kanzan-ji Temple, and who later had become Sugawara Michizane (845-903).

Trees in the town.

Trees in the town.

Trees in the town.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #19 Kannon-ji Temple

     Gyoki  (668-749) is said to have founded Kannon-ji Temple.  As we have many Kannon-ji Temples around Japan, it is commonly called Kuroda Kannon-ji.

The Kannon statue in the temple is presumed to have been carved in the 8th century.  Folklore has it that it is Sahasrabhuja, who has 1,000 arms, but some argue that it is Cundi, who has 16 arms and appears to be female.  The statue actually has 18 arms.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #18 Annen-ji Temple

     Annen-ji Temple was founded by Priest Shogen, who is said to have been exiled to Kuroda Village by Fujiwara Fuhito (659-720).  He might have been an illegimate child of Fuhito’s.  The temple has, or had, handed down 17 Buddhist statues since then.

     On August 8, 1573, Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) intruded into Northern Omi Province, deploying a troop of 30 thousand strong.  The Kuroda villagers hurriedly buried their statues in the rice fields.

     It was in the first half of the 19th century that the villagers finally dug the statues out of the rice fields.  It is unknown why it took about 2 and a half centuries for the villagers to make up their minds.

     The statues had lost their details, yet the villagers treasured, valued, and cherished the statues, calling them “Imo Kannon” (Potato Avalokitesvara).  Why potato?  I don’t know, but probably they dug the statues out like potatoes.

     The tide has become against the statues again.  7 out of 17 statues were stolen one after another between 2000 and 2003.

     Confucius once said, "Cruel politics is more ferocious than a tiger.”

Thieves today are greedier than war lords.  Will that serve them right?

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #17 Ooto-Senju-do Temple

     Once upon a time, there used to be a small lake at the foot of Mt. Shizuga-take in Ooto Village, with a dragon living in the lake.  Kukai (774-835) defeated the dragon, carved the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, and confined the dragon sealed in it.

In May, 1583, the Battle of Shizugatake broke out between Toyotomi Hideyoshi  (1536-1598) and Shibata Katsuie (1522-1583).  The battles caused the temple to burn down.  The villagers saved the statue ….  And we have 2 legends from here.

     A legend has it that the statue was safe and is still enshrined in the temple.  And the story ends happily.

     The other legend has it that the villagers hid the statue in the river (presumably in Yogo River), and it went missing.  The present deity was purchased from Wakasa Province.  The missing statue was found (mysteriously) in Kawamichi Village along Ane River.  And it became the main deity of Senju-in Temple there.

     It’s a mystery.  Yes, the upper stream of Ane River runs about 4 kilometers east over a hill.  Did the villagers run that distance to hide the statue over a hill?

     Senju-in Temple has another legend, which has it that Sugino Village along Sugino River, the upper stream of Ane River, once had a plague, against which the village Kannon statue showed no efficacy.  The villagers got angry and sank it in the river.  Later, the priest of Senju-in Temple found a sparkling gold 180-centimeter-tall Kannon statue in the deep of Ane River.  He carried it to the temple on his back.  The Kawamichi villagers were happy with the statue.  One night, the statue appeared in the priest’s dream, and said, “If people come and visit me from another village, carve a good-quality wood in the river into the same shape of mine, and give it to them.”  He did as he was told to, but nobody came to the village to visit the statue, and the 2 statues were enshrined in the temple; one as a hidden one and the other as a display.  Academically, the old one is estimated to have been made in the 9th century, and the new one in the 10th century.

     Which legend do you believe?

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #16 Dendo-ji Temple

     Dendo-ji Temple, which was founded by Saicho (767-822), is a shrine temple of Ikagusaka Shrine, which used to be located in Mt. Mitaka-yama.  The main deity, Arya Avalokitesvara, was burned down in 1955.  The ashes are kept and enshrined inside the present deity.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #15 Shakugo-ji Temple

     Shakugo-ji Temple has 2 main deities: Arya Avalokitesvara and Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces.  Ashikaga Takauji (1305-1358) gave a manor to the temple.

     In May, 1583, the Battle of Shizugatake broke out between Toyotomi Hideyoshi  (1536-1598) and Shibata Katsuie (1522-1583).  The battles caused the temple to burn down.  The villagers saved the statue in the river, with 2 stones as pillows, which are still kept in the temple.

The statues have been damaged so much that they have lost their arms, hands, some faces, and toes.  Without toes, they looked likely to fall down.  And eventually they came to be called Korori Kannon (Fall Down Avalokitesvara).

     The Japanese phrase “ korori” is used to die suddenly without being bedridden.  Some old people visit the temple to pray for being in good health until the very day of their death.  Especially on July 10 every year, many elderly people visit the temple.  It is believed that one-day visit on the day is worth visiting for 1,000 days.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #14 Sekibun-ji Temple

     There runs Aka River near Sekibun-ji Temple.  The Chinese-style pronunciation of Aka is Seki.  When Saicho (767-822) visited the village in 805, he noticed a light piercing from the riverbed.  There, he found a statue, and founded a temple for it.  That was the start of Sekibun-ji Temple.

     In 1504, Azai Sukemasa (1491-1542) overthrew his lord, Kyogoku Takakiyo (1460-1538).  The fights caused the temple to burn down.  The present statue is supposed to have been carved by the beginning of the Edo Period.  So, it is unknown whether it can control its weight freely.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #13 Komyo-ji Temple

     In 724, Gyoki  (668-749) visited the village, carved a statue, and founded Komyo-ji Temple to place the statue.  Well may you ask what statue it was.  It had 11 heads.  Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces?  Well, it has 46 arms too.  It might be Sahasrabhuja, who is supposed to have 1,000 arms, but who has actually less arms because of physical constraint, however divine it may be.  Saicho (767-822) later visited the mysterious statue, and organized the temple as one of branch temples of Enryaku-ji Temple.

     Further later, a thief also visited the temple to steal the statue.  He held it in his arms, and carried it to the border of the village.  Unbelievably,  the statue suddenly became heavier.  The thief had no choice but to leave it there and flee.  On the very night, a young handsome priest appeared in a villager’s dream.  Or in villagers’ dreams.  Excuse me, but the Japanese language doesn’t have plural forms, so I can’t tell which was the case.  And the priest told the villager(s) that the statue was going to be stolen.  The villager(s) followed his words and looked out of the house(s), to find a light piercing from the east.  The villager(s) hurried to the place and found the statue safe.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #12 Isono-ji Temple

     Isono-ji Temple used to be the shrine temple of Akami Shrine.  In 600, clear water with psychic power gushed out in the shrine.  Prince Shotoku (574-622) visited the spring, carved an Avalokitesvara statue out of a tree growing by the spring, built a temple, and enshrined the statue in it.  The temple was burnt down during the Warring States Period.

     The main deity today is Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces.  The statue is presumed to have been made by the beginning of the Edo Period.

     Xuanzang (602-664) had translated the Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Sutra into Chinese, and most Ekadasamukha statues, which have 11 faces, in Japan were carved according to the description in the sutra.  They stand with their left arm raised, holding a jug with a crimson lotus flower in it, and with their right arm lowered, showing the right palm to give hope.  But a few statues hold a crosier in the right hand, which is typically found in Hase-dera Temple.

     Oddly enough, the statue in Isono-ji Temple lowers its arm and shows its right palm.  But it stands with a crosier placed against the right palm.  The villagers surely made the second-generation statue as an ordinary Ekadasamukha statue first, but later they might have felt more in a state of grace with the Hase-dera-style, or just found the style more fashionable.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #11 Shomyo-ji Temple

     The Avalokitesvara statue of Shomyo-ji Temple is very unique.  Usually, an Ekadasamukha statue has 11 faces, and the official number of arms a Sahasrabhuja has is 1,000, but this one has 11 faces, officially 1,000 arms, and 1,000 legs!  How acquisitive it is!  Or was it the villagers who were grasping? Seriously, we don’t have a particular Buddhism god corresponding to the form.

     Priest Shocho (1205-1282) edited a collection of what the pioneers of Tendai Sect of Buddhism had said about their doctrines and manners, and called it Asaba Sho or Asaba Extracts.  According to the extracts, Priest Enchin (814-891) studied in China in 853-858, he brought back a statue with 1,000 legs when he left China, and put it in Mii-dera Temple.

     As the statue in Shomyo-ji Temple is presumed to have been made sometime between the 8th and the 12th centuries, it could have been influenced by the statue Enchin might have brought back from China.

     Where did the statue come from?  There are hills between Nishino and Lake Biwa.  Legend has it that there used to be a big port town, Aso-tsu or Aso Port, in the north-west of where Shomyo-ji Temple is located today along Lake Biwa across the hills.  The powerful family there was also called Asotsu, and its head at the time was Hidemichi.  The statue is believed to have belonged to his wife.  The port town was swallowed in a big tsunami, and the survivors brought the statue to Nishino.

     Can’t you believe a tsunami in a lake?  On August 13, 1185, a big earthquake broke out around Kyoto, the hypocenter hasn’t been located yet though, and caused a big tsunami in Lake Biwa.

Trees in the town.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #10 Fumon-ji Temple

     Fumon-ji Temple was founded in 1413 by the descendants of Emperor Kobun (648-672).  Saicho (766-822) carved the statue of Arya Avalokitesvara for the temple, which is the main deity of the temple today.  The temple was moved to Mt. Omori in 1880 after the fire.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #9 Chikureni-ji Temple

     I straight went westward along the street from #8 Reisui-ji Temple to #9 Chikuren-ji Temple at the foot fo Mt. Yamamoto (the altitude of 324 meters) in the village of Atsuji.

     In the Tendai Sect of Buddhism, they engage in 4 types of asceticism as Samadhi.  In one of the 4, they keep walking for 90 days around the statue of Amitabha with a treasure crown on its head.

     One day, that type of Amitabha statue was washed along Yogo River, and was found on a bridge girder.  The villagers  picked it up, built a temple, and enshrined the statue in it.  How tender and devout they were!  But the people in the northern Omi Prefecture loved Avalokitesvara.  On the other day, they changed its arms with those of Avalokitesvara, and believed in it as Arya Avalokitesvara.  It is unknown how Amitabha (or Avalokitesvara?) felt at the time, but it has been treasured by the villagers for centuries.  I don’t think it either did or does care.  To err is human, to repent is divine.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #8 Reisui-ji Temple

     At the beginning of the 8th century, Gyoki (668-749) carved an Avalkitesvara statue, built a hut in Une, and founded Uneno-ji Temple.  In the second half of the 9th century, Enchin (814-891) stayed in the temple, changed its name to Anjo-ji, and expanded it into a full scale.  In 1583, Shibata Katsuie (1522-1583) set fire to the temple.  When the villagers saved the statue out of the fire, it was badly damaged, with the hands and half of arms burned out.  The head was too much burnt to say which Avalokitesvara metamorphosis the statue used to embody.  The villagers moved it to the precincts of Kasuga Shrine.  As the spring water was gushing out in front of the temple, they named it Reisui-ji (namely Cold Water Temple).

     In 1702, the villagers made a sheathing statue.  A sheathing statue usually  stores an original statue in itself, but they put it under the new pedestal.  Before the turn of the 20th century, when the movement to abolish Buddhism was raging on, the villagers moved the statue to the present precincts out of the shrine, bought a Bhaisajyaguru hall from Takatsuki, and enshrined the statue in it.  Today, after a series of trials and tribulations, the original one is peacefully kept in the Takatsuki Kannon No Sato Museum of History and Folklore.  For its eyes, for its inner eyes, what have the ups and downs in the outer world looked like?

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #7 Takatsuki-Kannon-do Temple

     There used to be a giant tsuki, zelkova, tree in the village, so it came to be called Takatsuki, namely High Zelkova.  

     Oe Masafusa (1041-1111) enjoyed the moon here and composed 2 tanka poems:

“In Takatsuki River in Omi

"The riverbed is clear clean enough

“To reflect the peaceful reign.”

and

"The Autumn adds the light

"To the river ripples of Takatsuki

"That are clear clean.”

     Since then, the notation of Takatsuki changed from High Zelvoka to High Moon with the same pronunciation.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #6 Joko-ji Temple

     Keisoku-ji Temple used to be very large, and the area where the Joko-ji is located today used to be the western edge of the precincts.  Saicho (766-822), the founder of the Tendai Sect in Japan, invited the god of Hiyoshi Shrine, the guardian god of the sect, to the area, and established a branch shrine.  Joko-ji Temple is located in the precincts of the shrine.

     When the Asai and Oda Clans fought in the area, the shrine was burnt down.  However, the present statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, is said to be the original one, which had been carved by Saicho himself.

Actual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #5 Dogan-ji Temple

     We stayed in a hotel near Sugaura.  Next morning, we visited Sugaura village first.  After the visit, we drove southward.  On our way back to Osaka, we dropped in on the Avalokitesvara statue.  A guidebook had suggested it’s in Kogen-ji Temple, and another said it’s in Dogan-ji Temple.  We were quite confused.  We parked, and first found Kogen-ji Temple.  It didn’t seem to be open to tourists.  We kept walking and found a temple gate.  The precincts seemed to be open to tourists.  The statue was not in the main hall.  Instead, they had an exhibition hall, where we met the most beautiful Avalokitesvara statue in our lives.

     Dogan-ji Temple, where no priest lives, and the exhibition hall as well are officially administered by Kogen-ji Temple, and actually run by the villagers.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #4 (Amenomori) Kannon-ji Temple

     Amenomori used to be called Amamori-no-sato, Heaven-Descent Village. 

     One day, the founding father of the village, who later became the guardian deity of the village, descended from the heaven.  People named the village Ama-mori, which came to be mispronounced Amenomori later.

Today, Kannon-ji Temple stands at the border between Amenomori and Hoenji townships, but it used to be located at the top of Mt. Kodakami.  It was removed to the village at the turn of the 9th century by Saicho (766-822).  The temple was burned to the ground by Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) in the Battle of Amenomori Riverbank, but the deity escaped to Echizen Province.  Although it came back later, most probably after the province was occupied by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598), the successor of Nobunaga, it was burned to ashes in the fire in 1879, when a great fire broke out in Tokyo and Hakodate as well.  In 1881, the villagers “invited” the present deity from Enryaku-ji Temple, which had been established by Saicho.

There used to be 4 powerful families in the Northern part of Omi Province: Akao, Isono, Iguchi, and Amenomori.  Amenomori Hoshu (1668-1755) was born to a doctor in Amenomori Village.  He studied in Edo, the capital at the time.  He became a Confucian scholar, a Korean translator, and a Chinese translator.  He was such a capable translator to be hired by the Tsushima Domain, which was working a kind of a diplomatic channel fro the Tokugawa Shogunate.  Tsushima Islands lie just between the Japanese Archipelago and the Korean Peninsula, and the domain prospered from the transit trade between the 2 countries.

     Hoshu accompanied Joseon missions to Japan and visited Edo twice.  He also visited Busan 3 times.

Why didn't Hoshu work in Edo, and choose to move to Tsushima for 963 kilometers?

     An Edo short funny story put it:  A Confucian scholar moved to Shinagawa.  His apprentices visited him for the housewarming, and asked, “Why have you moved here from Nihonbashi, which is more convenient?”  The Confucian seriously said, “Shinagawa is nearer to China by 8 kilometers.”

     Then, why didn’t he work for another Western clans who might have been smuggling with China to visit the country?  He was too serious a Confucian scholar to close his eyes to the Tsushima Domain’s smuggling ginseng into Japan besides lawfully importing other goods from Korea.  Unlawfully visiting China to smuggle might have been out of the question for him.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #3 Hoenji Kannon-do Temple

     Hoenji is a place name.  There might have been Hoen-ji Temple.  In the area, a lot of temple tiles and old coins in the 8th century have been excavated.

     In 1407, Priest Shunzen, who belogned to the Tendai Sect, wrote the History of Kodakamiyama (or Mt. Kodakami), which has been kept in Keisoku-ji Temple.  The book says that Saicho (766-822), the founder of the Tendai Sect in Japan, carved some statues, and that the Amitabha statue in Hoenji is one of them.  Mt. Kodakami is 923 meters tall, is covered with beech trees, and used to be the center of mountain worship in the Northern part of Omi Province.  Even today, you can find 6 Jizo statues, the oldest ones in the area, and old stone pagodas.  5-7 temples are said to have been around the mountain in the Heian Period (794-1868).

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #2 Saiko-ji Temple

     The main deity of Saiko-ji Temple, the statue of Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, is believed to have been made by Saicho (767-822).  On February 8 and 9, they hold a rite for fertility.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #1 Kannon-ji Temple

     Saicho (767-822) is believed to have founded Kannon-ji Temple.  Priest Yuzan revived it in 1670’s.

     The main deity is the statue of Arya Avalokitesvara, which is said to have been carved at the beginning of the Edo Period or earlier.  It’s 1.51 meters tall and its eyeballs are made of gems, which represent the sunlight and the moonlight.

Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized in Ika County, Omi Province, in 1828.  Ika County constitutes Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, today. The area is well known as “Kannon no Sato” (literally, Kannon Neighborhoods). As the societies are getting rapidly aging, some temples have become priest-less or discontinued. Yet, the villagers are voluntarily supporting their Kannon statues in the area.

     The isthmus between Wakasa Bay and Ise Bay is the narrowest and, accordingly, the lowest part of Honshu Island.  The Fukasaka Pass between Wakasa Bay and Lake Biwa has only the altitude of 370 meters when Lake Biwa is 86 meters above sea level.  The area around the pass lets the northern winds from the Sea of Japan blow into Ika County.  The winds make the air moist and have the snow fall a lot in winter.   In winter, Ika is, in the weather forecast, sorted into the regions along the Japan Sea coast, while it is grouped into Central Kansai in the other seasons.  As the Japan Sea coast has good sake breweries, so does Ika.

     While it is the geography and climate that brews the culture as well as good Japanese sake there, it is Mt. Kodakami that governs the spirit of the culture.  People in Ika County much more care about Mt. Kodakami, which is 923 meters high, than about the northern winds through the Fukasaka Pass.  The climate and the attention to Mt. Kodakami nurtured their unique belief in Avalokitesvara.

     Some believe in Arya Avalokitesvara.  But Arya Avalokitesvara can metamorphose into 6 forms according to those who are to be relieved: #1 Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, #2 Sahasrabhuja, who has 1,000 arms, #3 Cintamanicakra, who usually has 6 arms and holds chintamani (a wish-fulfilling jewel) in one of the six, #4 Hayagriva , who has the head of a horse, #5 Cundi, who has 16 arms and appears to be female, and #6 Amoghapasa, who usually has 3 eyes and 8 arms.  It was Arya Avalokitesvara and those 6 metamorphoses that had been believed in around Ika County.  Some even argued Avalokitesvara could transform the figure into 33 types.  It is the argument that the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, which has 33 Avalkitesvara temples, has been based on for more than a millennium.  In 1828, Ika people copied the idea.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #33 Shokaku-ji Temple

     Shokaku-in Temple is a branch temple of Chion-in Temple.  The main deity is the Amitabha Tathagata statue.  It also has Avalokitesvara statue, which was made in the Heian Period, and the Vaisravana statue, which was made in the Kamakura Period.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #32 Gokuraku-ji Temple

     Gokuraku-ji Temple is a branch temple of Chion-in Temple.  It was founded by Priest Sonshu.  He was born in Kaizuka, Musashi Province, and entered into the Buddhist priesthood in Zojo-ji Temple.

     In June, 1623, Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604-1651), the third tycoon of the Tokugawa Shogunate, visited Kyoto.  Sonshu accompanied the tycoon, and embraced Priest Sonsho (1562-1620). In 1625, Sonshu founded Gokuraku-ji Temple.

     In the temples of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism, the Amitabha Tathagata statue usually stands to greet the dying, but the statue of this temple sits in an ascetic practice, which can be usually found in the Tendai Sect temples.

     Gokuraku-ji Temple might have belonged to the Tendai Sect with another temple name.  And Sonshu might have converted the temple to the Pure Land Sect, changing the temple name too.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #31 Daizen-ji Temple

     Daizen-ji Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #30 Tosen-ji Temple

     The Guidebook for the Sights in Kyoto was written by Akisato Riho, a haiku poet in Kyoto, and drawn by Takehara Shunchosai (?-1801), a painter in Osaka, and published in 1780 by Yoshino-ya Publisher.  The Guidebook for the Left-out Sights in Kyoto was published in 1787 by the same writer and painter.

     According to the Guidebook for the Left-out Sights in Kyoto, Tosen-ji Temple had been found by Priest Tocho, was being run by a nun at the time, and the main deity was the seated statue of Amitabha (the Buddha of Infinite Light), which was made by Priest Eshin, and which was over 240 centimeters tall.  Eshin was another name of Genshin (942-1017).

     Genshin's father was Urabe Masachika.  The Urabe Clan had been living in Katsuragi County, had been serving the god of Katsuragi, and had been working for the Imperial Court as fortune-tellers.Fortune-telling is "uranai" in Japanese.  Genshin was born in 942.  His mother was said to have belonged to the Kiyohara Clan.  She must have been one or two generations older than Sei Shonagon (966-1025), who was also said to have belonged to the same clan.  Genshin could be said to have come from a line of intellectuals.

     In 948, Genshin’s father died.  In 950, he entered Mt. Hiei to study samatha-vipasyana and vajrayana under the strong influence of his mother, who was very religious.  In 955, he entered the buddhist priesthood.  In 956, he made a lecture on the Shorter Sukhavativyuha Sutra for Emperor Murakami.  The emperor praised him, and gave him fabrics and textiles, which he presented to his mother.  She, however, sent them back with a tanka poem,

     “Wished you’d make it in the next world.

     "Sorry to know  you make it in the world."

To answer the admonition, Genshin secluded himself in Eshin-in Temple, Yokokawa, Kyoto.

     In 985, he finished writing The Essentials of Rebirth in the Pure Land. In 1017, he passed away, or was reborn in the Pure Land.

     It is unknown when, why, or if he really carved the statue by himself for Tosen-ji Temple.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #29 Unknown

     Nothing is unknown and unknowable today about either the temple name or where it used to be located.

     The 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Japan most propagated in the Edo Period, when businesses developed and merchants became affluent.  Many 33 Kannon pilgrimages were organized to satisfy the religious minds of ordinary citizens, or actually sometimes to enable them to travel. The mercantilism was always looking for a chance to take the place of the physiocratie.

     No sooner had the mercantilism triumphed than the imperialism swallowed up everything.  As a spiritual pillar to prop up the imperialism, the shinto was established as the state religion.  The shinto nationalism swept off many 33 Kannon pilgrimages as well as Buddhist temples.

     After World War II, the super-modernization washed away some 33 Kannon pilgrimages as well as temples.  People forgot their gods and their buddhas alike.  And today, the depopulation in rural areas are shaking the basis of the very existence of temples and shrines alike.  No people, no religions.

     One of those waves might have wiped out #29 into oblivion.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #28 Seishin-ji Temple

     Seishin-ji Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #27 Saikyu-ji Temple

     Saikyu-ji Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #26 Eiun-in Temple

     Eiun-in Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #25 Hokoku-ji Temple

     Hokoku-ji Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #24 Taiju-in Temple

     Taiju-in Temple has become out of service sometime after 1870.  The temple used to be located in today’s Enoki-cho (literally Hackberry Town).  The town’s name comes from the big Chinese hackberry tree growing in Taiju-in Temple.  The temple was recorded being active as late as in 1870 as a branch temple of Chion-in Temple.  In the year, the imperial letter to make Shinto the state religion was issued.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #23 Goshin-ji Temple

     Goshin-ji Temple was founded in 1575, when the Battle of Nagashino broke out between the troops of Takeda Katsuyori (1546-1582) and those of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) & Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), and when the Battle of Shimanto River broke out between the troops of Ichijo Kanesada (1543-1585) and those of Chosokabe Motochika (1539-1599).  Katsuyori and Kanesada represented the conservatives, or superiors, and Ieyasu, Nobunaga, and Motochika represented inferiors, who overpowered the superiors.  Japan was plunging into the second half of the Warring States Period.  Goshin-ji Temple witnessed the upside-down.

     The child is father of the man.

     Ieyasu made the ruler of Japan at last in 1603, and started the Tokugawa Shogunate.  2 centuries and a half later, in 1868, the Battle of Toba-Fushimi broke out, and the shogunate was defeated by inferiors, the Satuma and Choshu Domains.  The temple witnessed another upside-down, and 64 of the shogunate war dead were buried in the temple.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #22 Daiei-ji Temple

     Daiei-ji Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #21 Shonen-ji Temple

     Shonen-ji Temple was founded by Priest Teian (1539-1615) in 1587.  Teian is known for participating in the debate held by Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) in Jogon-in Temple, in the Azuchi castle town, Omi Province.  Nobunaga was killed by Akechi Mitsuhide (1528-1582).  Mitsuhide was Killed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598).  Hideyoshi gave 2 temples to Teian to have him pray for the comfort of Nobunaga in the other world; one in Kyoto and the other in Fushimi.

Shonen-ji Temple is known for its 3 deities: the Statue of Emma, a Great King of the Buddhist Hades, Jizo Statue, and that of Arya Tara.

     In the Tale of Heike Volume 6 Chapter 9, Priest Sonei was working for Seicho-ji Temple in Settsu Province.  On December 25, 1172, Sonei visited the Buddhist Hades to participate in the Buddhist rally hosted by the Great King, Emma.  On 26, he came back to life and returned to this world with a wooden statue of Emma in his hand, which had been carved out of pine wood by Emma himself.  Unlike other statues of Emma, it looks very merciful.  Mercy and pity might be Emma’s true intentions.  If you believed it or not, the adventure of the priest is narrated in minute detail in the Tale of Heike.

     Later, Sonei visited Ise Shrine, and died at Ueno, Iga Province, on his way back.  Before his death, he put the Emma statue at the Ten-King Temple there and recited sutras in front of it.  Ten-King temples enshrine 10 kings in hades: King Shinko, King Shoko, King Sotei, King Gokan, King Emma, King Henjo, King Taizen, King Byodo, King Toshi, and King Godotenrin.

     Centuries later, when Oda Nobunaga held falconry in Ueno, Iga Province, he found the statue and brought it back.  According to the Chronicle of Oda Nobunaga, compiled in Edo period based on records by Ota Gyuichi, a warrior who followed Nobunaga, Nobunaga’s army suppressed Iga Province on September 11,1581, and Nobunaga himself visited the province on October 9-12.

     Priest Teian was born on March 7, 1539, in Kuronuma Village, Miura County, Sagami Province, as a son of Oe Masatoki.  His mother, Nowaki, died when he was 4 years old, and his father was killed in battle next year.  He was raised by Nowaki’s sister for a while, but sent to Dairen-ji Temple in Odawara at the age of 7.  He shaved his head at the age of 11.  He studied under Priest Gyoshin.  When Gyoshin moved to Gugyo-ji Temple in Hitachi Province, he followed the priest.  In 1573, he became the head priest of the temple.  He happened to visit Saiko-ji Temple in Nanao, Noto Province, when Uesugi Kenshin started invading Noto Province.  Taian fled to Tae-Kongo-ji Temple in Iba, Omi Province in 1576.  Meanwhile, Gugyo-ji Temple was burnt down in the other flames of war in 1577.  In 1579, he took part in the Azuchi Religious Debate, which was hosted by Oda Nobunaga, the ruler of Japan at the time, as one of the 4 members of one side.  His team won in a spectacular fashion, and he won the trust of Nobunaga.  He was given an estate in Azuchi, and established another Saiko-ji Temple there.  On one of those days, Nobunaga gave Teian the Emma statue.

     Nobunaga was, however, killed in 1582.  In 1583, he moved to Kyoto.  Somehow or other, he was invited by Emperor Ogimachi (1517-1593) in 1585 to lecture on the Senchaku Hongan Nembutsushu, which is the magnum opus of Hōnen (1133-1212).  Honen was the founder of the Jodo-shu Sect of Japanese Pure Land.  He preached a sermon in the Imperial Palace next year.  In 1587, the emperor  gave the palace where Nobunaga’s eldest son, Nobutada (1557-1582), had committed hara-kiri suicide in 1582 to establish Daiun-in Temple.  Teian also founded Shonen-ji Temple at the foot of Fushimi Castle, from where Toyotomi Hideyoshi was going to rule Japan.

     In 1615, Teian died, when the Tokugawa Clan wiped out the Toyotomi Clan.  How many times did Teian virtually stand by the gate of the hades,?  How many times did he almost see Emma?  Did Emma look as merciful and pitiful as the statue he had?

     Migawari Kamashiki Jizo Statue, namely Substitute Pot-Mat Jizo Statue, is the guardian of those suffering from being boiled in the pots of hades.  The Buddhist Hades have 8 strata.  In the 4th stratum, people are boiled in a big pot.  Kamashiki Jizo substitutes for them, gets into the pot for them, and heals them of their torment.    

     Arya Tara, or Tara Bosatsu in Japanese, was born from the tears of Avalokiteshvara.  "Myriad beings were undergoing the agonies of boiling, burning, hunger, thirst, yet they never perished, sending forth hideous cries of anguish all the while. When Avalokiteshvara saw this, tears sprang to his eyes. A teardrop from his right eye fell to the plain and became" White Tara, and "A teardrop from his left eye fell upon the plain and became" Green Tara.  The gilt copper statue in Shonen-ji Temple is said to be Green Tara, which belongs to Tibetan Buddhism, and which might have been made somewhere in the northern part of the Indian Subcontinent.  In Tibet,  Green Tara is believed to have manifested herself as the Nepalese Princess, Bhrikuti.  Was the statue molded in Nepal?  It could have been shipped to Sakai.  And somehow or other, Nobunaga got it.  He gave the statue to Priest Teian.  In Japan, there used to be a prejudice against women that women couldn't rest in peace as women even in the next world.  This type of feminine Buddhist statue gave great relief to discriminated female Buddhists.  

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #20 Genchu-ji Temple

     At the beginning of the 17th century, Yodogawa Magistrate raised the tolls for boats and ships which came and went through Yodo River.  People in Fushimi suffered from the hike.  Kobayashi Kanji (?-1618), a firewood merchant who came from Tamba Province, made a direct appeal to the Tokugawa Shogunate out of his sense of righteous indignation.  Thanks to his appeal, the shogunate authorities published the order to lower the tolls.  On his way back from Edo, he was assassinated at Mariko-juku Station along the Eastern Ocean Road.  Kanji, however, had foreseen the fatal incident and hidden the order in the body of a fish, which was safely brought to Fushimi by his comrade and became effective.  His grave and the monument in honor of his contribution and wisdom are still silently yet bravely standing in Genchu-ji Temple. 

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #19 Daikoku-ji Temple

     Prince Takaoka (799-865) founded Chofuku-ji Temple.  It is unknown when it changed its name to Daikoku-ji.  The main deity is the statue of Mahakala, whose Japanese name is Daikokuten.  Probably, the nickname became the name.  The temple’s another (?) nickname is Satsuma-dera.  In 1615, the then lord of the Satsuma Domain, Shimazu Yoshihiro (1535-1619), asked the Kyoto Magistrate, Itakura Katsushige (1545-1624), to let the domain use Daikoku-ji Temple for prayer.  In 1615, the Tokugawa Shogunate finally destroyed its foe, the Toyotomi Clan, in the Siege of Osaka.  The Shimazu Clan had a branch office in Fushimi, and they might have needed a temple to perform a Buddhist memorial services.  The temple was just across the Hori River from the office.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #18 Saiko-ji Temple

     Saiko-ji Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #17 Shinko-ji Temple

     Shinko-ji Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #16 Taishin-ji Temple

     Taishin-ji Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #15 Kosho-ji Temple

     Kosho-ji Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #14 Muryo-ji Temple

     Muryo-ji Temple was recorded being active as a branch temple of Konkai-Komyo-ji Temple in today’s Ebisu-cho as late as in 1870, when the imperial letter to make Shinto the state religion was issued.

     The temple name, muryo, usually means the 68th power of ten.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #13 Joun-ji Temple

     Joun-ji Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #12 Dairen-ji Temple

     When Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) was ruling Japan, Osaka and Kyoto used to be the center of the country.  Many war lords had their mansions in the 2 cities.  As Fushimi used to be a river port town of Kyoto, some great war lords had branch offices there.  As the center moved to Edo, mansions and branch offices in Kyoto became less important.  At the beginning of the Edo Period, Kato Kiyomasa (1562-1611) gave his branch office to Dairen-ji Temple as its main building, which survived the Battle of Toba-Fushimi in 1868 at the end of the Edo Period.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #11 Raiko-ji Temple

     Raiko-ji, or Raigo-ji, Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Actual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #10 Choken-ji Temple

     We stepped out of Chushojima Station along Keihan Line, and walked along the canal, the Horikawa River, which runs out of the Uji River, to get to Terada-ya Inn, where Sakamoto Ryoma (1836-1867), a Bakumatsu-Ishin hero, was almost killed in 1866.

     As we approached Choken-ji Temple, loud flashy red walls and buildings surprised my eyes.  They looked very Chinese when many Japanese temples enjoy their beauty through a sense of austerity and antiquity.  The area the temple is located used to be the Chushojima entertainment district.

     Choken-ji Temple’s main deity is Sarasvati.  As Sarasvati is often depicted holding a biwa, a traditional Japanese lute, some people respect her as a goddess of performing arts, which used to be essential in entertainment districts.

     The temple offers a very unique talisman, in the shape of a medieval coin with a spiral shell depicted on one side.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #9 Amida-ji Temple

     Amida-ji Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #8 Gansho-ji Temple

     Gansho-ji Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #7 Sanpo-ji Temple

     Sanpo-ji Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #6 Daiko-ji Temple

     Hirotsune (1851-1876) was born as the 12th son of Fushimi-no-miya Kuniie (1802-1872).  Hirotsune was a nephew of Emperor Komei (1831-1866), and started another royal branch family, Kacho-no-miya.  When the family moved to Tokyo after the Meiji Restoration, they presented their house to Daiko-ji Temple as its main building.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #5 Genku-ji Temple

     Honen (1133-1212)  founded Jodo-shu Sect, the first independent branch of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism.  Ninku (?-?), who was a disciple of Honen, lived in a hut at the foot of Momoyama Hills.  Banzuii (1542-1615), a Jodo-shu priest, moved the temple to the present location in 1612 under the approval of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616).  The temple was burned down in 1848, only with the bell tower surviving.

     Honen 25 Precincts Pilgrimage was organized in the middle of 18th century with those remembered in connection with Honen.  Genku-ji Temple is #25 of it as well as #5 of Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #4 Kannon-ji Temple

     How many Kannon-ji Temples do we have in Japan?  Kannon-ji Temple in Fushimi is one of many.  Legend has it that Prince Shotoku (574-622) established the temple, whose main deity is Arya Avalokitesvara, who is the human-figure prototype of other 6 metamorphoses of Avalokitesvara.

     A guidebook about Kyoto, which was published in 1787, says, “The main deity is the Kannon statue, which used to be the guardian Buddha for Lady Tokiwa, who was the mother of Minamoto Yoshitsune (1159-1189).”

     When Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) built Fushimi Castle, he moved the temple south to Mukojima.  Under the Tokugawa Shogunate, it was moved back to the present place.  The temple most thrived when Jiun (1718-1805) worked for it.  He wrote the great work of the Introduction to Sanskrit, which was appreciated by Sylvain Levi (1863-1935), a French scholar who taught Sanskrit in  Ecole pratique des hautes etudes.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #3 Koden-ji Temple

     Koden-ji Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha, but it also has the Arya Avalokitesvara wooden statue, which is presumed to have been carved in the Muromachi Period (1336-1573).

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #2 Hoen-ji Temple

     Hoen-ji Temple belongs to the Pure Land School of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.  Its main deity is, as the matter of course, Amitabha.

Virtual Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #1 Getsukyo-in Temple

     As the novel coronavirus infection prevents me from going on any 33 Kannon pilgrimage, I’m virtually visiting Kannon temples.  First, Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

     The written record of Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage dates back to 1841.  The most temples are located within Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, but two are in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture.

     Getsukyo-in Temple is #1 Temple of Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

     The Fushimi-no-miya Family is one of the oldest branches of the Imperial family of Japan.  Yoshihito (1351-1456), the eldest son of Emperor Suko (1334-1398), founded the family.  He and his descendants had lived in Fushimi till the Meiji Restoration, and then moved to Tokyo.

     Sadafusa (1372-1456) was the third head of the Fushimi-no-miya Family.  In 1425, he shaved his head and became a Buddhist priest at Getsukyo-an Hermitage, which later became Getsukyo-in Temple.  There, he kept a diary, Kanbun Nikki (literally To See and To Hear Journal) for 33 years, which is known as a historical document.

     Getsukyo literally means Moon Bridge. Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) loved the moon and the bridge across the Uji River, and held moon viewing parties where the temple is located today.

     The temple was popular for admiring the moon and as the first temple of Fushimi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in the Edo Period.

Virtual 33 Kannon Pilgrimage (1)

     I have introduced brief histories of 94 sets of the 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Japan.  I wanted to make it A to Z, but instead A to Y.  I feel a little bit of exhausted , but not exhaustive.  I’m sure we have more.

     I wish the novel coronavirus pandemic would wane out someday and that I could restart actually going on another 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

Yokohama City 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

     Yokohama City 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized in 1920.  It is unknown by whom and why it was organized.  It’s fairly new but doesn’t seem to be popular.

     The pilgrimage’s list cannot be found even in the History of Yokohama City, an unpublished book.  But the book introduces the temples in the city, including the member temples of the pilgrimage.  The pilgrimage is barely mentioned in those pages. 

Western Awa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

     Western Awa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized as a copy pilgrimage of Eastern Awa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.  Of course, Eastern Awa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage had been organized as a copy pilgrimage of Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

     Surprisingly enough, Awa Province had more 33 Kannon pilgrimages: Eastern Awa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, Awa Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, and Awa Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage.  Those 3 sets of 33 Kannon Pilgrimages constituted Awa 100 Kannon Pilgrimage.  The Awa people must have loved Kannon pilgrimages.  No wonder, it was Yamamoto Raku (1845-1927), who was born, grew up, and worked in Awa Province, that newly organized the 33 Kannon pilgrimage all across Hokkaido in 1913, after she retired from her successful business.

Western Mino 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

     Western Mino 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized sometime in the Edo Period. Most of the 33 temples were chosen from those in the Ogaki Domain.  The pilgrimage manners are slightly different from other 33 Kannon Pilgrimages.  Worshippers are supposed to write down their wishes on blocks of wood and light a sacred fire for invocation, Homa, with them to realize their wishes.

Wakayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

     The Wakayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimage temples are distributed within the center of Wakayama City.

     It is unknown when the pilgrimage was organized.

     It is recorded that #1 Kosho-ji Temple was founded in 1612, #2 in 1615, #5 in 1624, #6 in 1615, #7 in 1600, #8 in 1829, #9 in 1691, #10 in 1621, #11 in 1508, #15 in 1616, #16 in 814, and #31 in 1572.

     If no temple had ever been replaced, the pilgrimage could not have been organized before 1829.  From the second half of the 18th century to the first half of the 19th century, popular culture flourished.  For example, Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) printed thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji in 1829.  The pilgrimage could have been organized in the first half of the 19th century.

     After the restoration of royal rule in 1867, however, we had the movement to abolish Buddhism early in the Meiji Period.  Once the movement ceased, some temples tried to organize new 33 Kannon Pilgrimages to survive.  The pilgrimage might have been organized those days.

Wakasa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

     Wakasa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage was organized in 1982.

     I first visited Wakasa a couple decades ago.  I was on my way from #29 Matsunoo-dera Temple to #30 Hogon-ji Temple of Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.  I had heard that the water of the Omizutori ceremony in Todai-ji Temple, Nara, is mystically sent from Wakasa. The Omizutori ceremony is held on March 12. Previously, on March 2, a ceremony is held in Wakasa.  The hearsay took me to Wakasa.  In those years, the highway wasn’t built yet, nor the guide boards were’t fully installed yet.  I fumbled about for the spot.  That, however, made me all the happier to find the spot, and the memory still lingers on me.

     The spot was along Onyu River, south-east from Obama City.  The river led me to Wakasa-Hime and Wakasa-Hiko Shrines first.  I made my way into the ravine and reached Unose to find a small torii, a Shinto shrine gate.  A passerby local told me that was it.  It didn’t impress me so much at the time.

     This time, they had an information desk with a tiny museum.  The display showed that Wakasa-Hiko Shrine has its temple, Jingu-ji Temple, whose buddhism priest administers the ceremony to send water to Nara from Wakasa.  Local people hold up a torch with their hand.  The priest holds a religious rites to send water to Nara at the Unose riverbank.  The priest recites the ritual prayer to send water and floats it on the river.  The photos actually left me a deep impression.  Little wonder the well from which the water is taken drawn in Todai-ji Temple is called the Wakasa Well.

     That is a myth-like legend born in the 8th century.  It is hardly believable that the water from Onyu River flows underground for about 90 kilometers to Nara.  However, many thin wooden strips used to write on in ancient times have been unearthed in the Heijo-kyo Capital ruins, saying that countless tributes were sent to the Yamato Imperial Court from Wakasa Province.  Many people immigrated from the Korean Peninsula and Primorsky to Wakasa, and that enabled the province to provide Buddhist priests and engineers to Nara.  The construction of Todai-ji Temple might never have been completed without their support and efforts.  That might have been the context behind the Wakasa Well legend.