Virtual Ika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #31 Toiwa-dera Temple

     Yoshiro-kaku Museum opened in 1989 to preserve the Buddhist statues in Toiwa-dera Temple, which was founded in 716, and which is out of business today.  Saicho (767-822), Kukai (774-835), Ennin (794-864) and other well-known priests visited the temple one after another.  Over 30 priests were living and training in its high time there.

Toiwa-dera Temple had its Kannon-do building with its deity, the Holding-Fish-Cage Avalokitesvar statue.  The statue is presumed to have been carved in the 9th century, and is a very rare type, which is not included in the popular “6 types”: #1 Arya Avalokitesvara, who is the human-figure prototype of other 6 metamorphoses, #2 Ekadasamukha, who has 11 faces, #3 Sahasrabhuja, who has 1,000 arms, #4 Cintamanicakra, who usually has 6 arms and holds chintamani (a wish-fulfilling jewel) in one of the six, #5 Hayagriva , who has the head of a horse, #6 Cundi, who has 16 arms and appears to be female, and, #7 Amoghapasa, who usually has 3 eyes and 8 arms.  Didn't I say 6-type?  The Shingon Sect Buddhists assert that the last one should be Cundi, while the Tendai Sect Buddhists maintain that it should be Amoghapasa.  They all believe that Arya Avalokitesvara can metamorphose into 5, and that they can carve 6 types of Avalokitesvara statues in total.

     Anyway, the Holding-Fish-Cage Avalokitesvar statue was not included in those types.  However, later in the Edo Period, Tosa Hidenobu (?-?) published Butsuzo-zui (Illustrated Compendium of Buddhist Images) in 1783.  In the compendium, he listed 33 popular subjects of Buddhism Avalokitesvara drawings and paintings, and the Holding-Fish-Cage Avalokitesvar statue was included in the 33.  Holding-Fish-Cage Avalokitesvar is a localized version of Avalokitesvar statue.

For your reference, the 33 types of Avalokitesvar statues Hidenobu listed were: #1 Holding-Willow-Spray Avalokitesvar, #2 Naga Avalokitesvar, #3 Holding-Buddhism-Scripture Avalokitesvar, #4 Halo Avalokitesvar, #5 Sitting-on-Cloud Avalokitesvar, #6 Pandara Vasini Avalokitesvar, #7 Sitting-on-Lotus-Leaf Avalokitesvar, #8 Looking-at-Cascade Avalokitesvar, #9 Listening-to-Stream Avalokitesvar, #10 Holding-Fish-Cage Avalokitesvar, #11 Brahman (Virtuous-Lord) Avalokitesvar, #12 Looking-at-Reflected-Moon Avalokitesvar, #13 Sitting-on-Leaf Avalokitesvar, #14 Blue-Head Avalokitesvar, #15 Great-Commander Avalokitesvar, #16 Life-Prolonging Avalokitesvar, #17 Relief-from-Ruination Avalokitesvar, #18 In-Cave-with-Venom Avalokitesvar, #19 Wave-Reduction Avalokitesvar, #20 Anavatapta Avalokitesvar, #21 One-Knee-Drawn-Up Avalokitesvar, #22 Leaf-Robe Avalokitesvar, #23 Holding-Lapis-Lazuli-Censer Avalokitesvar, #24 Tara Avalokitesvar, #25 Sit-in-in-Clam Avalokitesvar, #26 Twenty-Four-Hour Avalokitesvar, #27 Universal-Benevolence Avalokitesvar, #28 Celestial Beauty Avalokitesvar, #29 Brahmani Avalokitesvar, who put palms together, #30 Controlling-Thunderbolt Avalokitesvar, #31 Peaceful-Vajrapani Avalokitesvar, #32 Holding-Lotus-Flower Avalokitesvar, and #33 Sprinkling-Purified-Water Avalokitesvar.

     Then, why 33?  Why not 6?

     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.  That is why 33 temples were organized into one 33 Kannon pilgrimage too.