Virtual Miura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #30 Shoju-ji Temple

      Shoju-ji Temple was founded in 1468 by Ashikaga Yoshimasa, who also built Ginkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto 15 years later.  Its first location is unknown, but, after several moves, it finally removed to the present place by the end of the 19th century.

     The inner circle of the main hall is marked off with vermillion lines.  In the middle of it, the main deity, Avalokitesvara, is deeply concealed in a divine box.  Instead, the substitute Avalokitesvara statue stands in front of the box.

     The main deity is Arya Avalokitesvara.  Tradition has it that the statue used to be the guardian deity of Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1435-1490), the 8th shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate, who also built Ginkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto 15 years later. The Arya Avalokitesvara statue, unlikely from other Arya Avalokitesvara statues, performs a mudra with its hands and fingers like Tathagata, and is called Mudra Avalokitesvara.

Address: 5 Chome-1-5 Hayashi, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 238-0315