Virtual Quasi-Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage #16 Ryochu-ji Temple

 

     Ryochu-ji Temple was founded by Priest Ryochu (1199-1287) in 1278, and was revived by Priest San’yo in 1742.

     Ryochu stayed in Kamakura between 1259 and 1276.  One day, he was walking from Komyo-ji Temple in Kamakura to Komyo-ji Temple in Unoki, Musashi Province, which still keeps the Buddhist stole of his.  When he was walking near Tsurumi River, he thought he heard his named called repeatedly from the woods along the river.  He found it mysterious, and asked the villagers to search for the caller.  They found a Bhaisajyaguru statue.  The priest built a hermitage in the woods, enshrined the statue in it, and put Dharmapala to guard the statue.

     Since then, the woods came to be called Dharmapala Woods, and became a holy place for the local people.  Eventually, the priest made it a temple.

     Dharmapala (the Defenders of the Dharma, or the Protectors of the Law)  are the guards of the 8 directions, East, West, North, South, heaven and earth, and the sun and the moon.  They are enshrined to defend and protect an important spot such as where an attestation ceremony for an acharya is performed.

     Dharmapala are composed of Indra (East), Agni (Southeast), Yama (South), Raksasa (Southwest), Varuna (West), Vayu (Northwest), Vaisravana (North), Isana (Northeast), Brahma (Heaven), Prthivi (Earth), Surya (the Sun), and Candra (the Moon).

     In 1742, a super-typhoon made landfall at Osaka and hit Edo.  It started raining on August 26, and the storm hit the provinces between Osaka and Edo, causing many rivers to flood.  Along Chikuma River alone, more than 200 tons of water was estimated to have flooded.  On 30, the typhoon hit Edo, and not only downtowns but even samurai mansions on the heights were flooded.  On September 1, Tone, Ara, and Tama Rivers flooded.  On 6, another typhoon hit the Kanto Region, and it kept flooding till 8.

     Presumably, the former temple buildings and precincts were lost in the flood.  The 41st priest of the temple, Priest San’yo moved the temple to the present place in Yako Village.  It was in 1769 that another temple bell, the present temple bell, was casted.  According to the inscription, the former one had been casted in 1704.

     The temple also keeps a hanging scroll with 6 characters drawn by Priest Yuten (1637-1718), a well-known psychic, and his Buddhist stole for some reason or other.

     Of course, the temple has an Avalokitesvara statue: the statue of Cintamanicakra, who usually has 6 arms and holds chintamani (a wish-fulfilling jewel) in one of the six.  Long time ago, there used to be rosebushes growing in crowds.  One day, the Cintamanicakra statue was found beneath the bush.  The area is very mysterious, isn’t it? 

Address: 4 Chome-21-36 Yako, Tsurumi Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0001

Phone: 045-581-5414