Virtual Hachioji 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #12 Tofuku-ji Temple

     Long time ago, an 11-faced Ekadasamukha statue was enshrined in Awanosu Village.  The statue is called Fuetsugi Kannon, literally Mending Flute Avalokitesvara.

     Hojo Ujiteru (1542-1590) had one of the 2 celebrated flutes.  One of his vassal, an Asano, was also good at playing the flute, so Ujiteru trusted the flute to him.  One day, Asano snapped the flute off by accident.  Hardly could he find its replacement, he prayed to the Ekadasamukha statue day and night to make his body as a substitute for the broken flute.  One night, he had a holy dream.  Next morning, he found the flute mended.  The story reached Ujiteru, and he checked the flute.  He was amazed and told Asano to change his name Fuehikobe, namely Flute-hikobe.  When Hachioji Castle was seized, Fuehikobe was in the castle to guard the flute.  He was killed in the battle, and the flute was reduced to ashes.  The Ekadasamukha statue survived and came to be called Fuetsugi Kannon.

     It is unknown when and by whom Tofuku-ji Temple was founded.  The temple was damaged by fire when the Takeda Clan invaded the Kanto Region in 1567, and when Hachioji Castle was seized in 1590.  The temple was revived by Priest Eigen (?-1705), and the Ekadasamukha statue came to belong to the temple. 

     Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604-1651), the third shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate, dissolved many clans to strengthen the power of the shogunate.  This increased the number of masterless and jobless samurai and destabilized society.  To restabilize the society, he strengthened the danka system.  Every citizen was supposed to belong to a Buddhist temple.  That was a business opportunity for would-be priests.  Eigen took full advantage of the opportunity as Raiei and Kakugen did in Chofuku-ji and Kifuku-ji Temples.

Address: 1122 Komiyamachi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0031

Phone: 042-642-2666