Virtual Koma 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #10 Kannon-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Kannon-ji Temple was founded.  Its main deity, the statue of Cintamanicakra, who usually has 6 arms and holds chintamani (a wish-fulfilling jewel) in one of the six, was said to have been carved by Kukai (774-835).

     The temple also keeps a drawing of Looking-at-Cascade Avalokitesvar, which was said to have been drawn by Kao, who was a famous painter in the 14th century.  It hasn’t been, however, identified who Kao was.

     Some suggest that he was a painter of the Takuma School with the name Jinga, who belonged to the line from Takuma Shoga at the beginning of the 12th century to Takuma Eiga at the end of the 14th century.  He was given the suffix “ga” as an important member of the school.

     The others argue that the Kao was another career of Kao Sonen (?-1345), a monk of Chan Buddhism, who went to Yuan Dynasty China in 1320, studied under Zhongfeng Mingben (1263–1323) and Gulin Qingmao (1262-1329), and returned to Japan in 1326.  Back in Japan, he stayed and studied in Sofuku-ji, Manju-ji, Kencho-ji, and Nanzen-ji Temples.  No contemporary written documents, however, talked about his painting.  Anyway, his style somewhat resembled that of Liang Kai (1140-1210) in Southern Song Dynasty China.

     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: #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.

     Some subjects came directly from the Lotus Supra Chapter XXV, some were based on folklore in China, and others had been created in Japan.  He put stronger emphasis on the number 33, and might have ramified a couple of subjects to increase the number to 33.  He also might have considered the 33 subjects to be artistically more meaningful manifestations of Avalokitesvara than those from the Lotus Sutra, at least in Japan.

     Kannon-ji Temple was said to be revived by Priest Choyo (?-1735).  It might have been abandoned during the great famine in the 1730’s.

     Bad weather started at the end of 1731.  In 1732, the rainy season lasted for 2 months, and that caused a cold summer.  Harmful planthoppers bred on rice plants.  In 46 domains, their rice harvest reduced to 27 percent.  969,900 people died of hunger.  In the Kanto Region, tax increases imposed by Tokugawa Yoshimune (1684-1751) had weakened the resilience of peasants.

     The temple has a Dakini statue.  Dakini is a type of sacred female spirit in Hinduism and Buddhism and was disseminated to Japan through Shingon Buddhism.  It became linked to the Inari God with the fox iconography.

Address: 5-17 Yamatecho, Hanno, Saitama 357-0031

Phone: 042-973-1331