Virtual Old Kasai 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #16 Tamon-ji Temple

     In the estuary of Ara, Iruma, and Tone Rivers, small islands ("su" in Japanese) were formed.  In the islands, rice fields ("ta" in Japanese) were developed, and the area was called Suda or later Sumida.  In the 950's, a temple was founded in Sumida, and was named Guden-ji with its main deity, Acalanatha.  Guden is a Chinese-style pronunciation of Sumida.

     When Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) moved to Edo in 1590, there was a big flood in the estuary.  Ieyasu ordered to build and rebuild levees, and the temple was moved to its present place.  The temple lost its main deity in the flood, replaced it with Vaisravana, and named itself Tamon-ji.  Tamon is a Japanese translation of Vaisravana, whose transliteration is Bishamon.

Address: 5 Chome-31-13 Sumida, Sumida City, Tokyo 131-0031

Phone: 03-3616-6002