Virtual Musashi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #11 Hyozaemon's Residence

 

     The #11 deity of the Musashi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage is a mystery.  The deity was said to be a statue of Arya Avalokitesvara, who is the human-figure prototype of the other 6 metamorphoses.  The statue was enshrined in a private house of a Hyozaemon, who lived in Hikonari Village.   The hall for the statue kept stirrups of Taneyoshi, its bamboo basket said the stirrups had been presented by the ancestors of Toyoda Sobe (Yoshitsune), Kichizo (Kanetoki), Kyube (Kanehide), and Yasoji (Yoshitoki).  Although they were farmers, their name in parentheses showed they were offspring of samurai.  Sobe was the head of the village.

     It is unknown why the Avalokitesvara Hall was kept private, why the private hall was included in the pilgrimage, and what the history of the Arya Avalokitesvar statue was like.  

A modern list of the pilgrimage says that the statue is enshrined in Hikokura Community Center, while the other says it is enshrined in Hikotomi or Hikonari Community Center under the care of the Musashi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #12 Enmyo-in Temple.  I wonder if someone would kindly visit the centers to check the information.

Hikotomi Community Center

Address: 1 Chome-98 Hikonari Misato, Saitama 341-0003

Hikokura Community Center

Address: 1 Chome-60 Hikokura, Misato, Saitama 341-0053

Phone: 0489-52-6836