Virtual Musashi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #21 Kannon-do Hall of Seisho-in Temple

 

     Seisho-in Temple is located along the Naka River, which used to be the Old Tone River.

     When the estuary of the Old Tone River was developed, huts for laborers were built for about10 kilometers along the street which was later called Shimozuma Road and which had been used when Minamoto Yoriyoshi (985-1078) and his son, Yoshiie (1039-1106), sent their troops to Mutsu Province to suppress the Abe and Kiyohara Clans there in ancient times.  At the northern end, a Buddhist hermitage was built.  In 1489, Priest Shuko changed it to a temple and named it Saisho-ji, namely the Best Temple.

     One day, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) visited the temple and heard about the development.  As he knew Tofuku-ji (namely East Fortune Temple) had been founded when its surrounding area was developed in Shimousa Province, he renamed Saisho-in with the other Chinese character, namely West Good Temple.

     In 1907, Saisho-in Temple merged with Seizo-in Temple, namely Clean Warehouse Temple, and renamed itself again Seisho-ji, namely Clean Good Temple.  A farmer, Gozaemon, had built a hermitage, which later became Seizo-in Temple.

Address: 1763 Hachijo, Yashio, Saitama 340-0801

Phone: 048-997-8388