Virtual Eastern Edo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #9 Myoon-in Temple

 

     Myoon-in Temple used to be by Ubaga-ike Pond, which was reclaimed in 1891.

     When Senso-ji Temple was founded in the 6th or 7th century, the area was called Asajiga-hara, and wasteland stretched as far as the eye could see.  The highway to Mutsu Province ran through the wasteland.  A solitary shabby house was by a pond along the highway.   An old woman and her daughter lived in the shack.  When it got dark in Asajiga-hara, travelers had no choice but to ask for a stay in the shank.  The 2 women kindly let them stay.  In the dead of night, the old woman revealed her true character.  She had a traveler sleep with a stone pillow.  When the traveler fell fast asleep, she dropped a big stone on the head of the traveler.  She took away money and goods, and dumped bodies in the pond.  The daughter found the deeds shameful and mean, and tried to stop her mother many times.  The old woman wouldn’t listen to her daughter.

     The old woman had killed 999 travelers.  One evening, a handsome young man asked for a stay.  The old woman led him to bed as usual, and waited for him to fall fast asleep.  At an appropriate time, she dropped a big stone on his head.  When she checked his body, she realized that it was her daughter’s.  She regretted having killed her own daughter, and threw herself into the pond.  Thereafter, the pond came to be called Ubaga-ike, literally Old Woman’s Pond.  Myoon-in Temple still conserves the stone pillow.

     Myoon-in Temple was one of the 21 branch temples for the monks who prayed.

     Hojo Ujitsuna (1487-1541, the second head of the Later Hojo Clan, not only revived Senso-ji Temple but also controlled it.  Ujitsuna ordered Daidoji Morimasa (1495-1556) in 1539 to rebuild buildings for Senso-ji Temple.  Ujitsuna also appointed Chugo, a family member of Toyama Naokage (?-1533), to be the head priest of Senso-ji Temple.  The branch temples of Senso-ji Temple had increased to over 100.  Chugo organized them into 12 branch temples for the monks who studied Buddhism, and 21 branch temples for the monks who prayed.

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