Virtual Tama Aqueduct Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage #19 Myosho-in Temple

 

     Tama County, Musashi Province, used to have many ancient burial mounds, which were built after the 4th century.  There used to be a community with pit dwellings in Irima Village from the 4th century to the 12th century.  Living in pit dwellings even in the 12th century seems way behind the times.  The community had a burial mound.  Kasumine Shrine used to be located at the foot of the mound.  It is unknown when the shrine was founded.  Sometime between 1532 and 1558, Myosho-in Temple was founded as its shrine temple  by Priest Shukai.

     Inaribo Sekizan (?-1735) ran a pawn shop in Yotsuya-Shio-machi, Edo.  One day, he got a combination of 3 Buddhist images unredeemed, and thought that he would get worldly profit by enshrining the combination in a temple.  He donated the statue to Myosho-in Temple in 1735.

     The combination of 3 Buddhist images became the main deity of the temple, which has Amitabha in the center, Avalokitesvara on the left, and Mahasthamaprapta on the right.  They represent a very rare style: to sit with their left foot treading.

     The temple’s thousand-armed 11-faced Ekadasamukha was believed to have manifested itself as the god of Kasumine in Japan.

     The temple was presented a thousand-armed thousand-eyed Sahasrabhuja statue in 1673.

     Myosho-in Temple is also the #18 of the Tama River 34 Kannon Pilgrimage.

Address: 2 Chome−19−12 Irimacho, Chofu, Tokyo 182-0004

Phone: 03-3300-8979