Virtual Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage #33 Chofuku-ji Temple

 

     Eight robbers once settled in the nearby Hachinin Pass. One day, a Buddhist monk passed by. The robbers tried to rob the monk of all that he had, but were paralyzed by the Buddhist power of the monk. They suffered a torment, and finally apologized to the monk. The monk explained their faults, saying, "If you continue your evil deeds, you will surely fall into hell. The suffering in hell is far more painful than the suffering this time." The monk gave them the Avalokitesvara statue and left. After that, they changed their minds, put the Avalokitesvara statue in a hut, and lived a normal life.

     In the 1560's, Nagao Kagetora (1530-1578) in Echigo Province and Takeda Harunobu (1521-1573) invaded the Kanto Region to solve their domestic starvation. In September, 1569, the Takeda army invaded Musashi Province. The Takeda Clan, who actively attempted to advance into the Kanto Region, mainly used the Usui Pass between Shinano and Kozuke Provinces, but their troops also used Karisaka Pass between Kai Province and Chichibu County. In the battles, the hut was completely burned down. Then, the Avalokitesvara statue was moved to a nearby hermitage called Chofuku-an. In 1592, Priest Kendo (?-1615) made it the temple and named it Chofuku-ji.

Address: 1104 Shimoyoshida, Chichibu, Saitama 369-1503

Phone: 0494-77-0233