Virtual Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #33 Nago-ji Temple

 

     When Itsuse left Kyushu with his younger brother, Sano, to the east, Amenotomi accompanied them.  Itsuse and Sano moved eastward along the Set Inland Sea.  In ancient Japan, every powerful family had their own servants to gods.  In Sanuki Province, Amenotomi employed people who served gods.  After Itsuse died, Sano invaded Yamato Province through Ki Province, where Amenotomi employed another servants to the gods.  After the invasion, Amenotomi built a palace in Kashiwara, Yamato Province, with the wood of Ki Province.

     Sano's offspring, or the Royal Clan in Yamato Province, kept invading eastward along the Black Current.  Amenotomi's offspring also brought people who grew cereals and hemp in Awa Province to the east.  They arrived at the Mera Beach in the Boso Peninsula, grew cereals and hemp there, and built another Awa Province.

     Empress Yamatonekotakamizukiyotarashi (680-748) succeeded Empress Ahe (661-721) in 715.  In 717, Gyoki (668-749) was visiting Awa Province, and happened to find a piece of foreign wood in the sea. He picked it up and carved a thousand-armed Sahasrabhuja statue out of it.  By coincidence, Empress Yamatonekotakamizukiyotarashi was ill, and was cured when Gyoki carved the statue and made prayers to it.  The empress ordered that a temple should be built for the statue.

    The temple used to be located on the top of the hill, but it collapsed in the 1703 Great Genroku Earthquake on November 23rd.  It was rebuilt on the hillside in 1759 with Okamoto Hyoe leading the reconstruction.

    You can sail back to Kamakura across the sea from Nago Port to go back to the start of the pilgrimage.

    Nago-ji Temple is also the Old Awa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #1.  It means you can start visiting another pilgrimage from the temple, and your 33 Kannon Pilgrimage goes on and on.

Address: 1125 Nago, Tateyama, Chiba 294-0055

Phone: 0470-27-2444

Mera Beach

Address: Mera, Tateyama, Chiba 294-0234