Virtual Shinobu Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage #31 Jurin-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Jurin-ji Temple was founded in Aketo Village, Hara County, Musashi Province.  It is also unknown when Hachima Shrine was invited to the village.  As the temple and the shrine are located on the north bank of the Ara River, the area might have been developed rather new, presumably in the Edo Period.

     There used to be the Juo Belief in Japan.  Juo literally means 10 kings, and who are actually 10 judges who reside between this world and the next world and who evaluate the dead, assessing their deeds in this world.

     The first 7 judges are on duty after a multiple of seven, but we didn't have the idea of 0 and the day people die is the day one.  So, the first judge, King Qinguang, judges the dead 6 days after their death.  King Chujiang judges the dead 13 days after their death.  King Songdi judges after 20 days, King Wuguan after 27 days, King Yanmo after 34 days, King Biancheng after 41 days, and King Taishan after 48 days.

     King Pingdeng doesn't seem so hard-working and judges the dead after 99 days.  As Pingdeng literally means equality or egalitarianism, the king might care about work-life balance.  The other 2 kings are less occupied.  King Dushi judges the dead a year after their death, and King Wudaozhuanlun after 2 years.  The dead have to wait for 2 years before they are judged which hell to go to.

     If you are familiar with Chinese pronunciations, you can easily guess the belief originated in Chana, based on Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Purvapranidhana Sutra, which is suspected to be Buddhist apocrypha, not in India, where Buddhism was born and its sutras were written in Sanskrit.  In Japan, some regarded the 10 terms each king represented as 10 wheels, and founded some Jurin-ji Temples , namely Ten Wheels Temples.  As the belief came to Japan in the 12th century, any Jurin-ji Temple cannot be so old.  As the Shinobu Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage #30 Jurin-ji Temple's sango is Daijizan, namely Great Mercy Mountain, they wished for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to mercifully let them pass the 10 terms smoothly and peacefully.

     Aketo Village was developed on the north bank of the Ara River.

     About 5,000 years ago, The Old Ara and the Old Tone Rivers ran along today's Ara River.  Until the Warring States Period, the Old Tone and the Old Ara Rivers ran through today's Ayase River.  Ayase River was named so as its watercourse was Ayashi, namely shaky.  All in all, the north-eastern half of Musashi Province was trifled with rivers.

     Although Jurin-ji Temple still has its hall and graveyard, it is out of business.

Address: 148-2 Kawamotoaketo, Fukaya, Saitama 369-1103

Aketo-Hachiman Shrine

Address: 113 Kawamotoaketo, Fukaya, Saitama 369-1103

Phone: 048-532-3874 c/o Mikajiri-Hachiman Shrine