Virtual Musashino 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #18 Renge-in Temple

 

     Renge-in Temple is said to have been founded by Jakuren (1139–1202) in Kurosu Village, Iruma County, Musashi Province, in 1201.  The temple burned down in 1568, and was revived by Priest Kakujo (?-1658).

     Jakuren, Fujiwara Sadanaga before becoming a monk, was a Japanese Buddhist priest and poet.  As he took Saigyo (1118-1190) as his model and traveled around the country, composing poems of his travels, it is possible that he visited the Iruma River.  However, he was appointed to be one of compilers of imperially-commissioned Japanese anthologies of tanka poems in 1201, one year before his death.  He could have been too busy and too weak to visit the Iruma River in the year.

     The Collection of Tanka Poems by Jakuren contains the following tanka poem, which is supposed to have been written during his trip to the Kanto Region in September and October of either 1190 or 1191:

In far dead grasslands,

I can neither find a human figure nor hear insects chirping

From a humble cottage.

     Presumably, literary admirers or adorers of Jakuren founded a temple in a place remembered in connection with him, commemorating his assuming an imperial compiler, enshrining Thousand-Armed Sahasrabhuja.

Address: 2 Chome-9-1 Kasugacho, Iruma, Saitama 358-0006

Phone: 04-2962-2254