Virtual Musashino 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #5 Tamon-ji Temple

 

     Baihon-bo Hermitage was built on the north bank of Ochiai River either in 1224 or 1225.  The south bank of the river is a spring-fed area.  When people developed the south bank, they invited Hikawa Shrine.  People in the north bank might have invited Tenman-gu Shrine and built Baihon-bo Hermitage as its shrine temple.

     In 1349, Priest Yukan brought Vaisravana to Baihonbo-Hermitage and changed the hermitage into Tamon-ji Temple.  Tamonten is another name of Vaisravana in Japanese.

     Tamon-ji Temple's precincts have a hall which enshrines the image of Cintamanicakra, who usually has 6 arms and holds chintamani (a wish-fulfilling jewel) in one of the six.  It is unknown whether the image of Cintamanicakra is older than that of Vaisravana or younger.

     The precincts also have the itabi of Priest Ryokei dated 1498, that of Priest Ryoshin dated 1525, and that of Priest Ken'ei dated 1551.  They have another itabi dated 1505.

     What is Hikawa Shrine?

     In Izumo Province, today's Shimane Peninsula used to be an island in the Jomon Period (BC 14000-BC 10th century).  The Hi River filled the shallows between the Old Shimane Island and Honshu, and the Izumo Plain was formed about 10,000 years ago.  Rice growing arrived, and people there accumulated experience to change marshes and swamps into rice fields.  With this experience, Etakehi arrived at Musashi Province.  There, he or his offspring founded Hikawa Shrine, namely Hi River Shrine.  Presumably, he tried to control the floods of the Ara and Iruma Rivers.

     In the Jomon Period, Muashino Plateau's east side faced the sea. and the Ara and Iruma Rivers ran into the sea at the foot of the plateau.   The Hiki area used to be just 10 kilometers upstream from the mouth of the Ara River.  Etakehi , his offspring, his successors, and/or his followers tried to change marshes and swamps in the estuary of the Ara and Iruma Rivers into rice fields, and invited the god of Hikawa Shrine to their new rice fields.

     It is unknown, though, whether the developers of the Ochiai Valley were the offspring of Etakehi or already had nothing to do with him and just invited the god of their hometown.

Address: 4 Chome-13-16 Honcho, Higashikurume, Tokyo 203-0053

Phone: 042-471-1234

Minamisawa-Hikawa Shrinekurume

Address: 3 Chome−5−8 Minamisawa, Higashikurume, Tokyo 203-0023

Phone: 042-471-1542