Virtual Okitama 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #25 Ryusho-in Temple

 

     Cornus controversa, or wedding cake tree, is a flowering plant native to Japan.  In early spring, water is sucked up to a great extent, and if the bark is damaged, a large amount of water overflows.  Red streaks of sap may form on the bark.  The sap contains sugar, and a certain type of natural yeast in the air, Fusarium, breeds in the sap, causing the red color.

     Akashiba Village was a forestry village in Okitama County, Dewa Province.  One day, a villager found a tree breeding.  He carved a Buddhist image out of the tree and enshrined it in the village.  Later, a bronze image of Arya Avalokitesvara, who is the human-figure prototype of the other 6 metamorphoses, was casted.  Following the tradition, the image sits on a stump with an unrolled scroll on its laps.

     Its precincts have a Somoku Pagoda.  Somoku literally means Grass and Trees.  There are over 160 Somoku Pagodas in Japan.  Approximately 90% of them are concentrated in Yamagata Prefecture, especially in the Okitama Region.  One pagoda is engraved: All the mountains, rivers, plants and trees attain Buddhahood.

     A Somoku Pagoda is a stone monument that was erected to express gratitude for plants and pray for their growth.  In 1772, the Edo mansion of the Yonezawa Domain was burnt down, and in order to rebuild it, trees in the mountain forest of Shiojihira, Iritazawa Village, Okitama County, Dewa Province, were cut down.  On April 17th, 1780, a large fire broke out in present-day Awa-machi, Doya-machi, and Tate-machi of Yonezawa City, and another large number of trees were cut down to support the reconstruction of the towns.  The pagoda was erected to show gratitude for the large amount of timber that was cut down for the reconstruction efforts of the residence and the towns.

Address: 12 Akashibamachi, Yonezawa, Yamagata 992-0075

Phone: 0238-32-2528