Virtual Kesen 33 Kannon Pigrimage #6 Bato Kannon-do Hall

 

     It is unknown when a Horse-Headed Hayagriva statue was enshrined in Katajike Hamlet, Yahagi Village, Kesen County, Mutsu Province.  The statue is said to have a furious look.  The predecessor hall was built sometime between 1804 and 1817.  As its precincts have stone guardian dogs, the hall's predecessor might have been Komagata Shrine.

     Horse-Headed Hayagriva is called Bato Kannon in Japanese, so, in one sense, the hall is nameless.  It is unknown why they didn't name it Katajike something when they founded it, but, as there are countless Kannon-ji Temples in Japan, we can't blame their naming sense.  They might have found it safe to leave it nameless.  However, why, then, didn't they choose Arya Avalokitesvara, who is the human-figure prototype of the other 6 metamorphoses, safely?

Address: Katajike-12-2 Yahagicho, Rikuzentakata, Iwate 029-2201