Virtual Kesen 33 Kannon Pigrimage #19 Inakosawa Kannon-do Hall

 

     Somehow, Ogino Masamoto drifted away from Hyuga Province in Kyushu.  In 1590, he arrived at Aizu County, Mutsu Province, but couldn't get a regular job.  He finally settled down in Ishibashi Hamlet, Hikoroichi Village, Kesen County in the same province in 1616.  Somehow, he became rich.  His grandchild changed their family name to Suzuki.  2 generations later, a branch family developed Inakozawa.

     The branch family was also rich somehow.  They made replicas of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in 1711.  In 1751, the family added the replicas of the Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage and the Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage.  When a ranking list of millionaires was published in the first half of the 19th century, the Suzuki Family in Inakosawa was ranked first in Mutsu Province.  After the Meiji Restoration, however, the family declined and gave up the 100 Kannon replicas to Ohara Zenjiro in Iwayado Village, Esashi County.  The Obara Family handed the images over to Esashi Local Culture Hall in April, 2004.  Today, the images are exhibited in the permanent exhibition room in the hall.

     When Sasaki Saburozaemon organized the Kesen 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in 1718, the replicas of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage had already been made about 7 years before.  Saburozaemon might have recognized the 33 replicas as #19 deity of the pilgrimage.  The question is what Buddhist image Inakosawa Kannon-do Hall enshrines today.

Address: Kunabatake-18 Ikawacho, Ofunato, Iwate 022-0004

Ishibashi Hikoroichicho, Ofunato, Iwate 022-0005

Esashiku Iwayado, Oshu, Iwate 023-1101

Esashi Local Culture Hall

Address: Konamaru−102−1, Esashiku Iwayado, Oshu, Iwate 023-1101

Phone: 0197-31-1600