Virtual Kesen 33 Kannon Pigrimage #28 Tateyama Kannon-do Hall

 

     The Great Tenmei Famine began in 1782, and lasted until 1788.  In the 1770’s, there was a sharp decline in crop yield in Mutsu Province.  To make the situation worse, Mt. Iwaki erupted on March 12th, 1783, and Mt. Asama on July 6th.

     Another cause of the famine was the government's economic policies.  In the first half of the 18th century, the Tokugawa Shogunate raised taxes which were paid by rice.  The tax increase not only exhausted farmers and peasants but also caused rice planting to move northward.  All in all, the farmers and peasants in the northern provinces became vulnerable to cold weather and natural disasters.  In the 1750’s, the shogunate implemented a mercantilist policy to further increase tax revenue.  This was intended to raise taxes from commerce and business, but, as taxes were basically paid in rice, caused rice prices to soar.  Many domains tried to increase their rice-planted acreage and even sold local emergency stores of rice.

     The climatic, volcanic, and economic factors combined to result in poor harvests and serious famine expanded to a national scale as a result.  Twenty thousand people were estimated to have starved to death, mainly in rural areas of the Tohoku Region.  However, many local authorities were afraid of being accused of economic mismanagement, and did not report the full extent of the damage, so the actual death toll may have been far higher.  The combined impact of famine and outbreaks of disease resulted in a population decline of more than 920,000 people across Japan between 1780 and 1786.

     The original hall of Tateyama Kannon was built in those days as Owada Sagoemon's wife proposed.  The hall was rebuilt in 1988.

     Tateyama Kannon-do Hall was moved about 600 meters uphill after the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami.  The original hall and the image of Arya Avalokitesvara, who is the human-figure prototype of the other 6 metamorphoses, were washed away in the tsunami. 

     To revive the Avalokitesvara image, a piece of pinetree drifted ashore in Takata Matsubara was used.  One person curved the wood once.  The curving was started on March 25th, 2013.  After over 5000 people's curving, an Avalokitesvara image was finished on April 1st, 2014.

     The new Kannon-do hall was finished on August 28th, 2016.

Address: Wano-107 Yonesakicho, Rikuzentakata, Iwate 029-2206

Phone: 0192-54-2368

The Original Site of Tateyama Kannon-do Hall

Address: Donomae Yonesakicho, Rikuzentakata, Iwate 029-2206

Takata Matsubara

Address: Sunamori-766 Kesencho, Rikuzentakata, Iwate 029-2205

Phone: 0192-54-5011