Virtual Old Tsugaru 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #17 Kiyomizu-Kannon-do Hall

 

     Mount Otakamori had a cave which was a holy place for northern foreigners.  In the 8th century, a Thousand-Armed Sahasrabhuja image was enshrined in the cave.  Tsugaru Nobumasa (1646-1710), the 4th lord of the Hirosaki Domain, moved the image to its present place.  The image used to be called Iwaya-Kannon, namely Cave Avalokitesvara, but was called Kiyomizu Kannon, namely Spring Avalokitesvara, after the nearby spring.

     After the Meiji Restoration Government issued the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order in 1868, the precincts became Taga Shrine, with the Sahasrabhuja image temporarily removed.

     As Sahasrabhuja is for the Year of the Rat in Tsugaru Ichidai-sama, those who are born in the year of the Rat visit the shrine not only on the New Year's Day but also at turning points in life.

Address: Shimizunagare-104 Sakuraba, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-1441

Phone: 0172-86-2155

Otakamoriyama

Address: Muraichi, Nishimeya, Nakatsugaru District, Aomori 036-1415

Kiyomizu-Kannon Spring

Address: Sotoyama-150-1 Sakuraba, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-1441