Virtual Old Tsugaru 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #26 Shogaku-ji Temple

 

     Utou Village was renamed Aomori Village in 1626, when a new port was opened there.  Moriyama Yashichiro (1573-1666), the magistrate to open the port, founded Gakushu-ji Temple in 1628 to stabilize public sentiment in the port town.

     Its Kannon-do hall was built in 1645 to enshrine the image of Arya Avalokitesvara, who is the human-figure prototype of the other 6 metamorphoses.  In 1701, the temple was renamed Shogaku-ji.  The statue was moved to Hirota Shrine.  On January 28th, 1766, the Tsugaru Earthquake hit the Hirosaki Domain and Hirota Shrine was destroyed.  The number of fatalities from the earthquake reached about 1500.  The hall was moved back to Shogaku-ji Temple when it was reconstructed.

     The Bombing of Aomori was carried out by the United States on  July 28th, 1945, in World War II.  The civilian casualties were estimated to be 1,767 and 88 percent of the city was totally destroyed with 18,045 homes destroyed.  However, the Avalokitesvara statue was carried out of the temple by its followers.

Address: 1 Chome-1-12 Honcho, Aomori, 030-0802

Phone: 017-776-3454

Hirota Shrine

Address: 2 Chome-13-5 Nagashima, Aomori, 030-0861

Phone: 017-776-7848