Virtual Old Tsugaru 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #11 Nantei-in Temple

 

     There are 6 Suwa Shrines around Hirosaki.  The north-westernmost one used to be located in Amagasaki Village.  Sometime between 1312 and 1317, Takasugi Takazaemon became a samurai, built a fortress, moved the shrine in it, and renamed it Suwa-Hachiman as samurai honored Hachiman as the deity sacred to them.  Takasugi Mokuzaemon moved to the Hirosaki Castle Town presumably in 1611 and the shrine declined.  Sometime between 1673 and 1681, Priest Nantei, who had studied at Saifuku-ji Temple built Nantei-an Hermitage as its shrine temple and enshrined the image of Arya Avalokitesvara, who is the human-figure prototype of the other 6 metamorphoses.  In 1703, the shrine was merged into Kamo Shrine, and the image was transferred to Kamo Shrine, which became the #11 member of the Old Tsugaru 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

     After the Meiji Restoration Government issued the Gods and Buddhas Separation Order in 1868, the image was kept by the Takasugi Family, who lived in Abeno Takasugi, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8302.  Sometime between 1912 and 1926, Nantei-an Hermitage was revived as Nantei-in Temple and reconstructed in its present place.

     Somehow or other, Suwa-Hachiman-gu Shrine was also revived.

Address: Yamashita-208 Takasugi, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8302

Phone: 0172-95-3487

Suwa-Hachiman-gu Shrine

Address: Haseno-120-2 Takasugi, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8302

Kamo Shrine

Address: Yamashita-124-8 Takasugi, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8302

Saifuku-ji Temple

Address: 110 Shinteramachi, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8214

Phone: 0172-32-1083