Virtual Settsu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #19 Kyuan-ji Temple

 

     According to temple legend, the predecessor of Kyuan-ji Temple is said to be An'yo-in Temple, which was founded by Gyoki (668-749) at the request of Emperor Shomu  (701-756) in 725.  It flourished as a training center for Shingon esoteric Buddhism and Kukai (774-835) stayed at the temple sometime between 824 and 834.

     An'yo-in Temple was burned down in 1140, but the Bhaisajyaguru statue, Amitabha statue, and the Thousand-Armed Sahasrabhuja statue, which was the main Deity, survived. In 1145, it was rebuilt at the request of Emperor Konoe (1139-1155), and Priest Kenjitsu added the Main Hall and other buildings, and the temple came to be called Kyuan-ji.  At its peak, the temple had as many as 49 sub-temples, but only Kosaka-in Temple survived and became Kyuan-ji Temple itself.

     During the Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1573-1603), Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) held a moon-viewing tea ceremony at the temple.  In the mid-Edo Period, Hirama Choga (1636-1710), a tanka poet, stayed there:

My situation is

Like a forest ranger

Visited by few.

     The temple became widely known among the common people as a sacred place for Avalokitesvara worship.

     Kyuan-ji Temple is also the #11 member temple of the North Settsu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

Address: 697 Fushiocho, Ikeda, Osaka 563-0011

Phone: 072-752-1857