Virtual Kako County Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #21 Gessai-ji Temple

 

     Gessai-ji Temple is said to have begun as a small hermitage founded by the Buddhist monk Gessai.

     Gessai was born in 1637 as a descendant of Ota Sukenaga (1432–1486), the renowned builder of the original Edo Castle. Gessai entered the priesthood in 1645 at the young age of nine. After undergoing rigorous training in Kyoto, where he was given the name Gessai, he furthered his spiritual practice at Zojo-ji Temple in Edo. Throughout his life, he renounced worldly desires and honors, dedicating himself entirely to nenbutsu-zanmai (total immersion in the recitation of the Buddha's name) while traveling across Japan.

     After journeying through the Tohoku region and Sado Island, he arrived in Takasago on February 28th, 1707, aboard a vessel belonging to the local Shibaya merchant family. In Takasago.  Gessai built a hermitage on the former site of Hatta Jibudayu's residence, a location deeply rooted in the teachings of Priest Honen (1133–1212). There, Gessai lived a life of profound simplicity, chanting the nianfo alongside the common people, so utterly absorbed in his devotion that he would often forget to eat or sleep.

Address: 930 Takasagocho Minamihonmachi, Takasago, Hyogo 676-0047

Phone: 079-442-1526

Zojo-ji Temple

Address: 4 Chome-7-35 Shibakoen, Minato City, Tokyo 105-0011

Phone: 03-3432-1431