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Chugen-ji Temple (Jizo Bosatsu,location,history)
Chugen-ji Temple, Jizo Bosatsu
The information about Chugen-ji Temple is presented here. Jizo Bosatsu, the main statue of Chugen-ji Temple, was called “Amedome Jizo (rain-stopping Jizo)” because the rain stopped due to a prayer during a flood, but later it was called “Meyami Jizo” because of the spiritual experience of eye diseases, and it was counted as one of the famous Jizo in the Edo period (1603-1868).
【Chugen-ji Temple Location Map & Directions】
Address: 585-1 Gion-cho Minamigawa, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Access (How to get there): Gion bus stop (about 5 minutes on foot), Keihan Gion Shijo Station (about 3 minutes on foot), Hankyu Kyoto Kawaramachi Station (about 8 minutes on foot)
【Opening Hours & Closed (confirmation required)】
Opening Hours: 7:00-20:00
Closed: open year round
【Entrance Fees & Tickets (confirmation required)】
Individual: Free
【Chugen-ji Temple History】
Chugen-ji Temple (仲源寺, Meyami Jizo-son,目疾地蔵尊) is said to have been founded in 1022, in the middle of the Heian period (794-1185), when the Buddhist sculptor Jocho placed a statue of Jizo Bosatsu in the northeast area of Shijo Bridge. In order to save sentient beings until the end of time, Jocho spent 38 months carving the statue of Jizo Bosatsu, and included in the womb a Jizo Bosatsu carved by Prince Shotoku that he owned. Later, in 1228 in the early Kamakura period (1185-1333), the Kamo-gawa River flooded, and when Nakahara Tamekane (中原為兼), who was appointed Boukashi, prayed to Jizo Bosatsu to stop the rain, and the rain stopped, Chugen-ji Temple became the Chokuganji Temple of the 86th Emperor Go-Horikawa, and the temple name was given as “Chugen-ji”, and Jizo Bosatsu became known as “Amedome Jizo (rain-stopping Jizo)”. It is said that the imperial court gave the temple the name “Chugen-ji (仲源)” from the surname “Nakahara (中原)”. In 1585, during the Aduchi Momoyama period (1573-1603), Chugen-ji Temple was moved to its present location by order of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It is said that Chugen-ji Temple was revived in 1660 in the Edo period (1603-1868) by the monk Manyo. In the Kanbun period (1661-1673), Jizo Bosatsu (Meyami Jizo) was counted among the Rakuyo Shijuhachi Gansho (the 48 sacred places of the Sacred Temple in Rakuyo) chosen by the monk Hozan by order of the 112th Emperor Reigen. It is said that Chugen-ji Temple was destroyed by fire in 1867. At the end of the Edo period (1603-1867), Chugen-ji Temple was rebuilt with the help of the 121st Emperor Komei.
★The Kamo-gawa River is a first-class river in the Yodo River system that flows through Kyoto City from north to south. The Kamo-gawa River originates from Mt. Sajikigadake, which is about 896 meters above sea level in Kita-ku, Kyoto City, and has a length of about 35 kilometers long. Since ancient times, the upper reaches of the Kamo-gawa River have been considered a sacred place where the misogi (purification) took place.
★Shijo Ohashi Bridge is a bridge built over the Kamo-gawa River, which flows through Kyoto City from north to south. According to the “Shake Kiroku (Record)” of Yasaka Shrine, Shijo Ohashi Bridge is said to have its origins in 1142. After that, it was washed away and replaced many times, and the earliest record of it being washed away is said to be in 1228. The present Shijo Ohashi Bridge was built in 1942 as a continuous steel girder bridge with a length of about 65 meters and a width of about 25 meters.
*reference・・・Chugen-ji Temple website
【Chugen-ji Temple Highlights (May be undisclosed)】
★Jizo Bosatsu is housed in Hondo (Main Hall) as the main statue. Jizo Bosatsu is also called “Amedome Jizo”, “Meyami Jizo”, and “Naki Jizo”, and is widely revered. The name “Amedome Jizo” was later changed to “Meyami Jizo,” which is said to be beneficial for healing eye diseases.
★Senju Kannon (Thousand-armed Kannon, Important Cultural Property) is housed in Kannondo (Kannon Hall). The seated statue of Senju Kannon was created in the late Heian period (794-1192) and is 248 cm high. Senju Kannon is the 16th temple of the Rakuyo Sanjusansho Kannon Reijo (the 33 sacred places of the Kannon Sacred Temple in Rakuyo).
【Events (confirmation required)】
★Setsubun-e (節分会) is held every year on Setsubun and the day before. In Setsubun-e, the glass doors of Hondo (Main Hall), which are normally closed, are opened and you can see Jizo Bosatsu directly. Also, in Setsubun-e, Kaiun Yakuyoke Okiagari Daruma (good luck and evil removal daruma) are given (for a fee) .
★Shinyou-sui Kiyoharai-shiki (神用水清祓式) of Gion Matsuri Festival (祇園祭) is held every year on July 10th and July 28th. Shinyou-sui Kiyoharai-shiki is a ritual for pumping water to purify mikoshi (portable shrine) before Mikoshi-arai. At Shijo Ohashi Bridge, water is pumped with an oke (bucket) from the Kamo-gawa River, and a total of six oke (buckets) of water are prepared. After the water has been pumped, a ritual is held at the saijo (ceremony site) on the east bank of the Kamoa River, and the water is purified. After the ritual, three of the six oke (buckets) of water are kept at the saidan (altar) until Mikoshi-arai, and the other three oke (buckets) are taken to Chugen-ji Temple.
●Gion Matsuri Festival 2024 will start on July 1st, 2024 and end on July 31st, 2024.
Gion Matsuri Festival Schedule (July 1st-31st)
【Telephone (Please refrain from making phone calls.)】
Tel: +81-75-561-1273
【Recommended Walking Route】
The recommended walking route from Chugen-ji Temple is to head east on Shijo-dori toward Yasaka Shrine. Yasaka Shrine holds Gion Matsuri Festival in July and is popular with tourists from Japan and abroad. It is also a good idea to stop at the Gion Hanamachi (Kagai) district on the way. The north side of Gion is a National Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, and the south side is a Kyoto City Historic Landscape Preservation Scenic Area.
【Remarks(access, parking, disclaimer, etc)】
If you plan to visit Chugen-ji Temple, be sure to check the latest information.