Enpuku-ji

Enpuku-ji
円福寺
Kannon-do (Hondo)
Religion
AffiliationBuddhist
DeityJūichimen Kannon Bosatsu
RiteShingon Buddhism
Statusfunctional
Location
Location293Baba, Chōshi-shi, Ibaraki-ken
Country Japan
Shown within Ibaraki Prefecture
Enpuku-ji (Japan)
Coordinates35°43′55″N 140°50′26.2″E / 35.73194°N 140.840611°E / 35.73194; 140.840611
Architecture
Founderc.Kūkai
Completedc.Kōnin era (810-824)

Enpuku-ji (円福寺) is a Buddhist temple located in the Baba neighborhood of the city of Chōshi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is an independent temple under Shingon Buddhism and its honzon is a statue of Jūichimen Kannon Bosatsu, also popularly known as the Iinuma Kannon (飯沼観音). The temples full name is Iinuma-zan Enpuku-ji (飯沼山円福寺). The temple is the 27th stop on the Bandō Sanjūsankasho pilgrimage route. [1]

Overview

The origins of this temple are uncertain. According to the temple's legend, two fishermen scooped up a statue of the Jūichimen Kannon in their nets in the first year of the Jinki era (724) and became monks. During the Tenpyō era (729-749) the wandering priest Gyōki heard this story and made an altar. However, when it was completed, the altar was a little too small, so the statue bowed its head and entered the altar by itself. Later, Kūkai, who visited this area during the Kōnin era (810-824), constructed a temple.[2]

After the Kamakura period, the temple flourished as a result of the devotion of the local Kaijō clan who ruled this area. In 1591, Tokugawa Ieyasu gave the temple a red seal and the various halls were maintained. The Kannon-do was built in 1578, but extensively renovated in 1773, and other buildings, such as a Niōmon and Tahōtō were constructed.

Most of the temple was destroyed in 1945 in the Chōshi air raids, and its current structures are all post-war reconstructions. [3]

The five-story pagoda at the temple was completed in 2009 and is 33.55 meters tall.

Bandō Sanjūsankasho (Bandō 33 temple pilgrimage)

The temple is the 27th temple on the 33 temple Bandō Sanjūsankasho pilgrimage route.

Access

The temple is a five-minute walk from Kannon Station on the Choshi Electric Railway Line.

Cultural Properties

National Important Cultural Properties

Chiba Prefectural Important Cultural Properties

  • Shaka Nehan-zu (釈迦涅槃図), Edo Period (1663); a 354.6 cm x width Buddhist scroll in three parts[6]

References

  1. ^ Yuichi Kobayashi (2020). 坂東三十三ヶ所札所めぐり 観音霊場巡礼ルートガイド. Meitsu shuppan. ISBN 4780426049.
  2. ^ Fukuda, Yūsen (1935), "Bōsō ni odoru hitobito (房總の概觀)", Bōsō ni odoru hitobito (房總に躍る人々) (in Japanese), Chiba: Bōsō Jidaisha Shuppanbu, p. 7, OCLC 672553619
  3. ^ Official home page(in Japanese)
  4. ^ "鐃" (in Japanese). [Chiba Prefectural Board of Education. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  5. ^ "梵鐘(享徳十一年在銘)" (in Japanese). [Chiba Prefectural Board of Education. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  6. ^ "梵釈迦涅槃図" (in Japanese). [Chiba Prefectural Board of Education. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  • "Enpuku-ji". Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei (日本歴史地名大系 “Compendium of Japanese Historical Place Names”). Tokyo: Netto Adobansusha. 2010. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  • Chiba-ken Kōtō Gakkō Kyōiku Kenkyūkai. Rekishi Bukai. (1989). Chiba-ken no rekishi sanpo (千葉県の歴史散步 "A Walk of Chiba Prefecture's History"). Tokyo: Yamakawa Shuppansha. ISBN 978-4-634-29120-1.

Media related to Enpuku-ji (Chōshi) at Wikimedia Commons