Mizusawa-dera

Mizusawa-dera
水澤寺

Kannon-dō (Main hall)
Basic information
Location 214 Mizusawa, Ikaho-machi, Shibukawa-shi, Gunma
Affiliation Tendai sect
Deity Juichimen Senju Kannon
Country Japan
Website http://www.mizusawakannon.or.jp/index.php
Architectural description
Founder Empress Suiko (?)
Completed Asuka period (?)
The 3-story pagoda of Mizusawa-dera

Mizusawa-dera (水澤寺) is a Buddhist temple located in the city of Shibukawa in Gunma Prefecture, Japan.

History

According to temple legend, the temple dates to the Asuka period and was founded by the Kokushi of Kozuke province during the reign of Empress Suiko, who invited a high-ranking prelate from Goguryeo to introduce Buddhism to the region. However, the temple has no records or structures pre-dating the Edo period to help verify its claim.

The temple belongs to the Tendai sect of Japanese Buddhism. Its Gohonzon (primary object of veneration) is a bronze statue of Juichimen Senju Kannon Bosatsu (千手観世音菩薩).

The temple’s two-story pagoda with a hexagonal base is registered as a prefectural Important Cultural Property

Order in Buddhist pilgrimages

Mizusawa-dera is the 16th in the Bandō Sanjūsankasho, a pilgrimage circuit of 33 Buddhist temples in the Kantō region of eastern Japan dedicated to the Bodhisattva Kannon.

Preceded by
Hase-dera
#15
Bandō Sanjūsankasho
Mizusawa-dera
#16
Succeeded by
Mangan-ji
#17

Media related to Mizusawa-dera at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 36°28′45.6″N 138°56′43″E / 36.479333°N 138.94528°E / 36.479333; 138.94528

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/23/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.