Hōgon-ji Chikubushima from the Picture Album of the Thirty-Three Pilgrimage Places of the Western Provinces

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Japanese Color Woodblock Print

Hōgon-ji Chikubushima (temple 30)

from the Picture Album of the Thirty-Three Pilgrimage Places of the Western Provinces

by Nakazawa Hiromitsu, 1925 and 1946

Illustrated Account of the Sino-Japanese War, Volume 7

IHL Cat. #2313 (1925)

IHL Cat. #2252 (1946)

About This Print

Situated on Chikubushima Island 竹生岛, Lake Biwa, Hōgon-ji 宝厳寺 (originally named Hongō-ji 本業寺) is the 30th temple of the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage. The temple was founded by the priest Gyoki (668-749) after he received an imperial edict issued by Emperor Shōmu (reigned 724-749) to build a Buddhist temple dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten who supposedly lived on the island after it formed.

The temple has been rebuilt a few times over the years, with a major rebuilding around 1602 by the Japanese court officials Toyotomi Hideyori and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Its Karamon (Chinese Gate) is a National Treasure. Tsukubusuma Sanctuary (Chikubushima Sanctuary) was moved from Kyoto to the island in 1602 or 1603.

The main enshrined image (honzon) of the temple is the bodhisattva Kannon Senju Sengen.

Comparison of 1925 and 1946 Issues

This collection contains prints from both the 1925 and 1946 releases. I prefer the earlier release which has a more painterly quality, likely closer to the artist's original drawing the print was based upon.

The two editions (1925 left, 1946 right) show significant differences suggesting either

extensive touching-up of the original blocks or newly carved blocks.

The Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage (Saigoku sanjūsansho junrei)

Sources: website of cultural anthropologist Martin Gray http://www.taleofgenji.org/saigoku_pilgrimage.html and "Buddhist Pilgrim/Buddhist Exile: Old and New Images of Retired Emperor Kazan in the Saigoku Kannon Temple Guidebooks," Mark MacWilliams, appearing in History of Religions, May, 1995, Vol. 34, No. 4, The University of Chicago Press, p. 303-328.

Japan's most famous pilgrimage, originating in the 11th century, encompasses 33 Buddhist temples in Western Japan (Kansai region) dedicated to Kannon (bodhisattva Avalokitasvara), the Bodhisattva of Compassion, who hears the cries of the world and assists anyone in distress.

The 33 temples on the approximately 1,000 kilometer pilgrimage route correspond to Kannon's ability to take on 33 different forms. One hundred thousand pilgrims navigate the route in its entirety or part each year.

Note: For a listing of all 33 temples go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saigoku_Kannon_Pilgrimage. To access an interactive map of the route and its temples go to https://www.thetempleguy.org/p/saigoku-33-kannon-route.html and scroll down towards the bottom of the page.

About the "Picture Album of the Thirty-Three Pilgrimage Places of the Western Provinces"

First issued in 1925 and reprinted in 1946, the 1925 album contains 58 prints and the 1946 album 59 prints. For detailed discussion of the two editions and additional information on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage see this site's article Nakazawa Hiromitsu - Picture Album of the Thirty-Three Pilgrimage Places of the Western Provinces.