temple (Buddhist)Ryogoku/Kameido

Ryugenji Temple (Kameido, Tokyo)（Ryugenji Temple)

Seven Gods of FortuneTendai sect (of Buddhism)upasika (devout female lay follower of Buddhism)walkMatsuo Basho (sect of Zen Buddhism)bush clover

This Tendai Sect temple has its origins in 1395, when the monk Yoshihiro Yamasho enshrined Kannon and named the temple “Jiunsan Muryoin Ryugen-ji Temple. Later, the temple was renamed “Ryugen-ji” (meaning “Dragon’s Eye Temple”) because it was believed to be the “Kannon of healing eye diseases,” and washing one’s face with the temple’s spring water improved one’s eyesight. In the early Edo period (1603-1867), the temple grounds were more than twice as large as they are today, and hundreds of varieties of bush clovers were planted, making the temple commonly known as “Hagi-dera,” a famous spot depicted in the “Edo Meisho Zue” (Illustrated Guide to Famous Places in Edo). In addition to the Hotei Hall, where Hotei, one of the seven gods of good fortune of Kameido, is enshrined, and the Kushinto, a tangible national cultural property, there is a monument to haiku by Matsuo Basho, built in 1872 (Meiji 5), which is the oldest of the 37 such monuments in the metropolitan area.
Photo courtesy of Ryugenji Temple

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