Senkozan Shozenin Temple (Cat Temple)
Main Image Thousand-armed Kannon and Amida Nyorai Images Category Bodhisattva / Tathagata
Impression TagsMysteryDepthSolemnity
DescriptionShozenin, a Shingon temple affectionately known as the Cat Temple, was built to pacify spirits associated with a legendary supernatural cat incident involving the Sagara family in the early Edo period. According to temple tradition, a Kannon Hall was built in 1625 to console the spirits of the wrongfully executed monk Seiyo, his mother Kugetsu Zenjo and her beloved cat. A Thousand-armed Kannon was enshrined as an image representing the mother, and an Amida Nyorai as an image representing the monk. The thatched, hipped-roof Kannon Hall retains a shrine cabinet and altar adorned with gold leaf and colored carvings and is a nationally Important Cultural Property as a building. Its pair of cat guardians at the gate is another attraction. The grounds can normally be visited from 9:00 to 17:00, but interior access and statue viewing should be confirmed with the temple.
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