Hoozan Iwanoue-do
Main Image Sho Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
Impression TagsStillnessRefinementMystery
DescriptionThe principal image of Iwanoue-do, Temple No. 20 of the Chichibu Thirty-Four Kannon Pilgrimage, is a wooden standing Sho Kannon Bodhisattva. Regarded as an excellent work of the Heian (Fujiwara) period, the 71.3 cm statue is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Chichibu City. Made of hinoki cypress in joined-wood construction with lacquer and gold leaf, it is enshrined in a large Kasuga-style zushi, or miniature shrine, thought to date from the mid-Edo period. The backs of the zushi doors are richly decorated with the Thirty-Three Manifestations of Kannon together with the Sun Deity, Moon Deity, Wind God and Thunder God, creating an unusually dense devotional setting. The Kannon Hall itself is said to be the oldest building among the Chichibu pilgrimage temples and stands above the Arakawa River. Normally hidden, the principal image can be worshipped through November 30, 2026 during the once-in-twelve-years Horse-Year Grand Unveiling.
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