Sojiji Temple
Main Image Thousand-Armed Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
Impression TagsMysteryDepthWarmth
DescriptionThe hidden principal image of Sojiji Temple’s Main Hall is the Thousand-Armed Kannon Bosatsu, the principal image of the 22nd temple of the Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage. In keeping with the temple’s legend of the “turtle’s repayment of kindness,” the Kannon stands on the back of a turtle, an unusual form. Recent scholarly investigation has identified it as an old single-block wooden image enshrined since the temple’s founding in 886. When the temple complex burned during warfare in 1571, the image is said to have survived despite being charred, and it has long been revered as a Kannon protecting against fire and misfortune, as well as for child-rearing. It is unveiled every year from April 15 to 21.
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