Sabadaishi Honbo (Yasakadera Temple)
Main Image Kobo Daishi Holding a Mackerel (Sabadaishi) Category Other
Impression TagsWarmthGentlenessMystery
DescriptionIn the Daishi Hall of Sabadaishi Honbo, Temple No. 4 on the Shikoku 20 Extra Temples Pilgrimage, is a stone image of Kobo Daishi holding a mackerel. Depicting a Buddhist teacher with a fish is unusual among pilgrimage statues, and visitors can still see it through the hall's lattice. Temple legend tells of a packhorse driver who refused to give salted mackerel to the traveling monk Kukai. When his horse suddenly fell ill, the driver apologized and offered the fish, and the horse recovered through the monk's prayers. The tradition gave rise to the practice of abstaining from mackerel for three years while praying for recovery from illness and happiness. Another stone sculpture depicting a mackerel stands in the grounds, making this a distinctive place associated with pilgrimage culture in southern Shikoku.
Basic Information
Visit posts for this spot
No visit posts yet.