Map of Komyoin

  • 境内のご案内
    • ①Main Image, Main Hall,and Kannon Hall
    • ⑥Jiun-den(Funeral Hall and Ossuary)
    • ②Emma-do, Hall of Emma Daio,the King and Judge of the Afterlife
    • ③Hand-washing Font
    • ④Belfry
    • ⑤The Weeping Bodhisattva Jizo
    • ⑧Perpetual Memorial(Eitaikuyo-to)
    • ⑦Ogi Lane
  • 縁起
境内マップ

境内マップ
本尊・本堂・観音ホール

①Main Image, Main Hall, and Kannon Hall

①Main Image, Main Hall, and Kannon Hall

Main Image

Main Image

The temple main image is a statue of the seated Bodhisattva of Compassion Kannon dating from the 13th century. It was familiarly called the Get-together Kannon because, in the past, summer festivals held at this temple were occasions when men and women could get together.

本尊・本堂・観音ホール

Main Hall

Main Hall

The present Main Hall is a rebuilding built 10 years after a fire destroyed its predecessor in 1840. In 1888, when the present Japan Railways Chuo Line was laid, the building was moved to the north side of the site. Then, in 1969, on the occasion of the creation of the new Kannon Hall, it was rebuilt on its present location.

本尊・本堂・観音ホール

Kannon Hall

Kannon Hall

This large funeral hall seats a maximum of 1 50 people. Available for use to the general public, it accommodates various forms of funeral services.

本尊・本堂・観音ホール

Kannon Hall

Kannon Hall

People other than parishioners of the temple may use the funeral hall, located on the first story. The rooftop garden is for the relaxation of visitors to the ossuary, on the second story.

閻魔堂

②Emma-do, Hall of Emma Daio, the King and Judge of the Afterlife

②Emma-do, Hall of Emma Daio, the King and Judge of the Afterlife

Enshrined in this hall and flanked by secretary-like assistants, Emma Daio, the King and Judge of the Afterlife, glowers at pilgrims making their way to the Main Hall.

手水鉢

③Hand-washing Font

③Hand-washing Font

This hand-washing font is said to have been donated by nearby villagers in memory of neighbors who perished in a famine in 1682.

鐘楼堂

④Belfry

④Belfry

The belfry was created as a prayer for peace. In the past, the bell was rung three times daily: morning, noon, and evening. It became famous when the author Akatsuki Kambayashi (1902—80), who lived nearby, published an essay entitled “The Sound of the Komyo-in Bell” in the journal Bungei Shunju. At his funeral, held at this temple at the request of his family, many literary figures rang the bell in prayer for the repose of his spirit.

泣きべそ地蔵

⑤The Weeping Bodhisattva Jizo

⑤The Weeping Bodhisattva Jizo

To find relief from sorrow at the successive deaths of his parents and wife, Kichibei Kobari, who ran a noodle shop in Ogikubo, erected a stone statue of the Bodhisattva Jizo at this temple. Though normal at the outset, the face of Jizo gradually assumed a sorrowful appearance and ultimately became what is called the Weeping Jizo. In addition to this figure, Kichibei Kobari erected stone statues of Amida Buddha and the Bodhisattvas Kannon and Seishi.

書院

⑧Perpetual Memorial(Eitaikuyo-to)

⑧Perpetual Memorial(Eitaikuyo-to)

All visitors are welcome to the communal cemetery and Perpetual Memorial, located just within the eastern gate to the Komyoin.

荻の小径

⑦Ogi Lane

⑦Ogi Lane

Flowers blooming in season along this free lane, which cuts through the Komyo-in grounds from east to west, delight the many pedestrians passing along it. Reeds—ogi—the word from which the local name Ogikubo derives, are planted there.

慈雲山荻寺光明院