Chichibu Fudasho No.8 Saizen-ji Temple
This temple, founded in 1460, is the nearest pilgrimage site to Mt. Buko. The Kannon statue was originally enshrined in a small hall at the foot of the mountain in the mid-13th century. But conflicts in medieval Japan left the hall abandoned. A new hall was then built here, and the statue was moved.
The temple once had many fine buildings under the protection of influential patrons, but fires in 1801 and 1830 destroyed them. Only the Main Hall was rebuilt in 1845, and it has remained to this day after subsequent repairs.
Chichibu Fudasho No.8 Saizen-ji Temple
- Japanese / English notation
- 清泰山 西善寺（せいたいざん さいぜんじ）/ Seitai-Zan Saizen-ji Temple
- Location
- 〒368-0072 Yokoze598,yokozemachi,chichibu-gun,Saitama
- School
- Rinzai Zen School, Nanzen-ji Branch
- Principal Image
- Juichimen Kannon (Eleven-Faced Kannon)
- Tagline
- A Temple Where the Lucky Number Eight Begins and Completes the Pilgrimage
- Blessings
- Recovery from Illness
- Fertility Blessings
- Removal of Evil Influences
- Highlights
- Principal statue: This is the only seated statue of the Eleven-Faced Kannon in the One Hundred Kannon Pilgrimage.
- Komine maple: This is about 600 years old.
- Upper panels inside the hall: These show carvings of eight stories from the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars, traditional Chinese moral tales about respect for one’s parents.
- Miracles of Kannon at This Temple
- Singing Prayers
Long ago, when the temple was in poor condition, a traveling monk came and added a joyful melody to the temple’s sacred verse, known as goeika.
Amazingly, as the villagers sang this song, their spirits lifted, and they worked even harder. The village became lively again, and together they were able to rebuild an impressive temple.
- Nearest station
- 35-minute walk from Seibu Railway Yokoze Station.