Kawasaki Daishi

Kawasaki City is situated between Tokyo and Yokohama. Tokyo is the capital of Japan with the largest population of 12 million and Yokohama is the second populous city with 3.7 million people. Kawasaki itself has 1.4 million people as the 8th populous city of Japan. So, during the New Year's holidays, neary three million people come to this temple every year in three days. The number in 2010 was 2,960,000 and was the third largest after Meiji-jingu Shrine(3,200,000) in Tokyo and Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple(2,980,000) in Chiba Prefecture. At the entrance there is a stone doorplate which reads 'Main Temple Heiken-ji ' This temple is one of the three main temples of the Chizan denomination of Shingon Buddhism in the Kanto Region. Thus, the official name of this temple is 'Heiken-ji'. Why was it named so? It was named after a man's surname Hirama by using its Chinese reading Heiken. During the reign (1123-1141) of Sutoku Emperor, there lived a samurai in Nagoya whose name was Kanenori Hirama. One day he was covicted on a false charge. He wandered through many provinces and finally settled in Kawasaki and lived as a fisherman. Kanerori was a pious Buddhist and respected Kobo Daishi who was the founder of Shingon Buddhism. When he was 42 years old which was considered to be an unlucky age for men, he prayed for his misfortune day and night. One night a noble priest appeared in his dream and said, ' When I was in China, I carved a wooden idol of my own and put it in the ocean. Nobody has found it yet. Now you cast your net to retrieve it, hold a ritual for it, bring blessing to your people, and then your misfortune will change to fortune and virtue. Your wishes will be satisfied.'The next morning Kanenori went fishing and cast his net at a glittering spot; he found a wooden statue in his net. That was a revered idol of Kobo Daishi. He was delighted and placed it in a small thatched hut and gave the morning and evening offerings every day. One day a saint priest of Koyasan Kongobu-ji Temple named Sonken who was on his way of preaching Buddhism in various provinces stopped by Kanerori's hut. He was so moved to tears by the noble and wonder-working statue that he founded a temple with Kanerori in 1128. By the grace of his belief in Shingon Buddhism, Kanenori was proved to be innocent, recovered freedom and returned to his home in Nagoya. In 1236 the first head priest Sonken went to Kyoto to see the consort of the retired Emperor Toba who was a pious believer of Kobo Daishi. Soken talked about the story of this temple and performed an exorcism and offered a prayer for a birth of the successor of the Imperial Family.To the delight of the Imperial Family, a boy -the future prince- was born. In 1141 Kawasaki Daishi was designated as 'Chokugan-ji' meaning the temple which Imperial Family go and pray. Kobo Daishi's statue. There are 88 stone poles with temples names each. Those temples are the pilgrimage sites in Shikoku.Johnny is purifying straw sandals with water. Those were worn by pilgrims There is a small hall in which Prince Shotoku's (574-622)statue has been enshrined. Incence makes people feel relax.Streamers of carp. A milestone which used to stand along the Tama River(above) .