|
Subject:Re: kyoto related prints
Posted By: I.Nagy Thu, Sep 17, 2026
Title,
觀音靈驗記
西國順禮
拾八番
山城京 六角堂
Kannon's Miraculous Tales
Pulgrimage to Western Japan
No.18
Yamashiro-kyō, Rokkakudō
Inscription on the top,
わがおもふ こゝろのうちは むつのかど
たゞまろかれと いのるなりけり
ca. The thoughts in my heart are full of dicord
I prayed that they might be put to peace
Rough translation of the long text,
Shōtoku Taishi (Prince Shōtoku)
The prince always carried a small sacred statue (of Kannon) which was said to have floated to shore inside a chest near Awaji Island.
Later while searching for quality timber to construct the Tennō-ji Temple, he happened to come to this place. After he hung the sacred statue on a tree branch to bathe in a pond, the statue magically bonded to the spot and grew as heavy as a boulder, refusing to be moved.
Deeply revering the statue, The prince prayed intently. In a dreamlike state, the deity spoke, revealing a karmic connection across seven lifetimes and expressing the intent to stay, as the land itself held a sacred bond.
The prince spoke with a local elderly woman, who pointed out a massive cedar tree on the riverbank. Every morning, a mysterious purple cloud hovered over it, marking it as a divine tree (reiboku). She urged him to construct the shrine using its timber.
Upper scene depicts The Rokkakodō (Hexagonal) Temple with the Ikenobo pond and pilgrims.
Lower scene depicts Prince Shōtoku and the elderly woman on the back of an ox.
With regards,
I.Nagy
|