O-Shichi Kannon

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Fudo Myo-O Gallery

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O-Shichi Kannon お七観音

At the Temple Tanjo-Ji in Okayama








A bell to warn if there is a fire







As a special temple of the pilgrimage to the 33 Kannon Temples in Central Japan, Tanjo-Ji (Tanjooji) hosts a hall for the Kannon Statue carved by Jigaku Daishi and enshrined here in 1631 by the Lord of Tsuyama.

This statue is now called "O-Shichi Kannon" to remind us of the famous woman "O-Shichi" who started a great fire in the Edo period, where many lives were lost and many temples burnt down. This statue is also for the repose of the soul of O-Shichi herself.

現在、中国三十三観音特別霊場としてまつられている聖観世音菩薩は、慈覚大師の作で、本堂南側に位置する観音堂（寛永８年（1631年）津山城主初代・森忠政公寄進）に安置されている。この聖観音菩薩は、お七観音と称され、後世に次のような八百屋お七の物語を伝えている。

元禄１２年（1699年）のことであった。
当山第15世通誉上人が、江戸に上り、回向院で御本尊法然上人像を出開帳していた。このとき、八百屋お七の遺族がお七の位牌と振袖を持参し、亡きお七の供養を上人に懇願したという。上人はこれらの遺品を作州に持ち帰り、当山のこの観音菩薩ご宝前にて、お七の菩提をねんごろに弔った。
また、再びお七の様な哀れなことがない様にと、もし何か切実なる悩み、苦しみ、願望を持つものあらば、その願いを必ず成就させてやってほしいと、祈願されたのであった。
以後、大願成就の「お七観音」として人々の信仰をあつめている。
くだんの振袖は現在当山宝物館に展示されている。

聖観世音菩薩（お七観音）のその眼を静かに拝する時、衆生の心を見透かすの様な、霊験あらたかな不思議さを秘めている。



特別霊場 誕生寺 岡山県久米南町




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Yaoya no O-Shichi Greengrocer's Daughter Oshichi

Most people in Japan live in wooden houses. During the Edo era, those houses in Edo (Tokyo) stood much too close together. So if a fire broke out, it could spread rapidly. One of the big fires then was called 'the Big Fire in Tenna' or 'Oshichi-fire'.

Once there lived a greengrocer named Hachibei in Hongo, a town in Edo, with his wife and daughter Oshichi who was then 16 years old. She looked older than her age, though. It was 28th of December 1682, when a fire broke out in a nearby temple.
"Fire! Fire!" people shouted and ran this way and that way trying to make their escape.

Hachibei urged his wife and daughter Oshichi to get out of the house,
"It's getting windier. It must be a big fire. What is worse, our house is standing downwind of the fire. It's dangerous to stay here. Let's evacuate to the Kichijoji Temple."
(It was in Komagome, where their ancestor's grave was.)
"Run faster, or the fire will catch you! Don't stop!" Oshichi was said.
She followed her parents and ran as fast as her legs could move.
The fire started burning around noon and was put out at around five the next morning. It is said that over 3,500 people were killed in the fire.

Kichijoji Temple was already filled with a lot of refugees. The mother happened to see a young man sitting in the corner of the room trying to take a splinter out of his finger. She said to her daughter,
"Oshichi, that young man over there seems to have some troubles. Maybe he got a splinter in his finger. Go and help him take it out, while I greet the priest."
The daughter approached him to offer a help. She took his hand to examine. Soon she said,
"I got it! Are you feeling better?"
He smiled at her and said,
"Yeah, thank you. You helped me a lot."

The young man was working at the temple, as his parents asked the priest to look after him.
Hand in hand, the two young people gazed at each other for a while. Eventually they fell in love.
"Oshichi, Oshichi, I'm coming," the girl's mother called her daughter's name.
"Oh, your name is Oshichi, isn't it? I'm Kichisaburo," he said.
"Kichisaburo? Can I call you Kichi-sama?" the girl said.
"Sure. Uh...I want to know a bit more about you. Please write me a note and put it under that big stone there in the garden," he asked.
"Yeah, I will," she said and went away with her mother.

Oshichi and her parents were forced to stay in the temple until their house was rebuilt. During the days, the girl shared happy hours with the young man exchanging letters secretly. She found a letter written by him under the big rock in the garden and put her own letter there instead.



Continued HERE
http://www.geocities.co.jp/HeartLand-Gaien/7211/kudos12/oshichi1.html


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External LINK


O-Shichi Kannon at Tanjo-Ji
美作観音霊場 List of the Temples


Photos of Tanjo-Ji


「八百屋お七と吉三の悲恋の碑」Stone Memorial of O-Shichi in Meguro Tokyo

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fire and love -
quite a hot topic
for a cold night

More about FIRE and HAIKU

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My Introduction

Temple Tanjo-Ji and Honen Shonin 法然上人

More of my PHOTOS from Temple Tanjo-Ji 2007

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