Affiliation Tendai sect Country Japan Phone +81 279-72-3619 | Deity Juichimen Senju Kannon Completed Asuka period (?) Founder Empress Suiko | |
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Location 214 Mizusawa, Ikaho-machi, Shibukawa-shi, Gunma Address Japan, 〒377-0103 Gunma Prefecture, Shibukawa, 伊香保町水沢２１４ Similar 松島屋, 伊香保温泉観光協会, Haruna Shrine, 田丸屋, 大澤屋第一店舗 | ||
Mizusawa dera mizusawa kannon temple near shibukawa city gunma prefecture japan
Mizusawa-dera (水澤寺) is a Buddhist temple located in the city of Shibukawa in Gunma Prefecture, Japan.
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History
According to temple legend, the temple dates to the Asuka period and was founded by the Kokushi of Kozuke province during the reign of Empress Suiko, who invited a high-ranking prelate from Goguryeo to introduce Buddhism to the region. However, the temple has no records or structures pre-dating the Edo period to help verify its claim.
The temple belongs to the Tendai sect of Japanese Buddhism. Its Gohonzon (primary object of veneration) is a bronze statue of Juichimen Senju Kannon Bosatsu (千手観世音菩薩).
The temple’s two-story pagoda with a hexagonal base is registered as a prefectural Important Cultural Property
Order in Buddhist pilgrimages
Mizusawa-dera is the 16th in the Bandō Sanjūsankasho, a pilgrimage circuit of 33 Buddhist temples in the Kantō region of eastern Japan dedicated to the Bodhisattva Kannon.