Chōmeiji Temple (Chōmeiji), from the series Miracles of Kannon
Chōmeiji Temple, situated on a hill overlooking Lake Biwa just east of Kyoto, and a popular destination on the Kannon pilgrimage route, is pictorialized in the upper half of this woodblock print by Hiroshige II. The subtitle of the print states that Chōmeiji is the thirty-first stop on the Kannon Pilgrimage of the Western Provinces (Saikoku junrei). The main hall that enshrines the Shō Kannon statue and the five-story pagoda, still standing, are shown in the panoramic view.
Below, designed by Kunisada, is a depiction of the apocryphal episode from the temple history based on an episode in the Illustrated Teachings of the Kannon Sutra in Japanese (Kannon-kyō wakun-zue), by Mantei Oga—abridged in the accompanying text here. It shows fishermen recovering the body of Sahara Tōjūrō 佐原藤十郎, who had committed suicide because he could not pay off family debts. But he was found and saved by fisherman who saw his drifting body in the water of Lake Biwa, near the temple. The bodhisattva Kannon had taken mercy on him and revived him, because of the deep faith in Buddhism previously held by his parents when they were still alive. To show his appreciation, Tōjūrō became a pupil of a monk from Chōmeiji and commissioned a statue of Kannon in his village.
Coincidentally, The Met owns a rare example of Chōmeiji pilgrimage mandala, created to raise funds for its rebuilding after the entire temple complex was leveled by fire in 1516 during warfare that affected the whole Kyoto area (2016.517).
Below, designed by Kunisada, is a depiction of the apocryphal episode from the temple history based on an episode in the Illustrated Teachings of the Kannon Sutra in Japanese (Kannon-kyō wakun-zue), by Mantei Oga—abridged in the accompanying text here. It shows fishermen recovering the body of Sahara Tōjūrō 佐原藤十郎, who had committed suicide because he could not pay off family debts. But he was found and saved by fisherman who saw his drifting body in the water of Lake Biwa, near the temple. The bodhisattva Kannon had taken mercy on him and revived him, because of the deep faith in Buddhism previously held by his parents when they were still alive. To show his appreciation, Tōjūrō became a pupil of a monk from Chōmeiji and commissioned a statue of Kannon in his village.
Coincidentally, The Met owns a rare example of Chōmeiji pilgrimage mandala, created to raise funds for its rebuilding after the entire temple complex was leveled by fire in 1516 during warfare that affected the whole Kyoto area (2016.517).
Artwork Details
- 観音霊験記 長命寺
- Title: Chōmeiji Temple (Chōmeiji), from the series Miracles of Kannon
- Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige II 二代目歌川広重 (Japanese, 1826–1869) (upper)
- Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) 歌川国貞(三代歌川豊国) (Japanese, 1786–1864) (lower)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: 1859
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Vertical ōban; image: 13 1/2 × 9 1/4 in. (34.3 × 23.5 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Sue Cassidy Clark, in honor of John T. Carpenter, 2021
- Object Number: 2021.396.5
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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second quarter 16th century
Utagawa Hiroshige II 二代目歌川広重
1862 (Bunkyū 2)
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