Dojoji Temple is a very old Tendai Temple and is thought to be the oldest temple in what is now Wakayama. It is located in what is now the city of Gobo and is close to the Kiiji route of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route that runs from Kyoto down to Hongu.
It is believed to have been founded in the early 8th century, possibly as early as 701, and is known as the setting for the ancient story of Anchin and Kiyohime.
The story was recorded in a picture scroll and became famous through the Noh play Dojoji, and also as a puppet play and a kabuki play, as well as lullabies and assorted songs. In all more than 100 versions of the story existed.
Anchin was a young, and of course handsome, monk on a pilgrimage to Kumano in 929 when he spent the night as a guest of a village headman a little to the south of Dojoji.. Kiyohime, the beautiful daughter of the headman, fell in love with Anchin and became besotted with him. He promised to meet her again on his return and continued on to Hongu.
However, on his return journey he took a different route that bypassed the village. When Kiyohime found out she became distraught and started to chase after Anchin, in the process her rage transformed her into a dragon. Fearing for his life, he sought refuge at Dojoji and the monks lowered the huge temple bell over him to hide him. The dragon melted the bell and so incinerated Anchin.
There are many variations and additions to the story, but in the Hobutsuden, a modern building displaying the treasure of the temple, visitors can listen to the story told by a monk from one of the existing emaki, picture scrolls.
The Hobutsuden is a delight. Many temple treasure halls are rather musty and dark, but here it is open, airy, and bright, like a modern museum.
Several of the statues are National Treasures, including a Senju Kannon, and a Nikko Bosatsu and Gakko Bosatsu, all dating from the Heian Period.
Also from the Heian Period are numerous Important Cultural Properties, a Juichimen Kannon, a Bishamonten, the Shitenno, and a Shaka Nyorai Triad.
Other Important Cultural Properties dating back to the Nara Period include another couple of Senju Kannons.
As evidenced by the statuary, the temple was very prosperous during the Heian Period. Most of the temple was burned down during Hideyoshi's invasion of the Kii Peninsula but was rebuilt in the 17th century with further reconstruction in the 18th century.
The main hall however survived as did most of the statuary. It is a National Treasure and dates to 1357. The Niomon dates to 1694, and the Pagoda dates to 1763. The honzon of the temple is a Senju Kannon.
I visited on the 6th day of my walk along the Saigoku Pilgrimage and Kumano Kodo. The previous post was on the nearby
Kishu Railway, in one sense the smallest railway in Japan.
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