The aloes in the deserted Renjo-in Temple were alive and well in the sunlight

Although it disappeared in 1943, there used to be a town called Yotsuya Teramachi (literally mean a temple town) in Shinjuku Ward. As the name suggests, it was an area where many Buddhist temples were gathered. During the reign of Iemitsu Tokugawa, the outer moat of Edo Castle was built, and many temples in the current Kojimachi district were relocated to this area. Unfortunately, the name Yotsuya Teramachi has been changed to Wakaba, which has no meaning today, but many of the temples still stand in the same place. The map shows that there is a temple next to a temple, a temple in front of a temple, and a temple behind a temple. There seems to be houses built in the gaps between the temples, giving the area the appearance of a temple town.

After leaving Sainen-ji Temple, where Hattori Hanzo's grave is located, I walked down Kannonzaka. The slope. is called "Kannon Zaka" because of the "Shiohi Kannon" (Goddess of Mercy) that is enshrined in the Shinjo-in Temple at the bottom of the slope. However, Shinjo-in is not the only temple along this slope. Sainen-ji Temple also faces this slope, as do Shinju-in Temple and Renjo-in Temple. It is indeed a temple town.

Before going down the hill, I went inside the temple called Renjo-in. The modest precincts looked like a private house. It was empty and deserted. Only the aloe flowers blooming in front of the window and the shadows reflected on the window glass were alive.

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