The main hall of Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple is so large that people walking by the side looked very small

Man walking by the main hall of Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple — Main hall of Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple

Kanda Myojin Shrine is one of the shrines that I occasionally visit in Tokyo as I recall. The beautifully maintained precincts of the shrine are not large, and the shrine pavilions are not designated national treasures. However, I visit the shrine several times a year. It is not that I come here to seek for blessings, which is strange considering that I am not a member of the shrine. Perhaps I subconsciously think of it as a convenient walking course that I can visit together with Yushima Seido Temple, which is also located nearby.

One of the deities of Kanda Myojin Shrine, Taira no Masakado, has a close relationship with Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple, which I visited on this day. The time is the middle of the Heian period (794-1185). The Imperial Court, which had sent an army to pursue the rebellious Taira no Masakado, at the same time ordered great temples, shrines, and esoteric Buddhist monks to pray for Masakado's reprieve. It is said that the monk Kancho, who had come down from Kyoto with a statue of Fudo Myoo by Kukai under a secret order from the emperor, performed the Fudo Gomaku at this site to pray for the repression of the imperial enemies.

Although it is not known whether or not the Fudo Gomaku was effective, Taira no Masakado was killed in battle a short time later, as the Imperial Court had wished. The legend of Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple is that the temple was established in the same place where the Fudo Gomaku was performed to protect the eastern part of Japan. Knowing this legend, one would hope that the opposition would also dedicate the Fudo Gomaku here.

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