Kimii-dera

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Temple of Kimii-dera with the main hall in the background

The Kimii-dera ( Japanese 紀 三井 寺 ) is a Buddhist temple in the city of Wakayama , Wakayama Prefecture in Japan . Its official name is Kimiisan Gōhōji Gokokuin ( Japanese 紀 三井 山 金剛 宝 寺 護 国 院 ). The main image of the temple is a statue of the eleven-headed Kannon and is shown every 50 years. The Kimii-dera is the center of the Guze-Kannon faith and the second temple of the Saigoku pilgrimage route ( 西 国 三十 三 箇 所 , Saigoku sanjūsankasho ).

overview

The temple is named after the three springs on the temple grounds. According to the temple tradition, the Kimii-dera is said to have been founded in 770 by the Chinese monk Iko.

A number of temple buildings are classified as important national treasures , such as the entrance gate Sakura-mon (built in 1509), the pagoda ( Tō ) built in 1449 and the bell tower from 1588. The main hall dates back to 1759. The temple is famous for a variety of cherry trees on the temple grounds, which are the first to bloom in the Kansai region each year .

literature

  • Patricia Frame Rugola: The Saikoku Kannon Pilgrimage Route . Dissertation, Ohio State University, 1986.
  • Valeria Jana Schwanitz and August Wierling: Saigoku. On the way in Japan's western lands . Manpuku-Verlag, Potsdam 2012, ISBN 3-981-51680-X

Web links

Commons : Kimiidera  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 34 ° 11 ′ 6.6 "  N , 135 ° 11 ′ 24.1"  E