Sogen-ji
Sōgen-ji ( Japanese 曹 源 寺 ), or colloquially Kappa-dera ( か っ ぱ 寺 ), is a Buddhist temple of the Sōtō-shū in the Taitō district of Tokyo .
The temple is dedicated to the worship of the Japanese mythical creature kappa . They are a kind of water goblin, a cross between a human and a turtle the size of a child. Kappas are among the most famous creatures of Japanese folk beliefs today and are also part of today's popular culture.
Legend
According to a legend that has its origins at the beginning of the 19th century, a raincoat trader ( kappaya ) called Kappaya "Kawatarō" Kihachi ( 合 羽 屋 喜 八 ) lived near today's temple . The area was in a depression in the bay of the Sumida River , so that the residents were regularly plagued by heavy flooding when it rained.
Under Kihachi's leadership - and funding - the residents began building a system of trenches to divert any flooding that might arise. However, due to a lack of resources, the construction of the system made slow progress. One evening, as the workers fled their workplaces due to a storm approaching, the kappa living in the river felt obliged to provide assistance, as the area would be flooded again that night. Several Kappa completed the trenches that night and thus saved the area from renewed destruction. Thanks to the stability that had now returned, a period of upswing began, which encouraged local trade and increased prosperity. Since none of this would have been possible without the help of the kappa living in the river, today's Sōgen-ji was built in their honor.
Relics
Inside the temple there is an altar on which pickles are offered; they are considered the kappa's favorite food. The treasury contains ancient scrolls about the mythical creatures, and the temple also houses an allegedly real dried and preserved kappa arm.
Next to the staircase to the temple is a stone monument that is said to be home to the tomb of Kappaya Kihachi.
Web links
- Official Website (Japanese)
Individual evidence
- ↑ What does Kappabashi mean? ( Memento of the original from November 7, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Japan This! February 26, 2014; accessed on November 6, 2016.
