Matsuchiyama Shoden
- Established: 601
- Other Names: 待乳山本龍院 (Tainyuuzan honryuuin)
- Japanese: 待乳山聖天 (Matsuchiyama Shouden)
The Matsuchiyama Shôden, located near the banks of the Sumidagawa in Tokyo's Asakusa district, is a branch temple of the nearby Sensô-ji.
The temple is said to have its origins even earlier than those of the Sensô-ji; according to legend, in 601, during a time of terrible drought, an 11-faced Kannon appeared, in the elephant-headed form of Kangiten, and rescued the people, after which he came to be worshipped as "Shôden-sama" (an alternate name for the deity Kangiten).
The temple is located atop a small hill, and was in the Edo period the only meisho (famous place) in the city to be associated with the view from it; Matsuchiyama appears in numerous poems and ukiyo-e prints of the time.
Daikon, for good health, and purses, for commercial success, are two symbols strongly associated with the site. Daikon can be found emblazoned on lanterns and elsewhere at the temple, and are available for purchase, to then be given as offerings.
The main hall of the temple was destroyed in the 1923 Great Kantô Earthquake, and again in the bombing of Tokyo in the 1940s, but was rebuilt in 1961.
References
- Plaques on-site.
