Kanzanji

Tateyama-dera Temple is an old temple founded by Kukai (Kobo Daishi) in 810.
It is located at the end of Tateyama-dera Onsen (hot spring) on the hillside of Tateyama, a small mountain about 50 meters high, surrounded by Lake Hamana on three sides.

The name Tateyama-dera was given to the temple because of its location on Tateyama.

Tateyama-dera is a branch temple of Akibayama Akibadera Temple, which also houses Atago Shrine. The main deity of the temple is Kokuzo Bosatsu, and Akiba Sanshakubo Daigongen stands in a sacred place as a guardian deity.

A fire festival is held every year on December 15, with sutra readings followed by a heroic fire-walking ceremony.

History

It is said that Kobo Daishi visited this place in 810 during his Buddhist pilgrimage from Koyasan (Mt. Koya) in the Heian period (794-1192) and practiced asceticism there.

In 1187, the temple was destroyed by a military fire, but was rebuilt by Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first barbarian general of the Kamakura shogunate.

Furthermore, in 1362, at the request of the Fujiwara Motohide (later Osawa) Osawa clan of Horie Castle, which was located in this area, the temple was protected as a prayer temple for the lord of the castle.

In the Edo period (1603-1867), Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first barbarian general of the Edo shogunate, gave the temple a red seal seal.

In 1870, the temple was abandoned due to the abandonment of Buddhism in the Meiji era, but was reconstructed in 1890 under the name of inviting the abbot of Akibayama Akibadera Temple and bringing a sub-branch office of Akibadera Temple.

With this reconstruction, Akiba Sanshakubo Daigongen was enshrined, and the name of the mountain was changed from “Mt.

Experience

In the main hall of Tateyama-ji Temple, visitors can quiet their minds and reflect on themselves through sutra copying, zazen meditation, and Dharma talks.

Tateyama

Located northeast of Lake Hamana, just past the hot spring resort area, Tateyama is a small mountain about 50 meters above sea level with a circumference of about 1,400 meters.

Surrounded by water and mountains, it is a small island on land and boasts extremely beautiful scenery. A promenade has been developed, and a slow walk around Tateyama takes about 40 minutes.

Tateyama-ji Temple and the main hall and shrine of Atago Shrine are located here. There are also other famous sights such as Saigyo-Iwa, Child Iwa, Tosaka-Iwa, and Fujimi-Iwa.

Anadaishi” is a burial mound that Kobo Daishi used as a temporary hall when he built Tateyama-ji Temple, and a stone statue said to have been carved by Kobo Daishi himself during his 21-day ascetic training is enshrined here.

The “Sei-Kannon Bosatsu,” erected in 1937, is a magnificent 16-meter-tall statue of the Goddess of Mercy, known as the symbol of Lake Hamana. It is also called the “beautiful Kannon” because of its gentle face.