| NHK TV reported yesterday a Jizo (a small stone statue of Buddha), famous for becoming beautiful if you pray it, at Mita. It said it was near JR Tamachi station but not more in detail. I have been in Mita more than sixty years but I have not ever heard of it. As Mita is not small town, it can't be helped not to know it, I thought. |
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When I asked the owner of liquor store nearby my home whether he knew it, he replied me that it was on the left side of Yureizaka (literary translation: phantom slope) near my home. I was more than astonished and went down there immediately. It took only three minutes from my house.
The place around there has been called as temple town of Mita as the Tokugawa government gathered temples of Edo (ancient Tokyo) to the north slope of Mita. The government built a temple park around here. Many temples swarmed around on the slope. The Yureizaka is an only street on slope directly down through to a big street. It is narrow and sharp slope road which was surrounded with temples and tombs. Only a small-sized car can get through it. In old days, it was so dark at night that phantoms could enjoy its darkness, I presume.
I walked though the slope road unaccountable times from my boyhood, but I did not notice the existence of such a stone statue. The gate of Shoho temple where the statue located was donated by Korekiyo Takahashi, ex-Minister of Finance who was assassinated by military just before the war.
As a small cottage covering the Jizo was built along the road by the gate, you cannot see the Jizo directly from the road,
The Jizo was painted white not only its face but body too with powders. It seems to be embarrassed a bit.
TV introduced an aged lady over ninety years old who came here twice a day praying good health. Her face looked very young. Due to the divine favor of Jizo, she said she was enjoying a long life.
| I did not see any people including her coming to Jizo. But I met a good looking small dog on the road. A mother and her daughter tried to make their dog to pose for my camera, by unfastening its neck ring and giving a soft ball but in vain. It was moving around and never stopped just like other small dogs, |
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