Pilgrimage of Seven Gods of Good Fortune in Osaka (1)

On smartphones, this page is best viewed in horizontal mode.

Pilgrimage of Seven Gods of Good Fortune is an old Japanese custom in which if you do the pilgrimage, you can get seven kinds of fortune and avoid seven disasters. This year, I visited shrines and temples in Osaka City.

in which
(1) Sankojinjya Shrine
(2) Chokyuji Temple
(3) Hoanji Minamibo Temple
(4) Daijyobo Temple
(5) Daikokunushi Shrine
(6) Imamiya Ebisu Shrine
(7) Shitennoji Temple

The shrines and temples I visited this time are in Minami, which is a downtown area of Osaka City. Even if you visit all of the shrines and temples, you can do the pilgrimage in one day on foot, because the whole distance is only 6 to 7 kilometers. I spent 2 days for it and I started from the afternoon on those two days. On the first day, I visited Sankojinjya Shrine, Chokyuji Temple, Hoanji Temple, and Daijyobo Temple. On the second day, I visited Shitennoji Temple, Imamiya Ebisu Shrine, and Daikokujinjya Shrine.

1. Sankojinnjya Shrine (deifying Jurojin)
The shrine is on Mt. Sanada, which is in the direction of southeast from Osaka Castle. According to tradition, it was built between 406 and 410. It has been well-known since ancient times that the god in this shrine protects you from paralysis. By the Great Osaka Air Raids*, all of the shrine buildings were burned down. After the war, first the main shrine, then the shrine office, next the front shrine and the main torii gate, and finally subordinate shrine buildings and the north torii gate were built.
Jurojin is the god of longevity and health.
* In the end stage of World War II, the US armed forces attacked Osaka City from the air several times, due to which almost all buildings there were burned down and more than 10,000 private citizens were killed.

Jurojin

Big Torii Gate
Red Seal

Main Hall

Ruin of Secret Passage of Sanada

2. Chokyuji Temple (deifying Fukurokuju)
The temple was built in 1579, whose sect is the Nichiren sect of Buddhism. Although the roof of the main temple was thrown way during the Great Osaka Air Raids, the main temple itself was saved from burning down. The precincts of the temple, however, were reduced due to the expansion construction of Tanimachisuji Avenue, and many halls there were moved and reconstructed in different places. Now the modern reinforced concrete building, built in 1963, is the main hall of this temple. The appearance is different from the impression many people have as the appearance of a temple, but once entering the building, the inside was filled with the scent of incense and solemn atmosphere. (Unfortunately, photography is prohibited the inside.)
Fukurokuju brings us the three benefits of prosperity for our descendants, an invitation for fortune, and longevity.

Main Hall
Red Seal

3. Hoanji Minamibo Temple (deifying Benzaiten/Saraswati)
The temple, whose sect is the Shingon sect, stands on the north side of Dotonbori River. According to the history of this temple, the temple was built between 593 and 628. It was also completely burned down by the Great Osaka Air Raids, Buddhist statues including the principal image remained unburned, and the temple was rebuilt after the war. The precincts were small, but I was enveloped in a serene ambiance once I stepped into the precincts, though the temple stands in a noisy downtown area. I noticed for the first time that we can get small ema (votive tablet) on which one of the seven gods is depicted in the Pilgrimage of Seven Gods of Good Fortune in Osaka. From here, I got the small ema.
Benzaiten is the goddess of art, especially music, and fortune.

Benzaiten Statue

Red Seal

Sanmon Gate
Bentendo Hall

Ema

Inari Shrine in Precincts

4. Daijyobo Temple (deifying Bishamonten/Vaisravana)
The area where Hoanji Minamibo Tmple and Daijyobo Temple stand is the Nipponbashi area having the typical atmosphere of a downtown. I walked from the previous temple to the next temple, Daijyobo, while looking around restlessly among many foreigners and young people, whose clothes were astonishing to me, muttering “Is here Japan?” The temple was built between 1573 and 1592, and belongs to the Shingon sect. Bishamonten in this temple is one of the four Bishamonten statues in Japan, and is the principal image. It is a hidden Buddhist statue and is opened to the public twice per year. The temple was also completely burned down during the Great Osaka Air Raids, but the Buddhist statues, including the principal image, were saved from the burning. The present main hall was rebuilt in 1960.
Bishamonten is the guardian god, and the god of luck and advancement (Goho Zenjin/Dharmapala protects Buddhist teaching from evils in the Buddhism).