Chogosonshi-ji

Chogosonshi-ji Temple is the Grand Head Temple of {Shigisan Shingon sect} located on Mt. Shigi in Heguri-cho, Ikoma County, Nara Prefecture. Its principal image is Bishamonten (Vaisravana, also called Tamonten). It is also called 'Shigisan-ji Temple' and commonly known as 'Shigisan no Bishamon san' (Bishamonten of Mt. Shingi). Every year, many worshippers visit the temple in the New Year period.

It is counted among the Seven Gods of Good Fortune in Yamato: Chogosonshi-ji Temple, Kume-dera Temple, Kojima-dera Temple, Kobusa Kannon-ji Temple, Tanzan-jinja Shrine, Taima-dera Temple Nakano-do Hall, and Abe Monju-in Temple.

History Chogosonshi-ji Temple is located on the Nara Prefecture side slope of Mt. Shigi towering on the border of Yamato Province (Nara Prefecture) and Kawachi Province (Osaka Prefecture). Its time of foundation and development are not clear.

It is said that the national treasure that is handed down in the temple, "Shigisan Engi" (legends of Mt. Shigi) was established in the late Heian period in 12th century, and it is recognized as a representative work among Japanese picture scrolls. Unlike ordinary illustrated origins of shrines and temples, this picture scroll does not describe anything about details of how Chogosonshi-ji Temple was founded, but its subject mater is a miraculous stories of a highly virtuous monk called Myoren (命蓮) who was practicing in Mt. Shigi. The volume two (of three) of the illustrated scroll describes an anecdote that Myoren healed the illness of the Emperor of the Engi era (Emperor Godaigo) with his power of Buddhism. An anecdote almost same as the captions of "Shigisan Engi" is contained in "Uji Shui Monogatari" (a collection of the Tales from Uji), and "Konjaku Monogatari (Shu) " (The Tale of Times Now Past) also contains an anecdote about foundation of Shigisan-ji Temple. (In "Uji Shui Monogatari," the name of the monk is 'Moren, and in "Konjaku Monogatari," it is 'Myoren [明練].')