Kanpuku-ji, Buddhist temple of Shingon Buzan sect in Katori, Japan
Kanpuku-ji is a Buddhist temple belonging to the Shingon Buzan sect located in Katori, Japan. The complex contains a main hall, daishi hall, kannon hall, fudo hall, and several other ceremonial structures spread across the grounds.
According to legend, the priest Enton founded Kanpuku-ji in 811; in 814 Kūkai visited and prayed to Takejizai-ten and the Kosodate Kannon for residents suffering from infectious diseases. The temple later received from Emperor Saga the right to use the imperial Chrysanthemum crest and for its priests to wear purple robes. It served as an auxiliary temple of nearby Yamakura Shrine until the Meiji Restoration; in 1871 the shinbutsu bunri separation moved the Buddhist objects from the shrine into Kanpuku-ji, a process lasting into the early 20th century.
The temple's name combines Kannon's blessings (kan) with fortune (puku), and its mountain name Yamakura comes from the district. Each year on 7 October a raw salmon is offered during a Buddhist service, recalling the legend that residents cured of illness by Kūkai offered him salmon from the Kuri River.
The temple lies about 6 km east of Narita International Airport but is not easily reached by public transport. Buses run from Sawara Station or Omigawa Station on the JR Narita Line; from the Yamakura bus stop it is about a 2-minute walk. By car, leave the toll road near Okado and follow Route 114 southwest for roughly 2 km.
The temple's annual festival on 7 October reenacts a legend: Kūkai prayed to Takejizai-ten and the Kosodate Kannon while residents suffered an epidemic, and the sick were cured after offering salmon from the nearby Kuri River. A raw salmon is still offered during the Buddhist service, and the temple is counted as the 45th stop on the Kantō 88-temple pilgrimage.
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