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A golden goddess at Zenshoan Temple
A golden goddess. I found one! Yes, it’s true. One afternoon, I walked from Rikugien to Yanaka Cemetery. Halfway there, I looked to my left and saw a temple. A glint of gold caught my eye. I looked more carefully and took another step. In front of me was a massive statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. She was probably about ten meters high, looking out over the cemetery and the temple.
The temple’s name was Zenshoan. I didn’t know it. It was the first time I had been there. Later, I discovered Yamaoka Tesshu, a famous Edo-period samurai, founded it. His grave is at the rear of the temple, in the cemetery. Near him is another celebrity of the time, Sanyutei Encho, a famous rakugo artist.
Zenshoan’s cemetery isn’t big. It is probably smaller than the one at Gokokuji temple. But it has the graves of a few famous people. They include:
- Hirota Ryutaro – composer
- Sanyutei Encho – rakugoka
- Yamaoka Tesshu – a samurai who played an important role in the Meiji Restoration
But the golden goddess is the reason to go. It is of the Kannon, the goddess of mercy. She is about six meters high and sits on a pedestal above the ground. You can’t miss it. I found photographing it a little tricky. With my 16-55 mm lens, I found myself close to the base, looking up at it. That wasn’t satisfactory, as it was hard to catch details.
In the end, I settled for my 55-200 mm. With that, I went to the far side of the cemetery and took photographs. The perspective was much better. I was happy. Some clouds would have improved things considerably, though. That might happen on my next visit.
Where is the golden goddess?
The goddess is at Zenshoan Temple in Taito Ward. Closest station: Sendagi (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line). It’s roughly a six-minute walk.
Click here to see it on Google Maps.
Address: Yanaka 5−4−7, Taito City, Tokyo.
Wrapping up
At the time of my visit, I had no idea that the temple was also famous for its collection of yurei (ghost) paintings. They are on public display each August. I’ll see them one day.
If you are into Buddhism and want to see a golden goddess, put Zenshoan on your bucket list. It’s not too far from Yanaka Cemetery and Yanaka Ginza. You could visit all three in one day.
To see the articles mentioned in this article, look at:
External related articles:
- Zenshoan Temple (official website)