A golden goddess at Zenshoan Temple
A golden goddess. I found one! Yes, it’s true. She exists in Tokyo. 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 about ten meters high and gazed over the city.
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 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 the 55-200 mm lens. With that, I went to the far side of the cemetery for photos. 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.
Address: 5-4-7 Yanaka, Taito City, Tokyo
Here it is on a Google map:
Closest train stations:
- Sendagi on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line (a six-minute walk).
- Nippori on the Joban (Rapid), Keihin–Tōhoku, Yamanote, Keisei Electric Railway, and Keisei Main Lines. From this station, it is an eleven-minute walk.
Conclusion
At the time of my visit, I had no idea that the temple had a 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 also not far from Yanaka Cemetery and Yanaka Ginza, another two popular tourist spots. You could visit all three in one day. Leave questions and comments below.
Rohan Gillett
Rohan has lived in Tokyo for 30+ years. He loves photography and plans to capture the entire city.
To see more temple articles, look at:
External related articles:
- Zenshoan Temple (official website)