Confidence
| Field | Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temple name | 97% | Bottom-left red rectangular seal reads 「大本山 大聖院」(Daihonzan Daishō-in); the brush calligraphy on left reads 大本山 / 大聖院 in two columns. Center calligraphy reads 波切不動明王 (Namikiri Fudō Myōō) — the temple's principal deity in the Chokugan-dō. |
| Variant (Namikiri Fudō honzon) | 94% | The 波切不動 honzon is one of Daishō-in's five documented goshuin types. The Bonji center stamp カーン (kaṃ) — the Sanskrit seed-syllable for Fudō Myō-ō — is consistent with the variant. |
| Date | 97% | Right column legibly reads 令和七年 三月 廿五日 = 25 March 2025 (Reiwa 7) |
Identification
- Name (Japanese): 多喜山 水精寺 大聖院 (formal: Takisan Suishō-ji Daishō-in)
- Name (Romanized): Daishō-in (also Daisho-in)
- Type: Buddhist temple — 真言宗御室派 大本山 (Shingon-shū Omuro-ha Daihonzan / head temple of the Omuro branch of Shingon)
- Honzon (this goshuin's calligraphy): 波切不動明王 (Namikiri Fudō Myōō / "Wave-Cutting Fudō Myōō") in the 勅願堂 (Chokugan-dō / Imperial Prayer Hall)
- Status: Sōhonbō (総本坊) of Miyajima — historically the head temple of all religious institutions on the sacred island, including Itsukushima Shrine itself prior to the 1868 separation of Buddhism and Shinto
- Location: Miyajima-chō, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture
- Date received: 令和七年三月廿五日 = 25 March 2025 (Reiwa 7)
Reading the goshuin
| Element | Reading | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 勅願 (red rectangle) | Chokugan — "Imperial Prayer" (referring to Chokugan-dō hall) | Top right, red |
| 波切不動明王 | Namikiri Fudō Myōō — "Wave-Cutting Fudō" | Center, large brush |
| カーン (Bonji) | Kaṃ — Sanskrit seed-syllable for Fudō Myō-ō | Center, large red Bonji within mandorla |
| 大本山 + 大聖院 | Daihonzan + Daishō-in (head temple + temple name) | Left columns, brush |
| 大聖院 (red square seal) | Daishō-in temple name seal in tensho | Bottom-left, red square |
| 三鬼 (top right red, partial) | Sanki — Three-Demon (Sanki-dō, another famous Daishō-in hall) | Possible co-stamp at top right |
| 令和七年三月廿五日 | Reiwa 7, 3rd month, 25th day = 25 March 2025 | Right column |
About the temple
Daishō-in is Miyajima's oldest and most important Buddhist temple, founded in 806 CE by Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai) — the same year Kūkai also founded Tōchō-ji in Hakata (entry 09 in this book). Kūkai is said to have completed a hundred-day esoteric meditation practice on Mt. Misen (弥山), the sacred 535m peak at the center of Miyajima island, before founding the temple.
For most of its history (until 1868), Daishō-in functioned as the 總本坊 (sōhonbō / supreme administrative head temple) of all religious institutions on Miyajima — including Itsukushima Shrine itself. Until the Meiji-era separation of Buddhism and Shinto (神仏分離 / shinbutsu bunri, 1868), Itsukushima Shrine and its torii in the sea were administered by Daishō-in's monks; the famous floating torii is fundamentally a hybrid Shinto-Buddhist sacred structure.
The temple has multiple imperial associations:
- Emperor Toba (1107–1123) designated it as an imperial prayer temple (勅願寺 / chokuganji)
- Emperor Meiji (1852–1912) lodged at Daishō-in during a visit to Miyajima
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi held famous tea gatherings at the temple while preparing for his Korea campaigns
About 波切不動明王 (Namikiri Fudō)
The principal deity of the Chokugan-dō (Imperial Prayer Hall) is Namikiri Fudō Myōō — literally "Wave-Cutting Fudō". According to temple tradition, Toyotomi Hideyoshi carried this Fudō image as his personal protective deity during the Bunroku-Keichō Korean campaigns (1592–1598). He prayed to it for safe sea passage and naval victory; legend holds that the Fudō statue's sword cut through storm waves to calm the sea for Hideyoshi's fleet.
The "wave-cutting" iconography ties Namikiri Fudō to maritime safety as one of Fudō Myō-ō's specialized aspects — a particularly relevant deity for the seaborne Itsukushima Shrine pilgrimage to which Daishō-in is the gateway.
What it's known for / the blessing
- 海上安全 (kaijō anzen) — maritime safety (via Namikiri Fudō)
- 厄除け / 開運 (yakuyoke / kaiun) — protection from evil and good-fortune-inviting (Daishō-in is publicly known as 「厄除け開運祈願所」 — "Power Spot for Misfortune-Removal and Fortune-Opening")
- 水子供養 (mizuko kuyō) — memorial rites for unborn or lost children (the temple is widely known for this)
- 三鬼信仰 (sanki shinkō) — devotion to the 三鬼大権現 (Sanki Daigongen), the three demonic guardian deities of Mt. Misen, enshrined in Daishō-in's separate Sanki-dō hall — unique to Miyajima
About the goshuin
Daishō-in offers five documented goshuin variants:
- 波切不動明王 (Namikiri Fudō) — this scan, the Chokugan-dō honzon
- 十一面観音 (Jūichimen Kannon) — the Eleven-Headed Kannon, another major hall image
- 三鬼大権現 (Sanki Daigongen) — the unique-to-Miyajima three-demon deities
- 大師 (Daishi) — Kōbō Daishi, the founder
- 観音 (Kannon) — generic Kannon variant
In recent years the temple has also offered limited kirie (cut-paper) goshuin seasonal variants, including some in collaboration with JR West.
Sources
- Daishō-in official: https://daisho-in.com/
- Daishō-in Sennencho goshuin: https://sennencho.jp/daishoin-goshuin
- Daishō-in goshuin guide: https://www.jinjyagoshuin.com/entry/daishouin
- Daishō-in goshuin gallery: https://omairi.club/spots/82110/goshuin
- Daishō-in info (Miyajima Tourism): https://miyajima-kankou.net/entry19.html
- Daishō-in kirie goshuin: https://daisho-in.com/goshuin.html