Record of Kannon's Miracles: Chichibu Pilgrimage Stop #1, Shimabu-ji

From ancient times, there has been a strong devotion to Kannon, a bodhisattva, in Japan. There are famous pilgrimage routes to temples devoted to Kannon throughout Japan, and the "Hundred Kannon Pilgrimage" consists of three courses with 33 temples in Kansai (western Japan), 33 temples in Kantō (eastern Japan), and 34 temples in the Chichibu region of Saitama Prefecture. This print is an Edo Period (1603-1868) multicolored woodblock print, called a nishiki-e, that depicts the first temple on the Chichibu pilgrimage, Shimabu-ji (also known as Myōon-ji). This print was created and sold in Edo (present-day Tokyo) in 1858 in commemoration of the temporary public display of the bodhisattva artifacts at the temple. The upper portion of the print, painted by Utagawa Hiroshige, shows the temple itself inside a frame that resembles a votive tablet for the temple. The text in this upper portion states that Shimabu-ji was founded in 1007 by Gendōbiku, follower of Shōkū Shōnin of Shoshazan Engyō-ji (the 27th temple on the Kansai pilgrimage). Guided by a sacred bird, Gendōbiku reached the area that would become Shimabu-ji and recited 40,000 sutras. This story forms the basis for two of the temple's names, Shimabu-ji (roughly, "temple of 40,000 sutras") and Dokkyōzan (roughly, "mountain temple where sutras are recited"). The lower portion of the print, painted by Utagawa Toyokuni, depicts the story of a miracle associated with the temple: a violent man attacks a young pilgrim woman, actually Kannon in disguise, but completely changes his ways upon hearing Kannon's kind words. The publisher of this print is recorded as Yamada Yashō Jirō, located at Minamitenma-chō 2, Edo.