Shinobazu-no-ike Bentendo is a Buddhist temple dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten. The temple stands on an island in the middle of Shinobazu Pond located in the southern part of Ueno Park.
Benzaiten is the only female member of Japan’s seven lucky gods. Originally she was a river goddess, so her temples are usually built near water. In addition to water, Benzaiten is a goddess of all things that flow including words, wisdom, wealth, music, and dance.
Originally the Bentendo Temple was part of the larger Kaneiji Temple complex which once covered the entire area now occupied by Ueno Park. Kaneiji Temple was built in 1625 by the Buddhist monk Tenkai. He modeled Kaneiji Temple after Enryakuji, a major Buddhist temple located on Mount Hiei near Kyoto. Some years later Tenkai had an island constructed in the middle of Shinobazu Pond. Tenkai built the Bentendo Temple on the island and enshrined a statue of the goddess Benzaiten there.
Lotus plants, which are a Buddhist symbol of purity, were planted in the southern part of Shinobazu Pond. Originally the island could only be reached by boat, but a bridge was added on its eastern side in 1672, so that people could walk to the temple.
The original Bentendo Temple was destroyed in a bombing raid in World War II. The Benzaiten statue survived the bombing and is now enshrined in the new Main Hall of the temple. This building is a reconstruction of the 17th century Main Hall and it was built in 1958.
4 comments:
One of my favorites! Thank you for this post. It's good to see the Lotus blooms.
The advantage of visiting Tokyo on a really hot summer's day is that there are no crowds. On days with lower temperatures and less glaring sun, the Shinobazu Pond area is overcrowded. I usually visit once a month and eat my lunchbox on a bench at the edge of the pond. The Lotus flowers are fantastic in all their stages, from new sprouts to withering brown reeds in spring, fantastic seed pods (are they called pods?) in late autumn and frostbitten black stalks in winter.
Greetings Pamela: You find some very lovely places to visit.
It is sad that the original Temple was destroyed, by war.
Thank-you for sharing with us.
Catherine
A goddess of everything that flows - no wonder the place is this beautiful!
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