[Buddhist Temple] Myōenji (妙圓寺)

Benten hall "Hojuden" (top) and entrance of the Sacred Cave (bottom)

Sanmon of Myoenji

Myouenji (妙圓寺), officially Wakozan Ioin Myoenji (和光山醫王院妙圓寺), is a Buddhist temple (Tendai Buddhism) in the Tsuchiya District of Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.  Until around 1970, the temple was in a remote area with no houses within 500 meters, earning its reputation as a serene "mountain temple."

The exact founding date of Myoenji is unclear.  However, it is believed to have been restored in 1615 by Shungyo (舜尭), a Buddhist priest from Hieizan Enryakuji (比叡山延暦寺) in Kyoto.  The temple's founding patron is considered to be Gesseimyoenzenni (月盛妙圓禅尼), the mother of Mizushima Gorouemon (水嶋五郎右衛門), a founding ancestor of the village in the area at the time.

Myoenji is depicted in the Sochuryuonkiryaku (相中留恩記略), a pictorial guidebook from 1839 that documents notable landmarks and historical sites related to Tokugawa Ieyasu in Sagami Province.  The illustration features the main hall, the Benten Hall, and the cave, all of which still exist today.  It also includes the Yakushi-do and a shoro, which were noted in records from 1894.

Main Hall (本堂)

Main Hall

The current Main Hall, rebuilt in 1745, houses several Buddha statues.

Sacred Cave (岩屋霊穴)

The Sacred Cave and Zeni-arai Ike (left)

Benten Ike

To the left of the Main Hall lies the Sacred Cave (岩屋霊穴).  This cave is believed to have been shaped into its present form during the time of the fourth chief priest, Konen (広然).

Near the entrance of the cave is Zeni-arai Ike (銭洗い池), also known as Tsuchiya Zeni Arai Benzaiten (土屋銭洗辯財天).  It is said that washing money in this pond will cause it to multiply.  The pond receives its water from another pond within the cave, Benten Ike (辯天池).

Benten Hall "Hojuden" (辯天堂「寳珠殿」)

Benten Hall "Hojuden"

There is a Benten hall (辯天堂) named "Hojuden (寳珠殿)" standing above the cave.  Records show the current hall was rebuilt in December 1804.  The suzuhimo, the rope for ringing the bells, has the name Eiichirou Funakoshi (船越英一郎), a prominent Japanese actor known as the "King of Suspense," who frequently visits the temple.