Shinjuku was one of the post stations of Koshu-kaido Road and was called Naito Shinjuku in the Edo era.
Since 1712, a bronze statue of seated Jizo Bosatsu, which is one of the Edo six Jizos, has been enshrined in Taisoji temple, which is located along Koshu-kido Road in Naito Shinjuku.
It is said that the Edo six Jizos were built by a Buddhist priest. His name is Jizoubou Shogen and he lived in Fukagawa in Edo (currently Coto Ward in Tokyo). When he was 24 years old, he had an incurable disease. His parents were sad and prayed to Jizo for their son’s recovery from his illness. He also prayed to Jizo wholeheartedly, and then he instantly recovered from his illness.
In 1706, he set his mind on building Jizos for gratitude and asked many people in Edo to donate money toward the construction of them. At last he enshrined the six statues of Jizo Bosatu at each entrance of the six Kaido roads which enter Edo. It is said that it took fourteen years to finish this project. He prayed to Jizos for protecting the safety of passersby, driving away a plague from Edo, and changing the world for the Land of Happiness.
When I went to Taisoji temple to see the Jizo, I felt a little bit strange. Because there is a big apartment building behind the statue of Jizo Bosatu now. The Jizo Bosatu might feel that the scenery has been changed a lot.
江戸時代の新宿は内藤新宿という甲州街道の宿場町でした。
内藤新宿内の甲州街道の道筋にある太宗寺に、江戸六地蔵のうちの１つである、銅造地蔵菩薩坐像(1712年造立）が鎮座しています。
江戸六地蔵は、江戸深川の地蔵坊正元という僧侶により造立されたものだと言われています。正元が24歳の時に不治の病にかかり、両親は悲しみお地蔵様に病気平癒の祈願をしました。正元自らも一心にお地蔵様に祈願すると、病はたちまちにして全快しました。
報恩のため正元は1706年に発願し、江戸市中から広く寄進者を募り、江戸に入る６本の街道の入り口にそれぞれ地蔵菩薩像を安置しました。道行く人々の無事を守り、江戸御府内の疫病を払い、世の中を浄土にしようと14年の歳月をかけたということです。
お地蔵様に会いに太宗寺に行ってみたらちょっと違和感を覚えました。今ではお地蔵様のバックにマンションがあるからです。お地蔵様も、えらく景色が変わってしまったなー、と思われているかもしれません。
Ikuyo.K.
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