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{{short description|Buddhist temple in Osaka Prefecture, Japan}}[[File:Nozaki-kannon.jpg|thumb|Jigen-ji Temple]]
{{Nihongo|'''Jigen-ji'''|慈眼寺}}, also known as '''Nozaki Kannon''' (野崎観音), is a temple located at the foot of [[Mt. Iimori]], in [[Daitō, Osaka|Daitō]], [[Osaka Prefecture]], Japan.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TbFuAAAAMAAJ |title=Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan |date=1983 |publisher=Kodansha |isbn=978-0-87011-620-9 |pages=67 |language=en}}</ref> It is famous for the 11-faced statue of [[Kanzeon Bosatsu]], or Kannon, that it enshrines.
==History==
The Kannon statue enshrined at Jigen-ji Temple is said to have been carved out by a high priest [[Gyōki]] (668-749). According to legend, the temple was completely burnt down by the soldiers of [[Miyoshi clan|Miyoshi]] and [[Matsunaga Hisahide|Matsunaga]] in 1565, and the Kanzeon Bosatsu statue miraculously survived. The temple was rebuilt in 1616 by priest Seigan, and making pilgrimages to Nozaki Kannon became popular circa the [[Genroku]] and [[Hōei]] periods (1688 to 1710).
==Legacy==
{{nihongo|Buddhist services|法会|Hōe}} are held in the spring and the fall, and it is a custom for believers to make pilgrimages to Jigen-ji Temple called "Nozaki Mairi" (野崎参り). The popularity of the pilgrimage is described in many documents, including ''[[Onnakoroshi Abura no Jigoku]]'' by [[Chikamatsu Monzaemon]], and ''[[Shinpan Uta Zaimon]]'' by [[Chikamatsu Hanji]]. There is even a [[rakugo]] (traditional Japanese comedy) performance titled "Nozaki Mairi." The pilgrimage to Jigen-ji Temple was immortalized by the song "Nozaki-kouta" by [[Tarō Shōji]], which describes the tragic love affair between a merchant's daughter named Osome and a shop boy named Hisamatsu.
In older times{{When|date=February 2011}}, the area of Jigen-gi Temple's location was connected by water, and it was possible to approach the temple by boat. A historic popular belief was that winning a verbal argument between those visiting by boat, and those visiting by land, would bring the winner happiness for the entire year.
Even today, from May 1 to 10th of every year, the approach from the [[Nozaki Station (Osaka)|Nozaki Station]] of the JR [[Gakkentoshi Line]] to Nozaki Kannon becomes crowded with fair stalls, attracting more than 200,000 pilgrims and spectators.
==Additional relics==
A painting of [[Shakyamuni Buddha]] in state of nirvana called "[[Shaka Nehan Zu]]" is kept at Jigen-ji Temple as a treasure, along with a stone monument inscribed with a poem by [[Matsuo Bashō]].
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.nozakikannon.or.jp/ Nozaki Kannon Homepage] {{in lang|ja}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110720105533/http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/search/detail/sightseeing_1786.html Outline of Jigenji Temple] {{in lang|en}}
{{Buddhist temples in Japan}}
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[[Category:Buddhist temples in Osaka Prefecture]]