Dojyoji
What is Dojyoji?
Dojyoji was built in the year 701 and it is one of the oldest temples. There are some buildings that are designated as important cultural properties,for example, Hondo,the main building. And there are some national treasures and images of Buddha that are designated as important cultural properties. That’s why they are enshrined .
Princess Miyako
Do you know the reason why Dojyoji temple was built? Dojyoji has relation with an historical person. Her name was Princess Miyako. She married Emperor Monmu. After that she became Emperor Syomu's wife.
After 7 and a half century, she was born in the present Gobo City. She couldn't grow her hair. That day her mother found a image of Kannon and she continued praying for her hair. Then Miyako grew beautiful hair. So Dojyoji was built as a place to enshrine her thanks.
Niomon
Niomon is registered as an important cultural property. There are many steps that are made of stones.
Actually, These steps are said to be easy for us to go up and down. Niomon was repainted in 1993. So it looks new.
The Seven Wonders of Dojyoji.
1 The wonder of the stone steps
Why is it easy to go up and down the stairs ?
2 The wonder of Niomon
This arrangement means something!?Niomon’s mystery
3 The wonder of The three-storied pagoda.
What history does The three-storied pagoda tell us?
4 The position of the bell tower
Where is the first bell tower and what does it tell us?
5 The sacred Buddhist image
What do the Buddhist images give us?
6 The popularity of Musume-
Dojyoji(Kabuki,Japanese dance,and so on)
Musume-Dojyoji can be popular thanks to someone.
Who is the person?
7 The nothing bell resounds in Dojyoji.
Even if there is no sound...
The bell’s sound resounds in our hearts.
HEATH
Tall: 2.6 meters
weight: 42 kilo grams
Age: unknown
Gender: unknown
Appearance: pretty
Character: harsh
Engidou
Actually there is a famous story excepting Princess Miyako story in Dojyoji. That is the tale of Anchin-Kiyohime. We can hear the story while looking at some pictures.
Homotsuden
We can see more than twenty Buddhist images that are designated important cultural properties and three national treasures that are called Senjyukannnon, Nikkobosatu and Gekkobosatu.
Senjyukannon is one of the oldest Buddhist images in Japan.
Hondou
It was built in 701.
The hall was used for about 650 years.
And it has been rebuilt twice, in 1357 and 1991.
We can feel the history of it.
Souvenir
Doujouji is famous for Tsuriganemanjuu.(a Japanese sweet)
It looks like the temple bell from the Anchin-Kiyohime Story.
It has some different flavors,for example, Shiro-Ann(soy bean paste),kuro-Ann,and so on.
These are very delicious.
Would you like to try it?
The neighboring area at Jinai-machi
What is Jinai-machi?
It is Monzen-machi, the town that prospered around the temple.
But while Monzen-machi is mainly tourism, Jinai-machi is a town that improved the power of defence because it would be attacked.
Shimo-gawa river is the moat of the castle.
The road has many twists and turns.
Shinohachimanjinjya Shrine
It was originally the villa of Tokugawa-Yoshinobu, the founder of Kii (Kii is the old name of Wakayama Prefecture)
branch of the Tokugawa family , the first lord of the Kii clan.
As a result, in this area, the tax was exempted, so many people moved here and it became a town. A pair of stone guardian dogs in this shrine are parent and child. It is rare. At this shrine, the Gobo festival is held.
There are "Yotsudaiko" where four children drumming are carried in a big hand-held carriage,"Shishimai"(lion dances), " Yatai"(stalls), "Kehon-odori"(dances), as well as various events and attracts a lot of audiences every year. "Yotsudaiko" is said to have been brought from the Setouchi district by shipping agencies that prospered around Shino-kawa river and the Hidaka-river in the Edo era.
Aritaya(Arita-shop)
Aritaya is an old-fashioned Japanese sweet shop. The signboard is written from right to left. The inside of the shop has a calm atmosphere.
Hidaka-Betsuin-Temple
Hidaka-Betsuin-Temple is the main building of this town, Jinai-machi. It is one of the highest-ranked temples in Japan.It has stood here with a big ginkgo tree for 400 years. Its leaves cover the ground every autumn.
And it has been known as a temple that makes us rich. It was called "Gobo-Sama", "Gobo" means temple, that's why this city was named Gobo.
Old Nakagawa's residence
Built in the Showa era, it was the home of a wealthy family. There are many unusual design decisions for that day and age. It is said that it cost a lot over 100 houses at that time.
Horikawaya Nomura
A shop that makes Mitsuboshi soy sauce via traditional methods. They use raw, domestic ingredients. Lattices windows are also tasteful.
Jyokokuji
It is a building before Hidaka-Betsuin a temple was built the original is the temple Sono-bosha.
Brick fence
It is a brick fence of Hinode-spinning mill, it suffered from an air raid in World WarⅡ its traces still remain.
Chamen-Jizo
Jizo has a role of road sign and entrance to Jinai-machi and Chamen-Jizo is located in the south of Jinai-machi.(It has been moved now.)