Utsunoya Pass (Fujieda Side)

Sakashita Jizodo

This temple hall with statues of the bodhisattva Jizo (Sanskrit: Ksitigarbha) is located at the western entrance to Utsunoya Pass on the old Tokaido Road. While the precise year of its construction is a mystery, there are lanterns on the grounds of the temple engraved with years of the Kanbun (1661 –1673) and Genroku (1688 – 1704) eras, so it is clearly a place long visited by travelers praying for safety when they cross the mountain. Legend has it that Jizo helped peasants in need, such as by pulling the nose ring of a cow unable to walk in order to make it move again, and by reaping the rice harvest. For that reason, he is also referred to as Hanatori (Nose-Pulling) Jizo or Inekari (Rice-Harvesting) Jizo in Japanese. It is customary to offer a sickle as a sign of appreciation when one’s prayers are answered, so many sickles and other farm tools have been left in the hall.

data

name
Sakashita Jizodo
Genre
Shrines
Area
Utsunoya Pass (Fujieda Side)
address
Okabe, Okabe-cho, Fujieda-shi, Shizuoka-ken
business hours
Open to visitors
holiday
None
price
Free
Parking
Please use the Parking Lot of Tsuta no Hosomichi Park
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