Osorezan [monastery?], (near) Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture, JP

Raw data

This Sôtô Zen temple is a popular pilgrimage destination on Lake Usori (a volcanic caldera) in Aomori Prefecture. It is located on the site of a hall founded in 862 by Ennin from Enryakuji on Mt. Hiei, who enshrined a Jizô Bodhisattva statue that he carved himself. Later, the temple flourished as a locus for Shugendô (syncretistic Buddhism, Shinto or folk religion), famous for ghosts, mediums, and hermits.

- Uryû (2003: 214)

The Tendai temple was destroyed in 1457 during the Kagisaki Disturbance. In 1522, it was rebuilt as a Sôtô Zen temple by a monk Jukaku with financial support from the Nambu clan. It is now part of Entsûji in Mutsu City.

- “Bodaiji (Mutsu-shi)” http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/恐山菩提寺
-“Osoreyama sai no kawara” http://sainokawara.fubuki.info/osorezan.html

Input by: Lizbeth H. Piel, Aug 23, 2010

Final data (and their sources)

Last updated: 31 Jan 2014

Lat/Long coordinates' accuracy:
The monastery in question is assumed to be situated actually no farther than 200 m from the point defined by the coordinates below.

Location of Osorezan [monastery?], JP.

General location of the Osorezan [monastery?], JP.
Lat 41.327030 Long 141.090290
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2010.


Google Map link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=41.327030+141.090290+(Approx.%20loc.%20of%20the%20Osorezan%20[monastery?],%20JP)&ll=41.327030,141.090290&spn=05.0,05.0&t=k&hl=en


Final data - explanatory notes

1. Monastery's name

  • Osorezan 恐山 [monastery?]

2. Monastery's modern country & province

  • Japan: Aomori Prefecture

3. Monastery's alternative/historical names


4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates

  • Approx., Lat 41.327030 Long 141.090290 - based on the visual identification of Osorezan/Bodajji temple in maps, maps.google.com - tmciolek, 25 Aug 2010.

5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries

  • [missing data]

6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village


7. The settlement's alternative/historical names


8. The settlement's coordinates


9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition

  • Mahayana

10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition

  • Tendai till 1522; Zen (Sôtô) sect after 1522

11. Date-early

  • 862 CE - Uryû (2003: 14)]

MBM chrono-tag: 0833-66c - tmciolek 31 Jan 2014
0833-66c 0867-99c 0900-32c 0933-66c 0967-99c 1000-32c 1033-66c 1067-99c 1100-32c 1133-66c 1167-99c 1200=> dated-ex


12. Date-intermediate

MBM chrono-tag: 1200=> - tmciolek 31 Jan 2014


13. Date-late

  • [missing data]

14. Details of contacts with other monasteries

  • A connection with Enryakuji (Hieizan) through Ennin and the Tendai sect

15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery

  • Documents, architecture

16. Additional notes

  • [missing data] (incl. details of the size of the monastic population)

17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by

  • [missing data]

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