
Yoryu Kannon Hall
temple
楊柳観音堂
This hall is named after the Yoryu, or Willow Kannon, that is enshrined here.
This hall at Hida Kokubunji in Takayama enshrines the Yoryu Kannon, a form of the bodhisattva of compassion holding a willow branch said to both cure and prevent illness. Visitors come to pray for safe childbirth; the wooden blocks in front, shaped like the rook piece in Japanese chess, were placed here hoping for a smooth, uncomplicated delivery. Carvings of paired Mandarin ducks over the doors and birds of paradise on the sides represent monogamy and parenting. Unusually, a Shinto torii stands at the entrance to this Buddhist hall, a physical reminder of the syncretic practice of combining Shinto and Buddhism that was common in Japan before the Meiji era.
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