Shorenji Amida-do

Heading down the Kuma River it was not too long before I cam upon another thatched temple. This one was the Amida-do of Shorenji temple.

It was built in 1295 by Yorimune Sagara to memorialize his great  grandfather, Yorikage, who came here from the capital to take over the surrounding lands. The Sagara family controlled this area continuously for almost 700 years until 1867, an unusual situation in the volatile political scene of historical Japan.

The current building is about 570 years old. Inside are some statues that I believe date back to the Kamakura Period. Being an Amida Hall the central place is for a standing Amida.

I am almost certain this is a Jizo. The upper reaches of the Kuma River is an intriguing place and I plan to return there and do a lot more exploring. In fact this leg of my pilgrimage, following the Sendai River upstream and then crossing over to go down the Kuma River was one of the most enjoyable legs of the whole pilgrimage.