Kasamori-ji

Kasamori-ji 笠森寺
Kasamori-ji Kannon-dō (笠森寺観音堂), the Kannon Hall of Kasamori-ji
Basic information
Location	302 Kasamori, Chōnan, Chōsei District, Chiba Prefecture
Affiliation	Tendai
Deity	Eleven-Faced Kannon
Country	Japan
Completed	784 (traditionally)

Kasamori-ji (笠森寺^?) is a Buddhist temple located in the town of Chōnan in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The temple is also called "Kasamori-dera" using the alternate pronunciation of the Chinese character for temple (tera). Kasamori-ji is temple number 31 in the Bandō Sanjūsankasho, or the circuit of 33 Buddhist temples in Eastern Japan sacred to Goddess Kannon. The Eleven-Faced Kannon of Kasamori-ji is only shown to the public in the years of the Ox and Horse in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac.

It is part of the Kasamori Tsurumai Prefectural Natural Park.

According to tradition the Tendai monk Saichō (767 – 822) visited the area in 784. Saichō carved a statue of the Eleven-Headed Kannon, and installed the statue in a thatched hut structure. Nichiren is said to have frequently prayed at Kasamori-ji, and an image of him in his quarters at the temple exists. Kasamori-ji appears in both a ukiyo-e woodblock print by Hiroshige II (1829 – 1869) as part of the series One Hundred Views of the Provinces. Additionally, Matsuo Bashō (1644 – 1694) wrote a haiku about the temple. A marker with the haiku is located in front of the temple gate.

The Kannon-dō hall of Kasamori-ji is the only example of a temple built in the shihōkakezukuri (四方懸造^?) style; the temple is raised on large stilts on all four sides. The Kannon-dō was built in 1028 by order of the Emperor Go-Ichijō as part of a general revival of the temple. While the other structures of Kasamori-ji have been destroyed by fire three times, the Kannon-dō survived. A document uncovered during a modern repair of the temple indicates that repair work had been previously done to the structure between 1573 and 1596. It is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan.