Skin Saint - Kawano Hijiri

Japanese: 皮聖 - かわのひじり

...In the Muromachi period, people who sold leather were called "kawa-o" or "kawa-o" and were written about in waka poetry, and the term "kawa-o-doki" became popular as a synonym for "kawa-tare-doki," referring to dawn and dusk. Leather also has deep magical and religious meanings, and saints wearing deer fur clothing were called "kawa-no-hijiri" (skin saints) in the Heian period and walked the public preaching with long sticks with deer antlers attached, and mountain ascetics of Shugendo also wore fur around their waists while practicing in the mountains and fields. The formal attire worn by monks, the pope, the various head priests of the temple, and nobles of the councilor rank or higher when visiting the Imperial Court was called kiyutai, which was also called kawashiro, meaning clothing to replace kiyutai, or leather clothing.

From [Kedo]

…Gyoen was a saint from Yokawa on Mount Hiei, always wearing a deerskin garment and teaching the common people on the streets. At the time, he was called "Kawashiyo-n" or "Kawashi-sei," and this is why this temple was called "Kechi-do." Since Gyoen was a saint who traveled around the country encouraging common people to make a connection with Buddha, the temple had many people of high and low rank who made a connection with Buddha from the time it was founded. In the Middle Ages, the miraculous power of the principal image, the Thousand-Armed Kannon, became known to the world amid the popularity of Kannon faith seeking worldly benefits, and the temple was counted as one of the temples on the pilgrimage to the Thirty-Three Kannon Temples of the Western Provinces and one of the Seven Kannon of Luoyang, and it increasingly attracted the faith of the common people. …

From [skin/leather]

From [Kedo]

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to "Pi Sheng" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…また，皮革を行商した人々のことを室町時代には〈かわかおう，かわおう〉と称して，和歌に詠まれたり，夜明け，夕暮どきをさす〈彼誰時（かわたれどき）〉の同義語として〈皮買時（かわかおうどき）〉の語が普及したりもした。皮革には，呪術的･宗教的な意味も深く，シカの毛皮の衣を着た聖（ひじり）たちは平安時代より〈皮聖(革聖)（かわのひじり）〉と呼ばれ，シカの角を付した長いつえを手にして民間を布教し歩いたし，修験道の山伏たちも毛皮を腰に付して山野を修行してまわった。僧侶や法体の法皇･諸門跡（もんぜき）･参議以上の公家たちが宮中に参内のとき着用した礼服に裘代（きゆうたい）というのがあったが，これは〈かわしろ〉とも称し，〈裘〉すなわち皮衣に代わる服の意であった。…

【革堂】より

…行円は叡山の横川（よかわ）の聖（ひじり）で，常に鹿の皮衣をまとい，巷で庶人を教化した。当時，〈皮聖人（かわしようにん）〉とか〈皮聖〉と呼ばれ，これが当寺を革堂と呼ぶもととなった。行円が庶人に仏との結縁（けちえん）を勧めて回国する聖だったので，当寺には創建当初から貴賤の結縁者が多かったが，中世になると，本尊千手観音の霊験が現世利益を求める観音信仰の流行のなかで世に喧伝され，西国三十三所観音巡礼の札所や洛陽七観音の一つに数えられ，ますます庶民の信仰を集めた。…