The Thirty-Three Temples of the Western Provinces

This refers to the 33 sacred sites where people make a pilgrimage to the Kannon (bodhisattva) statues scattered mainly in the Kinki region. As a pilgrimage talisman is placed at each sacred site where a Kannon statue is enshrined, it is also called the Thirty-Three Fudasho (Thirty-Three Temples), Saigokusho (Western Provinces Temples), or Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon (Bodhisattva) in the West. The number 33 was named based on the theory that Kannon has 33 bodies, but in reality it is limited to seven Kannon statues.

From the end of the Heian period, under the influence of esoteric Buddhism, Kannon worship began to occupy a large proportion of folk beliefs, but at the same time, pilgrimages to sacred sites were also made in connection with the travels of esoteric Buddhist monks in search of places to practice, and pilgrimages by ordinary people became popular from the Muromachi period. The pilgrimage to the Saigoku Pilgrimage is said to have been popularized by Tokudo, the founder of Hasedera Temple in Yamato (Nara Prefecture), but the fact that many of the temples were founded in the Heian period gives it a strong narrative quality. Emperor Kazan (968-1008) is considered to be the founder of the pilgrimage to the Saigoku Pilgrimage, having traveled to Mount Nachi and other places with the help of Shoku, but the number of temples, 33, has not been confirmed. The records of Gyoson (?-1135) and Kakuchu (1118-77) of Miidera (Onjoji) mention the pilgrimage to the Thirty-Three Temples, so the order appears to have been finalized around that time, but the current order appears to have been adopted around the 15th century.

Mount Nachi, the first temple, is the center of the Fudaraku faith in Japan, and many sutra mounds have been excavated, so it is easy to see why it was chosen as the first temple. The principal image of the temple at the fifth temple, Fujidera, is a wooden dry lacquer statue, famous as a national treasure from the end of the Tenpyo period. The sixth temple, Tsubosakadera, is known for the "Tsubosaka Miracle," and the eighth temple, Hasedera, is the head temple of the Buzan school of Shingon Buddhism, has many cultural assets, is famous as a temple of flowers, and is said to be the founder of the Thirty-three Temples of the Western Provinces, so it was also chosen as the first sacred place. The thirteenth temple, Ishiyamadera, is closely related to literary works by Murasaki Shikibu and others, and the fourteenth temple, Onjoji, is one of the three famous bells of Miidera, and is a scenic spot that is counted among the Eight Views of Omi. The 16th temple, Kiyomizu-dera, is known as a Kakezukuri style statue, as in "jumping off the stage of Kiyomizu," and the statue of Kuya at the 17th temple, Rokuharamitsuji, is famous as a representative example of portrait sculpture. Outside of the temples are Hokkiin, Gangei-ji, and Kazan-in, which are temples associated with Tokumichi and Emperor Kazan. Later, the Bando Thirty-three Temples and the Chichibu Thirty-three Temples (actually 34) were built in the Kanto region, making the total number of Kannon temples nationwide 100. Recently, new temples have been established, and Kannon faith has spread further among the general public.

[Yoshiaki Ishigami]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

近畿地方を中心に点在している33か所の観音(かんのん)を巡礼する霊場のこと。観音を祀(まつ)ってある各霊場に巡礼札を納めるので三十三札所(ふだしょ)、西国所(さいごくしょ)ともいい、西国三十三観音ともいう。33の数字は観音の三十三身説に基づいて名づけられたが、実際は七観音に限定されている。

　観音信仰は平安時代末から密教の影響で民間信仰のなかでも大きな比重を占めるようになっていくが、一方、密教系の僧たちが修行の場所を求めて遍歴することとも関連して、霊場巡礼が行われ、室町時代から一般人の巡礼が盛んになった。西国巡礼は大和(やまと)（奈良県）長谷寺(はせでら)の開祖徳道が広めたというが、平安時代創建の寺院が多数を占めていることからも物語性が強い。花山(かざん)上皇（968―1008）が性空(しょうくう)の助けを借りて那智(なち)山などを遍歴したことから、西国札所巡拝の創始者とされているが、33の数は確定していない。三井寺(みいでら)（園城寺(おんじょうじ)）行尊(ぎょうそん)（？―1135）や覚忠(かくちゅう)（1118―77）の記録には三十三所巡礼が記されているので、このころには確定していたようであるが、順序は15世紀ごろに現在のものとなったようである。

　第1番の那智山は日本における補陀落(ふだらく)信仰の中心であり、経塚の発掘物も多く、第1番に定着した理由もうなずける。第5番葛井寺(ふじいでら)の本尊、千手千眼観音は木心乾漆像で、天平(てんぴょう)時代末の国宝として著名。第6番壺坂寺(つぼさかでら)は『壺坂霊験記』で知られ、第8番長谷寺は真言宗豊山(ぶざん)派の総本山として、文化財を数多く有し、花の寺として有名であり、同寺の徳道が西国三十三所の開祖ともいわれることから、第1番の霊場とすることもあった。第13番石山寺は紫式部をはじめとする文学作品と密接な関連をもち、第14番園城寺は三井寺の晩鐘として三名鐘の一つとされ、近江(おうみ)八景にも数えられる景勝の地である。第16番清水寺(きよみずでら)は「清水の舞台から飛び降りる」というように、懸造(かけづくり)として知られ、第17番の六波羅蜜寺(ろくはらみつじ)の空也(くうや)像は肖像彫刻の代表として有名。番外に法起院(ほっきいん)、元慶寺(がんけいじ)、花山院があり、徳道や花山上皇ゆかりの寺である。その後、関東には坂東(ばんどう)三十三所、秩父(ちちぶ)三十三所（実際は三十四所）ができ、全国百箇所観音とされた。最近では新しい札所も設けられ、ますます観音信仰は民間に広まった。

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