Mekugi | Mount Hakusan Graveyard at Mitsuzoin Temple June 18th, 2024 @mekugi | Uploaded June 2024 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
I took a walk at an old hillside graveyard in Tsu, Japan that has a maze of Ishibotoke (Sekibutsu) on a meandering path located directly by a lovely and happy preschool center, bubbling with voices of children.
That being said, there are memorials to several children (as indicated by the red "bibs" worn by the statues) there. It has a flock of crows nesting in the trees who sang to me throughout my journey.

Worshiped Deity: Senju Kannon

Temple history
In ancient times the area belonging to the temple was call Hakusan (the White
Mountain). It was a praying place for the
2nd daimyo of Tsu province Tōdō Takatsugu (1602-1676), who worshiped
Hakuzan Myōri Daigongen (a
manifestation of a Bodhisattva in the
form of a Shinto deity, originally a deity of Mount Haku one of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains").
During the Kanbun period (1661-1673)
Takatsugu suffered from a disease
believed to be a cause of a demon. He
called the high priest Bokushin and
ordered him to do exorcisms so he would
recovery from illness. When Bokushin
performed a secret incantations and
prayers, Takatsugu immediately
recovered from the illness. He was very
glad and decided to donate the land of
Hakusan, build a temple and enshrine his
private small Buddhist statue in there.
This was the beginning of Mitsuzō-in.

In the 1st year of Meiji period (1868-1912) small halls of Shikoku 88 Sacred Grounds were built in the mountain at the back of the Main Hall. The main statue of Mitsuzō- in is Senju Kannon (Thousand-Armed Kannon). There are many events organized at the temple, such as Daihōshikai Settai (party of Grand Master Club), Goeika kō (fraternal group of Buddhist song of praise) and Juzukuri (Buddhist rosary reeling). It is also a place of cultural exchange and is visited by many people. Regrettably the temple lost its buildings and archives in a fire caused by a bombing of Tsu in 1945. Because the main statue was evacuated from the temple it survived the war unharmed. After the War the Main Hall and the Main Gate were rebuilt and maintenance of the road leading to the temple was finished. In 1980 a new Hakuzan Myōri Daigongen Hall was built on the mountain in the back of the temple.

The Main Hall enshrines the main statue
of Senju Kannon, a statue of Kūkai, and a
statue of Daikoku (God of wealth,
farmers, food, and good fortune). On the
right side of the Main Hall stands a
cloister called Keion-in. In its Main Hall a
statue of Bodhisattva Monju (Bodhisattva of Supreme Wisdom) is enshrined. A prayer for good school performance is also held in front of this hall. There are two stone statues standing in front of the Main Hall of Mitsuzō-in temple: Fudō Myō-
ō (Immovable Wisdom King) and
Bishamon (God of Treasure, Wealth, &
Warriors). On the eastern side of the Hall
stand a statue of Mizuko Jizō
(Bodhisattva Jizō as a guardian of
unborn, aborted, miscarried, and
stillborn babies). Until 1945 the Main Hall of Keion-in cloister used to be a sub-temple of Enichizan Tsu Kannon-ji temple. After the War it was moved to Mitsuzō-in's precinct.

On the 21st of January, March, September and December a Daijuzukuri
ritual (Buddhist rosary reeling ritual) is
held. Dozens of people sit in a circle and
pray chanting the Heart Sutra and
passing around the rosary. This ritual is a
well-known traditional Japanese ritual
called Hyakumanben Juzu Kuri (Ritual of
praying a million times while reeling the
Buddhist rosary).
Mitsuzō-in is a temple number 65 of Mie
Shikoku 88 Temples Pilgrimage.

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