Marishiten Tokudaiji Temple

Author: Richard Perkins
Photos/Videos Taken: 2021/03/26
Address: 4-6-2 Ueno, Taito-ku,
Tokyo,【110-0005】

In the Taitō ward of Tokyo among the many vendors selling seafood and Japanese-style bars that line the streets of Ueno is 摩利支天徳大寺 (marishiten tokudaiji), a Buddhist temple of the Nichiren sect. Officially known as 日蓮宗妙宣山徳大寺 (nichirenshū myōsenzan tokudaiji), this temple is dedicated to the guardian god 摩利支天 (marishiten). It’s unclear when this temple was built, but there’s a story that says that this temple was built by the holy priest Jikōin Nichiken at the beginning of the Edo period (1603-1868) in 1653.

The Marishiten statue here is said to have been made by Prince Shōtoku (a prince who is well-known for modernizing the government administration and for helping to promote Buddhism in Japan), and the temple itself is considered one of the three major Marishiten temples in Japan. The other two are 宝仙寺 (hōsenji) in Ishikawa prefecture and 建仁寺禅居庵摩利支尊天堂 (kenninji zenkyoan marishiten sontendō) in Kyoto prefecture.

Marishiten Tokudaiji temple is known for having divine favors such as improvement in one’s fortune, luck at winning, and good business. What this temple is also known for is a statue that isn’t usually seen in other Buddhist temples or Shintō shrines in Japan, a statue of a wild boar. This particular statue of wild boar is unique as the deity Marishiten is riding on its back. It’s said that an ancestor of Marishiten changed form into a wild boar and rescued the earth, which is why there is a statue of one here.

On top of this, it’s said that the day of the 亥 (i), the day of the boar, that corresponds with the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac is an 縁日 (en-nichi). The en-nichi is a day of “fate” at a temple/shrine where religious services for the souls of the dead and various festivals are held. On these particular days, it looks as if the number of people who come to pray here increases, but it’s usually fairly quiet with not so many people. If you avoid the en-nichi then this is one temple where you’ll be able to pray at your own leisurely pace.

Marishiten Tokudaiji temple suffered damage in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. It was then set on fire during World War II. The main building that now stands is a reconstruction that was completed in 1964.