Arts and Crafts

Kenponchakushoku Shidoji EngiOrigins of Shidoji Temple (color on silk, 6 scrolls); accompanied by Texts on the Origins of Shidoji Temple (ink on paper, 9 volumes)

  • 写真01：No. 1 Origins of the Wood Used for the Sacred Image　

    No. 1 Origins of the Wood Used for the Sacred Image　

  • 写真02：Origins of the Wood Used for the Sacred Image, partial

    Origins of the Wood Used for the Sacred Image, partial

  • 写真03：No. 2 Origins of Sanshu Shido Hall 1

    No. 2 Origins of Sanshu Shido Hall 1

  • 写真04：No. 3 Origins of Sanshu Shido Hall 2

    No. 3 Origins of Sanshu Shido Hall 2

  • 写真05：Origins of Sanshu Shido Hall 2, partial

    Origins of Sanshu Shido Hall 2, partial

  • 写真06：No. 4 Origins of Hakujo Doji, Origins of Togan Boto

    No. 4 Origins of Hakujo Doji, Origins of Togan Boto

  • 写真07：Origins of Hakujo Doji, Origins of Togan Boto, partial

    Origins of Hakujo Doji, Origins of Togan Boto, partial

  • 写真08：No. 5 Origins of Matsutake Doji

    No. 5 Origins of Matsutake Doji

  • 写真09：No. 6 Origins of Aichi Sosei

    No. 6 Origins of Aichi Sosei

  • 写真10：Origins of Aichi Sosei, partial

    Origins of Aichi Sosei, partial

  • 写真01：No. 1 Origins of the Wood Used for the Sacred Image　
  • 写真02：Origins of the Wood Used for the Sacred Image, partial
  • 写真03：No. 2 Origins of Sanshu Shido Hall 1
  • 写真04：No. 3 Origins of Sanshu Shido Hall 2
  • 写真05：Origins of Sanshu Shido Hall 2, partial
  • 写真06：No. 4 Origins of Hakujo Doji, Origins of Togan Boto
  • 写真07：Origins of Hakujo Doji, Origins of Togan Boto, partial
  • 写真08：No. 5 Origins of Matsutake Doji
  • 写真09：No. 6 Origins of Aichi Sosei
  • 写真10：Origins of Aichi Sosei, partial
District Arts and Crafts Period ー
Set Content/Set Date Important Cultural Property(Painting)・西暦1901.03.27
Owner Shidoji Temple Location 1102 Shido, Sanuki, Kagawa

Created as a hanging scroll, this painting depicts multiple stories including the foundation of Shidoji Temple near Shido Bay in eastern Kagawa Prefecture, the construction of the temple's Eleven-Faced Kannon statue (the main image of worship), and the history of temple restorations. There were apparently seven scrolls, but only six remain to this day. The contents of this painting can be understood through reading of the accompanying texts.
Each scroll of this large painting contains a sentence of the story, with the story of each scene structured to follow the passage of time. It is believed that the scroll was used as a pictorial, an easy way to explain the history of the Shidoji Temple. It is also believed that the paintings were not all created at the same time, but rather progressively under a system of patronage at Shidoji Temple during the first half of the 14th century. The Legend of the Jewel Thief, made famous by the Noh song "Ama", is depicted in the Sanshu Shido Dojo Engi on the second and third scrolls. With depictions of Shinjujima Island, salt pans, Manno-ike Reservoir, and other landscapes of Sanuki (currently Kagawa Prefecture) that serve as the backdrop to the stories of these scrolls, these illustrations of the origins of this ancient Kagawa temple are extremely valuable.
Between 2015 and 2017, all six scrolls were disassembled and restored with the assistance of national, prefectural, and municipal governments as a part of cultural asset preservation and restoration.