Recorded Joy·Rakuchū / Karasuma-Oike / Shijō

Somedono-in's Hidden Jizo

Said to have been founded by Kūkai in 808. Its principal image — a rare naked-form Jizō attributed to Kūkai, Kyoto's only such statue — is a hidden Buddha shown but once every fifty years. When Empress Somedono prayed here and safely bore the future Emperor Seiwa, it became the "Somedono Jizō" of safe childbirth, still standing amid the bustle of Shinkyōgoku.

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These notes come from desk research. Local traditions vary.