Zōshigaya Kishimojin Hall
Kishimojin (鬼子母神, きしもじん) is revered as a guardian deity of safe childbirth and child-rearing, as well as a protector of the Lotus Sutra. She is widely worshiped in temples of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism.
According to the New Musashi Fudoki Manuscript (Shinpen Musashi Fudokikō), compiled during the Bunka and Bunsei eras of the Edo period (1804–1829), the statue of Kishimojin now enshrined at Zōshigaya Kishimojin-dō was unearthed in 1561 (Eiroku 4) at Kiyoto (present-day site of Kiyoto Kishimojin-dō). At first, it was placed in Tōyōbō, a sub-temple of Hōmyō-ji (later renamed Daigyō-in). In 1578 (Tenshō 6), the villagers of Zōshigaya built a dedicated hall and relocated the statue there.
The current Zōshigaya Kishimojin-dō was constructed in 1664 (Kanbun 4), funded by Lady Jishō-in, wife of Asano Mitsuakira, the second lord of Hiroshima Domain. Later, in 1700 (Genroku 13), the Ainoma and worship hall (haiden) were added. From then on, the temple became a famous site of Edo, attracting worshippers from both the warrior and commoner classes, flourishing as a place of faith.
Within the temple grounds, aside from Kishimojin-dō itself, there are other sacred sites such as Takekashi Inari Shrine, Hōfudō Hall, and a giant ginkgo tree over 700 years old, designated as a Natural Monument of Tokyo. On July 25, 2016, Zōshigaya Kishimojin-dō was officially designated as a National Important Cultural Property (tangible cultural property, structure).
