Homyoji Temple

Kishimojin-do is a detached part of Homyo-ji, a Buddhist temple housing the deity of easy childbirth, Kishimojin (originally Hariti in the sutra). The temple may have been founded on the same site as Iko-ji, a Shingon Buddhist temple built in 810 A.D. Although the buildings were all destroyed during the Great Kanto Earthquake and World War II air raids, Kishimojin-do has gradually recovered its former splendor thanks to post-war reconstruction efforts. Its tree-lined approach has been a popular cherry-blossom viewing site since the Edo period (1603-1868). In Kishimojin-do Hall one finds a statue of Hariti, a bell inscribed with curious patterns, and a monument to the morning glory by late 18th- to early 19th-century haiku poet and painter Sakai Hoitsu. The temple grounds also contain Iko Inari Shrine with its many red torii gates. Close to Toden Kishimojin-mae Station on the Arawaka Line.