Morinji Temple

Morinji Temple is known for its famous tale about a raccoon dog called “Bunpuku Chagama. This quiet temple is famous for its huge statue of a raccoon dog that greets visitors as they pass through the temple gate.

Twenty-one Shigaraki-ware statues of raccoon dogs are placed along the approach to the temple. In front of the main hall are weeping cherry trees and a huge 600-year-old lakanmaki tree.

In the main hall, there is a tea kettle with a “bifuku” (a kind of tea ceremony utensil), which can be viewed. This tea kettle is made of purple-gold copper and has a capacity of 1 ton 2 squares (about 21 liters). The shape is true, the circumference is 4 shaku (about 1.2 meters), the weight is 3 kan (about 11.2 kilograms), and the bore is 8 sun (about 24 centimeters). The original lid has been lost and a newly made lid is currently in use.

In addition, in an exhibit called “Raccoon Dog Collection,” visitors can see goods and stuffed animals related to raccoon dogs from all over Japan.

The temple was founded in 1426 by Zenji Obayashi Masamichi, a native of the Mino Kokudoki clan. While traveling around the country, Obayashi Masamichi visited Ueno Province, and at the foot of Mount Ikaho, he met Moritsuru, an elderly monk who later brought the Bumpuku tea kettle to Shorinji Temple.

It is said that in 1642, Tokugawa Iemitsu granted him a red seal of 23 koku 4to.

The main gate (commonly called “Kuromon”) and the main hall were built in 1468 (Onin 2). The main gate (commonly known as Akamon) was built in 1694.

Every year in April, an event called “Raccoon Cherry Blossom Festival” is held. The event includes a satsuma-biwa performance by Iwasa Tsurutake, storytelling, and dancing, and rice cakes are served to the first 100 visitors.

The adjacent “Shorinji Park” consists of Shorinji Swamp, a lowland marsh, and a firefly village.

In the park, visitors can enjoy bird watching, lawn cherry blossoms, and various other plant observation activities. There are many tanuki (Japanese raccoon dog) sculptures in the park, and their cute appearance soothes visitors’ hearts. The park spreads out around the Shorinji Swamp, where visitors can enjoy a stroll.

There are two legends about the “Bunbuku Chagama”: one is a fairy tale called “Bunbuku Chagama” and the other is the “Legend of Bunbuku Chagama.

According to the legend of Shorin-ji, the owner of the Bunbuku Chagama was actually a badger or raccoon dog, and raccoon dogs were never transformed into tea kettles.

The Shorinji kettle is a well-known tale of a raccoon dog who turned into a badger, which appears in Matsuura Shizan’s essay “Koshi Yawa” (A Tale of the Koshi Night). This story is said to have been the basis for the old tale, “Kappa Chagama” (The Tea Kettle).

The story is as follows.

During the Oei period, there was a temple called Shorinji in Jyoshu (present-day Gunma Prefecture). In that temple, there was an outstanding monk named Moritsuru.

He was able to serve tea using a mysterious tea kettle, and no matter how much hot water was drawn into the kettle, it never ran out.

Moritsuru named the tea kettle “Murasaki Kindo Bunbuku Chagama,” or “Purple Gold and Copper Tea Kettle of Good Fortune.

One day, another monk observed Moritsuru taking a nap and saw a raccoon dog’s tail growing out of his crotch. Moritsuru was in fact a raccoon dog, and a long-lived one at that, living for thousands of years.

He had once heard the Buddha preach in India, and then came to Japan via China. The mysterious tea kettle was also a result of the raccoon’s magic.

With his true identity known, Moritsuru decided to leave the temple. On the day of his final farewell, Moritsuru used magic to show people the battle of Yashima in the Genpei War and the death of Shakyamuni.

It is said that this story was the basis for the creation of the folk tale “Bumpkin Chagama.