When visiting the Iiyama Temple in Takayama, there were several plaques displaying giving information about the location and its history. This post focuses on the transcription and translation of 3 of those plaques which all seem to serve the same purpose, but were created in different times going back to the 70s.
The translations are mainly from Google Translate with a few changes. The information is used in the main post about Iiyama Temple.
東向山 飯山寺の歴史
History of Toukouzan Iiyama-ji Temple
当飯山寺は、飛騨七観音第二番の札所として室町の時代から世に知られていたが、寺運の盛衰を重ねて現在は無住となっている。
The Iiyama-ji Temple has been known since the Muromachi period (1336) as the second temple of the Seven Kannon in Hida, but due to the ups and downs of the temple's fortunes, it is now uninhabited.
本尊十一面観音は秘仏とされ江戸時代中期の開帳には、村芝居や相撲などが盛んにおこなわれた記録がある。
The principal image of the temple, the eleven-headed Kannon, is kept secret, and there are records of village theater and sumo wrestling being actively held during public viewings in the mid-Edo period.
当寺の草創は定かではないが、寺伝の縁起書には平治の乱(一一五九)に敗れた朝比奈三郎源保重が、飛騨に流れ当地に隠れ住んで飯山を名乗った。ある日この十一面観音像を得て、お堂を建て安置し霊松院となづけた。
The founding of this temple is unclear, but according to the temple's legend, Asahina Saburo Minamoto Yasushige, who was defeated in the Heiji Rebellion (1159), fled to Hida and lived in hiding here, calling himself Iiyama. One day, he obtained an eleven-headed Kannon statue, built a hall to house it, and named it Reishoin.
当寺の創建は、室町時代暦応二年(一三三九)と伝えられている。世代を重ねて保氏に至って全盛となったが、三木自綱の侵入により滅ぼされお堂は焼失した。
The temple is said to have been founded in 1339 (Rekio 2) during the Muromachi period. Through successive generations, it reached its peak under Yasushige's Iiyama family, but was destroyed in an invasion by Miki Yoritsuna, and the hall was burned down.
時がたち天正十三年(一五六〇)、金森氏の飛騨攻めにより三木の松倉城は攻略され、慶長九年(一 六〇四)国主金森長近の命により真言の行者善行がこの地に再興し、東向山飯山寺と改称したという。
In 1560 (Tensho 3), the Miki Matsukura Castle was taken by the Kanamori clan in their attack on Hida. In 1604 (Keicho 9), the lord of the province, Kanamori Nagachika, ordered the Shingon monk Zengyo to rebuild the temple here and rename it Toukouzan Iiyama Temple.
規模は観音堂敷地十四歩、境内一畝二十六步、山林二町四反歩であった。明治三七年に飯山山麓を森彦兵衛に分譲したとのことである。
The temple was 14 bu in size for the Kannon Hall, 1 acre of land for the grounds, and 2 cho 4 tan bu of forest. Later, in 1904 (Meiji 37), the foot of Mt. Iiyama was sold to Mori Hikobei.
元和に入り、国分寺の中興玄海が当寺に移り住んで、国主及び諸人の帰依する者が多ぐ、寺運は大い に高まった。
As we enter the Genna era (1615), priest Genkai, the man resposible for the restoration of Kokubunji, moved to this temple, and the temple's fortunes increased greatly as many lords and people became followers of the temple.
現在の本堂は、玄海が一之宮神社を再興して建てた拝殿を江戸時代万治三年(一六六〇)に此処に移したと言われている。(市文化財)
The current main hall is said to have been the worship hall that Genkai built when he rebuilt Ichinomiya Shrine and was moved here in 1660 (Manji 3) during the Edo period. (City Cultural Property)
元禄五年(一六九二)金森氏が移封となった後も、伊予代官の尊崇庇護をうけて寺は栄えたが、明治維新の変革で寺号を廃し、本尊の十一面観音木像はいったん国分寺に移すこととなった。現在当寺に還る。
Even after the Kanamori clan was transferred in 1692, the temple flourished under the protection of the Iyo magistrate, but the name of the temple was abolished during the Meiji Restoration, and the principal image, a wooden statue of the eleven-headed Kannon, was moved to Kokubunji. It has now returned to this temple.
飯山寺には円空の秀作 金剛神二体があり二米を超える長身であり円空の代表作である。昭和四七年に岐阜県の文化財に指定されている。また、当寺所有の観音堂、弁財天社、厨子三口、供物代及び絵馬四点は昭和四五年に高山市の文化財に指定されている。(金剛神二体は高山市博物館にて展示)
Iiyama Temple is home to two of Enku's masterpieces, Kongojin, which stand over two meters tall and are Enku's representative works. In 1972 (Showa 47), they were designated as cultural properties of Gifu Prefecture. In 1970 (Showa 45), the temple's Kannon Hall, Benzaiten Shrine, three altars, offerings, and four votive plaques were designated as cultural properties of Takayama City. (The two Kongojin are on display at the Takayama City Museum.)
昭和五七年には観音堂の損傷が著しく解体大修理がされて現在に至る。
In 1982 (Showa 57), the Kannon Hall was severely damaged, so it was dismantled and extensively repaired, and remains in place to this day.
当飯山寺は七年目毎に開帳が盛大に開催され、現在も地元の人々により引き継がれている。
Iiyama Temple holds a grand public viewing every seven years, and is still run by local people today.
参考文献 - References
飛州誌、高山市史、飛騨風土記、飛騨寺院風土記等
Hishu-shi, Takayama City History, Hida Fudoki, Hida Temple Fudoki, etc.
**note: Hishu-shi is a historical document detailing the history of the Hida region from the Edo period. Fudoki is like an almanac or historical record.
東向山 飯山寺
Toukouzan Iiyama-ji Temple
寺歴は古く、暦応二年の草創(飛州志)文安二年中興する。本尊は行基菩薩の作と伝わる一面観音像で、飛騨国内七観音の随一である。開山、歴代の住持はわからないが、天正年中は律師善行、慶長年中に法印伴仲の名が見える。
The temple has a long history, having been founded in 1339 (Rekio 2) (Hishu-shi) and restored in
1446 (Bun'an 2). The main image is a one-faced Kannon statue said to have been made by Gyoki Bodhisattva, and is the most important of the Seven Kannon statues in Hida. The founder and successive abbots are unknown, but the names of the priest Zengyo and the priest Banchu appear during the Tensho era and the Keicho era, respectively.
大守の命により、真言の行者善行が当山荒廃の地を開き、寺院を再興したという。また一説には、天正年中 玄海法印が一宮拝殿を建立したが、後これをもらい受け、宮川を筏で流してここへ運び観音堂を建てたという。
It is said that Zengyo, a Shingon monk, reclaimed the ruins of the temple and rebuilt it by order of the Ōshu. According to one theory, the Ichinomiya worship hall was built by the priest Genkai during the Tensho era, and later the temple was inherited and transported on a raft down the Miyagawa River to this temple, where the Kannon hall was built.
境内には市文化財の観音堂、弁財天社がある。 また、飯山城が永禄年中(一五五八~一五五九)まであったが三木に亡ぼされて以後廃城となった。遺構は不明で、この辺りは館址であったという。
The temple grounds include the Kannon hall and Benzaiten shrine, both cultural assets of the city. Iiyama Castle stood there until the Eiroku era (1558-1559), but was abandoned after it was defeated by Miki. The remains are unknown, but this area is said to have been the site of a castle.
飯山寺保存会 高山市教育委員会
Iiyama Temple Preservation Society / Takayama City Board of Education
飯山寺弁天社
Iiyama-dera Benten-sha
高山市指定
Designated by Takayama City
昭和四十五年十月一日
October 1, 1970
構造 - Structure
一間社流造 桁行。九一メートル 梁間。六八メートル
One-bay, Nagare-zukuri style / Beam width: 91 meters / Beam span: 68 meters
東向山飯山寺の鎮守社としてまつられたというから 弁天社の草創は古い現在の社殿が建てられた年代については伝えられるものがないが、向拝中央にある蟇股の形式や、頭貫端の天竺様の木鼻妻の太平束の様式から一七世紀中ごろの作と考えられる。
It is said to have been enshrined as the guardian shrine of Higashimukoyama Iiyama-ji Temple, so the origins of Benten-sha are ancient. There is no information on when the current shrine building was built, but it is thought to have been built in the mid-17th century based on the style of the toad-legged structure in the center of the porch and the Indian-style wooden nose gable at the end of the head beam.
清冽な水をたたえた池畔に建ち、流れ造の一般的な本殿形式の小祠こあるが、市内のこの種の建物では最古の作風をもち、形態も優美である。
It stands on the bank of a pond filled with clear water, and although there are small shrines in the general main hall style of the Nagare-zukuri style, this is the oldest style of this type of building in the city, and its form is also elegant.
昭和五十三年八月 - August 1978
高山市教育委員会
Takayama City Board of Education
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