Mukade no Ema-kan, a Folk Cultural Asset 【Fukuoji Bishamondou Temple, Mukade no Ema-kan

  • Miyagi
  • Experience Gifu
Sericulture began to flourish in the middle of the Edo period (1603-1867), and by the Meiji period (1868-1912), sericulture had become an important industry in Japan and was exported around the world due to the high quality of Japanese silk, and sericulture flourished throughout Japan. In Igugu-gun (present-day Kakuda City and Marumorimachi), the majority of farmers supported their livelihoods through sericulture along with agriculture. The natural enemy of sericulture was the rat, and the natural enemy of the rat was the centipede, which became the guardian god of sericulture. In the precincts of Fukuoji Temple, there is a Bishamondō Hall that enshrines three statues of Bishamonten, Kichijo Tennyo, and Zenni Dōshi. The Bishamondō Hall was built in 1714 (Shōtoku 4), and this Bishamonten's messenger is believed to be a centipede. Centipedes were considered auspicious creatures in the old days, as they were believed to bring prosperity to business and victory in battle. As a result, people began to dedicate ema (votive picture tablet) of the centipede to Bishamondō Hall to wish for successful sericulture, and about 300 ema are displayed in the Mukade no Emakan (votive picture tablet museum) at Fukuō-ji Temple, and over 23,000 ema are stored in the storage room. Currently, they are recognized as Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties of Japan and are local treasures.
Exhibition room inside the ema museum. Some of the older ones date back to the middle of the Edo period and are dedicated not only to the Sennan and Senboku regions, but also to Fukushima and Yamagata.
Photos used in this page are taken from Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization.
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