Myouenji (妙圓寺)

Hojuden (top) and the Sacred Cave (bottom)

Sanmon (temple gate)

Myouenji (妙圓寺), officially Wako-zan Io-in Myoenji (和光山醫王院妙圓寺), is a Tendai Buddhist temple in the Tsuchiya area of Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. Until around 1970, the temple sat in a remote area with no houses within 500 meters, earning it a reputation as a serene "mountain temple."

The exact founding date of Myoenji is unclear, but records suggest it was restored in 1615 by Shungyo (舜尭), a Buddhist priest from Hiei-zan Enryakuji (比叡山延暦寺) in Kyoto. The temple's founding patron is believed to be Gesseimyoenzenni (月盛妙圓禅尼), mother of Mizushima Gorouemon (水嶋五郎右衛門), one of the founding ancestors of the local village.

Main hall

Myoenji appears in the Sochuryuonkiryaku (相中留恩記略), an 1839 pictorial guidebook that documents notable landmarks connected to Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616) in Sagami Province (most of present-day Kanagawa Prefecture). The illustration depicts the main hall, the Benten Hall, and the cave — structures that still exist today — as well as the Yakushi-do and a shoro (bell tower), both mentioned in records from 1894.

The view of the main hall from the Hojuden

The temple's current main hall was rebuilt in Enkyo 2 (1745).

To the left of the main hall lies the Sacred Cave (岩屋霊穴). It is believed to have been shaped into its present form during the tenure of the temple's fourth chief priest, Konen (広然).

The entrance of the Sacred Cave and Zeni-arai Ike (left)

Near the entrance of the cave lies Zeni-arai Ike (銭洗い池), a pond said to multiply money when washed with its waters. For this reason, it is also known as Tsuchiya Zeni Arai Benzaiten (土屋銭洗辯財天). The pond is fed by another sacred spring within the cave, Benten Ike (辯天池).

Hojuden

Suzuhimo

Above the cave stands the Benten Hall (辯天堂) called Hojuden (寳珠殿). Records show that the current building was rebuilt in December 1804. The suzuhimo (bell-rope) hanging in front bears the name of Eiichiro Funakoshi (船越英一郎), a well-known Japanese actor nicknamed the “King of Suspense,” who is a frequent visitor to the temple.