Raigo Eshiki at Tokushoji Temple (Chujo-hime Memorial)

About

Each May, Tokushoji Temple in Arida's Itoga district holds a service tied to the legend of Princess Chujo, and its centerpiece is a procession of elementary school children costumed as the 25 bodhisattvas. They walk across the grounds from the Founder's Hall to the main hall; the procession was made a Wakayama Prefecture Intangible Cultural Property in 1968 and is prized as a living piece of old Buddhist culture. The legend tells of a Nara-period girl, daughter of the minister Fujiwara no Toyonari, whose stepmother had her taken to Mount Hibari in Kii Province to be killed at the age of 13. The retainer sent to do it, Ito Harutoki, was so struck by her virtue that he and his wife hid and raised her instead. She later went back to the capital, took vows at Taimadera, wove the Taima Mandala and, it is said, died at 29 as 25 bodhisattvas came to receive her. Cherry trees and azaleas fill the grounds, and neighbors turn out in numbers on the day.

Sources

• OfficialArida City (visit-arida) visit-arida.com
• OfficialWakayama Prefecture Tourism Federation www.wakayama-kanko.or.jp

Last checked: Oct 11, 2026. Event information is based on official announcements, but changes may not always be reflected here. Please check each official website for accurate details.

Other events this month

• Waka Matsuri (Kishu Toshogu Shrine)