S P O T ／ SPOT-133

Chodenji Temple — Mass Garment Offerings (Kake-koromo)

朝田寺 掛衣奉納群ちょうでんじ かけころもほうのうぐん

An ancient Tendai-Shinsei sect temple in Asada-cho, Matsusaka. The principal Jizo Bosatsu statue is a National Important Cultural Property. The temple is known for the 'kake-koromo' (hanging garment) tradition: bereaved families hang the beloved clothes of the deceased in the main hall, on the storehouse, and from the trees in the grounds, praying for the dead to find their way to enlightenment. The result is a striking sight of countless kimono, Western clothes, and obi sashes hanging throughout the precincts. Offered garments are burned each year on November 24 in the 'Domyo Kuyo' memorial rite. The main hall (built 1652, hip-and-gable roof with tile) is a Mie Prefectural Cultural Property, and fusuma paintings by Soga Shohaku are kept here. This entry treats the site through the folkloric lens of memorialization of the dead — not as the supernatural.