Mittera temple

Mitsudera Temple is a Shingon Buddhist temple (Omuro branch) located on the corner of Midosuji Avenue and Mitsudera-suji Street. Locals call it “Mittera-san” or “Minami no Kannon-san.” It is said to have begun in 744, when Gyōki, at the request of Emperor Shōmu, enshrined an Eleven-Headed Kannon (Jūichimen Kannon) in the main hall. Gyōki was a renowned monk who contributed greatly to the completion of the Great Buddha of Tōdai-ji in Nara. The current main hall was rebuilt in 1808 and is remarkable for having miraculously survived World War II air raids despite being a wooden structure in central Osaka. Next to the main hall stands a castle-like reinforced-concrete building constructed in 1933. Unfortunately, the main hall cannot be visited during the roughly three-and-a-half-year period from December 2019 to April 2023 due to a full rebuild and renovation of the kitchen/quarters area behind the hall. During that time, stamp-collecting (nōkyō) is handled at the management building of Mitsudera Cemetery “Shōrin-an” in Sennichimae. Shōrin-an is also home to the grave of Yasui Dōton, who is said to have excavated the Dōtonbori canal. Mitsudera is also known as a setting for works such as Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s Edo-period jōruri play *Sonezaki Shinjū* and the 1966 new rakugo story *Mameda (Mametanuki).*