Jigen-ji Temple
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慈眼寺の松月：元禄地震犠牲者供養の寺
After a meeting with clients in Odawara, which is a historic castle town located about 30 minutes south of Tokyo by bullet train, I stumbled upon this quiet temple on my way back to Odawara Station.
Though I wasn’t able to find specific details about when the temple or its Sanmon Gate was built, I did learn that the temple itself was originally constructed to honor the many lives lost during the Great Genroku Earthquake.
This devastating earthquake struck at 2:00 a.m. on December 31, 1703, with Odawara near the epicenter. In addition to widespread structural collapse, fires broke out across the city, greatly compounding the destruction and loss of life.
What first caught my eye was the Sanmon Gate--a traditional gabled structure with dark gray clay tiles, seamlessly connected to a white plaster wall crowned with matching tiles. Behind the gate, a grove of cherry trees was in full bloom.
The variety, known as Shogetsu (Prunus serrulata ‘Shogetsu’), is especially striking. Each blossom begins as a pale pink bud and opens into a large white flower with around 20 delicate petals. The soft clouds of blossoms spilling over the temple wall created a moment of quiet beauty that was both fleeting, yet timeless.
Location: Jigen-ji Temple, Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan
Timestamp: 2025/04/07・10:35
Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
ISO 160 for 1/340 sec. at ƒ/8
Classic Negative film simulation
