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All Japan Ichikawa Tekona Reijindo
AO Edited

Tekona Reijindo

This one-of-a-kind shrine is dedicated to a girl who was too beautiful for her own good.

Ichikawa, Japan

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
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A prayer board depicts a girl assumed to be Tekona.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A prayer board depicts a girl assumed to be Tekona.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Legends swirl around these gates.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The Mana-no-i well is hidden near the shrine.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The approach seen from the main building.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Visitors can walk up to the main entrance here.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
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About

According to legend, once upon a time in the town of Mama, there lived a beautiful, kind-hearted girl named Tekona. Once married to the lord of a neighboring province, she was caught up in a feud and forced to return to her homeland, taking only her child and living in quietude.

Every morning, Tekona went to an old well to draw water, catching attention of local men. The reputations of her beauty spread far and wide, and soon many started wooing her, from local lords to travelers. Tekona, however, rejected their advances, saying that since she had but one body and soul, she would make the rest unhappy if she married just one.

As the courtship went on and on, men began to fight each other while some of them got sick from heartaches and heartbreaks. Saddened by the situation, Tekona walked along the beach alone at sundown and then into the sea, drowning herself "just like the setting sun."

The next morning, the men of Mama found the body of Tekona and finally regretted their actions. About a century later, in 737, Buddhist saint Gyōki founded Guhō-ji temple on the site of Tekona's burial. The legend of Tekona also inspired classical poets of the time, two extant verses in the famous Man'yōshu collection of poetry mentioning "Tekona of Mama."

Much later, on September 9, 1501, Tekona manifested herself in the dreams of the head priest of Guhō-ji, saying that she would protect and bring good luck to people in thanks to all the offerings he had received. It inspired him to establish Tekona Reijindo, a shrine dedicated to the legendary girl.

As a local, one-of-a-kind goddess, Tekona is known as a protector of children and pregnant women, promising them good luck and safe childbirth, as well as a powerful matchmaker, bringing a lasting relationship to those who pray to her.

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The shrine is located about 10 minutes away by walk from either Ichikawa-Mama or Kōnodai station in Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture, not so far from Tokyo. You can also find the well believed to have once been used by Tekona herself at the back of the nearby Kamei-in temple.

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Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

Published

September 5, 2024

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Tekona Reijindo
Ichikawa, 272-0826
Japan
35.73837, 139.909284
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