Picture of a ghost in Awara City, Fukui Prefecture

A photo which I have seen before was in the Fukui newspaper dated March 5th.
It was a picture of a ghost stored in Gansenji Temple in Awara City, Fukui Prefecture.

 

(From the Fukui newspaper dated March 5th)

 

GEN shares videos from the internet broadcasting station “Net de Awara” in Awara City, Fukui Prefecture with permission. In one of the videos, they visited the Gansenji Temple and interviewed with the wife of its chief priest about the ghost.

 

Who was the ghost?
A long time ago, an old woman came to the Gansenji Temple and asked the chief priest to chant a Buddhist sutra. But while he was chanting, she was gone before he knew it.
Then, someone came to the temple and said “My grandmother died just now.”
There were burnt two footmarks at the spot where the old woman was.

 

The picture of a ghost was painted based on the story and donated to the temple.
Also, a Christian lantern remains in the yard of the temple.
During the Edo Period, when Christian oppression got severe under the shogunate,
it is said that hidden Christians carved a cross or the Blessed Virgin Mary on a lantern
and prayed in secret. This lantern is also considered to have been made during that time.
The lord of Maruoka, Arima came from Kyushu. Probably his retainers and other people followed him and came to Maruoka. In Kyushu, where there were many Christians, so they may have built this. The Gansenji Temple is Shin sect’s one but in fact their family name is also Arima.

 

The Gansenji Temple has rare things such as the picture of the ghost and the Christian lantern. If you want to see the picture, they will show you.
Maybe the hot summer is perfect to visit the temple :) (H.S)

 

*Here is the video of the Gansenji Temple by Awara City.