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Kameidō Hall
The stone turtles in the center of Kameidō Hall are roughly 1.5 meters below the ground and are a remnant from Shitennōji Temple’s early days, added within 50 years of Prince Shōtoku’s (574–622) death. They survived the firebombing of Osaka in World War II, but the hall burned down. The hall was rebuilt in 1955. The water in the turtle-shaped font flows from groundwater near the Main Hall of the temple, where it has long been said that a blue dragon resides below the temple as a guardian.
The turtle-shaped fontain was used for centuries as a source of clean drinking water, but it is now used in rites for the deceased. After a memorial service, held in one of the other halls, the name of the deceased is written on a paper-thin sheet of wood and then floated in the sacred water, which is said to lead the departed to paradise.
The east and west sides of the hall also have images for worship, including a statue of Jizō, a bodhisattva and a protector of the deceased, and a self-portrait of Prince Shōtoku that is kept hidden. The painting is named the “Willow Branch Portrait,” because according to temple lore, Prince Shōtoku drew it using a willow branch. He based the image on his reflection in the well.
The turtle-shaped fontain was used for centuries as a source of clean drinking water, but it is now used in rites for the deceased. After a memorial service, held in one of the other halls, the name of the deceased is written on a paper-thin sheet of wood and then floated in the sacred water, which is said to lead the departed to paradise.
The east and west sides of the hall also have images for worship, including a statue of Jizō, a bodhisattva and a protector of the deceased, and a self-portrait of Prince Shōtoku that is kept hidden. The painting is named the “Willow Branch Portrait,” because according to temple lore, Prince Shōtoku drew it using a willow branch. He based the image on his reflection in the well.
