Kamahara Kannon Hall

Kambara Kannon-do is a hall enshrining Kannon Bodhisattva in Tsumagoi Village, Gunma Prefecture, the site of the former Kambara village. On July 7, 1783, a massive volcanic eruption of Mount Asama triggered a pyroclastic flow that buried Kambara village, killing 477 of its 570 residents. Only those who fled to the upper 15 of the original 50 stone steps of this hall survived the disaster. Excavations of the buried stone stairway later uncovered the remains of two people who perished while one carried the other — a poignant testimony to human compassion in the face of catastrophe. The hall, dedicated to Juichimen Kannon (Eleven-faced Kannon), is revered as the sanctuary that sheltered the 93 survivors, and continues to commemorate those lost in this tragedy.