Minamikura-in (Shibararejizo)

Nanzo-in (Shibarare Jizo) is a temple of the Tendai sect, founded in 1348 (Jowa 4) by the monk Rinno in Katsushika, Tokyo. Originally located near a burial mound where the poet Ariwara no Narihira mourned drowning victims along the Sumida River, the temple relocated several times before settling at its present site after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. It is nationally known for the Shibarare Jizo (Bound Jizo), enshrined in the grounds. According to tradition, a thief once impersonated the statue to escape capture, leading to the judge ordering the Jizo bound as evidence. Since then, worshippers bind the statue with rope when making a wish and untie it upon fulfillment.