未だに数多く残る盛岡市「仁王」の地名の由来　住職が語る仁王像と観音像にまつわる歴史　岩手県 (24/11/16 12:05)

While "Nio" in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, is a former town name, there are still many places bearing the name "Nio" from the area south of Kami-Morioka Station to Chuo-dori. We explore the origins of Morioka City's "Nio" with Atsushi Shishido, a native of Oshu City who has long researched and written about place names throughout the prefecture. According to Shishido, "The area formerly known as Nio-koji is now Chuo-dori 2-chome and 3-chome, but this area was called 'Nio.'" Q: Does the kanji for "Nio" derive from "Nio statues"? Atsushi Shishido "That's correct. This area is now Iwateyama Shrine, but the place name comes from the fact that there were Nio statues in this area." The Nio statues are currently located at Toraku-ji Temple in Tamayama, Morioka City. Torakuji Temple has a storage facility on its grounds that houses 14 Buddhist statues. These statues are believed to have previously been located in the Nio area, with the A-shaped and Un-shaped Nio statues, and the Kannon statue from the temple at the time, located in the center. Torakuji Temple Chief Priest Abe Toryu "This is only speculation, but the reason they came from the Nio area to Torakuji Temple is that there was a temple called Nishifuin in what is now Tamayama. Nishifuin was a temple of mountain worship centered on Mt. Himekami, and was quite influential. Nishifuin enshrined the Nio statues in the Nio area (on what is now Chuo-dori in Morioka City). When a samurai residence was built on the Nio area, Nishifuin returned the Nio and Kannon statues to Tamayama." These Nio and Kannon statues are believed to have been located in the Nio area since the late Heian period. In the late Edo period, when a samurai residence was being built in Nio, a temple called Nishifukuin, which was located in Tamayama, returned the statues to Tamayama. However, the returned Nio and Kannon statues were left out in the rain for a long time and became damaged. The head priest at the time lamented this and worked with the villagers to move them to their current location, Torakuji Temple. Atsushi Shishido "Considering the social conditions of the time, I imagine the local people relied on Kannon as a source of spiritual support. What are your thoughts on this?" Torakuji Temple Chief Priest Toryu Abe "The word 'Aun' means life and death, and it suggests that we should not be limited to superficial perspectives; there is a deeper way of looking at things. It's one way of expressing this to Kannon. I believe the reason the place name 'Nio' has survived to this day is because they are a set, and that it was intended as a wish for the statue to be passed down to future generations." The history of the presence of Nio and Kannon statues still remains in this area as the old place name 'Nio.'