| Stretching out in front of Monzen-Nakacho Station
on the Tozai subway line is a long, bustling road. Along the way are the grounds
where the temple Eidaiji once stood. The temple Naritasan Shinshoji in Chiba began
lending a statue of the deity Fudo Myoo to Eidaiji in 1703, a practice it continued
nearly every year. Many people gathered to worship each time the statue was placed
on display, and there were calls to make the display permanent. In the Meiji era
(1868-1912) a replica of the Fudo Myoo statue was brought from Naritasan Shinshoji,
and Fukagawa Fudodo was established on the grounds of Eidaiji to house it. On
the first, fifteenth, and twenty-eighth of every month, many people gather as
dozens of food stalls are set up along the street leading to the temple. This
street is lined on both sides with long-established shops selling such familiar
products as tsukudani (food boiled down in soy sauce)
and traditional sweets. This is a perfect place to get a taste of Shitamachi.
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