Showing posts with label benzaiten. Show all posts
Showing posts with label benzaiten. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Takuan Temple Izushi

 


Takuan Dera is a popular name for Sukyoji Temple in the former castle town of Izushi, Hyogo.


The name comes from Takuan Soho, a locally-born man who became quite a famous monk and for a while lived at the temple. His name has been given to the daikon radish pickles that it is said he invented while here.


The temple was founded at the end of the 14th Century and grew to be quite a sizable monastery and served as the family temple of the ruling clan. During the Warring States period the temple was mostly destroyed.


Along the approach road to the temple are several other temples with one having some rather unusual, carved wooden statues seen in the above two photos.


Takuan Soho returned to Izushi in 1616 at the request of the new Daimyo and began reconstructing the temple. He stayed 8 years and is said to have designed several of the gardens now at the temple. He is also said to have been a teacher of the famed swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.


The gardens are a popular attraction, especially in the Autumn, but the temple is also known for its "Zen Experience" activities that can be booked in advance.


This includes traditional temple food, including the famed pickles, and also sutra copying and other activities.


The primary activity though is zazen seated meditation, done in a meditation hall under the watchful eyes of a sword-yielding statue of Benzaiten

The previous post in this series on Toyooka and Izushi was the gardens of Sukyoji Temple.

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Nyoirin-ji-Temple-3 on the Kyushu Pilgrimage

 


Temple number 3 on the Kyushu pilgrimage is Nyoirinji in Ogori, southern Fukuoka. Because of how I planned my route I did not visit it until day 55, about three-quarters of my way along the walk.


All 108 temples of the pilgrimage belong to the Shingon sect, one of the 2 ancient esoteric sects, and consequently many of the deities have their roots in Hinduism.


The temple is named after the honzon, a Nyoirin Kannon, the "wish-fulfilling" Kannon, one of 6 main manifestations of Kannon, derived from the word nyoi, the wish-fulfilling jewel.


The honzon here is a "hidden buddha" and is only open to public view every 12 years. It is very unusual because it is standing and most Nyoirin Kannon are seated.


The grounds contain numerous halls and shrines, including this one to Benzaiten.


Founded in the first half of the 8th century by the famous monk Gyoki. Some say he carved the honzon, but other sources say it was much later in the Heian period. The temple was burned down at the emnd of the 16th century but later rebuilt.


I had wanted to speak with the priest as his son had told me that he had walked this pilgrimage,  but it was early January and was very crowded. The temple is also popular in July when the grounds are filled with wind chimes.

The temple is most famous for its collection of thousands of frog statues and has the nickname Frog Temple.


Monday, March 14, 2022

Ikutama Shrine

Ikutama Shrine


Ikutama is the common name for Ikukunitama Shrine, a very large shrine in Tennoji, Osaka, that I had not heard of but visited at the start of my second day walking the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage. According to legend, it was founded by the mythical first emperor Jimmu.


Ikutama Shrine has multiple sub-shrines within its grounds, including Inari, Tenmangu, Sumiyoshi, etc. This is Seichinsha, renamed from Benzaitensha in early Meiji. The shrine was located in a lotus pond but was moved to Ikutama Shairne when the pond was swallowed up by the construction of the subway. The large glass cover is over a small stream.


Shigino Shrine is another of the more well-known sub-shrines in the grounds. It is said that Hideyoshi's wife was a regular visitor. The symbol on the lanterns and ema is a lock with the florid kanji for "heart" and is said to be a good lace to ray for "connection", though it seems it may have been more concerned with breaking bad connections.


Apologies for adding a photo of a cat to the WWW..... Ikutama Shrine was moved to its current location by Hideyoshi. It was originally located closer to where Osaka Castle now stands and Hideyoshi had the shrine moved while building Osaka Castle.


The two main kami enshrined in Ikutama Shrine are Ukushimanokami and Tarushimanokami, neither of which aear in the ancient chronicles, and seemingly only one other shrine in Nagano enshrnes them.


A statue of Osak writer Sakunosuke Oda. I have never herd of him but the statue had to be a writer as he is wearing the "uniform" of one. Ikutama Shrine is also home to a Hikohachi Festival celebrating Yonezawa Hikohachi who is said to have created the Rakugo style of comedy here at the shrine.


An unusal set of direction signs pointing to the various "attractions" in the grounds of Ikutama Shrine.

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Monday, June 22, 2020

Hachiman Daibosatsu

Daibosatsu


After visiting Hojoji, temple 46 on the Kyushu Pilgrimage, I headed east along route 263 and a few kilometers out in the country came to temple 48, Satsumayakushi Temple. It was a very new and modern main hall, and the honzon, a Yakushi Nyorai statue, was transferred here from Koyasan.


There was a hot spring facility in the temple grounds, owned by the temple I suspect, but most intriguing was the red torii that led to an overhang in the rock wall into which had been cut a couple of altars. The first was to Hachiman Daibiosatsu.


Hachiman was a very important kami with strong links to Buddhism. Originally a north Kyushu kami with connection to Korean immigrants, Hachiman rose to prominence as a protector of Todaiji, the great national temple established in Nara.


Hachiman was the first "kami" to be given the rank and title of Daibosatsu, Great Bodhisattva" and statues of Hachiman were not uncommon in earlier days. Next to the altar for Hachiman was another small altar.


The figure on the left is I believe Bato Kannon, the Horse-head Kannon, and the figure on the right seems to be Benzaiten holding a lute.

Monday, December 30, 2019

Mifune Shrine, Yoshino, Kagoshima


Heading down the busy main road to Kagoshima that runs between the bay and the mountains, at one point the road splits and on the "island" between the lanes was a small shrine set in a grove of trees. The small building was squeezed between 2 large rocks.


Mifune (3 boats) Shrine was founded in 1741, though a small. stone hokora was excavated here suggesting it was a sacred site before 1741. Mifune Daimyojin is considered a kami for protection at sea and also for fishermen. The titel "daimyojin", means, I believe something like "great shining deity" and is applied to many kami. I believe it is a somewhat Buddhist term.


There were numerous smaller altars around the main building, and many of them featured Buddhist statues, like this miniature Fudo Myo.


Was the road rerouted to avoid the shrine? In this case I suspect so, although there are plenty of example of shrines being relocated when they stood in the way of construction projects.


This bottom photo is probably a Benzaiten.

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Kyushu Pilgrimage Temple 26 Fukuju-in


The 26th temple on the 108 temple Shingon Pilgrimage around Kyushu, Fukuju-in, is located near the ruins of Funai castle in Oita City.


In the 17th Century is was moved inside the castle grounds and used as the family temple of the Matsudaira. In the Meiji period when the castle was decommissioned it was moved to its present location.


The Honzon of the temple is Fudo Myo O, but the main hall was locked up so I couldnt see it. Among the statues in the small grounds was a Benzaiten. It may be related to a story in the temple records of a Hitobashira. Hitobashira were human sacrifices , buried alive beneath castles and bridges and even riverbanks.


According to this story, when the castle was built a young maiden was buried alive beneath the foundations. She clutched a small statue of Benzaiten to herself.


Sunday, September 13, 2015

Monjuin Statues


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Monjuin is a small temple located right next to Myo-oin on Wakasugi Mountain in Fukuoka. At first I thought it was ust part of Myo-oin. What little I have been able to find out about it is a little confusing, but it is probably a fairly new temple.

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It is a Shingon temple, and part of the 24 temple Jizo Pilgrimage of Kyushu, which is who I think the first statue is. There was a shrine to Benzaiten as well.

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The figure on the right is certainly Kannon, and the middle one Jizo

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Not sure who the three-headed figure is,... there are three headed Buddhas, three headed Kannons, as well as various other deities/boddhistavas, etc

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There were statues of the 7 lucky gods, and also another statue of Daikoku.....

Monday, April 20, 2015

Sacred Islands


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There are thousands of small uninhabited islands and islets  in Japan, many of them sacred and with small shrines on them. One hears often of sacred mountains, the places where the gods descend to, but sacred islands get mentioned much less.

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There are many myths and stories of the gods coming from under the sea and from across the sea, the Japanese themselves arrived here by water, so its perhaps not surprising. The most famous sacred island is probably Miyajima, home to the Itsukushima Shrine, and it was for a long time kept uninhabited as an abode of the gods.

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On my recent walk along the Japan Sea coast of Yamaguchi I encountered some of these sacred islands. Nowadays many of them are said to enshrine Benten, or Benzaiten, a syncretic deity associated with the sea. Small islands in lakes will often enshrine her. She was also conflated with the Itsukushima goddess.

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The first photo is the tiny Megashima, which means Doe island. You can make out the torii on the right under the biggest tree. The next two photos are the larger Ogashima, 200 meters away, which means Stag island. Being a male/female pair they are considered Meoto (married) islands. As you can see in the third photo the shrine has buildings. No-one I asked could tell me which kami were enshrined there or if there was a story....

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Further along the coast, the fourth photo is Noshima. You can just make out the torii on the beach to the left and a small honden behind it. Again no-one could tell me which kami is enshrined there. Further along in Susa Bay is Nakashima. A gentleman walking his dog told me Benten is enshrined there. As you can see it has buildings.