Showing posts with label mori. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mori. Show all posts

Thursday, July 3, 2014

The Graveyard at Toko-ji


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Behind the Obaku Zen temple Toko-ji in Hagi, Yamaguchi, lies the large graveyard/cemetery housing the tombs of the Mori lords and their wives.

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The 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th lords are buried here, the others are buried at Daisho-in temple on the other side of the town.

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The most obvious feature are the lines and lines of stone lanterns donated by retainers of the lords.

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Surrounded by woods, and wearing a mantle of moss, the graveyard is a very peaceful and still place.

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Sunday, March 30, 2014

Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage Temple 13 Manpukuji



After leaving Iishi Shrine I headed downstream to a larger valley and then headed further east up another small valley. Manpukuji is in a remote location and is little visited today.


It is yet another temple reputedly founded in 745 by Gyoki, who also carved the main statue of the Thousand Armed, Thousand Eyed Kannon. It is only opened to view once every 33 years. The Nio were quite crude, the kind of "folk" art that I prefer.


More steps up to the bell tower. This used to be a much larger temple complex located higher up the mountainside. It was a Kiganjo, an official prayer temple, for the Mori Clan.


During the Warring States Period, the Amago and Mori fought many battles and during one the temple was burnt down. In the mid 16th Century it was rebuilt at a much smaller scale at the present location.


It is now a Shingon temple.