Oki Beach to Iburi to Kubotsu to Kinpei-an

 

Day 23 of my Shikoku Pilgrimage, and from Oki Beach I continued on down the coast of the Ashizuri Peninsula towards the cape and Kongofukuji Temple, the 38th temple of the pilgrimage.

I should easily reach it today, but it has been 3 days since the 37th temple, Iwamotoji.

It is unusual to find a cemetery with a Shinto gate....

With a large torii flanked by komainu, I was expecting a substantial-sized shrine...

But it turned out to be little more than a roadside hokora...

However, in a fishing area, an Ebisu shrine is going to be well maintained and used...

Several renditions of Ebisu statues .....

Plus a Taiko, indicating that rituals are still performed....

A Daikoku and a Buddha statues extend the mix.....

I think this final one must be a Benzaiten... looking like a female riding a dragon...

a small Tenmangu shrine...

Iburi harbour... with a curious tunnel... part natural, part man-made, I think...

Looking back up the coast....

Not sure what species of fish these are...

Another small shrine...

And then an Ichioshi Shrine, right on the waterfront....

... where a new road over the inlet...

Another very small shrine which has been completely rebuilt recently...

And then, on the outskirts of the little fishing village of Tsuro, an establishment with the name of Kinpei-an. It is a Zenkonyado, rudimentary lodgings made available free of charge to walking pilgrims. This one is very well known to walking pilgrims, as the 80 year old man who offers it is very generous, offering the use of the shower and kitchen in his house.

The structure is handmade but has a woodstove made out of an oil drum. The number of ofuda left is a testament to how many people have used his place. There is a move to gentrification on the pilgrimage, with pilgrims who want to camp and sleep out being actively discouraged. One website I know of for pilgrims refuses to carry posts on free accommodation options. It is a real shame as this has always been a pilgrimage for the less well-endowed financially. I know if I had to pay for lodgings every night of the pilgrimage I would not have been able to do it. It was too early in the day for me to stay, but in my opinion it is an example of the genuine spirit of a pilgrimage.

The previous post was on the glorious sunrise of the day...

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Between Unjuji & Kiyomizudera

 

The next temple on the pilgrimage after Unjuji is Kiyomizudera, and it is just a few kilometers away so this will be a short post.

I stopped in at this very small temple. The very wide roof is typical of traditional architecture as it was necessary to keep the excessive rainfall away from a building's foundations. This building does not look like it has much longer lifespan without some major, and costly, renovation.

Not sure which Buddha or deity is enshrined here, the main deity is hidden.

A Buddhist statue along the way with ofuda attached attests to this being a pilgrimage route

Cosmos and other autumn flowers brighten the roadside. Where the climb up to Kiyomizudera begins a pile of walking sticks that can be borrowed. I had my own. I think these are for car pilgrims, who are the vast majority of pilgrims nowadays.

The previous post was on Unjuji Temple.

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Demon Mummy of Daijoin

 

A small sign pointed up a narrow path between bamboo to a temple, the kind of invitation I find heard to resist.

A group of red-bibbed statues was reassuring...

But what I found why quite weird and a little disturbing...

It is said to be the mummified remains of an Oni. Mummified priests I had heard of but not yet seen.

The figure is about 1.4 meters tall seated and estimated to be more than 2m if standing. It has two small horns, sunken eyes, and an open mouth. It was purchased in 1925 and then donated to the temple. A cursory examination by  Kyushu University suggested it "may" be composed of a mix of human female and animal bones.

Daijoin is a vetry small temple and there were a couple of normal Buddhist statues....

The next big surprise was when I came down from Daijoin and crossed over the road I came to a huge temple.

This is Higashi Betsuin, the head temple of all Jodo Shinshu temples in Kyushu.

It was established in the late 17th century, but the current structures date to the mid-18th century but was rebuilt in 1880. It measures 28 by 25 metres. The gate is magnificent.

What I didn't know was that right next door is a similar, huge temple of the Jodo Sect, with a bigger main hall but a smaller gate. This day had produced two big surprises, but there was more to come.

The previous post in this series on my walk along the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage features an eclectic mix of sights seen on the rural walk to get here...

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Unjuji Temple 27 Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage

 

Unjuji is a very large Rinzai Zen temple dating to 1322.

The plaque bearing the name on the large, 2-storey main gate is said to be written by Emperor Go-Daigo.

After passing through the first gate, the Important Cultural Property Four Legged Gate, a long lantern-lined path then turns 90 degrees, and then the Main Gate, Buddha Hall, and Abbots Quarters all align in what is known as Zen style. This is common in Kyoto, but quite rare for a rural temple.

The two-storey main gate is quite impressive. On the second floor are rakan statues. The gate was built in the Edo Period but is in Kakamura Period style.

So many of the statues and buildings are covered in ofuda left by pilgrims

Further in are more statues covered in moss and ofuda, including a Sake Abstaining Jizo.

On the left is the Hojo Pond with its Yakushi-do

The lilies in the pond bloom from early to mid summer.

On the right is the small Kannon Hall.

It houses a Kannon noted for fertility and child rearing alongside a Jizo and a Manjushri. This is the hall that all the pilgrimas primarily come for.

By the side of the Kannon Hall is a curious statue I dont remember seeing anywhere else. It appears to be a Kannon holding a child that is sitting on the shoulders of another Buddha....

Next, one comes to the main hall.

Unusually, it has a stone floor and can be entered without removing shoes.

The honzon is a Nenge Misho Shakyamuni. This translates as "smiling and twirling a flower Buddha, and is a Zen thing referring to the wordless transmission of the dharma....

There is a delightful ceiling dragon painting.

The Imperial Messenger Gate leads into the huge Abbots quarters and the Founders Hall with a big garden behind.

Since this visit, a new Head Priest has taken over, and he has now created a raked gravel garden in the area seen below.

The previous post was on the walk across the Nogi Plain to get here.

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