Many Fudo Myoo at Tsubakido Henjoin

 

Tsubakido Henjoin is the collective name for a couple of adjacent temples, Tsubaki Kannon, and Tsubaki Daishi located in the mountains of the remote Kunisaki Peninsula in Oita, Kyushu.

Also nearby is Shunkoji Temple which historically seems to have been connected to Henjoin but seems to be experiencing some kind of "falling out".

Henjoin is on several pilgrimages including the Kyushu 33 Kannon, and the Bungo 88 Henro. I visited when I passed by while walking the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage, though it is not actually a member of that pilgrimage it is home to numerous Fudo Myoo statues.

The origin of the temples is said to be when Kobo Daishi visited here after returning from Chima. He is said to have made a journey to Usa Hachimangu and then come u onto the Kunisaki Peninsula to get a view of his "home" country of Shikoku.

A cave at the site is said to be where he practiced austerities, and it is home to several Fudo Statues.

There is also a sacred spring said to have started when the ground was struck by Kobo Daishi's staff.

The main hall of Tsubaki Daishi also has a Fudo enshrined alongside Kobo Daishi, and a Yakushi.

The temples are very popular and are known for a wide variety of "this worldly benefits", known as genze ryaku in Japanese, and like most such temples there is a profusion of different statues.

The Okunoin has a large number of shamoji, flat rice spoons, with prayers written upon them.

In the next post I will show some of the many other deity and Buddha statues here.

The previous post in this series on the Kyushu Fudo Myo Pilgrimage was Shunkoji Temple.