Hozo-in Temple 84 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Temple 84 was hard to find as it is in a built up area and accessible via a narrow lane. It ios located on the old Karatsu Kaido in Meinohama.

It was founded in the early Showa Period, so probably before WWII.

The founder worked as a follower of the abbot of the famous Daikakuji Temple in Kyoto and was apparently "awarded" the chrysanthemum seal carved in the gates.

Interestingly it was the third head priest who envisaged the Kyushu Pilgrimage and did all the work finding the 108 sites around Kyushu connected to Kobo Daishi.

The honzon is an Eleven-faced Kannon, and being only a small place has a wide range of diverse statuary in the small grounds.

This was the final day of my 77 day walk along the pilgrimage and just needed this short ten kilometers section through Mrinohama to finish. The previous post was on temple 108 I visited yesterday.

Chokoji Temple 10 Iwami Kannon Pilgrimage

 

Chokoji is a Soto sect Zen temple in a remote area of Iwami that has a deep connection with the Iwami Ogasawara Clan.

The temple was founded in the 14th century and seems to have been originally a site founded by the clan as a spot for samurai to recover from wounds. A wooden pillow held by the temple was a gift from Ashikaga Yoshitane to Ogasawara Nagataka for his help in the Battle of Kyoto in 1508

The Ogasawara were not a big clan but were given the domain to protect the Iwami coast following the Mngol Invasions. As the Warring States Period increased the power of the nearby Amago and Ouchi Clans the Ogasawara switched allegiances several times and eventually submitted to the Mori.

Chokoji was the family temple for the clan. The honzon is a Shaka Nyorai, and the Kannon for the pilgrimage is in its own Kannon-do (photo 6).

Nowadays, it is known primarily for the huge Gingko tree in the grounds that creates a golden carpet in late Autumn. I highly recommend this post on the autumn colors here.

The previous post was on the walk to Chokoji from Kannabiji.

Munakata Kannonji Temple 87 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Temple number 87 is yet another relatively modern temple. Its origins lie in 1953 when a monk, Zenkai, enshrined a Kannon statue here.

While working as a merchant seaman he had visions of Kannon that instructed him to continue the work of a monk who had founded a temple at this spot in the 17th century but the temple fell into disuse and disappeared.

Later, Zenkai's wife became a nun and she is the current head priest.

There is an Inari shrine in the grounds and a  Jizo. The Jizo is part of the 24 temple Kyushu Jizo Pilgrimage.

The current main hall dates to 1996. It became a Shingon temple in 1980. Statues of Zenkai and his wife are the last photo.

The previous post was on Miyajidake Shrine, about 5k to the southwest.

Kaishinji Temple 86 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Kaishinji Temple located on the "Path of Light", a dead straight road that runs almost 1.5 kilometers from Miyajidake Shrine to the sea and which aligns with the sunset twice a year.

The temple was founded in 1923 and enshrined a statue of Kobo Daishi as the honzon.

However, in the 1950's the new head priest enshrined a statue of Bishamonten and built a Bishamonten Hall and this is now considered yje honzon.

It is quite rare to have a Bishamnoten as a hinzon, and as one of the Sebven Lucky Gods, the temple is on the Chikuzen Shichifukujin Pilgrimage.

It is also on the Kyushu Kannon Pilgrimage.

There were numerous tigers around the Bishamnin-do and as far as I can make out it is because of the legend that when Shotoku Taishi successfully fought against the Mononobe Clan, ostensibly over the introduction of Buddhism to Japan, the prayers were answered by Bishamonten at the Hour of the Tiger, on the Day of the Tiger, in the Month of the Tiger, and...... guess what? ....the Year of the Tiger.

I Didn't go into the hall that enshrines the Kobo Daishi statue, but I wish I had done as it seems there are a fine pair of statues flanking the Kobo Daishi.

This was on the last day of my walk along the Kyushu Pilgrimage, and the previous post was on the large Kashii Shrine.

Kyorinbo in Autumn Splendour

 

Thursday November 24th, 2016, day 39 of my walk along the Saigoku Pilgrimage, and I descended from Kannonshoji Temple in the mountains near Omihachiman in Shiga.

I visited Kyorinbo, a famous spot for Fall Colours and as I had come down the mountain I entered the property through the rear entrance.

Kyorinbo is a Tendai Temple, though it doesn't look like a temple.

It is said the temple was founded in 605 by none other than Shotoku Taishi.

A small statue of Kannon said to be carved by him is the honzon of the temple and is enshrined in a small cave in the grounds.

The temple was destroyed during the Warring States Period but was rebuilt in 1585.

The Shoin, Main Gate, and Storehouse all date from the early Edo Period and are thatched.

The Shoin has two gardens, one to the south, and one to the west.

The one to the south is called the Fudaraku Garden. It contains a path that runs to the main hall and also the cave holding the Kannon statue.

It is also the garden where most of the maple trees are planted. It was created in the Muromachi Period (1338 to 1573). 

The garden to the west is attributed to Kobori Enshu and is believed to date from the early Edo Period.

It is a pond garden with a hillside of moss-covered stones.

Kyorinbo has the nickname of Stone Temple.

The Enshu Garden features a "dry waterfall" and the pond contains the classic Crane and Turtle stone arrangements.

The garden can be appreciated any time of the year, but with the Fall colours it becomes ablaze with colour.

For much of the year, the garden is closed but opens on the weekends  and holidays in the Spring and daily during November.

In November the garden is illuminated and open in the evenings.

The temple was abandoned and derelict in the late twentieth century but a monk almost singlehandedly restored it.

The closest train  is Azuchi Station where taxis and rental bicycles can be found.

Another Enshu garden I covered recently was the one at Raikyuji Temple.