Yamate Kannondo Temple 52 Sasaguri Pilgrimage

 

Day 2 of our walk along the magnificent Sasaguri Pilgrimage began where it had ended the day before, at Chikuzen-Yamate Station.

Temple 52 is easily noticed by the unusual tall structure. Included at the site is the Watatake Inari Daimyojin Shrine.

Next to it is the tall structure with a tall painting.

The painting is of  a fairly young Kobo Daishi and was the result of an old monk named Mori Jundo who sat by the roadside and begged for donations from passers-by around 1949-1952. 

Like all the other little "temples" on the pilgrimage there is a large, eclectic collection of small statuettes of a range of Buddhas and Kami.

The honzon is an Eleven-faced Kannon, although I believe the one now is a newer relacement of the original stone one which is also on display.

There are also quite a few statues of Fudo Myoo, in fact, as I have mentioned before, I have never encoubtered so many Fudo statues as here in Sasaguri...

The previous post was on the last two temples of day one, both very close to ths one.

Chinkokuji Okunoin Temple 108 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Up a flight of steps overlooking the main temple grounds is the okunoin of Chinkokuji Temple, the cave where Kobo Daishi performed rituals after returning from China in 806.

I reached it on Friday, March 28th, 2014, the 76th day of walking along the longest pilgrimage route in Japan, and I would guess somewhat over 2,200 kilometers.

I started on Christmas Day in 2012, and so it has taken me just about 15 months, usually in 2 week segments to finish it.

BUT!!!!!... on yesterdays walk I missed the last ten kilometers as I came into Fukuoka City from the south, and that includes two pilgrimage temples, so tomorrow I must go and do that section.

Chinkokuji Temple 88 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Chinkokuji, the 88th temple on the Shingon Kyushu Pilgrimage lies just across the river from the Munakata Taisha shrine in northern Fukuoka.

In fact, it was the shrine temple of Munakata Taisha back when shrines and temples were intertwined.

According to the legend, Kobo Diashi visited Munakata Taisha and prayed for a safe journey to China, so when he returned in 806 he visited Munakata Taisha again.

While here a cloud formation over Mount Byobu attracted him across the river and he performed rituals in the cave that is the okunoin of the temple now.

He is also said to have carved the secret Fudo Myo statue that is now enshrined in the Goma Hall.

Three statues were carved an enshrined at some point, a Dainichi, a Shaka, and a Yakushi. I am guessing these coresponded to the three kami of Munakata Taishi.

The main hall now has five statues, as well as the original three there is an Amida and a Kannon.

All 5 are registered as Important Cultural Properties.

The Goma Hall is the oldest building at Chinkokuji, dating back to 1650.

I visited while the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, but I visited again on day 44 of the Kyushu Fudo Myo Pilgrimage in the autumn and it was splendid in Fall foliage. I took a lot more photos then, including the statues in the main hall.

This was the final temple of this more than 2,000 Kilometer pilgrimage, though technically the Okunoin at the top of the hill is number 108. I post on that next.

Chinkokuji has a reputation as a "flower temple", because as well as the chetry blossoms and the autumn foliage, there are also plum blossoms,azaleas, lillies, and lotus blossoms, hydrangeas, and rhododendrums.

The previous post was on Munakata Taishi, just across the river.

Hashikura Temple 4 Shikoku Fudo Myo Pilgrimage

 

While being temple number 4 on the Shikoku Fudo Myo Pilgrimage, Hashikura-ji is probably more well known for being temple 15 of the 20 "extra" bangai temples of the much more famous Shikoku Ohenro pilgrimage. However, it is also a temple of the Shikoku Kannon Pilgrimage, and the Awa Saigoku Pilgrimage.

It is located at 600 meters above sea level looking down on the Yoshino River valley that cuts right throiugh Tokushima.

The temple is accessible by a ropeway which offers a great view of the impressive Niomon gate on the way up.

The ropeway stops at the main level of the temple near the priests residence, and right next to it the Gomaden. Though it had been really sunny for a few days, it was late December and there was snow around the grounds.

According to the temple, Hashikiuraji has performed the goma ceremony twice a day, every day, since the temples founding.

It was founded by Kobo Daishi himself in 828 when he climbed the mountain. Hr had a vision of Konpira Daigongen and carved a statue of him.

Hashikiraji became the okunoin, or inner temple, of Konpira, the complex that since Meiji has been a Shinto Shrine.

Further along is a massive Bell Tower and the Heart Sutra Steps that lead up to the main hall.

With 278 steps, the same number of chracters in the Heart Sutra, when added to the steps from the Niomon up to this first level, in total the climb to the main hall has 769 steps.

This is just a little less than the 785 steps that lead up to the actual Konpira Shrine.

A major fire in 1769, and then another in 1826, destroyed almost all the buildings, so everything standing now dates back to the late Edo period.

It is a large complex with a lot to see, and relatively few visitors. There are a lot of nice carvings and statues and so I will do a post on them next.

The previous post in this series on day 5 of my walk along the Shikoku Fudo Myo Pilgrimage was on the interesting old house and museum across the river that documents the local tobacco industry.

Daishoin Temple 81 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Daisho-in is located in the small Teramachi near Karatsu Station in downtown Karatsu.

These unusual statues are a complete mystery to me. The only reference I can find is that they are said to be in Korean-style. If anyone knows more please leave a comment.

The approach also has a nice pair of small komainu.

The honzon of the temple is a Fudo Myo. The Daishi statues in the main hall next to the fudo (top photo) was originally in Konpira Shrine on Shikoku and was moved here in 1885 after spending a couple of years at Zentsuji Temple in Shikoku.

The temple was originally called Daihoji and stood near Kishidake Castle. It burned down when the castle fell and was moved here in 1645 and renamed Daisho-in.

In the treasure hall, and only shown to the public once a year, is an 11-faced Kannon known as the Karatsu Kannon as it was originally enshrined in Karatsu Shrine. Originally claimed to have been carved by Gyoki, upon renovation it was discovered to have been made in the 14th century.

The temple is known for its Daikoku statue and is on a local Seven Lucky Gods circuit.

This was my last stop in Karatsu before heading up the coast towards Fukuoka. The previous post was on the oldest rice paddies in Japan.