Atagoyama Kannonji Temple 85 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Kannonji, the 85 the temple on the Kyushu Pilgrimage is located an Atagoyama in Meinohama, Fukuoka.

It is linked physically and historically with the Atago Shrine on top, and shares the approach which is lined with plenty of cherry trees, in full bloom when I visited.

The shrine, and mountain, was originally named Washio, and is said to be the oldest shrine in Fukuoka City with a founding in the 2nd century.

In 859 a Tendai temple, Torin-ji, was established as part of the shrine.

In 1634 the local daimyo Kuroda Tadayuki enshrined the kami of the famous Atago Shrine in Kyoto after having success praying there.

He also established a Shingon temple, Enmanji, at the site.

The original Washio Shrine was merged with the Atago Shrine, and Torinji temple and Enmanji temples were also merged. The mountain was renamed Mount Atago.

With the shinbutsubunri decree the two temples were destroyed although the Kannon Hall remained.

The original statue of the Atago Shrine, a Shogun Jizo, was moved to the Kannon Hall, now Kannoin-ji Temple.

There is a particularly spectacular cherry tree in the main temple compound as well as plenty of statues including a fine Fudo Myoo

The Kannon-do has a very beautiful Thousand-armed Kannon.

The honzon's official name is Atago Daigongen Shogun Jizo. Kannonji also has a Yakushi-do.

I visited on day 77 of my walk along the Kyushu Pilgrimage when I returned to Fukuoka City to finish a ten-kilometer segment I had missed a few days earlier. The previous post was on temple 84 Hozo-in.

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.

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.

Munakata Taisha

 

I passed through the grounds of Munakata Taisha on my way to the final temple on the Kyushu Pilgrimage.

I entered through the rear entrance and passed by the Second Shrine and Third Shrine housed in structures that were relocated here from the rebuilding of Ise Shrine in 1973.

Munakata Taisha is actually three different shrines, the biggest here on the mainland is Hetsu-gu, with the Nakatsu-gu just offshore on Oshima, and the third, Okitsu-gu located 50k away on the small island of Okinoshima.

These second and third shrines were established to make it easy for people to visit all three without having to make a ferry crossing, and also because the Okitsu-guis is an uninhabited island where women are not allowed.

The three kami are sisters, Ichikishimahime, the youngest, here, Tagitsuhime on Oshima, and Tagorihime, the oldest, on Okinoshima.

Ichikishimahime is the primary kami of the famous Itsukushima Shrine and its branches.

The three sisters were created by the siblings Susano and Amaterasu. The male children created were attributed to Amaterasu and include the mythical lineage of the imperial family. The three females were given to Susano, though some with a nationalistic bent claim them also for Amaterasu, forgetting that to do so would put the imperial lineage under Susano....

The three shrines and islands were very important in trade and travel between Japan and Asia, and the three sisters are usually considered protectors of maritime journeys.

The rituals that were conducted on Okinoshima between the 4th and 9th centuries have left a wealth of archeological treasures, sone of which can be seen in the museum here.

It has also led to Okinoshima being registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The ancient Munakata Clan were obviously powerful players in the introduction of technology and culture from the Korean Peninsula and mainland China.

On this visit I was in a hurry so didn't visit the main shrine compound, rather enjoyed the cherry blossoms around the pond at the entrance.

The previous post was on Munakata Kannonji Temple.