Gardens of the Ohashi House in Kurashiki

 

The Ohashi Family were a major merchant family in the Bikan district of Kurashiki.

Located on the edge of the Preservation District, their late 18th century property is open to the public and well worth a visit.

the gardens of their property are quite small and include a couple of really tiny enclosed gardens.

Originally a samurai family, their property is unusual for a merchant property in that it is set back from the street with a small front garden, something officially  only allowed for samurai.

The previous post in this series on day 7 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on Anyoji Temple, a major mountain temple complex to the north of Kurashiki.

Teahouse at Anyoji Temple

 

While exploring the grounds of Anyoji Temple in the mountains north of Kurashiki I came upon this thatched teahouse.

There was no information about at at the site, and nothing at all on the temple website.

I have also scoured the web but have been unable to find a single reference to it.

If anyone has any information on it, please leave a comment below.

Anyoji was a big surprise to me and knew nothing about it before arriving on day 7 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgimage heading over the mountains from Soja towards Kurashiki.

There will be several more posts and I have already covered the unusual pagoda, the Tie-Cutting Fudo Myoo, the Seven Lucky Gods, and the Dragon Kannon Hall.

The Pagoda at Anyoji Temple

 

Pagodas come in a variety of forms, with perhaps the kind I saw a few hours earlier at Hofukuji being the most common.

An older style, like the one at Rurikoji, may be more archetypal, but fewer of them are being built nowadays. Fairly common, though perhaps not so recognized as a pagoda, is the Tahoto style largely linked to Shingon temples.

The pagoda at Anyoji is in a style I can only remember having seen once before, at Yakuoji Temple on Shikoku.

The pagoda at Anyoji is modelled on a ceramic model of a pagoda that was discovered in the medieval sutra mound excavated behind the temple. Many of the other treasures unearthed there are on display at the temple.

Bishamonten, the main deity of the temple, is usually depicted holding a small pagoda in one hand, and the big statue of Bishamonten on the main gate is depicted holding this style of pagoda.

The pagoda is only open to the public a few days a year, unfortunately not when I was there, and inside is a Kannon flanked by other statues including a Bishamonten.

The previous post was on the Fudo Myo statues at Anyoji. Other posts on this interesting temple were on the 7 Lucky Gods here, and the Dragon Kannon Hall.

Cutting-ties Fudo Myo at Anyoji Temple

 

Akuenkiri Fudo Myoo is for cutting bad ties and relationships and is a statue at Anyoji Temple in the mountains between Kurashiki and Soja in Okayama.

The sword carried by Fudo, Kurikara, is generally considered to be used to sever one from the attachments that prevent enlightenment, but perhaps the most famous "cutting" Fudo is the wave-cutting Fudo that quelled the storm carrying Kobo Daishi to China.

As well as the Akuenkiri Fudo there are numerous other Fudo's around the temple including this one near tye entrance.

This very small and unusual one was inside a thatched Teahouse.....

Previously I have posted on the Dragon Hall and the Seven Lucky Gods at Anyoji. More to come.

The Seven Lucky Gods at Anyoji Temple

 

A giant statue of Bishamonten sits atop the gate into Anyoji Temple near Kurashiki where Bishamonten is the honzon of the temple.

Bishamonten is also one of the Shichifukujin, or Seven Lucky Gods of Japan and so Anyoji has statues of all seven in the grounds as a popular attraction.

Bishamonten is one of three of the 7 Lucky Gods with origins in Hinduism. Benzaiten, photo 5 left, and Daikokuten, photo 4 right, being the other two.

Three of the others have their origins in Taoism, Jurojin and Fukurokuju, photo 3, and Hotei, photos 6, 7, and 8.

The only "native" god is Ebisu, photo 4 left.

The exact origin of this grouping of 7 is murky, though by the Edo period they were a very popular group and a visit to shrines for the Shichifukujin at new year is the origin of the Hatsumode tradition nowadays.

Anyoji was part of a major Shinto-Buddhist complex in ancient times, and there is a lot to see here. The previous post in the series was on the Ryujindo in front of the main entrance.

Ryujindo at Anyoji Temple

 

Anyoji is a large, ancient temple complex in the mountains north of Kurashiki and south of Soja in Okayama.

In front of the temple is a large irrigation pond with a "floating" building that in many other places would be for Benzaiten.

Here it is a Ryujindo, or Dragon Hall enshrining a Ryuzu Kannon.

Ryuzu or Ryuto Kannon is known in English as the Dragon Head Kannon and is one of the traditional 33 forms of kannon in Japan and probably came from China. Ryzuzu Kannon is sometimes depicted riding a dragon, but never depicted with a dragon head, unlike the Horsehead Kannon,Bato Kannon, which is sometimes depicted wearing a horsehead hat,

Anyoji Temple was a big surprise to me and I took a lot of photos so will do several more posts on it ...

The previous post in this series on day 7 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on nearby Karube Shrine, famous for its breast ema.

Karube Shrine the "boobs" shrine

 

Karube Shrine near Soja in Okayama is known locally as Oppai Jinja, with oppai being a Japanese slang word, used largely by children, to refer to female breasts.

Originally established on top of the mountain in the early 14th century, enshrining the three kami of the Kumano Sanzan, it was destroyed several times before being moved to its current site in 1678 after having a further two kami added, Amaterasu and Kunitokotachi.

For about 400 years, until 1940, there was a huge weeping cherry tree in the grounds that became known as a kami for ample breastmilk and safe childbirth and it was this tree that is the origin of the current tradition of offering votive plaques with representations of breasts on them, not any of the kami actually enshrined here.

It was not known at all outside the local area until being featured on a national TV program, but since then has drawn visitors from all over.

Many of the votive plaques are a standard design that can be bought online or from several local establishments, however some are hand-made and unique. The plaques can now also be found at several other shrines and temples.

Nowadays almost half the ema are prayers for relief from breast cancer, and most of the rest for ample breast milk and safe childbirth.

The rate of breast cancer in japan has doubled in the past 50 years.

Until the modern era womens breasts in Japan were not considered sexual or erotic, but a few of the plaques are asking for large breasts for "cosmetic" reasons....

The previous post in this series on day 7 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the nearby Hofukuji Temple.