Shodoshima Pigrimage temple 4 Furue-an

Just after sunrise on Christmas Eve, I was greeted by Fudo Myo, an auspicious beginning as I set out on the Shodoshima Pilgrimage.

I started at temple number 4, Furue-an, as my minshuku was literally right next door. I am going to do a loop around the small peninsula before heading up unto the mountains to the official first temple. In front was a line of 33 Kannon statues representing the Bando Kannon Pilgrimage.

Furue-an can be translated as a hermitage rather than a temple. At a point in the past, a monk or nun lived here, but it is not a temple with a priest. It is maintained by local people, and quite a few of the "temples" on this pilgrimage are hermitages. There is a very homely and friendly atmosphere at them.

It is located right on the water's edge and right behind it is a small local shrine named Otomiya Shrine. In many small communities such as Furue the shrine and temple are right next to each other and historically would have been one place.

The honzon is an Amida Nyorai, said to have been carved in the Kamakura period. Behind the temple is a memorial to the fact that this beach was used for suicide submarine practice during the war.

Senbazuru... Thousand Origami Cranes

Senbazuru, 1000 origami cranes strung together, are found all over Japan in various kinds of locations. They are very often done in multiple colors, and in fact kits to make them this way are very common.

Cranes were considered to live for a thousand years, hence each one represents a year. Dating back to the Edo Period, they were given as gifts for good luck to couples at weddings and new born babies etc.

Nowadays they are most strongly associated with Sadako Sasaki, the young Hiroshima girl who died from leukemia contracted from the radiation of the Hiroshima A bomb.

The Japanese Crane was though to be extinct, but has made a comeback though are still very rare and endagered. Edo Period cookbooks consistently ranked the crane as the best tasting bird for eating. These two facts may be related.

All these photos are from my recent walk around Shodoshima. The last photo shows senbazuru made out of metallic paper, but hung in a cave where soot from candles and lanterns have coated them.