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.