Iyo Kokubunji Temple 59 Shikoku Pilgrimage

 

After visiting Senyuji, temple 58 of the pilgrimage, the route comes back down from the mountains towards the sea and temple 59, Kokubunji, among the rice paddies outside Imabari City.

It is one of the "Nation Protecting" temples established in every province in the early 8th century usually adjacent to the government administrative centres established under the new Ritsuryo system.

The other three Kokubunji on Shikoku are also part of the pilgrimage, number 15, Awa Kokubunji, number 29, Tosa Kokubunji, and number 80, Sanuki Kokubunji.

It was officially established in 741, and it was certainly built by 756. Founded by Gyoki, as so many of the pilgrimage temples are, the honzon is a Yakushi, Medicine Buddha, said to have been carved by Gyoki himself.

Worth looking for when visiting is the lovely "topless" Benzaiten statue in the Benten Shrine. Also noticeable is the Hand-Shaking Daishi statue below.

The temple was destroyed by war on numerous occasions, in 939 during a rebellion by Fujiwara Sumitomo, in 1184 during the Genpei War, in 1364 during the Northern Court-Southern Court warfare, and like so many of the pilgrimage temples, by Chosokabe Motochika in the late 16th century. A fire in 1689 once again destroyed most of the temple. It is said the hoinzon and other btresures survived each time.

The current main hall was rebuilt in 1789. Kobo Daishi is said to have spent some time here and donatede paintings pf the Five Wisdom Kings. It is a Shingon temple now.

The current site is believed to have been where the government offices were originally. The original site of the temple was about 150 meters  away. Immediately adjacent to the temple is a Kasuga Shrine which was part of the same complex until the sepeartion of Buddhas and Kami in 1868.

The previous temple was number 58, Senyuji.

Kumano Shrine Yokohama Fukuoka

 

This Kumano Shrine is located on an 80 meter high hill on the south side of the river mouth that was home to Imazu Port, a port linked with trade with Asia in ancient times.

The area is named after the long beach nearby, Yokohama, not the now famous Yokohama up near Tokyo.

Beside the steps leading up to the shrine is a small Inari shrine, and then near the top a Yakushi-do.

Other than this being a branch of the famous Kumano Sanzan in Wakayama, I can find on information about its history.

The site of tye shrine used to be a manufacturing site of stone axes in te early Yayoi Period, and axes from this site have been found around northern Kyushu, indicating early trade.

The previous post was on the Shisho Shrine across on the other side of the river mouth.

Kiyama Temple a remnant of Shinbutsu

 

Kiyama Temple is located at more than 400 meters above sea level on a mountain in the northern part of Okayama prefecture.

With a large torii at the entrance one might be forgiven for thinking that it was a shrine, and not a temple, but it is an example of what was very common in the old days, a religious site with elements of both Buddhism and Shinto, Shinbutsu.

In 1868 the government decreed that Kami and Buddhas were to be separated, a process akin to unscrambling eggs. This was done for ideological and political reasons, to create a "national" religion.

Here on Kiyama, the site used to be called Kiyama-Gu, but in 1868 it became Kiyama Temple and down below a new site, Kiyama Shrine was constructed. I covered Kiyama Shrine in a post with 24 photos earlier.

The founding legend says that Kobo Daishi himself was in the area in 815. An old woodcutter guided him to the mountain and suggested it was a good spot for a temple.

Kobo Daishi recognized the man as a manifestation of Yakushi Nyorai and founded the temple here with  a Yakushi Nyorai statue.

I visited in early August after climbing up from Kiyama Shrine, and there was not another single person, visitor or staff, around the whole time I was there. Kiyama Temple is temple number 4 on the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage, and this was late on my fifth day of walking it.

The entrance is across a big lotus pond with a Benzaiten Shrine in the middle of it, photo 3. 

Benzaiten is another deity that is problematic if you want to think in terms of a distinction between Buddhism and Shinto. Originally a Hindu deity, introduced into Japan by esoteric Buddhism, she later became a kami in Shinto.

The main gate, photo 4, here called Furomon, is said to be the oldest structure at the site, though I can't find an exact date for it.

The main hall also has a big torii in front of it. As well as Yakushi Nyorai, it also enshrined the two guardian deities, Gozu Tenno, and Inari.

Gozu Tenno was the deity of Gion-sha, the origin of the famous Gion Matsuri and now called Yasaka Shrine. Some sources suggest he was originally from India by way of Tibet and China, but most suggest a Korean origin for this deity.

Long equated with Susano, in 1868 the "kami" previously known as Gozu Tenno officially became Susano.

Inari as also a problem for those who think in terms of a pure, Indigenous "shinto".

There is no mention of Inari in the Kojiki and Nihongi, the texts seen as fundamental to "native" shinto. Inari is now equated with Ukanomitama, the post-1868 identity. rior to that Inari was often equated with Dakiniten, a Buddhist deity with Indian origins.

There are actually numerous secondary, small shrines to different Inari within the grounds of Kiyama Temple.

There is also a Koshin-do, a shrine to the Koshin deity, Daoist in origin, and very popular in pre-modern Japan, the Koshin cult brought us the Three Wise Monkeys, and the Sarubobo dolls.

Pictured above, the Kannon-do with its carved reliefs looks like a shinto honden, because that is what is was until 1868. It held the shintai that were moved to the new Kiyama shrine further down he mountain.

Pictured above, the Daishi-do was originally the main hall of the temple.

As well as Kobo Daishi it also enshrines Fudo Myo and Aizen Myo

So, a very complex mix of deities at this site, indicating a much richer and more diverse religious history than a simplistic shinto-buddhist duality.

There are some other large structures within the grounds, including a large guesthouse and storehouse, yet, as I mentioned before, not a soul around.

The previous post in this series of day 5 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was Kiyama Shrine down below.

Yoshiwarayama Kakurinji Temple 80 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Kakurinji is located on a low hilltop on the bank of the Matsuura River not far from its mouth where it enters the sea.

I approached it from the rear and so was able to enter using a small footpath rather than the longer main road.

It is a fairly new temple, being founded in 1947 and the main hall dating back to 1954.

A Bokefuji Kannon statue is prominent. Bokefuji is a new Japanese version of Kannon that has become increasingly popular. Depicted with an old couple at its feet, Bokefuji Kannon is prayed to for those wishing to not suffer dementia and Alzheimers.

In fact Kakurinji is now one of the temples on a new pilgrimage, a Kyushu  Kannon pilgrimage to prevent dementia.

It is the 80th temple on the Kyushu 108 pilgrimage but also on the standard Kyushu Kannon Pilgrimage.

The temple is known locally as Koyasu-san or Koyasu Kannon due to its connection with Koyasu Daishi, a legend from Koenji, temple 61 on the Shikoku Ohenro.

At the gate of Koenji Temple Kobo Daishi met a woman having a difficult birth and his prayers enabled a safe birth. The Koyasu Daishi faith spread and led to the formation of thousands of Koyasu co-fraternities across Japan in the early 20th century.

The Karatsu Koyasu-ko was the group that brought Kakurinji into existence and so has a reputation as a temple to pray for safe and successful births.

There were a lot of Fudo Myo statues in the ground.....

The honzon of the temple is a Yakushi Nyorai and also a Koyasu Daishi.

The mountain name, Yoshiwarayama, comes from a wealthy local family, the Yoshiwara, who donated the land for the temple.

The previous post in this series was on the Udono Cliff Carvings upstream.