The Gardens at Kennin-Ji Temple

The Gardens at Kennin-Ji Temple

Kennin-ji in Gion was the first Zen temple established in Kyoto in 1202. My wife grew up in a house literally next door to the temple so I visited it often. The Chouontei garden is quite well known and features the classic triad of central stones.

Another famous garden in the temple is the Circle-Triangle-Square garden, but I don't show any photos of it in this post.

Seeing is not a passive act. Though we can grasp a scene in a single glimpse, mostly we "read" a scene or a garden. Our eyes move around from point to point and are drawn to specific points and aspects. An artist, or a garden designer, will instinctively know this as part of the process.

I take photos of things my eyes are drawn to. A simple enough thing to say, but less easy to explain.

"God is in the details" is a well-known quote with multiple possible meanings, but if God is truth, and truth is beauty, both two statements that are arguable but which I tend to agree with, then my eyes are drawn to beauty and this is what I attempt to capture with my camera.

Okidomari World Heritage Site

Okidomari, near Yunotsu, is one of the sites included in the UNESCO World Heritage site connected to the Iwami Ginzan silver mine. It is one of two harbors that serviced the mines at the end of the 16th Century when the Mori Clan had control.

When the Tokugawa central government took over control of the mines in the early 17th Century they shipped most of the silver overland to Onomichi on the Inland Sea coast but Okiomari was still used a little.

The small settlement at the port is still in existence though many of the houses are now empty. At the head of the little valley is a grove of bamboo through which a path still passes.

This is the start of the Ginzan Kaido, the "road" that leads inland to the mines. It is about 12k long and is also one of the World Heritage sites. It is a very pleasant walk and I recommend it anyone who wants to get off the beaten track.

At the mouth of the harbor is a small island that once was topped with  fortifications guarding the harbor entrance. The Mori used the harbor as a kind of naval base long before the mines were discovered, and it is said it was earlier the hideout of pirates, though the distinction between pirates and navy at that time was flexible.

Chiringashima Island

Chiringashima

Located in Kagoshima Bay about 800 meters offshore near Ibusuki, Chiringashima Island is the largest island in the bay. It is uninhabited, with a circumference of about 3 kilometers, and only 90 meters high.

Between march and October the island becomes connected to the mainland at low tide by a winding sandbar that enables visitors to walk out to the island. The sandbar exists for periods of time up to 4 hours at the longest. I visited in mid-October and wasn't sure if the tide was going out of coming in so didn't risk it.

Because the sandbar connects the two pieces of land and therefore creates  a bond it has become known as a power spot for love and matchmaking, one of many such spots that have sprung up around Japan in recent years.

Apparently the island is registered as one of Japan's Top 100 Aromatic Spots..... an obsession with ranking that continues to bemuse me

Sunrise at Shirahige Shrine

Shirahige

Shirahige Shrine is located on the western shore of Lake Biwa in what is now Shiga. It is home to one of the famous "floating torii", shrine gates set in water and a place where many people gather to watch sunrise.

It is said that on the equinoxes the sun rises through the gate, though I was here a few days before the winter solstice so it rose to the north of the gate. I was surprised how many people came before dawn to such a relatively remote spot.

Shirahige Shrine is the head shrine of about 300 Shirahige shrines across Japan, but this was the first time I had visited. I had visited other Shirahige shrines before and was intrigued by its origin. This area, called Omi in ancient times, was heavily settled by immigrants from the Korean Peninsula, like the area that later became Kyoto. Shirahige was a Korean deity, and the name means "White Whiskers"

15 years ago this information was easy to find, though nowadays it seems harder. Most sources don't mention the Korean origin anymore. Maybe a result of the dumbing down of the web that now overwhelms us with "popular" and  simple facts, clickbait, and the information and disinformation that  powerful forces in society prefer spread.

Shurin-ji Temple 35 on the Sasaguri Pilgrimage

Shurin-ji is a small temple in Sasaguri, but it was the largest temple so far on my first day walking the Sasaguri Pilgrimage. It was the only one so far that was big enough to have a priest's home. It belongs to the Jodo, Pure Land,  sect, and its honzon is Amida

However, the part of the temple that is the site for the pilgrimage is a small shrine in the grounds called Yakushi-do, which houses this statue of Yakushi Nyorai, commonly known as the Medicine Buddha. Temple 35 on the Shikoku pilgrimage has Yakushi as its honzon, so the corresponding number 35 here in Sasaguri is the same.

There is also a small Kannon-do housing a nice Kannon statue and several other statues in the grounds.

This one has been adorned with a traditional pilgrim hat.

I have no idea who this statue represents but it could be a rakan, a disciple of the historical Buddha.

Treasures of Makiodo

The Treasure Hall at Makiodo Temple in the Hunisaki area.

Makiodo was built on the site of Makisan Denjo-ji, a large temple in the Kunisaki Peninsula area of Oita. The temple burned down in the early 14th Century but some of the statues were saved and are on display now at Makiodo.

Amida Nyorai flanked by the 4 Shitenno

Makisan Denjoji was reputed to be the biggest of the Tendai temples in the Kunisaki area that was home to a Tendai version of Shugendo. I visited it on the first day of my walk along the Kyushu Fudo Myo Pilgrimage. The first group of temples on the pilgrimage are located in the Kunisaki area and as I had been long wanting to walk the old Kunisaki Pilgrimage I used this opportunity. The Kunisakihanto Minemichi Long Trail approximately follows the old pilgrimage route.

Rare Statue of Daitoku Myo at Makiodo

All the statues on display in the Treasure House are obviously more than 700 years old and include a seated Amida Buddha with the four Shitenno, Heavenly Guardians, flanking it. What is believed to be the biggest example of A Daitoku Myo in Japan, seated astride an ox, and a wonderful Fudo Myo with his two attendants.

Fudo Myo at Makiodo in Kunisaki

In a separate building are other artworks and a pair of Nio guardians. Makiodo is located less than 3 kilometers north from the Kumano Magaibutsu, and like many of the really interesting places in Japan , not really served by public transport.

Ancient Nio statue on display at Makiodo

Tsukiyomi Shrine Sakurajima

Tsukiyomi Shrine is not a big shrine, but it is the largest shrine near Sakurajima, the active volcano and former island across the water from Kagoshima City.

The shrine was moved to its current location after lava flows overran its previous location. It is just a short walk from the ferry port so gets many visitors. From the shrine there are good views of the volcano.

As the name suggests, the main kami at the shrine is Tsukiyomi, common ly known as the kami of the moon. Tsukiyomi came into being when Izanagi purified himself after visiting the underworld. Amaterasu and Susano were created at the same time. Amaterasu and Susano are much more well known. Tsukiyomi barely gets a mention in the ancient chronicles

Also enshrined here is Konohanasakuya Hime, who was the first wife of Ninigi, the grandson of Amaterasu sent to earth to rule over Japan. She is considered the kami of Mount Fuji and all volcanoes.

Gokuraku Jodo Garden at Shitennoji Temple

Hidden away in a corner of Shitennoji Temple in Osaka is a rather unusual garden. Called Gokuraku Jodo Garden, its is based on a description of what is known in English as the Western Paradise of Amida Nyorai, often called the Pure Land.

There are two largish ponds and a meandering stream that connects them. There is also a "dry" garden based on Fudaraku, the "paradise" of Kannon Bosatsu.

The garden was built in the 17th Century. There are two tea-houses in the garden as well as an octagonal pavilion. I visited in December and there was a little bit of Autumn color. There are a lot of cherry trees so would be good to visit in April.

The entrance to the garden, which needs an entry fee, is in the NW of the temple grounds. Very close to Shitennoji is another seldom visited garden, Keitakuen.

The Path in Autumn

The path through the garden at the former Chikurin-in Temple in Sakamoto. December 2019.

Sometimes I think I will just post a single photo that I like. I have about 150,000 to choose from.

My own tastes are for photos that I think look like paintings and/or of details......not the big picture. Often leaning towards the abstract and/or geometric.....

Of course my photos are available for purchase, either in print form, or digitally.

I have sold some photos for book and CD covers, etc, and licensed  a lot for different websites, but I would like to sell more......

Garden Borders

Japanese Gardens

Japanese gardens have borders and edges. In some traditional gardens the walls or fences are an integral part of the aesthetic. Where the garden meets a building is also an important border that also has architectural input.

Temple architecture was imported from China and Korea, but because of the heavier rainfall in Japan one of the modifications was to extend the roof out further away from the edge of the building to protect the foundation stones.

These 4 photos show different ways the garden border where it meets the building have been practically and aesthetically designed at Kannon-ji Temple in Tottori

The garden at Kannon-ji is well worth a visit.