A Walk Down Mount Raizan

 

March 27th, 2014, and I leave Sennyoji Temple after a couple of hours exploring the unexpected delights of this amazing mountain temple. I head downhill towards the plain of Itoshima, most certainly one of the cradles of ancient Japanese culture.

Along almost all the roads in Japan you will find roadside altars. Sometimes, like this first one, a small structure protects the statues and offering from the weather. As well as the Buddhist statues this one had a collection of stones. Sacred stones have been integral to Japanese religion since the begininng.

The next roadside altar has an even more substantial structure including seats. If this was Shinto it would be classed as a shrine, but with Buddhism it is not a temple. I would call it a chapel.

A series of wooden cutout feet and legs suggest this is a spot to pray for the healing of foot ailments. Not uncommon, I first noticed such things at Kono Shrine in Tottori.

have no idea what this stone memorializes... don't think it is a grave....

Kyushu being a bit warmer than Honshu, the cherry blossoms are out a little earlier....

I continue on down the narrow Rai River valley.....

In postwar Japan land reform distributed the land more equitably, but some quite large farm buildings indicate there were wealthy farmers not too long ago.....

The next roadside chapel was again quite substantial....

I am not sure who tye two statues are.... Jizo are very common roadside statues, but I am only certain about a few identities of Buddhist statues.....

The colorful statue is, I think, a priest, and quite probably Kobo Daishi....

Beginning in Meiji, western-influenced archtecture was a symbol of modernity and used extensively in government buildings like schools, post offices, local government offices, hospitals etc.......

The previous post in this series on the Kyushu Pilgrimage was on the upper part of the big temple complex at Sennyoji.

Uchihara Oji Shrine

 

Located in Hidaka, a little north of Gobo, for 800 years this was known as Takaie Oji, but was renamed in early Meiji.

It was one of the 100 Oji, shrines along the main pilgrimage route from Kyoto down the coast of Wakayama and then into the Kumano Sanzan shrines.

Shrine records say there was a shrine here in the mid 5th century. I'm not exactly sure when the system of Oji were established, but I am guessing in the Heian Period when the most imperial pilgrimages along this route took place. The primary kami is listed as Amaterasu, with secondary kami listed as Homuda Wake (Ojin), Ichikishimahime, Kagutsuchi, Sugawara Michizane (Tenjin), Kanayamahiko, and  Nintoku.

During the so-called shrine mergers of early 20th century, 30 local shrines were moved here including multiple Benzaiten, Konpira, Tenjin, and Inari shrines as well as many unamed "satogami".

I visited at the start of day 7 of my walk along the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, which in this section follows the old Kumano Kodo Kiiji Route. The previous post was on the nearby Dojoji Temple, a famous and picturesque spot.

Kannon Hall & Founders Hall at Sennyoji Daihion Temple

 

The Kannon-do and Kaisan-do are the two structures above the main part of Sennyoji Temple.

The Kannon Hall was built around 1880 and as well as the amazing Kannon statue, also has many other statues, mostly, like the Kannon, from the Kamakura Period.

I suspect these were all transferred from the shrine-temple complex when the Buddhas and Kami were separated in early Meiji.

The Thousand-Armed Kannon is quite impressive and is a National Important Cultural Property.

The other statues were also very nice, most easily recognizable was a Fudo and an En no Gyoja.

The most unusual was, what I believe to be, the Japanese version of Garuda...

From the Kannon Hall the steps lead up to the Founders Hall.

This is a newer building, dating to 1990, and is modelled on Fukiji Temple in Kunisaki, the oldest wooden building in Kyushu.

The founder is said to be Seiga Shonin, a monk from India who established several temples on this mountainside in the year 178. This was more than three and a half centuries before Buddhism was "officially" introduced into Japan. The story first appears in print in the 13th century.

It is known that Buddhist statues have been found in western Japan before the official introduction. Trade and travel between northern Kyushu and the mainland had been going on since the beginning, but is such a story even possibly true?

Well, actually, yes!.... Buddhism had been in China for about a century by 178. Brought by travelers along the Silk Road, travel between China and Japan had also been going on for some time. In the first century a "king" in this part of Kyushu had been given a gold seal by the Han Emperor, the infamous Gold Seal of Na, so the idea that Silk Road travelers did not travel past China to the Japanese islands is not far fetched. Of course, an exact date of 178 is a bit improbable, but dating in Japanese prehistory is extremely fanciful when based on documents like the Kojiki anyway.

The interior of the Hall is very colorful and golden with paintings of the 4 Heavenly Kings on the pillars, and the 8 Great Bodhisattvas, and the 12 Heavens painted on the walls.

Three previous posts on this temple were on the gardens, the lower temple, and the 500 Rakan.

Choshoji Temple 33 Shodoshima Pilgrimage

 

Choshoji, temple number 33 of the 88 temple pilgrimage on Shodoshima is located on a hillside at the southern edge of Ikeda Town.

Built on several terraces with great, stone, retaining walls it is quite impressive and seems to not be suffering financially.

It is a Shingon temple of the Omuro School.

It was founded in 1676, although some sources say it was relocated to this spot at that time.

The honzon is a Dainichi Nyorai and is flanked by a Fudo Myoo and an Aizen Myoo.

The main hall, built by temple builders from Kyoto, and the Shoin and Kuri were all built in 1996.

The previous main hall was built in the early 19th century and is now used as the Daishi Hall.

As all the buildings on this upper level were built in 1996 I am guessing that was when the karensansui landscaping was also done.

So far on this pilgrimage I have not noticed much in the way of gardens, so this was very pleasant.

The temple has a set of hachiman statues that are registered as Important Cultural Properties. They were shintai at the neighboring Hachiman Shrine but were removed with the shinbutsu bunri edict of early Meiji

The previous post was on the Ikeda Saijiki which is just below the temple.

500 Rakan at Raizan Sennyoji Daihioin Temple

 

Rakan is the Japanese word for arhat, a sanskrit word that roughly means an enlightened person.

The exact meaning has changed over time and within different Buddhist traditions, but in general, they are perceived as disciples of the historical Buddha.

Statues of rakan have been popular since ancient times in Japan with some statues of them at many temples. Though 500 is the number often bandied about, there are not so many examples of all 500 being on display.

Not sure how many are here at Sennyoji Temple in SE Fukuoka, but certainly more than 100.

One of the features of rakan is that each one is an individual with different faces and expressions.

This has led to the oft-repeated assertion that if you look closely at the group you will find some that look like people you know.

These rakan at Sennyoji can be seen from the corridor that leads up the hillside to the Kannon Hall and Founders Hall.

Other posts of mine that feature rakan are the one on Rakanji Temple in Iwami Ginzan,  and a series from Jizoji on Shikoku that features quite large, wooden rakan.

A very unusual collection of rakan can be found at Isshiteiji Temple in Matsuyama, Ehime.

The previous post was on the lower part of the temple, and prior to that on the two gardens here. The next post is on the Kannon and Founders Hall.