Udono Sekibutsu Cliff Carvings

 

Sekibutsu, literally "stone Buddhas" are usually statues, but these are  reliefs carved into stone surfaces, and such are technically magaibutsu.

Sometimes magaibutsu are carved into large boulders, the biggest examples being carved into cliffs, but a common form is carved into the walls of small "caves" formed by overhanging rock.

They are not very common in Japan, but Oita in northern Kyushu is home to the vast majority in Japan.

These near Karatsu in Saga were a big surprise, though not too far away is a modern cliff carving I visited a few days before, the Taikoiwa Fudoson.

The ones here at Udono were said to have been first carved in the 9th century, though these seem to no longer exist. Some were carved as recently as the Edo Period, but the most impressive ones date from the 14th century and include a Kannon, a Fudo Myo, a Bishamonten, and a Jikokuten. In total, there are almost 60.

I discovered these cool carvings quite by accident. I stopped in at the small tourist information office in the station at Ochi and they told me about them. They lent me a free rental bike and let me leave my pack with them while I went to explore them.

As mentioned earlier, Oita is home to the most magaibutsu in Japan, with the Kunisaki area having the biggest, the Kumano Magaibutsu, however the most impressive are down near Usuki and are known as the Usuki Stone buddhas.

The previous post on day 72 of my first walk around Kyushu was on the nearby Kongoji Temple

Sokoji Temple the first Soto Zen Temple in Izumo

 

Sokoji was a delightful surprise for me.

From the main road I spotted a splash of autumn colour among a stand of huge trees behind a traditional wall and headed up to explore....

What I discovered was a fairly large Zen temple....

Sokoji was founded in 1394 by a man who became a monk at an early age and after studying under various sects returned home and founded this Soto sect temple.

After falling into disrepair, the temple was rebuilt in 1652. It was rebuilt again in 1728 and that main hall still stands.

In 1994 to mark the 600th anniversary of the founding most of the structures were renovated, including replacing the thatched roof of the main hall with tile.

At that time a new garden was constructed behind the main buildings, but I was unable to see it.

A smaller garden to the left of the main buildings was however quite delightful.

The honzon is an Amida. The temple holds monthly zazen sessions and is open to the public, to view the garden, twice a week.

The previous post in this series on Okuizumo was on the Oni no Shitaburui Gorge.

Chinzeikoyasan Kongoji Temple 105 Kyushu pilgrimage

 

I initially walked passed Kongoji as I wasn't really paying attention. I was looking for a typical temple building and didn't notice the 5-colored banner. The building looks just like a fairly modern large house.

However, through the gate and into the area behind the house it becomes more like a temple.

Temple 105 of the 108 temple Shingon Kyushu Pilgrimage is located on the bank of the Kyuragi River in the mountains of Saga, near to Iwaya JR station.

The temple traces its origin to 1897 when a hall was built to house a statue of Chike Daishi. I have no idea exactly who or what this deity is, though it is known locally as Yakuyoke Senta Daishi.

It was a statue that guarded the castle belonging to the Tsuruta Clan on the mountain behind the temple 

There is a new Daishi Hall, several outdoor altars, and a small shrine in the grounds.

The previous post documenting day 72 of my walk was the nearby Konpira Shrine.

Nankobo Temple 55 Shikoku Pilgrimage

 

Nankobo is located in downtown Imabari, and the first noticeable thing is that instead of Nio guardians, the main gate houses the 4 Shitenno.

For a brief explanation of the shitenno I suggest a post I did on the biggest shitenno in Japan.

Nankobo has a very long and complex history and it took a lot of digging to get a basic understanding. The vast majority of sources are ambiguous and misleading. It begins in the very late 6th century with the establishment of a shrine on Omishima Island between Shikoku and Honshu. This is now known as Otamazumi Shrine and was always important.

24 temples were established as part of the shrine complex, Nankobo being one of them. Like most religious sites in ancient Japan they were Buddhist-"Shinto"-Daoist complexes. In the early 8th century a direct branch of the shrine on Omishima was established here in Imabari, and is immediately adjacent to the current Nankobo. This was done as it was feared that bad weather made crossing to Omishima a problem sometimes.

Around 1200 eight of the 24 temples on Omishma, including Nankobo, were moved to the branch shrine here in Imabari.

Without getting into the history of exactly when the 88 temple Shikoku pilgrimage actually began, it is known that temple 55 was at the shrine temple complex on Omishima, and not on Shikoku until relatively recently.

During the anti-Buddhistm movement of early Meiji the history gets complex again with the honzon of Nankobo, an unusual Buddha named Daitsu Chisho Nyorai, being safely hidden in the shrine next door and then later moved to the Yakushi-do. This then became Nankobo. Incidentally, it seems that this Buddha was also the main "kami" of what is now the Oyamazumi Shrine. Nankobo is the only temple of the 88 to have this Buddha.

The previous temple is a few kilometers away, Enmeiji Temple 54.

Nagaheta Konpira Shrine

 

Nagaheta is a village on the Kyuragi River in what is now Ochi Town in Karatsu, Saga.

The village shrine is a Konpira Shrine, one of more than 600 branch shrines nationwide of the famous Konpira Shrine in Shikoku.

Once a major cultic centre and pilgrimage destination, Konpira is known for safety at sea, and nowadays all travel.

With origins probably to the Indian deity Kumbira, Konpira was always a syncretic Buddhist-"shinto"; Yamabushi site, but in 1868 became purely "shinto" with the kami Omononushi, generally believed to be a manifestation of Okuninushi.

there was no signboard so I have no idea of the history of this branch, nor the secondary shrines in the grounds. However the unusual Komainu are said to be Hizen-style and similar to others I had seen in Saga.

I visited on the morning of my 72nd day walking around Kyushu. The previous post was on the early morning along the Matsuura River.

The Undersea World of the Oki Islands

 

Shimane, on the coast of the Sea  of Japan has some fantastic clear seas and white sand beaches, and none better than around the Oki Islands about 20k-30k off the coast.

Long known as an excellent place for snorkelling and scuba diving, the sea is so clean that oysters caught here can be eaten fresh.

For those who can't snorkel or scuba dive, there is however another option, an undersea viewing boat.

The Amanbow is not a glass-bottomed boat, rather the hull has huge, picture windows, so passengers can sit in the middle and look out as if in an aquarium.

The boat leaves from Hishiura port on Ama Island, and heads out to view the Saburo Iwa Rocks, a group of rock pinnacles rising from the sea just off the coast.

Near the rocks the passengers then head below and look out into a surreal undersea forest of seaweed.

The crew meanwhile throw out food to attract fishes and soon they appear.

It is possible to imagine you are looking at what might be on your dinner table later that night. The seafood on the Oki's is superb.

The previous post in this series exploring the Oki Islands was on the Saburo Iwa Rocks.