Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Reiko -Ji

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Reiko-Ji is the only remaining temple building in Tachikue Gorge. When the area was a stronghold of Shugendo there were many more.

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The large Owaraji (straw sandals) are a common offering at temples and shrines, but as far as I can remember this is the only shimenawa I've seen adorning a temple building. I've been unable to find out why.

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In 852 a monk discovered a statue of Yakushi Nyorai, the healing buddha, on the back of a giant blue turtle. He removed the statue and placed it in a nearby cave. The Emperor, on hearing the story, founded the temple, so it was probably a Shingon temple originally.

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Now it belongs to the Soto Zen sect. Home to more than 1,500 statues, Tachikue Gorge is located 8k south of Izumo City on the Kando River

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5 comments:

  1. Great story and fantastic photos
    thanks!

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  2. It is interesting to see Swastika [photo #3]
    I guess it remains widely used in religions such as Buddhism.

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  3. on a map it is the symbol for a temple.

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  4. hello, i love your style of photos.it is very refreshing to see those common things here in japan turned into something more beautiful and more meaningful with you magic! i got your beautiful site linked to facebook if you dont mind.take care.

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  5. Can a foreign tourist have a japanese tea ceremony in reiko-ji temple?

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