Futagoji Temple 1 Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage Part Two

 

Futagoji Temple, number 1 on the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage, is located at the heart of the Kunisaki Peninsula, and the heart of the ancient shugendo system of Rokugo Manzan.

This is the second post, as when I visited I took so many photos they could not reasonably be contained within a single post.

The first post looked at the approach to the temple, the entrance, and the large Goma Hall.

Now we cross the huge slab of stone that is a bridge to head up the steps to the next level and then on to the Okunoin.

A small shrine to Daikoku, one of the Seven Lucky Gods....

Like the other temples of the Rokugo Manzan form of Shugendo, Futago-ji is said to have been founded in 718 by the legendary monk Ninmon.

Being a mix of Tendai Buddhism and Usa Hachimangu, "shinto" torii and shimenawa are plentiful at Rokugo Manzan sites.

At this level is the Lecture Hall, housing a Shaka Triad. The first photo of this post is of the main altar.

Shaka Nyorai, in English, Sakyamuni the historical Buddha, is flanked by a Yakushi and an Amida.

There is a wonderful mural behind the main statues...

There are numerous other statues including the 4 shitenno.

The lecture hall was destroyed during the period of Shinbutsu Bunri in 1868 and was rebuilt in 1991.

It is used during the Oni-e fire festival in January.

Up another set of stone stairs and we come to the approach to the Okunoin.

The current building was built in 1846 with donations from the Matsudaira daimyo of Kitsuki domain.

In a small cave behind the hall is a sacred spring. The water is said to give eternal youth and longevity.

The main statue enshrined is a Thousand-armed Kannon.

The previous post was on the lower level of Futagoji,... the approach, Goma Hall etc.

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Rurikoji Temple & National Treasure Pagoda

 

The pagoda at Rurikoji Temple in Yamaguchi is considered one of the top3 pagodas in all of Japan, along with one at Daigoji Temple in Kyoto and one at Horyuji Temple in Nara.

It is registered as a National Treasure and was built in 1442.

It is 31.2 meters tall with cypress bark roofs. It is mostly Japanese in style, though with some Chinese Zen influences...

It was built by Ouchi Moriharu to memorialize his brother,  Ouchi Yoshihiro who died at the Battle of Oei.

The pagoda houses an Amida statue and a statue of Yoshihiro in monk form.

It is said his coffin lies beneath the pagoda.

The grounds around the pagoda are known as Kozan Park and is a great spot for cherry blossoms, and also for autumn colours, which is when I visited.

The pagoda is illuminated every night.

The temple originally at this site was Koseki-ji. The main hall was moved to Fudo-in Temple in Hiroshima City and is also a National Treasure.

Rurikoji was founded in 1471 at a different location and was named Anyoji Temple, being renamed Rurikoji in 1497. It was moved to the current site in 1690.

It is a Soto sect Temple and the honzon is a Yakushi Nyorai, the Medicine Buddha.

The small museum in the temple is worth a visit as it has scale models of 55 other pagodas from around Japan as well as a large model of the pagoda here showing how it was constructed.

The museum also has a nice collection of masks that appealed to me, and several paintings including one attributed to Sesshu.

I have some other photos which show the details of the pagoda a little better from a previous visit.

The previous post in this series on day 23 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on neighbouring Toshinji Temple.

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Kangetsuan Teahouse

 

Kangetsuan is a thatched Teahouse in the garden of Fumon-in Temple near Matsue Castle.

In the previous post I covered the temple and garden, and in this post I will focus on the teahouse itself.

After leaving the temple building, the first stop is the waiting area where guests would wait for the host to greet them.

Like the teahouse, it is also thatched. Called Koshikake Machiai, the ceiling is made from planks recycled from clam-fishing boats.

The stepping stones to and from the waiting area are higher than most normal gardens, a feature of Izumo-style gardens that receive a lot of snow.

The teahouse was constructed in 1801 and it is believed Fumai Matsudaira, the lord of the domain and a master of the arts of tea, visited often.

It is also believed that lafcadio Hearn learn Tea Ceremony here.

The teahouse was designed by th 9th head priest of the temple who also happened to be the 9th Head of the Sansai School of Tea, founded by Hosokawa Sansai, one of the 7 disciples of Rikyu.

The inner garden leads to the Nigiriguchi, the half-height entrance with a purpose of instilling humility upon entering.

It also meant swords could not be worn inside the tearoom. A rack for swords can be seen on the right of the photo above.

A circular window in the neighboring room looks out on the pond.

As the name suggests, this building was used to watch the moon. A second moon would appear in reflection in the pond.

The previous post was on the Fumon-in temple and garden.

if you would like to subscribe by email, just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published or made public. I post new content almost every day, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the most recent posts