Jodo-ji Temple 9 Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage

 

Jodo-ji Temple in Onomichi, the historic port on the Hiroshima coast is said to have been founded by Shotoku Taishi in the early 7th century.

However, no records exist to prove that, although there was some kind of religious site here 400 years later at the end of the Heian Period.

The main gate dates to the mid 14th century and is an Important Cultural Property.

The main hall, left in the photo above, and photo below, dates to 1327 and is a National Treasure.

The honzon is an Eleven-faced Kannon, and the temple now belongs to the Shingon sect.

In 1325 a major fire burned down most buildings and so everything now has been built since then.

Ashikaga Takauji stopped here in 1336 on his way back from Kyushu and donated a set of poems.

He also made Jodoji one of his Ankokuji, nation-pacifying temples.

Below is the Amida Hall, built in 1345 and enshrining Amida

It, along with the gate, Abbots Quarters (hojo), and several other structures and artifacts are also Important Cultural Properties.

The other Nationl Treasure at Jodoji is the pagoda.

This Tahoto-style pagoda was constructed in 1328 and emshrines Dainichi.

Apparently there is a Treasure House where some of the many treasures in the possession of the temple are on display, but I didn't visit it.

I was most interested in the gardens which I covered in the previous post.

To view the gardens you go into the Abbots quarters, the hojo, which has a nice collection of painted screens seen in the final photos.

Usually statues of Binzuru are found on the veranda of a hall, but here he was inside.

Tebikigaura Daiba Park

 

Tebikigaura Daiba Park is a small clifftop park overlooking Tagi Port and the mouth of the Tagi River which formed the boundary between the old provinces of Iwami and Izumo.

It's the summer solstice and I am starting the 6th leg of my walk heading east along the Sea of Japan coastline and have just entered Izumo.

The most intriguing thing at the park was a pair of cannon. The first a full-size replica of a Japanese-style cannon, and the second, below, a 3/4 scale replica of a Western cannon.

In the 18th century the Matsue Domain installed two batteries, each of three cannon, at this spot and down at the mouth of the river.

The replica cannons here are based on documentation of another battery further up the coast in Tottori.

Looking across the bay is Hinomisaki, the western cape of the Shimane Peninsula where I would be visiting next day.

This area of beach and coast is named Tebikigaura after a myth concerning a daughter of Okuninushi named Adakayanushitakikkihime who lived in the area. She is the kami of the Adakaya Shrine much further east of Matsue with the cool straw serpents...

My plan was to get as far as around Izumo Taisha and spend the solstice night sleeping out...

The previous post was on the section of coast from Kute to Hane.

Gardens at Jodo-ji Temple Onomichi

 

Jodo-ji is an ancient temple said to have been founded by Prince Shotoku Taishi in the early 7th century.

Many of the current buildings date to the early 14th century and two are Nationl Treasures.

Surprisingly Jodo-ji is located nowhere near Kyoto or Nara, but in the old port town of Onomichi in Hiroshima.

On this visit I was walking the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage and Jodo-ji is temple number 9.

Next post I will cover the temple, but for now I focus on the garden.

The garden only dates back to the Edo Period.

Dated to 1806, the designer was Hasegawa Senryu, claimed to be a 13th generation descendant of Sesshu the famed artist and garden designer.

Curious as there were no records of Sesshu having any children.

Generally it is considered a karesansui garden, although a narrow waterway, barely visibly, runs between the area of raked gravel and the artificial hill.

Overlooking the garden is the teahouse Rotekian.

This was originally located inside Momoyama Castle by Hideyoshi.

It was moved here in 1814.

Unfortunately, the garden around the teahouse is rarely open to the public.

There is also a smaller South Garden, photos below....

The previous post in this series was on the ferry ride getting to Onomichi