Fukuishi Kannon Seiganji Temple

 

Fukuishi Kannon is the popular name for Seiganji Temple in Sasebo, Nagasaki.

It's origin lies with a visit by Gyoki to the area in 710. While here he carved 3 statues from a sacred tree, one of which, a two metre tall 11-faced Kannon, he enshrined here.

It is classed as one of the Seven Famous Kannon statues in Kyushu.

When Kobo Daishi visited the area about a century later he established Seiganji Temple.

It is also said he placed 500 rakan statues in the cave behind the temple.

Rather than a cave, it is actually a wide, curved overhang in the cliff.

Over the centuries many of the statues disappeared but there still remains a collection of assorted statues, many not rakan, in the cave.

The current main hall was built by the local lord, Matsuura Seizan, in 1785,

He became Daimyo of the Hirado Domain when only 16 and later became a renowned swordsman.

It is a Shingon temple and the honzon is the Gyoki Kannon.

Held in August, the Sennichi Festival is one of the major festivals of Sasebo.

It is claimed that coming here and praying here for just one day during the festival is the equivalent to praying for 46,000 days, hence the name of the festival Shiman Rokusen Nichi, which means 46,000 days.

I visited on day 66 of my walk along the Kyushu Shingon pilgrimage, although the temple itself is not part of the pilgrimage. The previous post in the series was Jozenji Temple.

Jozenji Temple 71 on the Kyushu pilgrimage

 

Jozenji is a small temple in the hills to the east of Sasebo and is the 71st temple on the Shungon Kyushu pilgrimage, said to be the longest of all circuit pilgrimages in Japan.

Like the previous temple I visited a little earlier, Tozenji Temple, it claims to have been founded by Gyoki in the early 8th century.

It is said that Gyoki was traveling through the region promoting the establishment of the famous Todaiji, the first "national" temple in Japan in which he played a part.

While in this area he is said to have carved a statue of Yakushi Nyorai which is the honzon of this temple.

This was a different location, but exactly where is unclear to me because place names have changed so much. There does seem to be a connection with Saikyoji, a big temple on Hirado Island.

Wherever it was, the temple was destroyed during the anti-Buddhist movement in early Meiji and was rebuilt at the current location in 1880.

There was a path leading through the trees to a miniature Kannon pilgrimage.

Though there was no sign of it when I visited in March, the temple is known as a great spot for autumn leaves viewing.

The previous ost in this series was on Turtle Rock at Tozenji.

Tozenji Temple Number 66 on the Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

When I visited Tozenji, back in 2014, it had no main hall, it having been demolished to make way for a new one.

"Business" was being conducted out of what I believe was the reception area of the priest's residence

The temple is said to have been founded in 711 by none other than Gyoki. I was surprised to learn that Gyoki had been to Kyushu, because even though there is very little actually known about him, what is known is that he was primarily based in the Kinki area, though many temples on Shikoku claim him as their founder.

There were several shrines altars and statues scattered around, and several other buildings but they seemed to be off-limits.

A small bridge stands suspended, connected  to the space where the main hall used to be. There is now a brand new building there.

The honzon of the temple is a Yakushi Nyorai. Tozenji is, like all the 108 temples on this pilgrimage, a Shingon temple.

A small stream runs behind where the main building stood and it leads u a narrow, mossy gully filled with red-bibbed statues. The priest gives me permission to explore and that is what is the subject of the next post.

The previous post was on Hasami Shrine next door.

Fudo Myo at Jimyoin Betsuin Temple

 

Regular readers will easily recognize this as a statue of Fudo Myo, far and away the most numerous deity statue featured in my blog.

All these shots come from the Jimyoin Betsuin Temple in the mountains near Sasaguri, Fukuoka.

Along the 88 temple miniature Henro pilgrimage in the area, but not one of the temples of the pilgrimage.

Fudo is the honzon, or main deity of this temple.

I have never come across so many Fudo statues in such a concentrated area anywhere else in Japan as along this pilgrimage.

We visited on our way down the mountain towards the end of our first day walking the pilgrimage

The previous post was on the Jimyoin Temple itself and some of its many other statues.

Glimpses of Futagoji Temple

 

Futagoji Temple is a large Tendai temple on the Kunisaki Peninsula in Oita, Kyushu. Pictured above are the steps leading up to the Okunoin.

Situated in the centre of the peninsula and on the lower slopes of its namesake, the highest point, 720 meters high Mount Futago.

Since the Edo Period, it has been the head temple of the Rokugo Manzan, the unique mountain-worshipping religion that is a syncretic mix of Tendai Buddhism and Usa Hachimangu shinto.

The honzon is a Thousand-armed Kannon and the temple has many other superb statues and paintings.

The Okunoin, further up the mountainside is set against a cliff and is well worth the extra climb.

On this trip I passed through the temple grounds fairly quickly as I was pressed for time and had to climb to the top of the mountain.

A few years later I returned and spent much longer here and took many more photos, so that will come in a later post on the Kyushu Fudo Myo Pilgrimage.

Earlier I posted on the approach to the temple which has the largest stone Nio in all of the peninsula.

The previous post was on the 360-degree views from on top of Mount Futago.