Futagoji Temple 1 Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage

 

Futago-ji Temple is located right in the cemtre of the Kunisaki Peninsula in Oita.

It is the first temple of the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage, with a cluster of other temples of the pilgrimage also in the Kunisaki Peninsula.

I arrived here on day 5, after having visited the other temples earlier as I had been following a route that roughly followed an ancient yamabushi pilgrimage route around the peninsula in a clockwise direction.

I had visited Futagoji several times before, most recently posting about it when I visited on an earlier 5-day walk around the peninsula in Autumn colors season.

Said to have been founded in 718, along with numerous other temples around the peninsula.

It is now considered the head temple of the Rokugo Manzan, the unique syncretic, shugendo sect.

In earlier times it was the head of the central area of the Rokugo manzan system.

In this first post I am just showing things around the lower area of the temple complex.

The main worship hall on this level is the Goma-do.

Enshrining Fudo Myoo, it was the focus of my visit.

All the photos from this point on were taken inside the Goma-do.

In the next post in the series I will cover the Okunoin and the other sights along the way to it...

The previous post was on Jinguji Temple 2, which I visited the evening before.

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Jinguji Temple 2 Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage

 

Jinguji is yet another of the Rokugo Manzan Tendai temples which according to egend were founded in 718 all over the Kunisaki Peninsula.

It is in quite a remote location and so doesnt get as many visitors as some of the more famous Kunisaki temples. I arrived by coming over the mountain ridge along the Kunisakihanto Minemichi Trail that follows the old yamabushi pilgrimage route.

The temple was destroyed by a big fire in the Meiji Period.

There is a treasure house that has some old Oni masks as well as a bunch of "burned Buddhas", statues that have been almost burnt to a crisp by fire. Unfortunately no-one was home to let me in.

The okunoin is a Rokugo Shrine, but I decided not to make the climb as it was already getting close to twilight.

Ther were a few older statues around the grounds and an interisting carved relief. Unusually there were no Nio.

Obvioulsy the temple is on the Rokugo Manzan pilgrimage, and I am guessing that is from where the pilgrim ofudas stuck to the ceiling above the entrance to the main hall were from.

The honzon is a Fudo Myoo, quite a small one.....

The previous post in this series on the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage was on Yama Shrine where I stopped before climbing over the ridge.

Yama Shrine Jobutsu

 

Many of the shrines scattered around the Kunisaki Peninsula are simply called Yama Shrine,.... Mountain Shrine.

This Yama Shrine is about 5oo meters west of Jobutsuji Temple, one of the temples of Rokugo Manzan, the religious system based on the mountains of the Kunisaki Pennsula and also temple number 3 on the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage I was following on this visit.

It's a fairly substantial local shrine, and fairly typical for the shrines in the Kunisaki Peninsula.

There was no shrine immediately adjacent to Jobutsuji, so I am guessing that is the shrine that is linked to that temple.

Unusually there were no Nio guardians, though there were a pair of wooden zuijin.

What was unusual was the relief carving that appears to show the Three Monkeys at the bottom and then an angry figure over a pair of men apparently engaged in cock fighting.

Cock fighting was common in Japan since ancient times, both among the elite and commoners. A statue showing cock-fighting is at Tokei Shrine in Tanabe on the Kumano Kodo.

The photo below shows an unusual carving on a fan-shaped rock in a wall. I have actually seen that before but am unaware of any meaning.

The previous post was on Jobutsuji Temple.

After leaving Yama Shrine my route was over the mountain ridge towards the next temple, Jinguji. The Kunisaki Hanto Minemichi Long Trail I was following roughly followed the historical shugendo pilgrimage route around the peninsula. In places the trail follows roads, but here it was literally invisible. I was able to guess where the route was through the  sugi tree plantation that now passes for forests in many places in Japan.. At the top it was necessary to use chains to climb over the top of the ridge.

Monjusenji Temple 4 Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage

 

Monjusenji is temple number 4 on the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage.

Located high in the remote mountains of the Kunisaki Peninsula, it lies to the NE of the highest point, Mount Futago.

It is part of the ancient Shugendo cultic system known as Rokugo Manzan, a mix of Usa Hachiman and Tendai Buddhism. Monjusenji is number 25 on the ancient Kunisaki Shugendo Pilgrimage.

However, whereas most of the temples associated with Rokugo Manzan claim their origin in the early 8th century with a monk named Ninmon, Monjusenji is older and claims to have been founded in the mid 7th century by the legendary En no Gyoja.

This makes it the oldest of what are now known as the Rokugo Manzan temples.

Halfway up the steps is the first group of buildings, and here can be found the Fudo statue that is part of the Kyushu Fudo Pilgrimage.

There are several other statues and altars in this small group of buildings and in fron is a very tall, stone stupa, aboiut 8 meters high and possibly the tallest in all Japan.

Further up the steps is the main hall, the Monju-do, enshrining Monju Bosatsu. Monjusenji is considered one of the top 3 Monju temples in Japan.

Known as the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, Monju is often prayed to for academic success.

Monju is often depicted riding a shishi or lion.

A sacred spring flows from the cave behind the main hall and the area around thetemple is filled with huge, ancient trees and towering rock formations.

6 Jizo statues.

A group of ema votive plaques, many asking for academic success. The second photo below an ema of Monju Bosatsu.

In a cave two statues of En no Gyoja, the legendary founder of the temple, is srrounded by numerous Fudo Myo statues.

Below is a statue of Gensan Daishi, a name of Ryogen the great Tendai priest of the 10th century. Also referred to as Tsuno Daishi and Oni Daishi, his likeness is commonly found on ofuda from temples to protect against misfortune.

Below is a statue of Monju Bosatsu, but this is not the honzon. The honzon is a "secret Buddha" and only opened every 12 years, in the Year of the Rabbit.

Below are examples of the unique style of masks found in the Kunisaki area.

Below is a goma ceremony being performed. Usually done on the 25th of each month, I was visiting on January 3rd, so I suspect special goma are performed for the new year.

Below a few of the rakan statues in the rock face near the main hall.

The previous post was on the Fudo cliff temple a little to the north, Itsutsuji Fudo.