Showing posts with label Sakura. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sakura. Show all posts

Saturday, April 19, 2025

Kimiidera Temple 2 Saigoku Pilgrimage

 


Kimiidera is a major temple in the south of Wakayama City with many things to see inlcuding the tallest wooden Senju Kannon statue.


It is temple number 2 on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, possibly the oldest "circuit" pilgrimage in Japan.


Depending on the route you take it is between 150-190 kilometers from temple 1, Seigantoji, and it took me 6 days to walk it. This section of the Saigoku follows the Kumano Kodo, so there was plenty to see.


I entered from the small north gate, photo 2, which has a narrow road up to the main temple buildings.


The main entrance, to the south, has a long flight of 231 steps, the final three photos of this post.


Kimiidera is said to have been founded in 770 by a Chinese monk who has been given the Japanese name Tamemitsu Shonin.


According to the legend he saw a ray of light emanating from the top of Mount Namakusa and upon investigating saw a golden, Thousan-Armed Kannon.


He is said to have carved an Eleven-Faced Kannon which is the honzon of the temple, and also enshrined the Thousand-Armed Kannon.


Both are "hidden Buddhas" and are only unveiled every 50 years.


However, in the main hall there are numerous statues not hidden, including the delightful Thousand-Armed Kannon below.


5 of the statues, including the 2 hidden ones, are Important Cultural Properties.


A well-visited Binzaru statue sits on the balcony.


Much of the architecture dates back to the 18th century, but some buildings are much older and are registered as  Important Cultural Properties.


The Tahoto-style pagoda, pictured below, dates back to possibly the mid 15th century.


The Bell Tower, photos 20 & 21, is dated to 1588 although was repaired in 1781 and 1937.


The tower Gate, the last three photos of the post, houses a fine pair of Nio and is dated to 1509 and was repaired 50 years later.


Many cherry trees are planted around the temple, with one particular one said to usually be the first cherry tree to blossom in the Kinki region and so is used to make the official start of Ohanami in Kinki.


The temples proper name is Kimiizan Kongoho-ji, and is also named Kongohoji Gokoku-in, but is mostly known by the name Kimiidera, named, it is believed, after the three sacred springs on the mountainside.


At the end of the Heian Period it was favored by Emperor Go-Shirakawa and flourished. In the Kamakura Period it is though the temple supported 500 monks.


When Hideyoshi invaded in 1581 he confiscated all the temple lands and also many historical records were lost.


When a branch of the Tokugawa took over the domain they started supporting the temple and of course during the heyday of the pilgrimage in the Edo Period the temple was very popular.


This modern structure, made of concrete, opened in 2002 and is 25 meters tall.


It houses the 12 meters tall gilded statue of a Thousand-armed Kannon that was completed in 2007.


It was prefabricated by Kyoto sculptor Matsumto Myokei in his studio and then assembled on site around an earthquake-resistant steel and wood frame.


It is claimed to be the tallest wooden statue in Japan, although I have seen the biggest Benzaiten statue down in Kyushu, made by the same sculptor, and it is 18 meters tall, but I guess that includes the base.


From the temple grounds there are great views over Wakanoura, the Bay of Poetry, immortalized in numerous Japanese poems over the centuries. There are quite a few interesting sites there so its well worth a visit. Please check an earlier post I wrote on Waknoura.


I believe that there is now a small entrance fee, though when I visited it was free. There is also a new cable-car and elevator that allows those who wish to avoid the long climb.


The previous post in this series on my walk along the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the syncretic Shinto-Buddhist site of Tanga Daigongen.


Monday, January 20, 2025

Yabusame in Tsuwano

 


Yabusame, a Japanese form of horseback archery, is, like some other "sports" in Japan considered an entertainment for the gods and is therfore found associated with shrines.


Yabusame can be seen at various places around Japan, but only in Tsuwano is it performed in a traditional yabusame grounds.


Part of Washibara Hachimangu Shrine at the base of the mountain where Tsuwano castle was built, the grounds were constructed about 500 years ago and was modelled on the yabusame grounds that existed then in Kamakura.


The shrine is older and dates back to the 13th century, but it was rebuilt in the mid 16th century by the daimyo Yoshimi Masayori.


The yabusame festival takes place on the first Sunday in April and so is usually during peak Cherry Blossom season.


Photographers arrive early to get the nmosr advantageous spots, but due to the remotemess of Tsuwano the event never gets as crowded as yabusame at other places.


On the Saturday before there are full rehearsals and these are open to the public.


The course is 250 meters long with a stone-lined embankment running down the center so that the riders can return up the opposite side.


The riders are all students of the Ogasawara  School of Yabusame and include females and non-Japanese.


The second school of yabusame is the Takeda School.


Apparently all the horses come from Miyazaki and are not associated with one particular rider or owner.


As well as the riders, there is a massive cast of other participants ranging from young boys and maidens up to quite old men.


Some of the participants are connected to the shrine rituals and other are dressed in samurai costime.


Rituals take place in and in front of the shrine itself and then other rituals take place at the grounds.
















Three of the mounted riders are dressed in traditional hunting outfits that include deerskin chaps.


They carry sharp hunting arrows. As I understand it these riders do not take part in the actual galloping and shooting.




Twelve riders wear the yabusame outfit which is much lighter.


Their arrows, used in the ritual, are not sharp but rather have a heavy, rounded, turnip-shaped head.


The target is a small wooden rectangle called a mato. If struck by an arrow they make a distinctive sound easily heard by the spectators who will then cheer.


Because the head of the arrow is quite heavy the target usually breaks.


There are three targets down the length  of the course.


Originally the horses in Japan were much smaller than today, so in ancient times it would take about 30 seconds to complete the course.


Nowadays the time is almost half that.


The archery takes place in the morning and again in the afternoon.


I would reccomend arriving early to experience the full range of rituals and preparations.


Entry is free but you can buy a reservation for a ground cushion seat