Iyadaniji Temple 71 Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage

 

Iyadaniji, temple 71 on the pilgrimage, is located on the slope of Mount Yatani in Kagawa.

The Niomon is at 138m elevation, and the main hall is at 221 m; between them are 540 steps.

Iyadaniji is yet another of the pilgrimage temples said to be founded by Gyoki.

It is said that as a young child, Kobo Daishi studied in a cave here.

When he returned from China in 807, he carved a Senju Kannon and numerous other statues and changed the name to Iyadaniji.

Under the patronage of the local clan, the Kagawa of Amagiri Castle, by the 16th century Iyadaniji grew to include 6 temples in three distinct precincts.

However, in the late 16th century a fire destroyed everything but the central precinct.

In 1600, the temple was restored under the patronage of the Kyogoku Clan of Marugame.

Made in the 17th century, the following statue is considered very rare in Japan. Standing almost 6 meters tall, it is the Vajra Fist Bodhisattva, and I have never heard of it before, but then I am just a beginner when it comes to the multitude of deities in Japanese Buddhism.

The 108 steps leading to.....

The Daishi Hall.

Inside the Daishi Hall, at the rear, is the okunoin, the cave where Kobo Daishi is said to have spent time. I regret not exploring Iyadaniji so much, as I was tired and in a hurry..... a mistake I think...

The pagoda is a Tahoto, common at Shingon temples, and sometimes found at Tendai temples.

The current main hall dates to 1848...

There are so many other halls and statues that are not included in this post...... the temple is well worth the amount of climbing that is needed....

Visitors are also rewarded with great views over the surrounding countryside

Above is the Water Cave, the water source for the temple...

Below is the Amida Triad, carved into the cliff, with Amida flanked by Kannon and Seishi.

The previous temple on the pilgrimage was temple 70, Motoyamaji.

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Dainichiji Temple

 

On the Shikoku Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage, the route to the next temple passes by a group of the Ohenro Pilgrimage temples, so I stopped in at them.

Tosa Shimizu Sunrise

Tosa Shimizu Sunrise

Christmas Eve, 2011, and just after 7am the sun announces its impending arrival.

Motoyamaji Temple 70 Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage

 

Temple 70, Motoyamaji, was a very pleasant surprise. Large, with lots to see, but not overcrowded...

The blue walls surrounding much of the compound was interesting and quite striking.

The 5-storey pagoda was started in the late 19th century and not finished until 1910.

The temple was founded by Kobo Daishi in 807. It is said he carved the honzon, a Bato Kannon, Horse-Head Kannon, the only Bato Kannon as honzon on the whole pilgrimage.

The Bato Kannon has two attendants, an Amida and a Yakushi.

It was a powerful temple in the middle ages with 24 branch temples and a territory of 2,000 koku.

The current main hall was built in 1300 and is very elegant. Not surprisingly, considering its age, it is a National Treasure

It survived the ravages of Chosokabe when most other temples did not. The clan that controlled the temple had a pact with Chosokabe, and that may be the reason, but there is a legend that explains the temple's survival.

Chosokabe's soldiers did attack the temple and cut down the head priest. However, when they opened the inner shrine in the main hall, the Amida statue was bleeding, so the samurai fled in fear.

The bell tower and Niomon also survived from that time.

Most of the current buildings date to the early to mid 18th century.

The Niomon is an Important Cultural Property.

These three photos show the temple's guardian shrine. Built in 1547, it has a bark-and-reed roof and is my second-favorite building after the main hall.

The previous temple on the pilgrimage was Kannonji, Temple 69. It occupies the same site as Temple 68, Jinneiin.

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Down the Shimanto & Shimonokae Rivers

 

23rd of December, 2011, and I begin day 22 of my walk around the famous Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage by crossing the Shimanto River on the Shimanto River Bridge that carries Route 56 acrossthe river.

There are numerous possible routes down to the next temple at Cape Ashizuri, and I chose this one, if I remember correctly, as it gave me more shrines to visit.

Vast fields of Susuki, Japanese pampas grass, line the banks in places...

I pass under the New Shimanto River Bridge which carries a new expressaway across the river. It is so new that the pilgrim guidebook doesnt even show it...

I suspect these ducks have come from the far north for the winter...

This is one of my favorite times of the year to go walking in Japan. The winter weathe has not yet arrived and the low sun makes for nice photography light.

The days are very short though. Winter Solstice was two days ago, so when sleeping out you spend a long time in the sleeping bag.

I've seen people repurpose plastic bottles to make these bird-scaring windmills, but never seen them painted so nicely.

A little before reaching the sea the route cuts inland over some hilly country towards the Shimonokae River...

Though still more than a week till New Year, there are still daidai citrus fruits on this altar

The Shimonokae is a much smaller river than the Shimanto and not at all well known

I follow it down to the coast and then head down the coast as the sun starts to get low.

I get as far as the tiny fishing harbour of Kohama before stopping on a grassy verge overlooking the sea.

The previous post was on the unusual architecture of the Ogata Library in Kuroshio.

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