Oki Beach to Iburi to Kubotsu to Kinpei-an

 

Day 23 of my Shikoku Pilgrimage, and from Oki Beach I continued on down the coast of the Ashizuri Peninsula towards the cape and Kongofukuji Temple, the 38th temple of the pilgrimage.

I should easily reach it today, but it has been 3 days since the 37th temple, Iwamotoji.

It is unusual to find a cemetery with a Shinto gate....

With a large torii flanked by komainu, I was expecting a substantial-sized shrine...

But it turned out to be little more than a roadside hokora...

However, in a fishing area, an Ebisu shrine is going to be well maintained and used...

Several renditions of Ebisu statues .....

Plus a Taiko, indicating that rituals are still performed....

A Daikoku and a Buddha statues extend the mix.....

I think this final one must be a Benzaiten... looking like a female riding a dragon...

a small Tenmangu shrine...

Iburi harbour... with a curious tunnel... part natural, part man-made, I think...

Looking back up the coast....

Not sure what species of fish these are...

Another small shrine...

And then an Ichioshi Shrine, right on the waterfront....

... where a new road over the inlet...

Another very small shrine which has been completely rebuilt recently...

And then, on the outskirts of the little fishing village of Tsuro, an establishment with the name of Kinpei-an. It is a Zenkonyado, rudimentary lodgings made available free of charge to walking pilgrims. This one is very well known to walking pilgrims, as the 80 year old man who offers it is very generous, offering the use of the shower and kitchen in his house.

The structure is handmade but has a woodstove made out of an oil drum. The number of ofuda left is a testament to how many people have used his place. There is a move to gentrification on the pilgrimage, with pilgrims who want to camp and sleep out being actively discouraged. One website I know of for pilgrims refuses to carry posts on free accommodation options. It is a real shame as this has always been a pilgrimage for the less well-endowed financially. I know if I had to pay for lodgings every night of the pilgrimage I would not have been able to do it. It was too early in the day for me to stay, but in my opinion it is an example of the genuine spirit of a pilgrimage.

The previous post was on the glorious sunrise of the day...

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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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