Mudo-ji Temple 10 Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage

 

After emerging from the forested mountain I come into what is in essence a suburb of Kobe, albeit in a valley separated from Kobe by Rokko Mountain. I cross the Yamada valley to the northern side and find the entrance to Mudo-ji, the tenth temple on the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage.

The long approach is lined with statues representing the 88 Shikoku Pilgrimage temples.

Mossy steps lead up to the compact temple grounds with a bell tower, an elegant main hall, and an imposing, thatched residence.

The origins of Mudo-ji date back to the end of the 6th century, the very early days of Buddhism in Japan, and to the semi-legendary Prince Shotoku Taishi.

Along with his Soga Clan relatives, Shotoku Taishi was in conflict with the Mononobe Clan, and he asked a sculptor to carve a series of statues of Dainichi Nyorai and other Buddhist deities. Upon the defeat of the Mononobe he ordered the construction of seven halls to house the statues and this became Fukuji Temple.

The temple went through numerous changes and by the mid 18th century was in a dilapidated state. A twenty year fundraising campaign led to it being rebuilt in 1752. The main hall and priests' quarters date to that time.

There was a private ceremony going on when I was there so I was not able to enter the main hall, which is a real shame as I found out later that the Treasure House, entered through the main hall, houses 5 Important Cultural Properties.

The 5 ancient statues are a 3-meter-tall statue of Dainichi, the honzon of the temple, a seated Shaka Nyorai, believed to be the oldest of the statues, a seated Amida, a seated Fudo Myoo, and a standing 11-headed Kannon. They are all believed to have been carved in the mid-Heian Period.

There was a small, seemingly fairly new, Goma Hall in which I found a Fudo....

I wish I had been able to see the one in the Treasure Hall...

Immediately adjacent to the temple, and once its guardian shrine, is Wakaoji Shrine, another Important Cultural Property.

It was established in 1297, the current shrine , within its protective outer structure, dates to 1408.

It enshrined Wakaoji Gongen, the mountain guardian of the temple.

In the late 19th century, when the shrine was separated from the temple, the main kami changed to Izanagi.

Mudo-ji is now a Shingon sect temple.

As well as the Kinki Fudo Myoo, the temple is on several other pilgrimages; it's number 12 on the Kobe 13 Buddhas  Pilgrimage, and number 9 on the Settsu Kannon Pilgrimage.

The previous post in this series on day four of my walk along the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage was on Shiogahara Pond in the mountains nearby...

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Shiogahara Pond in Futatabi Park

 

After visiting the surprising Dairyuji Temple, I carried on further north on a mountain trail towards the next temple on the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage.

Futatabi Park is a mountain park including Shiogahara Pond.

It was a very plesant and unexpected interludr....

On this crisp winter day it was picturesque, but I imagine a little earlier with full autumn colours it must have been spectacular.

There is not much in the way of facilities. A couple of cafes that open on weekends and holidays. No barbeques allowed, no fishing, and no camping, so just a place for strolling.

Within the boundary of the park is the Kobe Foreigners Cemetery.

The previous post was on Dairyuji Temple.

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Dairyuji Temple 9 Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage

 

Though not far from the busy city of Kobe, Dairyuji is not well known and not well visited as it is situated in the middle of the mountains north of the city.

As the crow flies, only 2k from Shin Kobe station, but with no public transport you either drive, or, as I did, hike

.

Just below the Nio Gate is a Jizo statue surrounded by dozens and dozens of smaller Jizos with brightly-coloured bibs.

The Nio themselves are quite interesting, with somewhat stronger facial features than most nio.

The temple has a reputation for protection against paralysis.

The honzon, a secret Buddha, is a Standing Kannon

After passing through the Nio gate steps and vermillion torii lead up to an Inari shrine.

According to kegend, the temple was founded in 768.

A court  aristocrat was in the mountains searching for a suitable site for a temple under orders of Empress Suiko.

He was attacked by assassins sent by the priest Dokyo. He was saved by the sudden appearance of a dragon.

He established the temple at the place the event happened. Dairyuji means Great Dragon Temple.

The backstory is that Dokyo was a monk who achieved unheard of levels of  power by being favoured by Empress Shotoku. He is said to have healed her, but some speculate that they became lovers. An oracle was received at Usa Hachimangu that was interpreted to mean that Dokyo should be made the next emperor.

This caused great consternation among the courtiers and powerful clans, and Wake Kiyomaro was sent to Usa and obtained another oracle that contradicted the first. That Dokyo and Kiyomaro were enemies is without doubt. Some have likened Dokyo to Rasputin.

The temple is one of the very many that Kobo daishi is said to have visited on his way to China to study and then visited again on his return.

The temple is now a Shingon temple and has a Daishi Hall.

During the unrest of the Nanboku-cho Period in the 14th century, the temple was part of a castle and was destroyed several times but rebuilt.

The current structures date from the Edo Period.

The temple is perhaps best known for its large, vermillion Mountain Gate, but as I arrived via the footpath I didn't get to see it.

A Bokefuji Kannon for protection against dementia and senility.

Though there are many different Kannon statues here, I was here to visit the Goma-do which houses the Fudo Myoo.

The Fudo statue dates to the Edo Period and is flanked by a Daishi and a Jizo.

From here I carried on north towards the next temple located in Yamada.

The previous post was on my walk up the mountain to get here.

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.