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.

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The Mountain Trail to Tairyuji Temple

 

After leaving Venus Bridge, I headed north further into the mountains towards Tairyuji Temple, 

Day 4 of my walk along the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage, and its the first time I have left the urban environment.

The Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage is a fairly modern one, being set up in the late 20th century, therefore there are no long established walking routes, although some individual temple, like Tairyuji, are loicated in the mountains and so have always had mountain path routes to reach them.

It is late December, 2017, and while the snow and really cold weather has yet to arrive, Autumn is over and the trees are bare of leaves.

One of the things this means is that the woodland is light .... I suspect in the summer it is dark and shady...

It seems to be a popular walking and jogging trail as I pass several people...

Shojo Ike, a fairly large pond along the trail.

The trail connects with a small mountain road and there is even a cafe-restaurant along the way.

Mountain paths to temples have many statues along the way....

The path brings me to the flight of steps leading up to the Niomon.

The previous post in this series on day of my walk along the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage was on the Venus Bridge.

Osake Shrine

 

Osake Shrine is a big, ancient shrine on the coast of Hyogo near to Ako.

The main kami is the spirit of Hata no Kawakatsu, whose grave is on the sacred uninhabited island just offshore.

The Hata were an intriguing immigrant clan who have unknown but variously theorized roots. Some say they were descendants of a Chinese emperor. Others say they were a "lost" tribe of Israel. Some say they came to Japan from paekche in Korea, others say Sila. Some say they spent time in Izumo before moving to Yamato.

Like other immigrant clans at the time they settled near what is now Kyoto and quite a few important sites are attributed to them, including most famously Fushimi Inari Shrine, but also Matsuo Taisha. Kawakatsu no Hata was a known associate of Shotoku Taishi and is said to have had much influence over the founding and construction of Shitennoji Temple.

One noteworthy point about Osake Shrine is that along with the shitno zuijin guardians there is also a pair of Buddhist Nio.

Also noteworthy are the large number of Ema paintings, especially those of boats. One dated to 1722 is considered the oldest and most valuable in Japan.

Not on display, the shrine owns a 1,300 year old mask, said to have been either given to Kawakatsu by Shotoku Taishi or carved by Kawakatsu himself.

Kawakatsu is said to be the founder of sarugaku, and Zeami and many other notable figures from ancient theatre styles claim to be his descendants.

Following the death of Shotoku Taishi Kawakatsu set sail and ended up in this area and spent some time developing the land. Some say he was exiled, some say he left to avoid the political violence that was commonplace in the capital at that time.

When he died a few years later his tomb was made on Ikushima just offshore and the locals built the shrine and enshrined him.

The Sakoshi Boat Festival takes place every October and is considered one of the Three Great Boat Festivals of the Inland Sea along with the Osaka Tenjin Festival and the Kangen Festival at Miyajima.

One of the traditional boats used in the festival is on display in the shrine grounds.

Most of the current buildings at the shrine date back to the 18th century.

Within the shrine grounds are numerous secondary shrines, including a Shingu Shrine to Shotoku Taishi, a Sumiyoshi Shrine and a Kotohira Shrine, both shrines connected with safety at sea.

There is also an Inari Shrine, a Tenmangu, an Ebisu Shrine and an Awashima Shrine.

There are said to be 28 branch shrines of Osake Shrine in the area, indicating its importance locally.

The island is visited by the boast during the festival, but otherwise is still off-limits to everyone, so the woodland on the island is completely natural and is a National Natural Monument.

Though not as grand, I recommend a local sea festival from my local area.

The previous post in this series on the Ako area was on Fumonji Temple and its beautiful Kannon statue.