Kiyomizudera Temple 28 Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage

There are many Kiyomizudera temples scattered across Japan. This one is in Yasugi, Shimane, and may very well be the oldest.

Kiyomizudera literally means "Pure Water Temple", and the most famous is the one in Kyoto.

The temple is very old with the date of 587 generally given for its founding.

According to the legend, an itinerant monk named Sonryu investigated the mountain where locals claimed an eerie light could be seen. He found an old man who gave him a statue of Kannon, and so the first, crude structure housing the statue was erected. Not long afterwards a spring of clear water appeared.

The temple had imperial support as well as from local powers and grew in stature.

At its peak it had 48 buildings, though now only 10 are left. It was the premier temple in the whole San-in region.

The main hall is dated to 1393, and is an Important Cultural Property along with several statues dating back to the Heian Period.

One of the huge trees lining the final set of stairs is said to be 1,000 years old.

In the Gomado next to the main hall are several Fudo statues and a Zao Gongen statue.

The stone statue of Fudo at the start of the climb up to the temple is particularly fine. Top photo.

In 847, a disciple of Saicho stopped here on his way back from China, and since then it has been a Tendai temple.

In the battles between the Amago and the Mori in the late 16th century, everything except the main hall was destroyed by fire.

The pagoda, the last remaining 3-storey wooden pagoda in San-in, was built in 1859.

Unusually, visitors are allowed inside to climb to the upper level.

There is quite a large Inari shrine in the temple.

I left via the Niomon and took a trail down the mountain. This suggests that in earlier times the temple was primarily approached from the East.

On the current approach to the temple there are two eateries offering traditional temple cuisine, Shojin Ryori.

The previous post was on the walk here from Unjuji Temple.

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Unjuji Temple 27 Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage

 

Unjuji is a very large Rinzai Zen temple dating to 1322.

The plaque bearing the name on the large, 2-storey main gate is said to be written by Emperor Go-Daigo.

After passing through the first gate, the Important Cultural Property Four Legged Gate, a long lantern-lined path then turns 90 degrees, and then the Main Gate, Buddha Hall, and Abbots Quarters all align in what is known as Zen style. This is common in Kyoto, but quite rare for a rural temple.

The two-storey main gate is quite impressive. On the second floor are rakan statues. The gate was built in the Edo Period but is in Kakamura Period style.

So many of the statues and buildings are covered in ofuda left by pilgrims

Further in are more statues covered in moss and ofuda, including a Sake Abstaining Jizo.

On the left is the Hojo Pond with its Yakushi-do

The lilies in the pond bloom from early to mid summer.

On the right is the small Kannon Hall.

It houses a Kannon noted for fertility and child rearing alongside a Jizo and a Manjushri. This is the hall that all the pilgrimas primarily come for.

By the side of the Kannon Hall is a curious statue I dont remember seeing anywhere else. It appears to be a Kannon holding a child that is sitting on the shoulders of another Buddha....

Next, one comes to the main hall.

Unusually, it has a stone floor and can be entered without removing shoes.

The honzon is a Nenge Misho Shakyamuni. This translates as "smiling and twirling a flower Buddha, and is a Zen thing referring to the wordless transmission of the dharma....

There is a delightful ceiling dragon painting.

The Imperial Messenger Gate leads into the huge Abbots quarters and the Founders Hall with a big garden behind.

Since this visit, a new Head Priest has taken over, and he has now created a raked gravel garden in the area seen below.

The previous post was on the walk across the Nogi Plain to get here.

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Zenjoji Temple 24 Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage

 

Zenjoji, the 24th temple on the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage, is an ancient mountaintop temple belonging to the Tendai sect.

It is also the 10th temple of the Izumo Kannon Pilgrimage, and the post I did on that visit is worth a look as it was a different time of year, a different time of day, a different camera, and I was in a different mood.

On both my visits, there was still a priest in residence, but I believe that is no longer the case.

According to the temple history it was founded by Gyoki. I swear that guy got around even more than Kobo Daishi.

The honzon is a Sho Kannon, an Important Cultural Property.

It is a secret Buddha, but to the right of the altar is a lovely, small thousand-armed Kannon.

 In earlier times, it was a powerful temple with many landholdings...

There is quite a large Inari Shrine, and a small Benten shrine (last photo)

The views over Okuizumo are expansive...

Not sure why, but I get much nicer vibes from a Tendai temple than a Shingon, even though they are similar sects.

The obsession with Kobo Daishi in Shingon is a bit of a turn-off for me...

The current main hall was constructed in 1758.

The previous post was on the walk over the mountains from Susa Shrine...

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