Tomonoura Temple Walk Part 1

 

Tomonoura is an historic port on the coast near Fukuyama. In mid August I walked around the town before visiting the Historic Preservation District.

I decided to explore the large number of temples along the hills at the back of the town.

As it was Obon, many of the temples had curtains on the gates and main halls displaying the temple crest.

The first nine photos are from Ankokuji Temple, a Rinzai Zen temple founded in 1273.

Originally called Konpo-ji, in 1339 the Ashikaga Shogun designated it an Ankoku Temple, one established in every province. The Ankoku system was an attempt for the samurai class to establish a national temple system for political purposes in a similar way to the establishment of the Kokubunji temple centuries earlier.

The Shakado Hall was originally the main hall of Konpji Temple and is a fine example of the Chinese style Zen architecture of the time. It was extensively repaired in the 16th, 18th, and 20th centuries.

It is a National Important Cultural Property, a;long with the triad of statues inside.

The first photo of this post is a Jizo statue also dating back to the Kamakura Period.

Immediately adjacent to Ankokuji is Shohoji Temple, another Zen temple.

Founded in 1598, it is also a Rinzai temple, a branch of Myoshinji.

In its early days it is said to have had a delightful garden, though it no longer exists. It is also said that Korean Delegations on their way to Kyoto were lodged here.

There is a small dry garden dotted with Jizo statues.

In plan form it is a "circle, triangle, square" garden favored by some zen gardeners and based on a famous piece of calligraphy.

Some of the Jizo statues are old, but some are of the more modern "cute" style.

When I was there the lotus was blooming....

Not far away was Jitokuin, yet another Rinzai Zen temple. Founded in 1601 with a Kannon as honzon, the small hall pictured above contains a Yakushi statue "brought" from Korea. In reality probably looted during Hideyoshis invasion.

Honganji was much larger and more important in earlier times. said to have been founded in the 13th century, it is a Jushu Sect temple, one of the lesser Pure Land Sects.

A lot of the temple town area has narrow lanes with high walls and is quite evocative.

Overseeing the area is Nunakuma Shrine, the main shrine of the town. Originally two shrines, both with ancient origins, the Watatsu Shrine, said to be established by Jingu on her return from her failed invasion of Korea, and a Gion Shrine dating from at least the Nara Period.

On this visit I didn't go in, but I will post about it later. In late Meiji with the shrine consolidation program the two shrines were merged and renamed Nunakuma Shrine.

Daikanji was curious because the gate carried a different crest than the main hall. Founded in the 12th century as a Shingon Temple, it later spent a century as a Pure Land Temple before reverting to Shingon in the 16th century.

However it seems that it was established by merging 5 different temples in 1938., with one of the former temples also used to lodge senior Korean envoys.

The new main hall was built following a fire in 2014.

Myorenji was founded at the start of the 17th century.

It is a Nichiren sect temple and was supported by the local Daimyo of the time, Mizuno Katsutoshi. The main temple structures date back to the mid 18th century.

The previous post in this series on day 10 of my Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the National Treasure,  temple 8 Myoo-in.

Takuhi Shrine in the Oki Islands

 

Takuhi Shrine is possibly the most famous of all the shrines on the Oki Islands, considering that during the Edo Period both Hakusai and Hiroshige, two of the most pre-eminent artist of the times, did prints of the shrine and its founding legend.

Situated high on 452 meter high Mount Takuhi which is the central peak of the submerged caldera that has formed the Dozen group of islands, the shrine has expansive views over the surrounding seas and islands.

Getting there involves a hike up a mountain trail which passes several smaller shrines on the way.

Known as the "Burning Lights" shrine, the legend is that three fireballs arose from the sea and flew into the cave where the shrine now stands.

Another story has it that when Emperor Gotoba was on his way here to exile his ship was lost and a light from the shrine saved him.

The origin stories most likely relate to the practice of signal fires and temple and shrine  lanterns being used by sailors to navigate at night. Takuhi Shrine became well known as a shrine offering protection on sea journeys.

The honden of the shrine is built into a small cave and is said to be the oldest building on the Oki Islnds.

It was built in 1732, prefabricated in Osaka and then shipped here and carried up the mountain to be reassembled.

It, along with the main hall are registered Important Cultural Properties.

The ornate carvings only appear on the front and one side of the structure, with the two unseen sides remaining plain.

By the 14th century it had become a Shugendo site and Unjoji Temple was set up with a Jizo as honzon.

The combined site became known as Takuhi Gongen until the early Meiji Period when most traces of Buddhism were removed.

The kami enshrined here is now listed as Ohirumenomuch, more commonly known as Amaterasu the Sun Goddess. Originally the mountain itself was considered the kami. For most of its history the primary deity was a Jizo.

There are numerous smaller shrines dotted around mountainside.

On one visit I was accompanied by the head priest whose family were originally Buddhist priests serving the complex.

The former priests house not far from the shrine is now used as the shrine office. It is a fine example of a traditional large house .

While chatting with the priest he showed me this painting of a Tengu. According to our chat he said that the highest shrine on the mountain was a Sanjin Shrine dedicated to Tengu. However, upon some research it turns out that the sanjin concept was created by Hirata Atsutane in the 19th century.... He also showed me a print of Izuna Daigongen which at the time I described as Tengu Dakiniten Fudo Myoo.

The previous post in this series on the Oki Islands was on the kagura performed in the area.