Senyuji Temple 58 Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage

 

Senyuji Temple, number 58 on the famed Ohenro Pilgrimage on Shikoku, is a mountain temple with stunning views down onto Imabari in Ehime.

For those who visit on foot there is a steep path from the Niomon gate up to the main temple grounds.

The Nio are of a standard design but quite striking.

One thing unusual about Senyuji is that it was said to be founded neither by Gyoki nor Kobo Daishi, the 2 founders of the majority of Ohenro temples.

legend says it was established by the provincial governor under orders from Emperor Tenchi in the mid to late 7th century. The honzon, a Senju Kannon, is said to have been carved by a Dragan woman who came up from the sea.

When Kobo Daishi visited it had fallen into disrepair but he rebuilt it. It again fell into disrepair during the Edo Period but was restored in the early Meiji Period.

It is not a very big temple and the buildings were rebuilt in the 1950's following a major fire, but it has great views. It is known for its shukubo, temple lodgings, quite well known for their delicious shojin ryori vegetarian cuisine.

I did not stay here on this trip, but later when walking the Shikoku Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage I did, and would heartily recommend it.

The statue of Binzaru (below) is said to be the biggest and best on the pilgrimage.

The previous temple was number 57, Eifukuji.

Torigoe Kannondo & Yamate Yakushido Temples 82 & 11 Sasaguri Pilgrimage

 

The first 6 photos are from Torigoe Kannon-do, the 82nd temple on the 88 temple Sasaguri Pilgrimage.

The honzon is a Thousand-armed Kannon that was carved by a local priest in 1940. The original honzon is the stone carving to the left of the main image above that possibly came from Negoroji, the 82nd temple on Shikoku.

Like all the other temples on this pilgrimage, there were a huge amount of statues, and it was uninhabited, maintained by local people.

The last 4 photos are of the nearby Yamate Yakushi-do temple, number 11.

It is also unmanned and with a lot of statuary.

Its honzon is, as the name implies, a Yakushi Nyorai. This little temple is connected to the Fuji family who were village headmen of Yamate and were influential in setting up the Sasaguri Pilgrimage.

It is located right next to Chikuzen Yamate station and so was a perfect point to end the days pilgrimage and head back into Hakata for the night.

On this first day we had visited a grand total of 22 of the 88 temples as well as several other temples not on the pilgrimage. I have no idea how many statues we had seen, but I would not be surprised if it was more than a thousand.

The previous post was on Temple 43 Akashiji.

Hozo-in Temple 84 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Temple 84 was hard to find as it is in a built up area and accessible via a narrow lane. It ios located on the old Karatsu Kaido in Meinohama.

It was founded in the early Showa Period, so probably before WWII.

The founder worked as a follower of the abbot of the famous Daikakuji Temple in Kyoto and was apparently "awarded" the chrysanthemum seal carved in the gates.

Interestingly it was the third head priest who envisaged the Kyushu Pilgrimage and did all the work finding the 108 sites around Kyushu connected to Kobo Daishi.

The honzon is an Eleven-faced Kannon, and being only a small place has a wide range of diverse statuary in the small grounds.

This was the final day of my 77 day walk along the pilgrimage and just needed this short ten kilometers section through Mrinohama to finish. The previous post was on temple 108 I visited yesterday.

Chokoji Temple 10 Iwami Kannon Pilgrimage

 

Chokoji is a Soto sect Zen temple in a remote area of Iwami that has a deep connection with the Iwami Ogasawara Clan.

The temple was founded in the 14th century and seems to have been originally a site founded by the clan as a spot for samurai to recover from wounds. A wooden pillow held by the temple was a gift from Ashikaga Yoshitane to Ogasawara Nagataka for his help in the Battle of Kyoto in 1508

The Ogasawara were not a big clan but were given the domain to protect the Iwami coast following the Mngol Invasions. As the Warring States Period increased the power of the nearby Amago and Ouchi Clans the Ogasawara switched allegiances several times and eventually submitted to the Mori.

Chokoji was the family temple for the clan. The honzon is a Shaka Nyorai, and the Kannon for the pilgrimage is in its own Kannon-do (photo 6).

Nowadays, it is known primarily for the huge Gingko tree in the grounds that creates a golden carpet in late Autumn. I highly recommend this post on the autumn colors here.

The previous post was on the walk to Chokoji from Kannabiji.

Munakata Kannonji Temple 87 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Temple number 87 is yet another relatively modern temple. Its origins lie in 1953 when a monk, Zenkai, enshrined a Kannon statue here.

While working as a merchant seaman he had visions of Kannon that instructed him to continue the work of a monk who had founded a temple at this spot in the 17th century but the temple fell into disuse and disappeared.

Later, Zenkai's wife became a nun and she is the current head priest.

There is an Inari shrine in the grounds and a  Jizo. The Jizo is part of the 24 temple Kyushu Jizo Pilgrimage.

The current main hall dates to 1996. It became a Shingon temple in 1980. Statues of Zenkai and his wife are the last photo.

The previous post was on Miyajidake Shrine, about 5k to the southwest.

Kaishinji Temple 86 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Kaishinji Temple located on the "Path of Light", a dead straight road that runs almost 1.5 kilometers from Miyajidake Shrine to the sea and which aligns with the sunset twice a year.

The temple was founded in 1923 and enshrined a statue of Kobo Daishi as the honzon.

However, in the 1950's the new head priest enshrined a statue of Bishamonten and built a Bishamonten Hall and this is now considered yje honzon.

It is quite rare to have a Bishamnoten as a hinzon, and as one of the Sebven Lucky Gods, the temple is on the Chikuzen Shichifukujin Pilgrimage.

It is also on the Kyushu Kannon Pilgrimage.

There were numerous tigers around the Bishamnin-do and as far as I can make out it is because of the legend that when Shotoku Taishi successfully fought against the Mononobe Clan, ostensibly over the introduction of Buddhism to Japan, the prayers were answered by Bishamonten at the Hour of the Tiger, on the Day of the Tiger, in the Month of the Tiger, and...... guess what? ....the Year of the Tiger.

I Didn't go into the hall that enshrines the Kobo Daishi statue, but I wish I had done as it seems there are a fine pair of statues flanking the Kobo Daishi.

This was on the last day of my walk along the Kyushu Pilgrimage, and the previous post was on the large Kashii Shrine.