It was late on my first day walking the Kinki Fudo Myo Pilgrimage when I visited Kyozenji Temple. Like the three previous temples of the day it was in the middle of Osaka so heavily urbanized.
Off the beaten track in Japan:- Nature, Culture, History, Spirit, Art....
It was late on my first day walking the Kinki Fudo Myo Pilgrimage when I visited Kyozenji Temple. Like the three previous temples of the day it was in the middle of Osaka so heavily urbanized.
Buddhist temples in Japan, like temples, shrines, and churches all over the world, are often repositories of a lot of art. Some temples have a little in the grounds, ornamenting the architecture, and inside on the aktars, etc. Some however are rich in artworks amd can be like visiting a museum or gallery.
Fudo MyoO, one of my favorite deities, is usually portrayed holding a rope in his left hand and a sword, named Kurikara, in his right. The sword is for subduing demons and cutting through ignorance.
On a recent visit to Shogoin Temple in Kyoto as part of my Kinki Fudo Myo Pilgrimage, I saw this painting of Fudo where the sword is in his left hand. I have been unable to find out anything about this painting, but I am guessing it is fairly modern. I have no idea if there is any significance to this left-handedness.......
EDIT... thanks to a reader in the Netherlands I was able to find out the painting was only given to the temple 2 months ago and is by Yuki Adachi from Okayama. It is done in Yuzen style which is a kind of dye resist painting used for kimonos and obis.....