Kando-ji Temple 23 Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage

 

Kandoji, is a fairly small and nondescript temple in the south of Izumo City. As well as being temple 23 on the Chugoku Kannon pilgrimage, it is also temple number 5 on the much older Izumo Kannon Pilgrimage. The post from my earlier visit is here.

Though now quite modest, it was in ancient times very large and powerful and is said to have had a strong relationship with Izumo Taisha, but I know that in 15th and 16th centuries Gakuenji Temple oversaw Izumo Taisha. It is said that it was the foremost temple in the San-in region.

Said to have been founded in 781 by Socho. Amazingly, it is claimed that Saicho, the founder of Hiezan and the Tendai sect and a contemporary of Kobo Daishi, was the second abbot of the temple, and that Kobo Daishi himself was the third.

Another claim is that Kobo Daishi wrote the Iroha while here and a copy in his handwriting is owned by the temple. The Iroha was a poem for memorizing the kana syllabary that Kobo Daishi is said to have created. It can be thought of as a Japanese version of the Alphabet Song in English. Not too long ago I posted on another temple claiming to be where he wrote the Iroha, Dogakuji Temple in Tokushima. Historians are of the opinion that the Iroha was composed hundreds of years after the time of Kobo Daishi.

The temple converted to the Jodo sect. It has an Amida as its honzon, said to have been carved by Gyoki. The 11-faced Kannon in the Kannon Hall is a secret Buddha.

The previous post in this series on day 40 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the nearby Umaki Fudoson, one of the top 3 Fudo's in Japan.

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Shikoku Pilgrimage Temple 34 Tanema-ji

Tanemaji

Tanema-ji, which means "seed sowing temple" is temple number 24 of the pilgrinmage. The name refers to a legend that Kukai planted 5 kinds of seeds that he brought back from China.

It is said that Kukai founded the temple though the honzon, a Yakushi Nyorai, is supposedly carved by a Korean monk centuries before Kukai.

The temple is famous for women who pray here for a safe childbirth to the Kosodate Kannon. Hung around the statue are dippers that have had their base removed and placed here by women whose prayers were answered.

Having been destroyed by typhoons numerous times, none of the architecture is particularly noteworthy.

Senko-ji, Onomichi

Senkoji is undoubtedly the most visited temple in Onomichi and is an icon of the city. Part of the Onomichi Temple Walk and temple number 10 of the Chugoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

It is a Shingon temple reputedly founded by Kukai himself in 806. The main deity is a Thousand-Armed Kannon and is opened to the public every 33 years.

The temple buildings are scattered around the outcroppings of rock near the top of Mount Senkoji and great views over the town and the islands of the Inland Sea can be had.

The most famous and prominent rock is the "Jewel Rock", 50 meters in circumference and 15 meters high it is topped by a spherical "jewel" that legend says glows at night and illuminates the surrounding sea. The temple is also popular for its miniature Jizo.

Iyadani Kannon

On the ninth day of my walk along the Shikoku Pilgrimage, after leaving temple 22, Byodo-ji, I took the main road heading for the coast of Tokushima. After spening 100 days on Mount Tairyuji Kukai must have taken the same route because a sign pointed to Iyadani Kannon, a little detour off the main road and a site supposedly founded by Kukai.

Apparently he left "7 Wonders", one of them being this large rock that is supposed to be balanced in such a way that a single finger can cause it to rock.

There were some interesting old statues and some rock carvings.

Everything was moved to this current location when the nearby dam and reservoir were created.

Well worth the little detour, and a nice break from the main road. The sign pointing to it is a couple of kilometers past Awafukui Station on Route 55.

Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage Temple 25 Shinshoji

Shinshoji, temple number 25, is only a few kilometers north of number 24, Hotsumisakiji on the tip of Cape Muroto.

According to the legend it was founded by Kukai in 807 who is also credited with carving the honzon, Jizo.

The ships wheel is a motif that appears around the temple and the many small jizo statues are holding a ships wheel. According to the legend the local lord was saved from shipwreck by Jizo who took the helm.

The temple was destroyed in the early years of Meiji but rebuilt in the 1890's. It belongs to the Shingon sect.

The concrete main hall was built in 1950, and from it there are great views down on the harbour.

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Shikoku 88, Temple 21, Tairyuji

Tairyu-ji, which means Great Dragon Temple, is one of the few locations on the pilgrimage that can be historically verified as a location where Kukai visited. He spent 50 days on the mountaintop as a youth performing a ritual with a mantra being repeated 1,000,000 times. A statue of him can be found on a mountaintop below the temple.

The temple is at 610 meters above sea level and affords some expansive views....... there is now a ropeway to the summit. Looking back, it is possible to see the pagoda from temple 20 rising through the trees on the next mountain.

Kukai later returned to the site under orders from Emperor Kammu and founded the temple and became its first head priest.

It is a Shingon temple, and the main deity is Kokuzo, whose mantra Kukai recited.

Kyushu 108 Sacred Sites Pilgrimage Temple 1 Tochoji

At dawn on Christmas Day, 2012,  I set out on my latest long distance walk, a 2,000 kikometer walk around Kyushu. The Kyushu 88 temple & 108 sacred sites pilgrimage is a modern pilgrimage set up for bus and car pilgrims (hereafter referred to as the Kyushu108). All the sites are Shingon and it begins with the first temple in Hakata, Fukuoka.

Originally built on the shore it was relocated to its present location following a fire by the daimyo of the area Kuroda Tadayuki who designated it as the Kuroda family temple.

It is claimed that Kukai founded the temple in 806 on his return from China but I have also read that it was founded by a disciple of Kukai. Next to the main hall is a hexagonal building that opens on the 28th of each month to display the statues and artworks inside.

The vermillion pagoda in the grounds is very new,... it was still under construction a few years ago when I first visited.

To the right of the main hall is another new building. It houses the largest wooden seated Buddha statues in Japan. It was too early for me to pay the entrance fee to view it, but as photography was not permitted I am loath to pay anyway. The statue is 10.8 meters tall and was completed in 1996. 108 is a meaningful number in Japanese buddhism as it is the number of delusions of the mind, hence many pilgrimages will have 108 sites and why a temple bell is rung 108 times on new Years Eve.

Joren-an

Joren-an is the third and final "chapel"/shrine on the trail up to temple 12 Shosanji.

The huge cedar and statue of Kobo Daishi mark the spot where legend says Kukai spent the night on his ascent of the mountain.

It looked pretty dilapidated and there was no-one around, but I was there out of the main pilgrim season so maybe it is manned in season.

It is at 745 meters above sea level but unfortunately the trail drops down to the valley before starting up the final climb to Shosanji.

Ryusui-an

On the long climb up to Shosanji, temple 12, on the Shikoku pilgrimage there are three sites associated with Kukai, the second being Ryusui-an.

According to the legend, when Kukai was climbing the mountain back in the early ninth Century he stopped here and by tapping the ground with his staff caused a spring to start flowing. According to many legends associated with kukai he did this many, many times all over Shikoku.

There used to be a shokubo, temple lodgings, here but it has long since closed down. There is a really cool looking tree though.

Dainichi-ji Temple 4 Shikoku Pilgrimage

Dainichi-Ji is located in Itano Town, Tokushima Prefecture, and is the 4th temple on the henro route.

According to legend it was founded by Kukai and he carved the main deity sculpture of Dainichi Nyorai. It belongs to the Shingon sect.

The architecture is nothing special, but in a covered corridor connecting the main hall with the Daishi hall are a collection of nice statues.

 

One thing you will see at every temple on the route is a red statue of Kobo daishi himself.

The corridor contains 33 statues of kannon that were donated by someone from Osaka in the mid eighteenth century.

There is a fine statue of Shomen Kongozo, an interesting deity with daoist overtones and a link to the three monkeys. he is known as a deity to pray to for relief from diseases caused by demons.

There is also a nice statue of Benzaiten.

EDIT..... When I first posted this my knowledge of Buddhist figures was very limited. The red statue is of course Binzaru, and I direct you to the excellent comment blow by Ted Taylor for details...