Futagoji Temple 1 Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage Part Two

 

Futagoji Temple, number 1 on the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage, is located at the heart of the Kunisaki Peninsula, and the heart of the ancient shugendo system of Rokugo Manzan.

This is the second post, as when I visited I took so many photos they could not reasonably be contained within a single post.

The first post looked at the approach to the temple, the entrance, and the large Goma Hall.

Now we cross the huge slab of stone that is a bridge to head up the steps to the next level and then on to the Okunoin.

A small shrine to Daikoku, one of the Seven Lucky Gods....

Like the other temples of the Rokugo Manzan form of Shugendo, Futago-ji is said to have been founded in 718 by the legendary monk Ninmon.

Being a mix of Tendai Buddhism and Usa Hachimangu, "shinto" torii and shimenawa are plentiful at Rokugo Manzan sites.

At this level is the Lecture Hall, housing a Shaka Triad. The first photo of this post is of the main altar.

Shaka Nyorai, in English, Sakyamuni the historical Buddha, is flanked by a Yakushi and an Amida.

There is a wonderful mural behind the main statues...

There are numerous other statues including the 4 shitenno.

The lecture hall was destroyed during the period of Shinbutsu Bunri in 1868 and was rebuilt in 1991.

It is used during the Oni-e fire festival in January.

Up another set of stone stairs and we come to the approach to the Okunoin.

The current building was built in 1846 with donations from the Matsudaira daimyo of Kitsuki domain.

In a small cave behind the hall is a sacred spring. The water is said to give eternal youth and longevity.

The main statue enshrined is a Thousand-armed Kannon.

The previous post was on the lower level of Futagoji,... the approach, Goma Hall etc.

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Futagoji Temple 1 Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage

 

Futago-ji Temple is located right in the cemtre of the Kunisaki Peninsula in Oita.

It is the first temple of the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage, with a cluster of other temples of the pilgrimage also in the Kunisaki Peninsula.

I arrived here on day 5, after having visited the other temples earlier as I had been following a route that roughly followed an ancient yamabushi pilgrimage route around the peninsula in a clockwise direction.

I had visited Futagoji several times before, most recently posting about it when I visited on an earlier 5-day walk around the peninsula in Autumn colors season.

Said to have been founded in 718, along with numerous other temples around the peninsula.

It is now considered the head temple of the Rokugo Manzan, the unique syncretic, shugendo sect.

In earlier times it was the head of the central area of the Rokugo manzan system.

In this first post I am just showing things around the lower area of the temple complex.

The main worship hall on this level is the Goma-do.

Enshrining Fudo Myoo, it was the focus of my visit.

All the photos from this point on were taken inside the Goma-do.

In the next post in the series I will cover the Okunoin and the other sights along the way to it...

The previous post was on Jinguji Temple 2, which I visited the evening before.

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Jinguji Temple 2 Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage

 

Jinguji is yet another of the Rokugo Manzan Tendai temples which according to egend were founded in 718 all over the Kunisaki Peninsula.

It is in quite a remote location and so doesnt get as many visitors as some of the more famous Kunisaki temples. I arrived by coming over the mountain ridge along the Kunisakihanto Minemichi Trail that follows the old yamabushi pilgrimage route.

The temple was destroyed by a big fire in the Meiji Period.

There is a treasure house that has some old Oni masks as well as a bunch of "burned Buddhas", statues that have been almost burnt to a crisp by fire. Unfortunately no-one was home to let me in.

The okunoin is a Rokugo Shrine, but I decided not to make the climb as it was already getting close to twilight.

Ther were a few older statues around the grounds and an interisting carved relief. Unusually there were no Nio.

Obvioulsy the temple is on the Rokugo Manzan pilgrimage, and I am guessing that is from where the pilgrim ofudas stuck to the ceiling above the entrance to the main hall were from.

The honzon is a Fudo Myoo, quite a small one.....

The previous post in this series on the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage was on Yama Shrine where I stopped before climbing over the ridge.