Demon Mummy of Daijoin

 

A small sign pointed up a narrow path between bamboo to a temple, the kind of invitation I find heard to resist.

A group of red-bibbed statues was reassuring...

But what I found why quite weird and a little disturbing...

It is said to be the mummified remains of an Oni. Mummified priests I had heard of but not yet seen.

The figure is about 1.4 meters tall seated and estimated to be more than 2m if standing. It has two small horns, sunken eyes, and an open mouth. It was purchased in 1925 and then donated to the temple. A cursory examination by  Kyushu University suggested it "may" be composed of a mix of human female and animal bones.

Daijoin is a vetry small temple and there were a couple of normal Buddhist statues....

The next big surprise was when I came down from Daijoin and crossed over the road I came to a huge temple.

This is Higashi Betsuin, the head temple of all Jodo Shinshu temples in Kyushu.

It was established in the late 17th century, but the current structures date to the mid-18th century but was rebuilt in 1880. It measures 28 by 25 metres. The gate is magnificent.

What I didn't know was that right next door is a similar, huge temple of the Jodo Sect, with a bigger main hall but a smaller gate. This day had produced two big surprises, but there was more to come.

The previous post in this series on my walk along the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage features an eclectic mix of sights seen on the rural walk to get here...

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Scenes From Rural Oita

 

Oita is a large prefecture in northern Kyushu with quite a varied set of landscapes, these scenes are from my walk on the 6th day of my walk along the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage.

My route was roughly southeast from Nakatsu to Ajimu. I have no idea what the Easter Island heads are about.....

Compared to much of Japan, it was fairly wide open with a lot of agriculture... I do realize lots of Japan has coastal plains, especially around the cities, but not where I live.... my area is all narrow valleys..

I've lost count of the number of Statues of Liberty I have come across in Japan..... I believe this one was at a car dealership....

This is a recently built branch temple of Nenpo Shinkyo, a Buddhist sect started in the 1920's....

Not sure if it os classed as a "New New Religion", a "New Religion", or simply a Buddhist sect.

Love hotels are often located in between towns..... Sky Dix is now a chain of at least 5 love hotels, so I am guessing this is the original....

Pretty sure this metal sign is of an ear of wheat...... seems that this is a wheat-growing area....

The previous post was on some of the shrines I stopped in at on this morning walk...

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Wakamiya Hachimansha, Yasaka Shrine, Kifune Shrine, & Yatate Shrine

 

After leaving the delightful Komo Shrine in the early morning of my 6th day walking the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage, the next section of my walk headed pretty much due East.

As usual, I stopped in at any shrines I passed. The first was called Wakamiya Hachimansha, and curiously the main kami was Emperor Nintoku. In 1908 a whole bunch of other kami were jointly enshrined, including Amaterasu, Susano, Takitsuhime, Ichikishimahime, and Kotoshironushi. I also saw a small Inari shrine in the grounds.

Next stop was a Yasaka Shrine.

Enshrining, of course, Susano and members of his family. Yasaka is the post-Meiji name for many different shrines, one of the most common names being Gion-Sha. No mention on the signboard what the old name was.

No mention of the secondary shrine in the grounds, but the early morning sun made for some striking photos.

The third shrine was a Kifune Shrine, a branch of the famous Kifune Shrine (Kibune Shrine) in the north of Kyoto.

It was located right next to a 6th-century burial mound.

When I first came to Japan, I read that Shinto had an aversion to death, and yet  I started to discover many ancient tombs had shrines built next to them...

Once again, the signboards gave no info on dates, history, or other shrines in the grounds.

The final shrine was Yatate Shrine, the largest of the group.

It is also known as Daikongawa Shrine.

In 720, Otomo no Tabito led an army of imperial and Usa Hachiman troops against the Kumaso in southern Kyushu. He planted arrows in the ground and prayed at this spot for victory.

In 725 a Hachiman shrine was established here and was made one of 8 shrines of an Imperial procession.

In 765, the reed pillow of the ritual from Komo Shrine visits here on its procession to the eight "outer shrines".

The previous post in this series on my walk along the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage was on the large and impressive Komo Shrine.

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Komo Shrine Revisited

Komo Shrine.

Komo Shrine is quite a large, impressive shrine in the countryside near Nakatsu.

Sanmei-in Temple 8 Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage

 

The 2nd of March, 2018, and I begin day 6 of my walk around Kyushu on the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage in the rural suburbs of Nakatsu. The first 5 days were spent in the Kunisaki Peninsula.

Sanmei-in is temple number 8 on the pilgrimage, and the Fudo is enshrined within the Goma Hall. I had visited this temple some years ago as it is also temple 20 on the Kyushu 108 Pilgrimage. That post can be viewed here.

It is a pretty new temple, founded after the experience of the priest performing austerities for 50 days on a sacred mountain.

each time I have visited the main hall, the elevated hexagonal building was closed.

It houses an eleven-faced, thousand-armed Kannon.

The Fudo in the Goma Hall is a "stand-in" as the original statue split in half during a ritual for the healing of the priest's father.

It is a Shingon temple and has a miniature Shikoku Pilgrimage in the grounds.

The previous post was on Miyahata Shrine, my last stop on day 5.

if you would like to subscribe by email, just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published or made public. I post new content almost every day, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the most recent posts.