Motoyamaji Temple 70 Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage

 

Temple 70, Motoyamaji, was a very pleasant surprise. Large, with lots to see, but not overcrowded...

The blue walls surrounding much of the compound was interesting and quite striking.

The 5-storey pagoda was started in the late 19th century and not finished until 1910.

The temple was founded by Kobo Daishi in 807. It is said he carved the honzon, a Bato Kannon, Horse-Head Kannon, the only Bato Kannon as honzon on the whole pilgrimage.

The Bato Kannon has two attendants, an Amida and a Yakushi.

It was a powerful temple in the middle ages with 24 branch temples and a territory of 2,000 koku.

The current main hall was built in 1300 and is very elegant. Not surprisingly, considering its age, it is a National Treasure

It survived the ravages of Chosokabe when most other temples did not. The clan that controlled the temple had a pact with Chosokabe, and that may be the reason, but there is a legend that explains the temple's survival.

Chosokabe's soldiers did attack the temple and cut down the head priest. However, when they opened the inner shrine in the main hall, the Amida statue was bleeding, so the samurai fled in fear.

The bell tower and Niomon also survived from that time.

Most of the current buildings date to the early to mid 18th century.

The Niomon is an Important Cultural Property.

These three photos show the temple's guardian shrine. Built in 1547, it has a bark-and-reed roof and is my second-favorite building after the main hall.

The previous temple on the pilgrimage was Kannonji, Temple 69. It occupies the same site as Temple 68, Jinneiin.

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Kozanji Temple 19 Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage

 

Kozanji is a Soto Zen temple in the old samurai town of Chofu near Shimonoseki.

It was established originally as a Rinzai temple in 1327.

It is the 19th temple on the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage.

Originally called Chofukuji, by the start of the 17th century it had become somewhat dilapidated, but Mori Hidemoto had it reconstructed as a Soto temple and changed the name to Kozanji.

The highlight of the temple is the Butduden, the Buddha Hall, built in 1320. Top photo.

It is the oldest remaining example of Zenshuyo style architecture in Japan and is registered as a National Treasure.

Kozanji has numerous links to the Meiji Restoration. The mound pictured below is a memorial to all those who gave their lives for the Meiji Restoration.

Inside the Butsuden is the honzon of the temple, a Thousand-armed Kannon, as well as numerous other noteworthy statues.

28 statues were carved in the early 16th century as attendants to kannon, and 23 remain today.

Kozanji has a big, ornate two^story gate, but it was enclosed in scaffolding and tarps when I visited.

The honzon is said to have been carved by the famous sculptor Unkei.

In the entrance to the priests quarters is a statue of Idaten.

This Bodhisattva is known as a protector of monasteries....

The previous post in this series on day 25 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pigrimage was on the moss garden here at Kozanji.

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Rurikoji Temple & National Treasure Pagoda

 

The pagoda at Rurikoji Temple in Yamaguchi is considered one of the top3 pagodas in all of Japan, along with one at Daigoji Temple in Kyoto and one at Horyuji Temple in Nara.

It is registered as a National Treasure and was built in 1442.

It is 31.2 meters tall with cypress bark roofs. It is mostly Japanese in style, though with some Chinese Zen influences...

It was built by Ouchi Moriharu to memorialize his brother,  Ouchi Yoshihiro who died at the Battle of Oei.

The pagoda houses an Amida statue and a statue of Yoshihiro in monk form.

It is said his coffin lies beneath the pagoda.

The grounds around the pagoda are known as Kozan Park and is a great spot for cherry blossoms, and also for autumn colours, which is when I visited.

The pagoda is illuminated every night.

The temple originally at this site was Koseki-ji. The main hall was moved to Fudo-in Temple in Hiroshima City and is also a National Treasure.

Rurikoji was founded in 1471 at a different location and was named Anyoji Temple, being renamed Rurikoji in 1497. It was moved to the current site in 1690.

It is a Soto sect Temple and the honzon is a Yakushi Nyorai, the Medicine Buddha.

The small museum in the temple is worth a visit as it has scale models of 55 other pagodas from around Japan as well as a large model of the pagoda here showing how it was constructed.

The museum also has a nice collection of masks that appealed to me, and several paintings including one attributed to Sesshu.

I have some other photos which show the details of the pagoda a little better from a previous visit.

The previous post in this series on day 23 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on neighbouring Toshinji Temple.

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