Chinkokuji Temple 88 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Chinkokuji, the 88th temple on the Shingon Kyushu Pilgrimage lies just across the river from the Munakata Taisha shrine in northern Fukuoka.

In fact, it was the shrine temple of Munakata Taisha back when shrines and temples were intertwined.

According to the legend, Kobo Diashi visited Munakata Taisha and prayed for a safe journey to China, so when he returned in 806 he visited Munakata Taisha again.

While here a cloud formation over Mount Byobu attracted him across the river and he performed rituals in the cave that is the okunoin of the temple now.

He is also said to have carved the secret Fudo Myo statue that is now enshrined in the Goma Hall.

Three statues were carved an enshrined at some point, a Dainichi, a Shaka, and a Yakushi. I am guessing these coresponded to the three kami of Munakata Taishi.

The main hall now has five statues, as well as the original three there is an Amida and a Kannon.

All 5 are registered as Important Cultural Properties.

The Goma Hall is the oldest building at Chinkokuji, dating back to 1650.

I visited while the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, but I visited again on day 44 of the Kyushu Fudo Myo Pilgrimage in the autumn and it was splendid in Fall foliage. I took a lot more photos then, including the statues in the main hall.

This was the final temple of this more than 2,000 Kilometer pilgrimage, though technically the Okunoin at the top of the hill is number 108. I post on that next.

Chinkokuji has a reputation as a "flower temple", because as well as the chetry blossoms and the autumn foliage, there are also plum blossoms,azaleas, lillies, and lotus blossoms, hydrangeas, and rhododendrums.

The previous post was on Munakata Taishi, just across the river.

Seiganji Temple 83 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Seiganji is now a small, non-descript temple at the base of a mountain on Imazu Bay, but it was easy to find because of the many cherry trees in full bloom.

Founded in 1175, it is now a Shingon temple and the honzon is an Amida.

Imazu became an important port, for a while supplanting Hakata, and the temple grew quite powerful.

At its peak there were 42 sub temples and the temple controlled more than 1,800 cho of land.

Though not actually founded by him, the famous monk Eisai was involved with the temple.

He stayed here before his second journey to China from where he brought back the basis of Zen and founded the first Zen temple, Shofukuji, in Hakata.

The document he wrote about Seiganji's founding is the only extant document in his hand, and a National Treasure.

Above the temple is a small shrine to Hakusandaigongen, the Buddhist manifestation of the kami of Hakusan Shrines.

There is a rather nice Fudo Myoo statue and altar by the side of the steps leading up to the Hakusandaigingendo.

On top of the mountain is the okunoin, inner sanctuary, of the temple.

It is a Bishamonten Hall, which I will cover in the next post.

The previous post was on the Oimatsu Shrine in nearby Koraiji.

Sennyoji Daihioin Temple 82 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Sennyoji Daihioin Temple is located high up on Mount Raizan, a 955 meter high mountain in the Sefuri Range that straddle the Fukuoka-Saga border.

It claims to have been founded in the year 148 by an Indian monk who has been given the Japanese name of Seiga Shonin.

This is about 400 years before the official introduction of Buddhism into Japan.

During the Kamakura Period it was an important prayer temple against the Mongol invasions.

At its peak it is believed at least 300 monks lived here.

It was located a little higher up the mountain and was part of a shrine-temple complex with Raizan Shrine.

After the Kamakura Period it fell into decline with only the main temple building remaining.

In 1753 the daimyo of Fukuoka, Kuroda Tsugutaka built Daihioin Temple at the current location.

In early Meiji when the edict separating Buddhas and Kami came into force all the statues and documents from Sennyoji were moved to Daihioin and Sennyoji was demolished.

In this post I will just look at the buildings and artwork on the lower level of the temple. The Kannon Hall and Founders Hall are higher up and will get their own post later.

There was a small waterfall for practising purification by water, and several smaller Fudo Myo statues were around it.

Dosojin were in earlier times phallic stones that later became carvings of a male-female couple, usually "cute". This one combined both ideas.

To view the pond garden you enter the Reception Hall and it had numerous artworks on display incuding a picture of Raijin, (final photo) the God of thunder and lightning after whom the mountain is named.

There was also a nice painting of Enma, the King of Hell ( second to last photo)

Like all the other 108 temples on this pilgrimage, Sennyoji Daihion is a Shingon Temple.

There will be a couple of other posts on this temple as there is plenty to see, so well worth the trip off the beaten track to visit.

There are infrequent buses up to Sennyoji so you need a car, or as I did, walk it.

The previous post was on the gardens at the temple, including one based around a 400 year old maple tree said to be planted by Kuroda Tsugutaka. The next post is the 500 rakan statues on the hillside., and the final post is on the Kannon and Founders Hall.

Ryuzenji Temple 107 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Ryuzenji Temple is located in an urban area of Itoshima, the area to the southwest of Fukuoka City that was very powerful politically in prehistoric Japan.

It is a fairly recent temple being founded in the late 1950's, though I can find no information other than that.

The honzon is a Shogun Jizo which seems to be a medieval Japanese version of the bodhisatvva.

It has a strong connection to Mount Atago near Kyoto and is often depicted riding a boar. Perhaps the most well-known one is the one carved by Kobo Daishi himself, the honzon of temple 5 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, Jizoji Temple.

The new stone Nio guarding the driveway are of the now common style. Im guessing cut from the same data by computer as the other identical copies.

There are several statues around the grounds including a set of six Jizo and the almost obligatory standing Kobo Daishi.

There were a couple of Fudo statues, always nice to see.

As well there is a small rocky area with a water source for ascetic purification under cold water.

Such sites are normally found in the mountains with real waterfalls and are especially connected to yamabushi and Shugendo..

A statue of Fudo and also Kurikara, his sword wrapped with a dragon, are commonly found at such places.

This was my first stop on day 75 of my 77 day walk around Kyushu on the Shingon Kyushu 108 temple pilgrimage. The previous temple was Shinkoin, temple 106.