Rendaiji, the 6th temple on the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage, is a large complex located high on Mount Yuga in the Kojima area south of Kurashiki and Okayama.
It was a syncretic site known as Yuga Daigongen until modern times but has now split into Rendaiji Temple nd Yuga Shrine, though they both occupy the same site.
In the Heian Period it was one of three sites that were called New Kumano, this site being the equivalent of Nachi Taisha.
Long a site of pilgrimage, the approach to the shrine-temple complex has a temple town with long street lined with souvenir shops.
I arrived by following the
old pilgrimage trail from the north and the first things I saw were the statues of the Seven Lucky Gods. The tradition here is that you write your prayer or wish on a white stone and leave on the statue.
Also in this area was a newish Fudo statue, but much more of Fudo is to come......
In one hall is this striking statue of Dakiniten, a Buddhist goddess with Hindi roots that has become synonomous with Inari in Japan. Two great Dakiniten temples are commonly known as Inari, Toyokawa Inari in Aichi, and Saijo Inari near here in Okayama.
Dakiniten is often associated with foxes and sometimes depicted riding a white fox. The association with foxes seems to be behind much of the association of Dakiniten with Inari.
In this part of the temple is also this magnificent statue of Fudo Myoo, the biggest wooden Fudo in all of Japan, and possibly the world.
Rendaiji was siad to have been founded by the famed monk Gyoki in 733. He enshrined a Kannon and Yuga Daigongen.
In the late Heian Period the complex was destroyed by fire.
It was rebuilt in the Muromachi Period, but really grew in stature during the Edo Period when it became a major pilgrimage destination.
Yoga Daigongen was a deity that offered protection against misfortune, and it became paired with the Konpira Daigongen across on Shikoku. A pilgrimage to both sites became very popular.
The Guest Hall, or, Reception Hall dates back to the very end of the 18th century.
It boasts an impressive collection of painted screens by some well known artists and also offers views of the garden
It is free to enter and I am disappointed I did not.
In many placdes where a temple and shrine were seperated, they now sit adjacent to each other, but here thye shrine part is in the middle of the Buddhist part. After passing through the shrine you come to the second area of the temple and here is the Kannon Hall, pictured in photo 1 above, and also the Daishi Hall below. I will cover the shrine, with its unusual ceramic torii, in the next post in the series.
Also on this side of the complex is an area devoted to Mizuko Jizo.
Also in this part of the complex is the pagoda. In Tahoto style associated with Shingon.
The original pagoda collapsed during a storm in 1670, and was rebuilt during the 1830's and 40's. It is said to be the biggest pagoda in Okayama.
Officially seperated in 1868, the shrine and temple began again to operate as one entity after 1945, however in the lat 1990's a duispute arose between the shrine and temple that continues to this day.
The head priest of the temple and the head priest of the shrine are brothers, which may explain the dispute somewhat.
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