Fudo Myo of Shikoku part 4

These first 2 photos are of a rather fine statue at the mountain temple of  Konomineji, number 27 on the Shikoku 88.

It is obviously a modern statue and I have no information who did it.

This one at Zenrakuji, temple number 30, is also quite graphic and bold, though it appears his fangs are both pointing down

These final 2 are at Shoryuji, temple 36. All three temples are in Kochi Prefecture.

Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage Temple 24 Hotsumisakiji

Temple 24, Hotsumisaki-ji, is the first of the pilgrimage temples in Kochi and is located at the tip of Cape Muroto.

It is one of the few temples that has historical rather than legendary links to Kobo Daishi, being located on the hilltop above the cave where he spent 3 years until achieving enlightenment. he founded the temple in 805.

It was here that he took the name Kukai. It is a Shingon temple and the honzon (main deity) is Kokuzo Bosatsu, the deity that Kukai chanted to a million times. It was reputedly carved by Kukai.

It is a very popular site for visitors, and there is a large lodgings facility for pilgrims, but when I stayed there in September I was the only guest.

In the grounds is a large boulder with indentations. Supposedly if the boulder is hit with rocks different musical tones are emitted. I didnt try it so I can't vouch for the veracity.

Komainu of Shikoku part 2

The second post on the diverse styles of komainu I encountered in Shikoku while walking the pilgrimage. The first post is here. With bibs as paw warmers, at Temple 16, Kannonji.

Guarding the approach to Kushibuchi Hachman Shrine in Tokushima.

Wrapped in shimenawa at Ikuchi Shrine, Tokushima.

At Ebisu Shrine in Naka, Tokushima. the male will often be depicted with a paw resting on a ball, but here the ball is balanced on the paw.

Its female opposite, often depicted with a cub/pup. The upper jaw seems to be missing which gives it a strange appearance.

Kitsune of Shikoku 2

The second installment of photos of fox statues taken on the Shikoku Pilgrimage.
This first one is at the Yosakoi Inari Shrine in Kochi City.

Fox (kitsune) statues will be found at Inari shrines where they serve as guardians. Inari is therefore often erroneously called the Fox God. Actually I was surprised at how few Inari shrines I found on Shikoku compared to some other areas of Japan. This one was at a small shrine in Ehime, not far from temple 40.

This one is at a sub-shrine in the grounds of Taga Shrine, a fertility shrine, in Uwajima, Ehime.

Ryukoji, the 41st temple, was originally part of an Inari Shrine, but the two were separated in 1868.

Wearing a tail-warmer, Taisanji, temple 52 near Matsuyama.

Ryoma Sakamoto Memorial Museum

Ryoma Sakamoto was one of the most famous and popular figures from the time leading up to the Meiji Restoration. He was from Tosa, now known as Kochi, and his memorial museum is located in Katsurahama to the south of Kochi City.

The museum is built on the hilltop overlooking the beach and ocean and projects out quite dramatically.

The museum was opened in 1991 on November 15th, the anniversary of both his birth and death, and the architects were Workstation, the company name of two architects, Hiroshi Takahashi and Akiko Takahashi, and it was their first project together.

The museum is open from 9 to 5 all year round and entrance is 400 yen for adults.

Take a bus bound for Katsurahama from Kochi

Shikoku 88, Temple 22, Byodoji

Temple 22 of the Shikoku 88 temple Pilgrimage is Byodo-ji, located near the coast in Anan City, Tokushima.

Its name means "temple of equality" and it belongs to the Shingon Sect. The main deity is the healing buddha, yakushi Nyorai.

According to legend it was founded by Kobo Daishi who also carved the statue of Yakushi. He also dug a well that produced milky white water which is believed to have healing qualities, especially for eye ailments.

I was hoping to pick up some of the water, which is of course available for a small price, but unfortunately the water was not usable as the recent typhoon had contaminated the well with run-off.

Fudo Myo o of Shikoku part 3

Here are some more examples of my favorite Buddhist deity, Fudo Myo, taken while I was walking the Shikoku Pilgrimage. This first, rather unusual statue was at a Yakushi-do on a side road near Awafukui in southern Tokushima.

The rest of these are at the temple popularly known as Saba Daishi, the 4th bangai temple and the last temple before leaving Tokushima and entering Kochi.

I spent the night at the temple in the tsuyado, a small room offered for free to pilgrims. Next to the main hall was a tunnel that sloped down and around to end in a large chamber beneath the main hall. The tunnel was lined with 88 statues representing the 88 temples of the pilgrimage, something I have seen several times.

The dark chamber had a large altar to Fudo Myo. Late that night I heard a group of people going into the chamber through a side door right next to my room, obviously for some kind of ritual

Ive heard many types of Buddhist ritual, but this was unlike anything I'd ever heard before, nor since. Usually there is drumming and chanting, but this drumming was much louder, much faster, and wildly frenetic and the chanting was more like growling and shouting. It was actually unnerving, an unusual state for me. In fact it sounded like a scene from a Hollywood movie where bloodthirsty savages in a state of possession are about to sacrifice a beautiful young virgin on a stone altar surrounded by flames, a la King Kong or Raiders of the Lost Ark. I left my room to see if I could see what was going on, but decided that opening the door would have been intrusive, and of course there were no windows....

Tairyuji Ropeway

The Tairyuji Ropeway in Tokushima goes from the small town of Naka on the Naka River up to Tairyuji, the 21st temple of the Shikoku Pilgrimage.

As you would expect there are some stunning views on the 10 minute journey

The journey between the two stations is 2.7 kilometers and difference in altitude is 422 meters.

Near the top one can see back to temple 20, Kakurinji.

The Atrium at Ehime Science Museum

The entrance to the Ehime Science Museum is through a perfectly conical atrium.

From there steps lead down to an underground tunnel that leads to the planetarium.

Information and photos of the planetarium can be found here, and photos of the outside of the museum complex can be found here.

The museum was designed by Kishi Kurokawa and it opened in 1994

It is located in Niihama, Ehime, and entrance is 500 yen for adults.

Shikoku 88, Temple 21, Tairyuji

Tairyu-ji, which means Great Dragon Temple, is one of the few locations on the pilgrimage that can be historically verified as a location where Kukai visited. He spent 50 days on the mountaintop as a youth performing a ritual with a mantra being repeated 1,000,000 times. A statue of him can be found on a mountaintop below the temple.

The temple is at 610 meters above sea level and affords some expansive views....... there is now a ropeway to the summit. Looking back, it is possible to see the pagoda from temple 20 rising through the trees on the next mountain.

Kukai later returned to the site under orders from Emperor Kammu and founded the temple and became its first head priest.

It is a Shingon temple, and the main deity is Kokuzo, whose mantra Kukai recited.