Nakayama Terraced Rice Paddies Shodoshima

 

Deep in the interior of Shodoshima Island is an area of terraced rice paddies.

There are said to be about 800 terraces.

They were constructed by clearing the forest and using stone retaining walls.

It was done during the 14th century,

It is in the top 100 rice terraces in Japan.

The paddies are fed by spring water originating in the grounds of the next temple I will visit on the Shodoshima Pilgrimage, temple 44, Yufuneyama Renge Temple.

The spring is listed in the Top 100 waters of Japan,

The Japanese do seem to have a fascination with rice paddy terraces and do offer tours to them, but for the rest of us they can be seen while walking the pilgimage. If you visit in May and June when they are recently flooded and planted then they are a bit more impressive. I was here mid winter so not so attractive.

The previous post in this series was on the nearby temples 43 & 45.

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Jodoji & Jizoji Temples 43 & 45 Shodoshima Pilgrimage

 

Temples 43 and 45 on the Shodoshima Pilgrimage occupy the same site.

Jizoji, number 45, was a small temple not far away that because of a decreasing amount of parishioners decided to merge with Jodoji, and is now the Jizo Hall at that temple.

Jodoji has a delightful thatched Shoin that dates from the early Edo Period that was restored in the 1970's

Th3 main hall of Jodo-ji is made of concrete but is surprisingly elegant, with the concrete surfaces left untreated 

The honzon of Jodoji is an Amida Buddha.

The honzon of Jizo-ji is, not surprisingly, a Jizo. It is noted for being a Jizo for protection against fire.

I was unable to find out the identity of the small shrine in the grounds.

As well as the thatched Shoin, the other interesting thing for me were the Onigawara ...

There were three distinct designs....

Theprevious post in this series on day 4 of my walk along the Shodoshima Pilgrimage was on temple 42, Nishinotaki

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Nishinotaki Ryusui Temple 42 Shodoshima Pilgrimage

 

I arrived at Nishinotaki Temple via the mountain footpath that ran from temple 41, Bukkokusan, so I didn't see the quite dramatic entry approach until I left.

Nishinotaki epitomizes all that is so great about the Shodoshima Pilgrimage:- a cave, fantastic views, and lots of Fudo Myoo....

The entrance to the small cave is beside main hall.

Inside is a sacred spring, and according to the various legends  it concerns a dragon that attacked a local village and was pacified and confined in the cave resulting in the sacred spring today.

The honzon is an 11-faced Kannon.

A forest fire in 1970 destroyed all the buildings.

The Goma-do is a vermillion, concrete structure with the best views... photo 17 below

A little further up the mountain is a Fudo statues with attendants... photo 14 below.

There are several other Fudo statues including the one on the altar in the goma-do photo 11 below

For those who come by car there is a long staircase lined with lanterns

Nishinotaki is the okunoin of temple 33, Choshoji, which I visited the day before. It had a lovely karensansui grounds.

The previous post was on temple 41 Bukkokusan.

Bukkokusan Temple 41 Shodoshima Pilgrimage

Bukkokusan Temple

Bukkokusan, temple number 41 on the Shodoshima Pilgrimage, is actually the okunoin of temple 40, Hoanji, and if you are walking then a footpath leads up the mountain from there.

The foot path reaches a small mountain road that leads to the entrance to the temple.

A pair of newish stone Nio guardians flank the road, and either side is lined with stone lanterns. Just before reaching the simple gate a bronze statue of Kobo Daishi, the focus of the 88 temple pilgrimage, looks down on approaching pilgrims. The temple itself is quite small, with just a stylized temple entrance facade to the cave front. A few statues are out in front of the temple which has great views to the south and east.  

One statue stands out as it is not any of the usual Buddhas, but rather a pair of Oni, demons or ogres, the male painted red and the female painted blue. There are two stories relating to the origin of the statue.

  

The first is that in ancient times a demon inhabited this mountain and continuously attacked local people who ventured into the mountains. This is a very common story found all over Japan. The demon was eventually pacified and stopped attacking people when he became a disciple of Yakushi Nyorai, the Medicine Buddha. Buddhism pacifying demons is also a very common story.

The second legend is set much later in the time that intermarriage between classes was forbidden. This is also a very common story all over, and more often than not ends up with a love suicide. In this local story a pair of young lovers from across the class divide chose to run away together and finding themselves at the cave as night was falling chose to spend the night in the cave whereupon they consummated their relationship. Unable to return home the story is vague about what happened to them although the two stories became linked together and the demon became a kind of protective deity of the mountain and the cave became known as a place to pray for a successful marriage, children, and easy birth.

The interior of the cave is quite magical with many candles, some in niches carved in the rock walls, providing the only illumination.

  

There is a very unusual painted statue of the aforementioned Yakushi Nyorai with distinctly female facial features. This is the honzon, the main deity, of the temple.

  

There are another couple of statues and in the deepest recess of the cave a small stone Fudo Myo in front of which Goma fire rituals are held.

  

Numerous bunches of Senbazuru, the folded paper cranes in multicolors, many of which have become blackened by years of soot.

The cave is about 400 meters above sea level.

It is said Kobo Daishi himself performed rituals inside the cave.

The water that seeps out through the cave walls is collected into small plastic bottles and taken away as healing water.

The views from the temple are amazing.

By road it is a couple of kilometers to the next temple,but just 400 meters on the footpath.

The previous post in this series was temple 40, Hoanji.

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