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.

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Ryufukuji Temple in Autumn

 

Ryufukuji is a Zen temple in Yamaguchi City. Originally it was Rinzai sect but was later converted to Soto sect.

It is one of the best places in the city to view autumn colours as the approach to the temple gate is lined with maple trees.

Once you pass through the gate all turns yellow from a huge Gingko tree...

Like so many temples, it has been rebuilt many times and moved to different locations.

Its current location is within the grounds of what used to be the Ouchi Clan mansion.

The Ouchi were an ancient clan, claiming descent from Korean immigrants. They are also believed to have introduced the cult of Myoken into Japan.

During the Muromachi Period (1336-1573), when Kyoto was devastated by war, the Ouchi established Yamaguchi as an alternative to Kyoto with many aspects of elite culture.

They were eventually defeated by the Mori Clan who went on to rule most of the Chugoku region.

The main hall with its cypress bark roof dates to 1479 and is an Important Cultural Property.

A small building in the grounds is a museum with artitacts relating to the Ouchi Clan.

The original temple, before renaming and relocating several times, dates to the first decade of the 13th century.

The honzon is a Shaka Nyorai, the Japanese name for Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha.

The previous post in this series on my walk on day 23 of the Chugoku Pilgrimage was also another autumn colours extravaganza, the Sesshu garden at Jyoei-ji 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