Though it is numbered 33 in the 88 temples of the pilgrimage, Honmyoin is often the first temple visited as it is located close to Sasaguri Station.
The honzon is Yakushi Nyorai, the "Medicine Buddha", and there is some connection with temple 33 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage which also venerates Yakushi, though it is a Zen temple and this one is Tendai.
There was lots of statuary considering how small the temple is. Not sure who this is but I like its lack of sophistication.
There were several Fudo Myo's, an indication of how popular statues of him are on the pilgrimage. There is often a priest on duty and it is possible to buy stamp books and other supplies here.
At the start of my second day walking the Chugoku Kannin Pilgrimage I was at Yokeiji Temple on a hilltop overlooking the Yoshii River.
The temple dates to 749 but the pagoda is much more recent. The lotus were blooming and I posted earlier on that here
There were numerous shrines and temples within the complex which was a site of Shinbutsu Shugo since the Heian Period, that is to say the kami and the buddhas were worshipped together.
Yokeiji is the third name for the temple here, having been renamed twice.
Fudarakusan is a Tendai temple located on the coast in Nachi at the southern end of Wakayama. According to legend is was founded by an Indian monk in the 4th century, hundreds of years before the official introduction of Buddhism into Japan.
It is one of two temples that are part of the Kumano Kodo World heritage Sites and is most famous for Fudaraku Tokai..... journeying to Paradise. Fudaraku is the Japanese version of Mount Potalaka, the Pure land of Kannon that lay off the southern tip of India.
Monks would be sealed within rudderless and oarless boats and set adrift with food and water for 30 days on their journey to reach paradise. They were not always sealed in as there are reports of monks jumping overboard and drowning after being towed out to sea and released. Another favorite tactic seems to have been pulling a plug in the hull so the boats quickly sank.
It seems obvious that the vast majority would have died, though there is a case of one monk who managed to drift and come ashore in what is now Okinawa to continue with his life. The tourist literature states that in later times the monks would be set adrift once they had passed away naturally.
I have been to Kiyomizudera several times, but this was the first time I approached through the old pilgrim trail through the mountains. This way brings you to the Nio Gate. Most people come to the temple by car from the opposite side, and for them the Niomon is "behind" the temple. I have posted on the nio and some of the Fudo Myo statues here.
It has the only 3 storied pagoda in the San-in region. Kiyomizudera means "temple of pure water" and there are many temples named this across Japan, but this may be the oldest.
It is now a Tendai sect temple and as well as being on the Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage it is also on the Chugoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, so I will be back here as I have started to walk that one too.
Chodai-ji, a Tendai temple, is close to the border with Tottori, and the most easterly of all the temples on the pilgrimage.
"It is said" that the temple was founded by Gyoki, which would make it about 1300 years old. The temple was completely destroyed by a flood, but a local farmer had a dream that led him to the spot where the main statue was found miraculously undamaged.
In the early 18th Century the local daimyo, a Matsudaira, renovated and enlarged the temple.
There is a small Amida-do in the grounds as well as a small shrine.
Located in a remote valley, temple 12, Jyufukuji, has no firm date for its founding, though it was a Jinguji so that suggests the Heian Period.
Jinguji were temples built next to shrines, and Jyufukuji was built to administer to Iishi Shrine, which I have not yet been to but intend to. Iishi Shrine is listed in the Izumo Fudoki, so dates back to ancient times and is unusual in that it has no honden, rather behind the shrine is a large rock which functions as the honden.
Originally a Tendai temple, in 1570 the local daimyo, of the Mori clan, converted it to Soto Zen
It is now some distance from the Iishi shrine, so I suspect it was moved to its present location in early Meiji when most jinguji were destroyed or moved.
Entsuji, the 11th temple on the Izumo 33 Kannon pilgrimage, like the previous temple, Zenjoji, was also a mountaintop temple with great views.
Also like the previous temple it was reputed to be founded by Gyoki in the early 8th Century, though it was another monk in the tenth Century who built it up into a larger temple. It is now of the Tendai sect.
It must must have been a pretty big complex in the heyday of Mori and Matsudaira rule of the area as it was reputed to receive the third largest amount of donations, after Izumo Taisha and Gakuenji.
Now all thats left is the priests house, a storehouse, the Kannon Hall, and a small Inari shrine.
Zenjoji is both the 10th temple of the Izumo 33 Kannon pilgrimage and the twenty fourth temple of the Chugoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. It is a mountain top temple and has a fine pair of nio in the niomon at the base.
It is believed to have been founded by Gyoki which would put it in the early eighth century.
It is now a Tendai temple. There were 4 small shrines within the grounds including an Inari and one to Zaogongen.
It is quite a pretty temple and of course has superb views.
February 10th was the Lunar New Year and on the 16th the Shujo Onie Festival was held to mark the occasion. It was held at 2 temples on the Kunisaki Peninsular and I was lucky enough to visit the one at Iwato-Ji. The action began after dark when to the accompaniment of ringing bells and blown conch shells pairs of accolytes ran down the hillside to where the mountain stream had carved a deep pool of water into which the men jumped.
later 4 huge firebrands, 4 to 5 meters in length, were carried down from the temple to a waiting fire where they were lit. Officially this is a buddhist festival at a Tendai temple, but historically its roots are in the unique form of Shugendo in this area.
Then the burning firebrands were carried through the torii and up the steps to the inner shrine area where ther e are caves where the shugenja practised shugyo and other buddhist halls where further ceremonies will take place..
The burning wood was followed by a procession of priests and musicians.
Later there would be much more..... demons (priests in masks) will be brought to life, perform some dances, and then beat all the onlookers with burning sticks. I believe this is to drive away demons and bring good luck for the new year. later still the demons visit all the houses in the community. Unfortunately it was getting late and I was finding the crowds too much so we left.....
The main reason to visit Kannon-in, a Tendai Temple in Tottori City, is for the garden.
The garden took ten years to build, beginning in 1650, 11 years after the temple was rebuilt on this site.
It is a "Chisenkansho-shiki" style of garden which roughly translates as "pond viewing garden", and is meant to be viewed from a fixed viewpoint, not strolled around in.
The viewpoint at Kannon-in is from the veranda of the study hall.
The 600yen entrance fee includes a green tea to enjoy while contemplating the view.
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