Nakanokawachi Kokuzodo & Nakanokawachi Butsumokuji Temples 24 & 42 Sasaguri Pilgrimage

 

Day 2 of our walk along the Sasaguri Pilgrimage, and we are continuing up into the mountains on the south side of the river, main road, and railway line that bisects the area and the pilgrimage.

Number 24, Nakanokawachi Kokuzodo has a memorial stone to the birthplace of Fujii Tosuke, a man who was influential in finishing the construction of this 88 temple pilgrimage in the mid 19th century after the death of Jinnin, the nun were started the project

Many of these smaller "temples" still have the original stone statues that were the honzon. They are all quite small, simple reliefs, with donors' names inscribed on them. They have all been replaced with larger, more elaborate statues. Obviously the local people have been supporting this pilgrimage route since the beginnings.

Many of the other statues that have been added are quite simple and made fairly quickly, at the lower end of the proffesional scale, but this adds something, to my mind at least.

The numbering system is quite weird..... there is no chance to walk the route sequentially...

After 24, the next was number 42, Nakanokawachi Butsumokuji.

The honzon here is a Dainichi.

It has adopted attributes of the Dainichi at  Shikoku temple 42, Buttsumokuji, and is known for protecting livestock.

As with most of these 88 temples, numerous, diverse statues of Fudo Myoo abound...

The previous post in this series on day 2 of my walk along the Sasaguri Pilgrimage was on the nearby  Ninotaki Temple with its two waterfalls

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Ninotaki Temple 14 Sasaguri Pilgrimage

 

Ninotaki Temple is yet another of the temples on the Sasaguri Pilgrimage that has a waterfall for ascetic training and numerous Fudo Myoo statues.

Ninotakiji is a Koyasan Shingon temple.

The honzon, like its counterpart of the original Shikoku Pilgrimage temple 14, is Maitreya, the Future Buddha.

Sometimes known as Miroku in Japan, he is sometimes said to be a Buddha, sometimes a Bodhisattva.

It is a fairly large temple complex by the standards of most of those on the Sasaguri Pilgrimage.

The main hall was built in 1998.

It is unusual in being built completely out of Teak brought from Myanmar.

Other halls within the grounds are a Daishi Hall, a Kannon Hall, a Jiko Hall, a Benten Hall, and Inari Shrine, and a Sorei Hall.

The Jiko Hall enshrines Jiko, the nun who founded the temple.

However, for me, the most interesting was the multiple Fudo's around the two waterfalls...

The previous post in this series on day 2 of my walk along the Sasaguri Pilgrimage was on temple 20, Nakanokawachi Jizo-do.

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Nakanokawachi Jizo-do Temple 20 Sasaguri Pilgrimage

 

Nakanokawachi Jizo-do is known locally as Kakurin-ji, the 20th temple on the Shikoku pilgrimage that Nakanokawachi Jizo-do represents on this miniature version of the pilgrimage.

Though there is a very narrow road that passes near the temple, the best route is via a steep trail.

Yesterday was almost completely on asphalt roads, but it seems today there will be quite a bit of trails for those who walk the pilgrimage.

The honzon is a Jizo, and there are also many other statues around, including a couple of Fudo.

However, the most intriguing was a Kuginuki Jizo, a nail-pulling Jizo, within a giant pair of pincers.

This seems to derive from a more famous nail-pulling Jizo in Kyoto, and the background being that the "nails" to be pulled are karmic sufferings from a previous life.

The previous post was on temples 17 and 78.

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Yamate Amida-do & Yamate Yakushi-do Temples 78 & 17 Sasaguri Pilgrimage

 

Yamate is the central area of the narrow valley of Sasaguri through which the Tatara River, Main road, and train line runs.

The Amida Hall, number 78 of the Sasaguri Pilgrimage is sometimes known as Gosho-ji, the name of the 78th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage.

Obviously the Amida is the honzon of the temple, but there are also several other small halls including a Daishi Hall and a Jizo Hall.

There are also numerous Fudo Myoo statues. The Jizo Hall, the first photo of this post, seems to be more popular than the Amida. It is a Higiri Jizo, said to grant wishes on specific dates.

The next temple I visited, very close by, was across the river and back a little. The route I was taking would not be circular, rather almost a figure eight.

The Yakushido has a rather nice Atago Shogun Jizo, pictured below.

A Daishi statue and Yakushi statue are together in the main hall.

The original honzon, a small stone statue, is between them.

Once again, a multitude of Fudo Myoo's...

I've mentioned it before, but for me, the defining feature of this pilgrimage is the vast number of Fudo statues.....

The previous post in this series on my 4 day walk along the amazing Sasaguri Pilgrimage was on the mountain temple Ichinotaki, number 40 of the pilgrimage.