Friday, June 12, 2015
Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage Temple 32 Zenkoji
Monday, June 8, 2015
Hagi Pachinko
Pachinko parlors are ubiquitous in Japan. Garish, noisy, usually with lots of flashing lights they can be found everywhere,
Their architecture usually tends towards the flashy as well, and they are often huge multi storey structures that are mostly empty space. They tend to be demolished and replaced fairly often, and I was once told that this made sense for tax purposes.
Hagi, the old castle town in Yamaguchi, is known for being one of the few areas where the old samurai district still remains and one would think that there woud be some sort of zoning to keep unsightly structures out, but apparently not.
This parlor is right on the edge of the temple district, and towers above the surrounding buildings although the high-rise section is pure show and non-functional, merely a shell.
Labels:
Architecture,
hagi,
pachinko,
yamaguchi
Monday, June 1, 2015
Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage 13th & Final Day
and a replica of an ancient piece of architecture, a Yayoi Period dwelling.
Labels:
izumo33
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Dejima Shrine
All the other kami are connected to the myths of southern Miyazaki in Kyushu centered around Aoshima Shrine
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Hiroshima Highrise
Heiwa Odori, "Peace Street" is the main road that runs up to the Hiroshima Peace Park and is lined with a lot of hi-rise buildings. Not sure what this first building is but I actually quite like it. The simplicity and color made it stand out for me.
Right next door, this multi-use building includes a church and a kindergarden, and while not breathtaking in any way I also kind of like it.
The first of the big hotels is the Oriental Hiroshima.
For some reason the decoration on the top of the building reminds me of New York, a sort of neo art nouveau. Seems somewhat irrelavent.
The edge of the building seems much more interesting to me....
Labels:
Architecture,
hiroshima
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Shikoku Pilgrimage Temple 28 Dainichi-ji
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Fudo Myo-O of Shikoku part 8
Iwaya-ji, the 45th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, is located among cliffs and rock formations in the mountains of Ehime and the name of the temple itself translates as "Rock cave Temple". It was an obvious site for Shugenja. These two carved reliefs are there.
According to the legend the temple was founded by Kobo Daishi, and he supposedly carved the wooden Fudo in the main hall as well as the stone one pictured below which is located in a cave behind the main temple.
The next two photos are both at Monju-in, the 9th Bangai Temple located just south of Matsuyama.
It was from here that Emon Saburo began his pilgrimage in search of Kukai....
Labels:
ehime,
Fudo Myojin,
henro,
shikoku
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Pacifying the River Gods
This is a photo of the largest Onusa, from the biggest of the Suijin festivals held in Kawado. I did not attend this year as I was away but I have posted on it before, here, here, and here.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
More Statues at Kobo-ji Temple in Hagi
This is the second post on the many statues found in the grounds of Kobo-ji temple in Hagi. This first one looks distinctly bored.
None of the statuary was particularly outstanding, but there were a lot of them and they were quite diverse.
The previous post can be found here
Whatever was hidden behind these multiple layers of curtains has a story attached to it. "This tragic love story is similar to a verse of long epic "Everlasting Regret"by Hakukyoi who was a famous poet during Tang Dynasty. In the Genroku Era ( 1688-1704) some beloved concubine Kikuyo fell in forbidden love with some handsome page Fusanojo. Their employer got angry and banished him to an island. Before leaving her he promised her to make a faire every evening for her until he dies. Two months later its smoke had stopped. In her sorrow, she threw herself into the sea from the nearby Kikugahama Beach. Their employer felt pity and built this lovers grave for them.
The final photo is a figure I am always on the look out for,,,,, Fudo MyoO.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Izumo 33 Kannon Temple 31 Manganji
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)