Altars at Udono Cliff Carvings

 The Udono Sekibutsu are a set of almost 60 Buddhist relief carvings in the cliffs and caves near Ochi in Saga.

In the medieval period there was a temple here called Byodo-ji.

Much later a Shungon temple was built at the base, but now there are no temples

Scattered among the carvings however are numerous altars which are still maintained by local people.

Several Fudo Myo statues are here, not surprising really.

There is also an Inari altar set up, and also one to Daikoku and Ebisu, a pair of the seven lucky gods.

The other altars all contain an eclectic mix of statues.

Photos and details about the cliff carvings can be found in the previous post in this series on day 72 of my walk around Kyushu.

Rokusho Shrine Ebisudani

 

Rokusho Shrine was once a part of a powerful temple-shrine complex in the high country near the centre of the Kunisaki Peninsula, but is nowadays a bit far off the beaten track to get many visitors.

Ebisudani is one of the 28 valleys that radiate out from the centre of the peninsula that is home to an ancient form of shugendo pilgrimage based on Tendai Buddhism and Usa Hachimangu called Rokugo Manzan.

Ashikaga Takauji visited here in the early 14th century and is said to have planted 6 trees and prayed for victory against Emperor Go-Daigo before eventually starting the Ashikaga Shogunate. Some sources claim these 6 trees to be the ones planted, but they are obviously planted much more recently.

A new trail that roughly follows the old pilgrimage route is called Kunisaki Hanto Minemichi Long Trail, and passes right by here.

The shrine was originally the okunoin of Reisenji Temple. Reisenji and Jisso-in, a sub-temple, are now located immediately adjacent to the shrine following the separation of Buddhas and Kami of early Meiji.

As is fairly usual with these Shugendo-based sites in Kunisaki, they are situated in caves and cliffs of rocky outcroppings.

This Hachiman Shrine is probably a post-meiji addition.

Rockusho is a fairly common name and pretty much means "six kami", although the different Rokusho shrines around the country have different 6 kami.

Here the 6 kami start with Izanagi, and is then followed by Yatomagatsuhi no kami and Ono no kami. This pair were created by Izanagi while purifying after fleeing Yomi. One is said to be the kami of disasters, and the second one who fixes disasters. Tbey may be two aspects of the same kami.

The last set of kami are Umetsuno, Nakatsuno, and Sokotsuno, known collectively as the Sumiyoshi kami. Now associated with the head Sumiyoshi shrine in Osaka, the three kami are originally from northern Kyushu and are connected with sea journeys.

The zuijin here are painted, not statues, something I have seen at other shrines in Kunisaki.

The shrine-temple used to hold the Shujo Onie fire festival, but as a sign of its decline, no longer does.

There is a small group of magaibutsu, Buddhist carvings, that seem to show a couple of monks and a nun. The central figure may well be Nimon, the legendary founder of Rokugo Manzan

The previous post was on neighbouring Jisson-in temple.

Udono Sekibutsu Cliff Carvings

 

Sekibutsu, literally "stone Buddhas" are usually statues, but these are  reliefs carved into stone surfaces, and such are technically magaibutsu.

Sometimes magaibutsu are carved into large boulders, the biggest examples being carved into cliffs, but a common form is carved into the walls of small "caves" formed by overhanging rock.

They are not very common in Japan, but Oita in northern Kyushu is home to the vast majority in Japan.

These near Karatsu in Saga were a big surprise, though not too far away is a modern cliff carving I visited a few days before, the Taikoiwa Fudoson.

The ones here at Udono were said to have been first carved in the 9th century, though these seem to no longer exist. Some were carved as recently as the Edo Period, but the most impressive ones date from the 14th century and include a Kannon, a Fudo Myo, a Bishamonten, and a Jikokuten. In total, there are almost 60.

I discovered these cool carvings quite by accident. I stopped in at the small tourist information office in the station at Ochi and they told me about them. They lent me a free rental bike and let me leave my pack with them while I went to explore them.

As mentioned earlier, Oita is home to the most magaibutsu in Japan, with the Kunisaki area having the biggest, the Kumano Magaibutsu, however the most impressive are down near Usuki and are known as the Usuki Stone buddhas.

The previous post on day 72 of my first walk around Kyushu was on the nearby Kongoji Temple

Sokoji Temple the first Soto Zen Temple in Izumo

 

Sokoji was a delightful surprise for me.

From the main road I spotted a splash of autumn colour among a stand of huge trees behind a traditional wall and headed up to explore....

What I discovered was a fairly large Zen temple....

Sokoji was founded in 1394 by a man who became a monk at an early age and after studying under various sects returned home and founded this Soto sect temple.

After falling into disrepair, the temple was rebuilt in 1652. It was rebuilt again in 1728 and that main hall still stands.

In 1994 to mark the 600th anniversary of the founding most of the structures were renovated, including replacing the thatched roof of the main hall with tile.

At that time a new garden was constructed behind the main buildings, but I was unable to see it.

A smaller garden to the left of the main buildings was however quite delightful.

The honzon is an Amida. The temple holds monthly zazen sessions and is open to the public, to view the garden, twice a week.

The previous post in this series on Okuizumo was on the Oni no Shitaburui Gorge.

Chinzeikoyasan Kongoji Temple 105 Kyushu pilgrimage

 

I initially walked passed Kongoji as I wasn't really paying attention. I was looking for a typical temple building and didn't notice the 5-colored banner. The building looks just like a fairly modern large house.

However, through the gate and into the area behind the house it becomes more like a temple.

Temple 105 of the 108 temple Shingon Kyushu Pilgrimage is located on the bank of the Kyuragi River in the mountains of Saga, near to Iwaya JR station.

The temple traces its origin to 1897 when a hall was built to house a statue of Chike Daishi. I have no idea exactly who or what this deity is, though it is known locally as Yakuyoke Senta Daishi.

It was a statue that guarded the castle belonging to the Tsuruta Clan on the mountain behind the temple 

There is a new Daishi Hall, several outdoor altars, and a small shrine in the grounds.

The previous post documenting day 72 of my walk was the nearby Konpira Shrine.