Kongoshoji Kannon Asama

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. Ise Saigoku 33 Kannon 伊勢西国三十三所観音巡礼 Pilgrimage .
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Kongooshooji 金剛證寺 Kongosho-Ji, Asama
朝熊岳 Asamadake 金剛證寺 Kongoshoji

三重県伊勢市朝熊町548 / Mie, Ise city, Asama town

The Kannon statue is 十一面観音 Juichimen Kannon

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Asamadake Kongoshoji Temple: Shield of Ise Jingu
Kongoshoji Temple is located near the summit of Mt. Asama in Ise City, Mie Prefecture.
It was built by Kobo Daishi, the founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism and one of the most revered persons in the religious history of Japan.
As I passed through the gate, I took the left walkway, and I found a red torii and a little shrine behind it, guarded by a fox statue. All of these were related to Shintoism. What was a Shinto shrine doing in the grounds of a Buddhist temple? This was explained by a staff member of this Buddhist temple at the main hall I visited next.
In general, in Buddhist temples, the main object of worship is enshrined in the main hall called Hondo as well as other most important objects of veneration. The term “Kondo” was also used to name such halls long ago. Japanese characters of Kondo mean “Golden Hall,” and as soon as I entered, I felt that was exactly right. Everything in this hall was all gold-plated, and the pillars, tengai canopy, vases and many other artifacts were just gorgeous.
The principal object of worship of the temple is hiddenly enshrined in a cabinet which looks like a miniature temple, called zushi, and the statue I saw was a temporary appearance. The real one is right in the middle of Hondo and revealed once in 20 years only. This practice is similar to Ise Jingu’s Shikinen Sengu, in which the divine palaces of Ise Jingu are reconstructed at alternate sites in every 20 years. Opening the zushi’s doors and revealing the principal object of Kongoshoji Temple is carried out one year after Ise Jingu’s Shikinen Sengu.
In Hondo, there was also a wooden statue of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate and one of the most important figures in the history of Japan. He played a very important role to support this temple. Thus, his statue was placed in Hondo with all other religious objects, as an expression of respect.
In traditional Japanese geomancy, the direction of northeast is thought to be unlucky.
It is believed evil spirits can enter from that direction 鬼門 kimon - gate of the demons.
As Kongoshoji Temple is located to the northeast of Ise Jingu, which has been revered as a special shrine in Japan since ancient times, it has been regarded as the protector of the spiritually vulnerable northeastern direction to the shrine.
Although Shintoism and Buddhism are different religions, they are worshipped here at the same time. Japan has a unique religious belief system whereby Japan’s indigenous deities of Shinto and Buddhist deities introduced from overseas are harmonized and fused, and they are believed in at the same time.

In front of the main hall, down the stairs was a pond covered with pink lotus flowers, remindful of the paintings of Claude Monet. In the middle of the pond, there was an old, very arched, red, wooden bridge, which seemed to be painted by Monet. This pond was surrounded by many religious symbols and huts as well as nature itself.
The path to the right side of Hondo brought me to another gate. This gate was called Gokurakumon, which means The Gate of Paradise. It led to a walkway surrounded by a very unique graveyard. As well as tombstones and Buddhist statues, there were long wooden posts on which posthumous names of deceased people were written.

These posts are called sotoba, which is the Japanese transliteration of the Sanskrit stupa. The path along this unique graveyard led to an inner sanctuary called OkunoIn.
- source : kankomie.or.jp/en - Mutlu Sayar ... -

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shuin　朱印 stamp

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- - - - - Homepage of the temple
- source : kongoushouji ...
- reference source : nippon-reijo.jimdofree ... -

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This temple is Nr. 02 of the pilgrimage
. Ise Saigoku 33 Kannon 伊勢西国三十三所観音巡礼 Pilgrimage .

. Kannon Bosatsu 観音菩薩 Avalokiteshvara .

. Juichimen Kannon 十一面観音 Senju Kannon 千手観音 Kannon with 11 faces and 1000 arms .

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. Temples with legends .

. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .

. Japan - Shrines and Temples - Index .

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