Yakushipedia - ABC Index

[ . Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来 Bhaisajyaguru . ]
. Yakushi Nyorai Legends 薬師如来 .
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Yakushipedia ABC-Index 薬師如来 Yakushi Nyorai Bhaisajyaguru
the Buddha of Medicine and Healing


- source : Shin Yakushi-Ji 新薬師寺


- - - - - My friend Mark Schumacher has all the details.
Yakushi Nyorai - YAKUSHI TATHĀGATA
Yakushi’s full name is Yakushi-rurikō 薬師瑠璃光,
Lord of the Eastern Paradise of Pure Lapis Lazuli
Medicine Master of Lapis Lazuli Radiance.
Introducing the features of Yakushi Nyorai, the important statues and temples.


Medicine Master Buddha:
The Iconic Worship of Yakushi in Heian Japan

Yui Suzuki
This profusely illustrated volume illuminates the primacy of icons in disseminating the worship of the Medicine Master Buddha (J: Yakushi Nyorai) in Japan. Suzuki’s meticulous study explicates how the devotional cult of Yakushi, one of the earliest Buddhist cults imported to Japan from the continent, interacted and blended with local beliefs, religious dispositions, and ritual practices over the centuries, developing its own distinctive imprint on Japanese soil. Worship of the Medicine Master Buddha became most influential during the Heian period (794–1185), when Yakushi’s popularity spread to different levels of society and locales outside the capital. The large number of Heian-period Yakushi statues found all across Japan demonstrates that Yakushi worship was an integral component of Heian religious practice.

Medicine Master Buddha focuses on the ninth-century Tendai master Saichō (767–822) and his personal reverence for a standing Yakushi icon. The author proposes that, after Saichō’s death, the Tendai school played a critical role in popularizing the cult of this particular icon as a way of memorializing its founding master and strengthening its position as a major school of Japanese Buddhism. This publication offers a fresh perspective on sculptural representations of the Medicine Master Buddha (including the famous Jingoji Yakushi), and in so doing, reconsiders Yakushi worship as foundational to Heian religious and artistic culture.
- source : www.brill.com/medicine-master-buddha -

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日本三大薬師 / 日本三薬師 the three most famous Yakushi temples in Japan

薬師寺 Nara, 日向薬師 Hinata Yakushi, 会津の勝常寺 Aizu, Shoji-Ji
- - - - - or
Kani Yakushi 蟹薬師 "Crab Yakushi" - Yamanaka Yakushi 山中薬師 - Gifu
and 三河の鳳来寺 Horai-Ji - Mikawa, Aichi

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- - - - - My Articles about Yakushi Nyorai - - - - -

. Akaidake Yakushi 閼伽井嶽薬師 - 常福寺 Jofuku-Ji, Fukushima

Amulets for Eye Diseases 眼病　Yakushi Nyorai healing - Tokyo

. Ana Yakushi Kofun 穴薬師古墳 .
- Yakushi-ana 薬師穴 Yakushi cave / ana no Yakushi 穴の薬師　Yakushi with holes

. Arai Yakushi Baisho-In 新井薬師 梅照院 .

budoo Yakushi葡萄薬師 Budo Yakushi, Grapes Yakushi- Yamanashi

. bokeyoke Yakushi ぼけ除け薬師 to prevent dementia .

Daigiji 大義寺 Daigi-Ji / Taigi-Ji - Tama Henro pilgrimage

. Enku 円空 Yakushi Sanzon 薬師三尊 .

Fudo - Yakushi Nyorai and Fudo Myo-O legends 薬師と不動　伝説

Genshō Tennō 元正天皇 Empress Gensho Tenno and Yakushi -(683 – 748)

Gyooki Bosatsu. Gyōki 行基菩薩 Gyoki Bosatsu and Yakushi (668-749 AD)


Haiku and kigo 俳句 about Yakushi Nyorai

- - - Heian Period and Yakushi 平安時代と薬師 - (794 - 1192)

. hi mizu no Yakushi 日見ずの薬師 Yakushi not to see the sun .
大鹿村 Oshika village, Nagano

Hinata Yakushi 日向薬師 日向山霊山寺 - Kanagawa

Hizura Yakushidoo 日面薬師堂 Hizura Yakushi Do Hall - Kajiyaba, Fukushima

Hokedake Yakush-ji 法華嶽薬師寺 Hokkedake Yakushi Temple
and the quail car toy (うずら車 uzuraguruma)

. Hooraiji 鳳来寺 Horai-Ji, Mikawa, Aichi .

Hooryuuji - 法隆寺 Yakushi Statue at Temple Horyu-ji


Inaba Yakushi 因幡薬師 - Kyoto
temple 平等寺 Byodo-Ji and
因幡堂縁起絵巻 Inabado engi emaki "picture scroll of legends of the Inabado Hall" .

. Ishiyakushi, Ishi-Yakushi 石薬師 various Rock and Stone Yakushi .
and temple Ishiyakushi-Ji, 石薬師寺 Suzuka, Mie

. Iyo 12 Yakushi Temples, Shikoku 伊予十二薬師霊場 .
01 - Toorinji 東林寺 Torin-Ji / 02 小谷山医座寺 Iza-Ji / 03 室岡山蓮華寺 Renge-Ji / 04 Saihooji 大楽山西法寺 Saiho-Ji / 05 Onoyama Shookannji 小野山正観寺 Shokan-Ji / 06 Kooshakuji 瑠璃山香積寺 Koshaku-Ji / 07 Chooryuuji 興福山長隆寺 Choryu-Ji / 08 - 雲門寺 Unmon-Ji / 09 玉松山金蓮寺 Konren-Ji / 10 Choorakuji 長楽寺 Choraku-Ji / 11 Joomyooin 浄明院 Jomyo-In / 12 瑠璃光山薬師寺 Yakushi-Ji - and
Anyooji 安養寺 Anyo-Ji / Juurinji 十輪寺 Jurin-Ji / Saikooji 西光寺 Saiko-Ji


Jingoji　神護寺 Jingo-Ji, Kyoto, Sanbi 三尾

Jinmu-Ji Temple, Fudo Myo-O and Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来
(Jimmuji 神武寺) in Zushi Town, Kanagawa prefecture

Jooshooji 常性寺 Josho-Ji - Tama Henro pilgrimage

Juusanbutsu 十三仏
Yakushi Nyorai is one of the 13 protector Buddhas


. Kani Yakushi 蟹薬師 "Crab Yakushi" . - Gifu, 願興寺 Ganko-Ji, Kani town

Kankaiji 観海寺 -　Kankai-Ji - Oita

Katade Yakushi 隻手薬師 "Yakushi with one arm" 瑠璃山香積寺 Koshaku-Ji Ehime

Kawakami Yakushi　川上薬師 - 弥勒寺 Miroku-Ji Tokyo

Kazusa Yakushi Pilgrimage 上総国薬師如来霊場

Kenryusan Daigongen Yakushi剣龍山大権現薬師如来
Mount Kenryu-San, Yamagata

Kinegawa Yakushi 木下川薬師 Yakushi from Kinegawa - Edo
- Kigegawa Yakushi Engi = misspelling of Kinegawa

Kinoshita no Yakushi 木ノ下の薬師 Yakushi from Kinoshita - Miyagi

Kiyotakiji 清瀧寺 / 清滝寺 Kiyotaki-Ji - Kochi

kokeshi wooden dolls and Yakushi こけしと薬師如来

. Koyakushizoo 香薬師像 Koyakushi-Zo Statue, Ko-Yakushi .

Koyasu Yakushi 子安薬師 "to protect children"

. Kyushu Pilgrimage to 49 Yakushi Temples 九州四十九薬師霊場 .


. Legends and Folktales about Yakushi Nyorai .


Mine Yakushidoo 峯薬師堂 in Hiraizumi, Iwate
famous for healing eye disease

migawari Yakushi 身代わり薬師 Yakushi as personal substiture *

. Mokujiki 木喰上人 / 木食 statue carver .


nabe Yakushi 鍋薬師 Yakushi and the cooking pot

nade Yakushi　なで薬師　Yakushi to be rubbed

neko Yakushi 猫薬師 Yakushi and the Cat

nezumi Yakushi ねずみ薬師 Yakushi and the mice

nure Yakushi 濡れ薬師 Yakushi who got wet
- - - - - Miyagi - 柴田郡 柴田町 Shibata
- - - - - Gunma 高崎市南八幡 - Takasaki Town


. Oka Yakushi Ruriko Nyorai 岡薬師瑠璃光如来 . - Matsuyama, Ehime - 星岡山

Oni 鬼 demons and Yakushi Nyorai

onsen Yakushi 温泉薬師 hot springs and Yakushi *


. Paradise of Yakushi Nyorai 薬師浄土曼荼羅 Yakushi Jodo Mandala .
薬師瑠璃光浄土 Yakushi Ruriko Jodo / 東方瑠璃光浄土 Toho Ruriko Jodo
Eastern Paradise of Pure Lapis Lazuli 東方浄瑠璃世界 Toho Joruri Sekai

placebo effect プラシーボ効果 and Yakushi Nyorai

pokkuri Yakushi ポックリ薬師 granting a sudden death

Raigo-In 大原来迎院 Ohara, Kyoto

Ruriko - Yakushi Rurikoo Nyorai 薬師瑠璃光如来 Yakushi of Lapis Lazuli Radiance.
- - - - - Ruriji 瑠璃寺 temples names Ruri-Ji
- - - - - Rurikooji 瑠璃光寺 temples names Ruriko-Ji - Rurikō-ji 　
- - - - - Rurizan （るりざん） 瑠璃山 Ruriyama

ryuutoo Yakushi 龍灯薬師 Yakushi of the Dragon Lantern . - Matsuyama, Ehime

Saikoku Yakushi Pilgrimages to 49 temples
西国四十九薬師巡礼 / 西国薬師巡礼 Saigoku Yakushi

Sakurado Yakushi 桜堂薬師 / 櫻堂薬師 - Gifu

Senmi Yakushi-Ji 川見薬師寺 （せんみやくしじ）Kawami Yakushi-Ji - Aichi

Shichibutsu Yakushi 七仏薬師 / 七佛薬師 Seven Yakushi statues - Introduction
- from from 丹後 Tango: 七薬師伝説 : one is muchi yakushi 鞭薬師 "whip Yakushi"
麻呂子親王 Prince Maroko Shinno (当麻皇子 Prince Taima no Miko)

Shiga no Yakushi 志賀の薬師 Yakushi from Shiga village - Miyagi

shio Yakushi 塩薬師 "Salt Yakushi"
- shio no Yakushi 塩の薬師 Yakushi and Salt - Miyagi. Yakushi und Salz

Shunkō-ji 春光寺 Shunko-Ji - Kyoto

Shusse Yakushi 出世薬師 for a good career .

sugi Yakushi 杉薬師 Yakushi and the cedar tree - Miyagi

Sukunahikona no mikoto 少彦名命 Sukuna Hikona (Sukuna-Bikona) and Shinno shi 神農氏 .


Taisanji 太山寺 Taisan-Ji - Hyogo

Tako Yakushi 多幸薬師 / 蛸薬師 Yakushi and the Octopus
in Edo, Kyoto . . .

Tanishi Choja and Yakushi たにし長者

tawara Yakushi 俵薬師 Yakushi and a bale of rice

. Tengu Legends with Yakushi 　薬師と天狗伝説 .

Tokuitsu (Toku-Ichi) 得一 徳溢 and the Yakushi Temples in the Aizu area.
Aizu Go Yakushi 会津五薬師 Five Yakushi temples
Kukai Kobo Daishi, priest Tokuitsu and the fighting with the Emishi people in the Tohoku region by the imperial government in Kyoto.
. Enichiji 慧日寺 Enichi-Ji .

Tohoku - Three Great Yakushi Statues 東北の三大薬師

Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康 and Yakushi Nyorai

. Tookondoo 東金堂 Tokon-Do "Eastern Golden Hall" - Temple Kofuku-Ji . - Nara

tora Yakushi 寅薬師 "Tiger Yakushi"


Yamaya Yakushidoo 山屋薬師堂 Yamaya Yakushi-Do Hall - Aomori

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Yakushi Nyorai　- Deutscher Text - German .

- yakko 薬壷 medicine pot .

. Yakushida, Yakushiden 薬師田 "Fields of Yakushi" . - place names

Yakushi Engi 薬師縁起 Old Yakushi Scroll Legends

Yakushiji　薬師寺 Yakushi-Ji - Yakushi Temples *

. Yakushi Jinja 薬師神社 Yakushi Shrines . *

Yakushigama, Yakushi no Kama　薬師窯 Yakushi Kiln - Aichi

. Yakushiishi, Yakushi-Ishi 薬師石 Yakushi Ishi Stone or Rock .

Yakushi Kokeshi Doo 薬師こけし堂 Yakushi Kokeshi-Do
興徳寺 Tsuchiyu Hot Spring 土湯温泉 - Fukushima

Yakushi Okami "薬師大神" Yakushi Daijin

Yakushi Onsen 薬師温泉 Hot Springs named Yakushi
. - - - - - Yakushi no Yu　薬師の湯 .

Yakushi sanzon 薬師三尊 Yakushi Triad, Trias, Trinity .

yakushisoo, yakushi soo 薬師草 "Yakushi plant" - Youngia denticulata

. Yakushi Tooge 薬師峠 Yakushi Toge pass - in Japan .

Yakushi zoo, Yakushi Norai zoo 薬師如来像 Statues of Yakushi Nyorai　

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Yamada Yakushi Nyorai 山田薬師如来
and a manju sweets legend from the shop Yamadaya in Ehime.
- Yamada Yakushi 山田薬師 . - Matsuyama, Ehime - 正観寺 Shokan-Ji

. Yamada Naokimi 山田尚公 - carver . - Okayama

. 山中薬師 Yamanaka Yakushi - 医王寺 Io-Ji . - Gifu, Nakatsugawa
and kitsune kooyaku 狐膏薬 fox medicine

Yooji Yakushi Doo 楊枝薬師堂 The Yakushi Hall of Yoji Village - Mie

Yoshiwara (Shizuoka) 吉原の薬師堂 Yoshiwara no Yakushi-Do .
and Tokugawa Ieyasu

Yakuriki Myojin 薬力明神 a Shinto Kami version

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- source - rakuten -

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. Yakushi Pilgrims INFO - INTRODUCTION .

. Yakushi Nyorai Legends 薬師如来 -　伝説 .

. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC .


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Sugi Yakushi Cedar

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Yakushi Sugi 薬師杉 Cedar Tree and Yakushi Nyorai


. WKD : sugi 杉 cedar tree in all seasons .
- Introduction -


. Folktales, legends about Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来 / 薬師様 / 薬師さん .

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ヤクシスギ / やくしすぎ Yakushi Sugi
Nearby is a small Yakushi-Do 薬師堂 Hall for Yakushi Nyorai .



This old tree is about 30 meters high.
in Niigata, 新潟県柏崎市石曽根小清水
source :　hitozato-kyoboku.com

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. . . CLICK here for Photos of the trees!

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sugi Yakushi 杉薬師 Yakushi and the cedar tree

Long ago in the Tenpyo period (729 - 749), when the Emperor 孝謙天皇 Koken Tenno (718 - 770) was very ill and asked his diviners for advise, they told him:
"In Mutsu 陸奥 there is a very very high cedar tree 大杉 and its long branches produced a shadow until your living quarters, causing your illness."
So he ordered one of his ministers, 某（なにがし） the Dainagon Nanigashi, to have the tree cut down.
The minister found a huge cedar tree at the village of Tsukidate and had it cut down. From the cutting surface blood spilled on the ground. But on the next morning all was healed and the tree was standing there as before.
However many times they cut it down, the same thing happened. Then a diviner told them to prepare a rope of the reeds in a field North-East to the cedar tree and cover the cutting wound with it.
The splinters from cutting flew in all directions and were soon gone.
Finally the illness of the Emperor was healed.
So he ordered to have a temple build over the stump of the cedar tree. Later Jigaku Daishi 慈覚大師 passed here and had a statue of Yakushi Nyorai placed on the altar.

. Yakushi Nyorai Legends from Miyagi 宮城県 .
栗原郡 Kurihara 築館町 Tsukidate

and more about the temple 双林寺 Sorin-Ji.


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- - - - - H A I K U - - - - -

影もつれ鹿ノ子鬼百合杉薬師
kage mo tsure ka no ko oniyuri sugi yakushi

shadows get longer
over all kinds of tiger lilies
Sugi Yakushi
Tr. Gabi Greve

Ishizaki Soshuu 石崎素秋 Ishisaki Soshu



. WKD : lilies in all seasons .



photo - wikipedia

kanoko yuri 鹿の子百合 Speciosum lily
Lilium speciosum, sometimes called the Japanese lily

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. Yakushipedia - ABC-Index 薬師如来 .

. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC .


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Inaba Yakushi

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Inaba Yakushi 因幡薬師

. Legends about Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来 / 薬師様 / 薬師さん .
- Introduction -


other 薬師縁起　Yakushi Engi - below
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因幡堂 平等寺 Inaba-Do Byodo-Ji - Kyoto

The origin of temple Byoodooji 平等寺 Byodo-Ji is referred to in "Inabado Engi" (Legends of the Inaba-Do)
included in 山城名勝志 Yamashiro Meisho Shi "Annals of Yamashiro's picturesque sites" and 因幡堂縁起絵巻 Inabado engi-emaki "picture scroll of legends of the Inabado" .



五条高倉薬師堂 Gojo Takakura Yakushi Do
at Byodo-ji Temple (Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City), which is known for kyogen "Inabado".

京都府京都市下京区烏丸通松原上る因幡堂町728
728 Inabado-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto

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In the Kamakura period at 997, 橘行平 Tachibana no Yukihira became governor of 因幡国 Inaba provice (now in Tottori). While he was there he became ill and had a dream.
At the beach of 因幡賀留津 Karunotsu in Inaba there is a sacred tree that would save him. When he went there, it was not a tree but a statue of Yakushi Nyorai hauled out of the waters. So he had a preliminary Hall build for the statue.

When Yukihira had gone back to Kyoto, he had another dream. A monk from the "Heaven in the West" 西の天 came to visit him and told him to save all the people in the east.
When he woke up he was told about a visitor at his gate. He thought it was the monk from his dream and went to the West Gate to greet him. By the time they opened the gate, the statue of Yakushi was standing there. It had come flying after him and landed in his estate. This is the beginning of the 因幡堂 Inaba Hall.
This was in the year 1003.

The temple soon grew in fame and even the Emperor came to worship here. Soon the Yakushi Moode 薬師もうで Mode, prayer visit to Yakushi became popular in Kyoto. In its prime time it had more than 8 sub-temples and a special entrance for official visitors.

Yakushi Nyorai at this temple is said to keep people free from cancer - in our modern times.
The statue was probably carved by the sculptor Kooshoo 康尚 Kosho in the mid or late Heian period.



Road to the "Gate that does not open".

Around 1170 during the fighting of the Genji and Heike 源平争乱 Emperor Takakura 高倉天皇 (1161 - 1181) lived just South of the Inaba Hall at the 東五条院 Higashi Gojo-In and the gate straight up the road at the temple was called akezu no mon　不明門　"Gate that does not open".
In 1171 Emperor Takakura gave it the name of temle Byodo-Ji.




本尊薬師如来立像 Yakushi Nyorai - The main statue of the temple
The statue is 165 cm high.
The name of the temple in Tottori is Zakooji 座光寺 Zako-Ji.







Statue of Tachibana no Yukihira 橘行平





The temple is famous for the Kyogen performances - 因幡堂狂言 Inaba Kyogen.





omamori　お守り　amulet from Byodo-Ji




shuin 朱印 stamp from Byodo-Ji


-- - - - HP of the temple 平等寺 Byodo-Ji
- source : www.inabado.jp

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Kooshoo, Kōshō 康尚 Buddhist sculptor Kosho
Called 「仏師職の祖」, "the Ancestor of professional Buddhist Sculptors".
He did not work for any special temple but established his own workshop in Kyoto. He had many disciples who promoted his style.
His father was 源康行, his son Joochoo, Jōchō 定朝 Jocho (? - 1057).

He also made statues of Byakudan Yakushi 白檀薬師像 and Fudo Myo-o 東福寺同聚院不動明王坐.
- reference -


. Buddhist sculptors 仏師 Edo Period to the Present Day .


. kyoogen, kyōgen　狂言 Kyogen performance .
- Introduction -

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因幡堂薬師縁起絵巻 Inabado Yakushi Engi Emaki

This scroll
depicts the construction of the Inaba-Do hall at the temple Byodo-Ji in Kyoto.
The story is told in the record of 御堂関白記 Mido Kanpaku Ki and others.
The famous scroll has been damaged by fire and is not complete.
東京国立博物館 Tokyo National Museum
- source : www.emuseum.jp/detail


A much older legend from Inaba / Tottori - about Okuninushi no Mikoto (Daikoku in Buddhism) :
. The White Rabbit of Inaba 因幡の白兎 .



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- - - - - Edo　江戸　Tokyo 　東京 - - - - -

Kinegawa Yakushi 木下川薬師（きねがわやくし）Yakushi from Kinegawa

Jokooji 浄光寺　Joko-Ji 　- 木下川薬師浄光寺
Tokyo - Katsushika 葛飾区東四つ木1-5-9
and
伝教大師　Dengyo Daishi


嘉祥2年（849）僧広智の草庵にはじまり、貞観2年（860）3月その弟子慶寛によって一寺となり、浄光寺と名づけられた。古くから<木下川薬師>として知られ、一千有余年の法灯を伝える関東屈指の古刹である。草創の由来については、嘉歴2年（1327）の青竜山薬師仏像縁記」に明らかである。大正8年荒川放水路開削工事による移転以前は、現在地の西北0.6キロ、江戸川水道橋の少し上流にあった。
草創以来、赫々として郷民の崇敬を集めたが、乱世にいたりいくたびか兵火のため焼失、寺領を没収せられ、応永年間（1394-1428）再び戦禍にかかり、荒廃状態となった。時の別当証円は法脈の絶えるのをうれい、領主奥津家定に願い出て、その斡旋によって関東管領上杉憲実から、当寺の別当職および寺領等の補佐を得て中興した。その後も幾多の消長を経、天正19年（1590）住僧良寛は徳川家に愁訴し、薬師供養料として5石の朱印地を得、堂舎を改築し、将軍家の祈願所となり、また江戸時代を通じて、毎年、将軍家の代参があり、江戸城紅葉山の歴代将軍霊屋の別当職を勤め、浅草浅草寺の筆頭格を占め、享保5年（1720）3月、将軍吉宗の放鷹以来、御膳所に指定されて慣例となり、幕末まで継続した。天保11年（1840）火災により本堂以下ことごとく灰燼に帰したが、幸に本尊をはじめ寺宝の大部分はその難を免れか、今なお保存されている。
（葛飾区教育委員会　葛飾区寺院調査報告より）
- source : katsushika/temple_eyotsugi_joko.shtml




- - - - - HP of the temple
- source : kinegawa-yakushi.jp


Kigegawa Yakushi Engi misspelling of Kinegawa
The Dragon in China and Japan
By M. W. De Visser

§1. Dengyo Daishi's image of Yakushi Nyorai.
The Kigegawa Yakushi engi says the following:
"The image of Yakushi Nyorai in Jokwoji (also called Shoryuzan, "Blue Dragon monastery"), in Katsushika district, Shimosa province, is made by Dengyo Daishi.
When Jikaku Daishi stayed in Asakusa-dera (the famous Kwannon temple in Asakusa, the well-known district of Yedo), an old man with grey hair appeared to him and said: 'In the North-east there is a holy place, where I have dedicated a miraculous image made by Dengyo Daishi'. Thereupon the man disappeared, and Jikaku went outside and looked towards the North-east. Suddenly a lucky cloud (zui-un, a cloud of a lucky colour) arose, and in it a blue dragon was visible.
Then the Daishi secretly left the temple and went in search of this blue dragon, till he arrived at the cottage (where the above-mentioned old man had lived as a hermit and had obtained the image). There he worshipped the image and saw the blue dragon, which was still there. Jikaku turned himself to the lucky cloud and addressed the dragon as follows:

'I wish to say a few words to you, you sacred dragon, listen to me. I want to built a temple here, which you must guard and protect from calamity. From this moment I appoint you guardian-god of the shrine'.

When the Daishi had finished speaking, the dragon, which had listened motionless, with his head bent down in reverence, disappeared. The priest considered this to be a good sign, and called the sanctuary 'Blue Dragon temple'.
Up till this day from time to time a dragon- lantern appears there as a wonderful, lucky omen,- probably in consequence of the above facts (i. e. because the blue dragon is the temple's guardian-god)".

The Udo meisho ki tells us that from olden times many pilgrims went to this temple, which is also called Jokwoji ("Temple of the Pure Light"), to worship the dragon-lantern, which was sure to arise before the image of Yakushi Nyorai on the eighth day of every month, and on New- Year's morning.

-

Before the Buddhist chapel of Kasai Yakushi situated on a mountain north of Okayama, in Bizen province, there stood a "Dragon-lantern pine tree". Every night, especially in summer time, will-o'-the-wisps were seen there.
- source : books.google.co.jp


- - - - -

. ryuutoo 龍燈 "dragon lantern" .
shiranui, shiranu-i 不知火 (しらぬい) "unknown light"
A phenomenon at the Ariakekai sea in Kagoshima, Kyushu, in the evening hours.
It is also seen in other parts of Japan as a light that the Dragon God sends out to honor the deities of Shinto and Buddhism in Japan.

kigo for mid-autumn
With a haiku by Matsuo Basho.



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Medicine Master Buddha:
The Iconic Worship of Yakushi in Heian Japan




This profusely illustrated volume illuminates the primacy of icons in disseminating the worship of the Medicine Master Buddha (J: Yakushi Nyorai) in Japan. Suzuki’s meticulous study explicates how the devotional cult of Yakushi, one of the earliest Buddhist cults imported to Japan from the continent, interacted and blended with local beliefs, religious dispositions, and ritual practices over the centuries, developing its own distinctive imprint on Japanese soil. Worship of the Medicine Master Buddha became most influential during the Heian period (794–1185), when Yakushi’s popularity spread to different levels of society and locales outside the capital. The large number of Heian-period Yakushi statues found all across Japan demonstrates that Yakushi worship was an integral component of Heian religious practice.

Medicine Master Buddha focuses on the ninth-century Tendai master Saichō (767–822) and his personal reverence for a standing Yakushi icon. The author proposes that, after Saichō’s death, the Tendai school played a critical role in popularizing the cult of this particular icon as a way of memorializing its founding master and strengthening its position as a major school of Japanese Buddhism. This publication offers a fresh perspective on sculptural representations of the Medicine Master Buddha (including the famous Jingoji Yakushi), and in so doing, reconsiders Yakushi worship as foundational to Heian religious and artistic culture.
source :　www.brill.com/medicine-master-buddha


Yakushi Engi, Yakushiengi 薬師縁起　The Omen of Yakushi Temple
Medicine Master Buddha: The Iconic Worship of Yakushi in Heian Japan
By Yui Suzuki
- source : books.google.co.jp


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. Legends about Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来 / 薬師様 / 薬師さん .

. Yakushipedia - ABC-Index 薬師如来 .

. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC .


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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- - #gokurakuinabayakushi -
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Yakushi Miyagi Legends

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Yakushipedia - ABC-Index 薬師如来 .
- for 双林寺 Temple Sorin-Ji see below
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Yakushi Nyorai Legends from Miyagi 宮城県

. Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来 the Buddha of Medicine - Bhaisajyaguru .
- Legends about Yakushi Nyorai -


Kinoshita no Yakushi 木ノ下の薬師 Yakushi from Kinoshita village
nabe Yakushi 鍋薬師 Yakushi and the cooking pot
nure Yakushi 濡れ薬師 Yakushi who got wet
Shiga no Yakushi 志賀の薬師 Yakushi from Shiga village
shio no Yakushi 塩の薬師 Yakushi and Salt
sugi Yakushi 杉薬師 Yakushi and the cedar tree

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nabe Yakushi 鍋薬師 Yakushi and the cooking pot

黒川郡 Kurokawa 大和町 Yamato village

In the year 1592 Lord Date Masamune led his troups from 岩出山城 Iwadeyama Castle toward the capital of Kyoto. To honor the God of War 軍神 with a blood offering 血祭 at the forest 七ツ森 he begun a hunt for a sacrifice animal, but they did not catch anything. Masamune got angry and begun to climb up Mount 大森山 Omoriyama. From there he saw something black in the distance.
When he asked his retainer 片倉小十郎 Katakura Kojuro, he said it was Yakushi Nyorai.
The angry Masamune ordered a shot at it and broke the breast of the Nabe Yakushi, but at the same time blood was running out of his own nose and did not stop.
Kojuro bowed many times 三拝九拝 and then used the leaf of the bamboo grass (sasa 笹) to stop the nose bleeding.
The anger of Masamune was also calmed down now and he climbed down the mountain. He then ordered the mountain to become his special hunting ground.
- - - One version of the legend says:
The arrow came flying back at Masamune and hit his eye, causing him to loose his eyesight.


Ōmori-yama 大森山薬師如来 Omoiryama Yakushi Nyorai is now a famous camping spot in Miyagi.
The mountain is 226 meters high. A festival in honor of "The Buddha of Healing" is held.
The mountain is also called 笹倉山　Sasakura-yama at 七つ森 Nanatsumori .

The grave of Masamune is at the temple 大義山 覚照寺 Kakusho-Ji
宮城県黒川郡大和町宮床字大椚６９ / Okunugi-69 Miyatoko, Taiwa, Kurokawa District, Miyagi


. Date Masamune 伊達政宗 (1567 - 1636) .


宮城県仙台市若林区木ノ下2丁目8-28

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nure Yakushi 濡れ薬師 Yakushi who got wet

Miyagi - 柴田郡 柴田町 Shibata

At the village Tsukinoki 槻木 there had been a long period of sunshine and drought.
The villagers gathered at the swamp 鰌沼 Dojo-Numa and decided to make an offering of a village girl to the Dragon king 竜神 as a rain ritual 雨乞い (amagoi).
The beautiful O-Yoshi およし agreed to be the victim, because she was upset with her first love, Kensaku 勘作 and felt very unhappy with her life.
On her way to the swamp, O-Yoshi she met an itinerant priest. When he heard her story he suggested that the Dragon God would not be content with her unhappy sacrifice and they would better give him a statue of Yakushi Nyorai.
When they threw the statue in the water, Yakushi got wet and then - - suddenly a strong rain began to fall and the village was saved.
They build a Yakushi Hall 薬師堂 and a small retreat for O-Yoshi who would now serve Yakushi Nyorai at the temple.


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Gunma 高崎市南八幡 - Takasaki Town Minami Hachiman

Near the fence of the assembly hall and the graveyard of the Uehara family 上原家墓地 there is a cherry tree. Below it there is a stone with the inscription of 濡れ薬師.



Since olden times, this Yakushi san has been known to heal diseases of the eyes and many people, who got healed by his power, come here to pray again in gratitude. They also made other small stone statues as offerings, now there are more than 30 beside the Yakushi stone.

But why is it called "Yakushi who gets wet" ?
Well, once there was a good man who built a roof over the stone to keep it dry and protect it from the rain. But then . . . the home of this good man burned down.
So people thought the stone and Yakushi with it were ment to get wet.

- source and more photos : 南八幡 History

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shio no Yakushi 塩の薬師 Yakushi and Salt

Miyagi 名取市 Natori 塩手 Shiote

Once upon a time
some say it was in the year 647, at the bottom of Mount Shiodeyama 塩出山 there was a spring with salty water. An old priest 老僧 and 12 acolytes boiled the water to make salt and distributed it to the villagers.
Because of this beneficent salt, all villagers were healed from their illnesses and became healthy.
The old priest was seen as an incarnation of Yakushi Nyorai and thus the name given to him.
The place where the salt water welled up was called Shiogawara 塩河原 and the place where they boiled it down was called Shiode 塩出 - "where the salt comes from".

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Shio Yakushi Doo 塩薬師堂 Hall for the Shio Yakushi 塩薬師
This Hall is beside the pond Shio no Ike 塩ノ池.

Once upon a time
during a wildfire most of the hamlet was burned down, but the statue of Yakushi flew high in the sky and was saved. It landed safely in a pine tree nearby. So the greatful villagers build a hall for him there and called him the "Salt Yakushi" 塩薬師.

The seated statue we see now is from the Muromachi period, covered with lacquer and then gold foil. It is seated on a lotus throne.



at the temple 塩福山永禅寺 Eizen-Ji 　
宮城県名取市愛島塩手字仮宿４６　

The main statue is Shaka Nyorai.

There is also a statue of Fudo Myo-O 大聖不動明王　　



The statue is carved with one knife 一刀彫 and one among the three famous standing statues of Fudo Myo-O 不動三尊立像 in Tohoku.
- source : sekishin.info


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Kinoshita no Yakushi 木ノ下の薬師 Yakushi from Kinoshita

陸奥国分寺 Mutsu Kokubun-Ji 　薬師堂 Yakushi-Do Hall
宮城県仙台市若林区木ノ下2丁目8-28 / 2 Chome-8-28 Kinoshita, Wakabayashi-ku, Sendai



This is the provincial temple of former Mutsu Province. The Hall for Yakushi 薬師堂 Yakushidō is an Important Cultural Property.
After its first construction around 740, the temple was destroyed in 1189. Lord Date Masamune rebuilt the complex in 1607, including the Yakushi Hall.
In 1903 it was designated an Important Cultural Property.

When Date Masamune was involved in a severe fight with 大崎義隆 Osaki Yoshitaka (1548 - 1603) it seemed difficult for his forces to win. Then suddenly 48 brave monk-soldiers 法師武者 appeared from nowhere and fought with the enemy, so in the end Masamune was victorious.
When he asked where these soldiers had come from, he was told
"From Kinoshita in Miyagino 宮城野" and the soldiers vanished as fast as they had appeared.

At Miyagino there was only a group of stone markers in a small stone sanctuary, dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai.
That night Masamune had a dream telling him that the soldiers had come on orders of Yakushi Nyorai to help him.

-
朝鮮の役に政宗の軍勢が肥前の名護屋を出航したとき、薬師如来が支那に学問修行しにいく僧に化身して便乗して玄界灘を無事乗り切るよう保護し、帰還のときも同乗して守ってくれた。往復ともに僧は「陸奥木ノ下の僧」とのみ答えて名を言わなかった。





Daruma ko ame 達磨コ飴 / 達磨子飴 Daruma lollipop
A kind of candy in red color and the form of Daruma san.
On the seventh day of the first month and the third day of the third month of the old lunar year during the festival of Yakushi お薬師さん this sweet was sold. People who eat it will be healthy all year long.
After buying it you have to roll it up the stairs to the Daruma statue in the Yakushi Hall 薬師堂 and then offer it to the 神棚 Shelf of the Gods in your own home with the wish for the child or children to grow up healthy and well.
This custom was very popular until about 1910. Another type was a small horse sweet.

. 仙台のだるま飴　Daruma sweets from Sendai .


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Shiga no Yakushi 志賀の薬師 Yakushi from Shiga village

岩沼市 Iwanuma 志賀 Shiga

Temple Ganzooji, Ganzōji 岩蔵寺 Ganzo-Ji
Iwanuma-shi, Shiga, Yakushi−9




慈覚大師 Jigaku Daishi founded the temple in 861, bringing a statue of Yakushi Nyorai to be venerated here. During the construction there came a group of skilled carpenters from Hida and promised to build the hall in one night.
But the villagers imitated the crow of a rooster long before daybreak, when the carpenters had just added one ceiling beam 天井板. They were quite angry and left the village.
In front of the hall were the other beams waiting to be fixed and between them was a stone looking like a snake 蛇石. It was formed when an oxen pulling the wooden beams for the building stumbled.

The temple is also famous for its ema 絵馬 votive tablets.
In the hall is a special ema painted by 狩野法眼元信 Kano Motonobu (1476 - 1559).
The oxen on this painting did not have any reins, so he escaped from the painting and damaged the fields in front of the temple. Therefore Motonobu came back and painted some reins to keep the oxen in place on the wooden tablet.

The statue of Yakushi in the Yakushi Hall 薬師堂 is said to be carved by Jigaku Daishi himself. It is a secret statue preserved in a small sanctuary 厨子 and never shown.


. Ennin -　Jigaku Daishi 慈覚大師 . - (794 – 864)


. Hida no Takumi 飛騨工匠 Hida’s Master Builders .

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sugi Yakushi 杉薬師 Yakushi and the cedar tree
Miyagi, 栗原郡 Kurihara 築館町 Tsukidate


source :　www.pref.miyagi.jp
The seated statue from the Heian period is 121.2 cm high and made of keyaki ケヤキ zelkova wood.
It is an important cultural property of the town 重要文化財.

Long ago in the Tenpyo period (729 - 749), when the Empress 孝謙天皇 Koken Tenno (718 - 770) was very ill and asked her diviners for advise, they told her:
"In Mutsu 陸奥 there is a very very high cedar tree 大杉 and its long branches produced a shadow until your living quarters, causing your illness."
So she ordered one of her ministers, 某（なにがし） the Dainagon Nanigashi, to have the tree cut down.
The minister found a huge cedar tree at the village of Tsukidate and had it cut down. From the cutting surface blood spilled on the ground. But on the next morning all was healed and the tree was standing there as before.
However many times they cut it down, the same thing happened. Then a diviner told them to prepare a rope of the reeds in a field North-East to the cedar tree and cover the cutting wound with it.
The splinters from cutting flew in all directions and were soon gone.
Finally the illness of the Empress was healed.
So she ordered to have a temple build over the stump of the cedar tree.
Later Jigaku Daishi 慈覚大師 passed here and had a statue of Yakushi Nyorai placed on the altar.


The temple, built in 760, was called Soorinji 双林寺 Sorin-Ji.


宮城県栗原市築館薬師台双林寺
1-1 Tsukidateyakushidai, Kurihara, Miyagi

The temple became quite famous and had more than 48 sub-temples in its compound.
But during the Middle Ages it declined through fire and fighting.
In 1591 it was re-built on orders of Date Masamune.
In the compound is the new hall 薬師瑠璃殿, / 薬師堂 - Ruridono 瑠璃殿
where the statue is now called
「お薬師様」 O-Yakushi sama, 「杉薬師様」 Sugi Yakushi Sama.

Every year on November 3 there is a special festival at the Yakushi Hall.
Tsukidate Yakushi Matsuri つきだて薬師まつり, also called
Fujiwara Ichizoku Yakushi Matsuri 藤原一族薬師まいり Yakushi Festival of the Fujiwara clan.

The festival is based on another legend of Kurihara town, the
しづはた姫物語 Shizuhata Hime Monogatari.
When the princess of the Fujiwara clan (Shizuhata, later 北の方 Kita no Kata) was on her way to Hiraizumi, she became ill on the way and prayed at the Cedar Tree Yakushi temple. She got healed on the spot and later, when she was with the Fujiwara clan, she had her retainers come to pray at this temple in a long parade.

The region of present-day Kurihara was part of the ancient Mutsu Province　陸奥の国, and has been settled since the Jomon period by the Emishi.
During the later portion of the Heian period, the area was ruled by the Northern Fujiwara. During the Sengoku period, the area was contested by various samurai clans before it came under the control of the Date clan of Sendai.

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- - - - - Legends from 雙林寺 / 双林寺 Sorin-Ji temples in Japan - - - - -

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Gunma 群馬県 - 子持村 Komochi village

tsuru 鶴 a crane
The carving of a crane at 双林寺 the Temple Sorin-Ji came to live at night and devastated the fields.
The hunters had to shoot it down.

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Gunma 渋川市 Shibukawa city

Tadanori sakasazakura 忠度逆さ桜 the upside-down cherry tree of Tadanori
The cherry tree at 双林寺 the Temple Sorin-Ji is called "upside-down cherry tree".
Once a zatoo 座頭 blind minstrel appeared in front of the second priest of the temple.
He recited from the Heike Monogatari 平家物語 Tale of the Heike clan.
He quoted the poem
行暮れて木の下蔭をと宿せば花ぞ今宵のあるじならまし
and then disappeared.
The priest thought it must have been the spirit of Tadanori.
Tadanori had appeared on a white horse and thrown his whip made from cherry wood toward the sky and disappeared.
The whip had taken roots and became the cherry tree.

行暮れて木の下蔭をと宿せば花ぞ今宵のあるじならまし
"Were I, still traveling as night falls,
to make a sheltering tree my inn,
then would my host tonight be
the blossoms themselves?"
. Taira no Tadanori 平忠度 (1144 – 1184) .
. The Tale of the Heike (平家物語 Heike Monogatari) .

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Gunma 渋川市 Shibukawa city 雙林寺 / 双林寺 Sorinji

The Seven Wonders from Temple Sorin-Ji 双林寺の七不思議
sakasa sakura 逆さ桜 Upside-down cherry tree
一つ木拍子
蛇頭水
山門の小僧
底無しの井戸
繋ぎ榧
赤門の鶏


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Kyoto

雙林寺 Sorin-Ji -- 東山薬師 Higashiyama Yakushi (脚気薬師 Kakke-Yakushi)
. Yakushi Legends from Kyoto .

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- reference -

Monsters, legends and Yakushi 妖怪データベース
- source : nichibun yokai database

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. O-Mamori お守り　Amulets and Talismans .

. Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来 the Buddha of Medicine - Bhaisajyaguru .
- Legends about Yakushi Nyorai -

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- - - Postscript - - -

Just when I had finished this article, with the words Miyagino and Wakabayashi still fresh in my mind, there was an article in the Japan Times
about the reconstruction efforts after the earthquake of March 11, 2011 -

- quote -
Innovation helps Tohoku’s tsunami-hit farmers bounce back
by Megan Rowling - Japan Times -
SENDAI –
Even before a tsunami swamped fields east of Sendai in March 2011, Chikako Sasaki and her husband, a rice farmer, had dreamed of starting a business selling food made from their own produce. . . .
. . . The company in Wakabayashi Ward also has a processing facility nearby, and is planning to expand its other activity of making boxed lunches for convenience stores and public events.
. . . The company, which began operating almost two years ago in Miyagino Ward with capital from five young local farmers and disaster relief grants and loans, employs around 40 people and is branching out into organic vegetables too.
. . . Drainage pumping stations were quickly restored after the disaster with new ones now being built to double capacity needed to cope with the 50 cm of ground subsidence caused by the quake.
To cover the extra cost of the new pumping stations, the Sendai’s city government has installed solar panels near its agriculture and horticulture center in Wakabayashi.
With a capacity to generate power for 150 households, the solar plant has recently begun producing electricity, which is sold to the grid.
- source : Japan Times April 01, 2015

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. Ennin -　Jigaku Daishi 慈覚大師 . - (794 – 864)

. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC .


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Yakushi Nyorai Places

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. Yakushipedia - ABC-Index 薬師如来 .
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Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来 the Buddha of Medicine - Bhaisajyaguru

. Yakushi Onsen 薬師温泉 Hot Springs named Yakushi
Yakushi no Yu 薬師の湯 - Yakushi Yu 薬師湯 .


. Legends about Yakushi Nyorai　薬師伝説　.

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Mountains named Yakushi
Other Place names with Yakushi

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to be updated - ABC list of the prefectures

Mountains named Yakushi

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Niigata 新潟県

加茂市，南蒲原郡 Minamikanbara district
Yoneyama Awagatake Awayakushi 米山，粟ケ岳，粟薬師

Once upon the time of the Gods,
the two mountains Yoneyama and Awagatake tried to find out which one could hold more water. In the end the water began to flow towart Awagatake. The female deity called Awa Yakushi took her undergarment (koshimaki腰巻) and tired to stop the flow until both mountains were about the same size.
Some say the name of the mountain is also 薬師岳 Yakushidake.
And at Yoneyama the name of the deity was 恵那薬師 Ena Yakushi, later pronounced Yone.
It is a mountain where Yakushi Nyorai lives 薬師如来の住む山.


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Toyama 富山県

Yakushidake, Yakushi-Dake 薬師岳 Mount Yakushi 
In the Hida Mountain Range. 2,926 meters
With the 薬師岳圏谷（カール）群 at its feet.



There are a few mountains with this same name in the prefectures, but this is the highest peak. It is a sacred mountain symbolizing the Paradise of Yakushi and at its top is a small sanctuary with a statue of Yakushi Nyorai.
There is also a small Fudo Myo-O at his side.

Upstream of the river 和田川 Wadagawa there is a small settlement called 有峰（ありみね） Arimine, said to date back to the times of the Heike 平家落人. They built a small sanctuary on top of the mountain and come here to celebrate every year on the 15th of June.


- reference about Heike 薬師 平家落人 -


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Yamagata 山形県

山形県最上郡金山町大字飛森 / Tobinomori, Kaneyama, Mogami District, Yamagata

Yakushisan, Yakushi San 薬師山 Mount Yakushi, Yakushiyama
436.7 m

- Legend
The farmers of Tobinomori village have venerated Yakushi Nyorai since olden times as a deity that wards off insects that destroy the crops 虫除けの神.
When they pray at the shrine on top of the mountain and in the rock cave along the middle of the mountain, there will always be plenty of water and no harm done by insects.
Another legend says that in the rock cave there lives a Tengu 天狗 Mountain Goblin.

Once the nearby mountains quarreled about which was the highest in the area. Finally the Deities got angry about this petty quarrel and grinded off the top of Yakushisan.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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- - - - - Other Place Names with Yakushi
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Ibaraki 　茨城県

Yakushidai 茨城県守谷市薬師台 Yakushidai, Moriya, Ibaraki

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Ibaraki ? Ishioka 石岡

Yakushi Kodoo 薬師古道 Yakushi Kodo - Old Road of Yakushi

Shobuzawa no Yakushi 菖蒲沢薬師
菖蒲沢の薬師」は、筑波四面薬師の一つで 、その昔は大変にぎわいました。この薬師古道は、水の神様「龍神様」や「天白稲荷神社」などいろいろな地域資源が点在し、地域の歴史や里山の景観を楽しめる森林浴の道です。

- source : www.city.ishioka.lg.jp


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- reference -

Monsters, legends and Yakushi 妖怪データベース
- source : nichibun yokai database


YAKUSHI NYORAI, YAKUSHI TATHĀGATA　Buddha of Medicine and Healing
Yakushi literally means Medicine Teacher
Lord of the Eastern Paradise of Pure Lapis Lazuli
(Jp. = Jōruri 浄瑠璃, Skt. = Vaiduryanirbhasa).
Yakushi’s full name is Yakushi-rurikō 薬師瑠璃光,
meaning Medicine Master of Lapis Lazuli Radiance.
Commonly shown holding medicine jar in left hand.
Among the 88 temples on the well-trodden Shikoku Pilgrimage, 23 are dedicated to Yakushi, second only to the 29 sites dedicated to Kannon (Goddess of Mercy).
- source : Mark Schumacher -

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. O-Mamori お守り　Amulets and Talismans .


. Yakushi Nyorai - 薬師如来 - Introduction .


. Yakushi Onsen 薬師温泉 Hot Springs named Yakushi .


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. Yakushi Pilgrims INFO - INTRODUCTION .


. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC .


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- #yakushinyoraiplaces #yakushiplaces #yakushimountain #yakushinoyu #yakushionsen -
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Yakushi Nyorai Legends

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Yakushipedia - ABC-Index 薬師如来 .
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Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来 the Buddha of Medicine - Bhaisajyaguru

Folktales, legends about Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来 / お薬師様 / お薬師さん


- source : Shin Yakushi-Ji 新薬師寺


. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

. Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来 place names .
mountains, and more - many come with their own legend


. Yakushi no Yu 薬師の湯 / Yakushiyu 薬師湯 Yakushi Hot Springs .


. Neko Yakushi 猫薬師 Yakushi Nyorai and the Cat .

. Gyoki Bosatsu (Gyooki Bosatsu) 行基菩薩 .
(668-749 AD) Gyōki - he carved many Yakushi statues.


. Fudo Myo-O 薬師と不動伝説 Yakushi Nyorai and Fudo Myo-O Legends .

. Tengu 薬師と天狗伝説 Yakushi Nyorai and Tengu Legends .


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In ABC order of the prefectures.
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. Yakushi Legends from Tohoku 東北 .

Akita 秋田県 - - Aomori　青森県 -- Fukushima 福島県 --
Iwate 岩手県 -- Miyagi 宮城県 -- Yamagata 山形県

. Yakushi Nyorai and hakuroku 白鹿 the white deer, white stag .

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. Legends from Aichi 愛知県 .

. Legends from Chiba 千葉県 and Ehime 愛媛県 .

. Legends from Fukui 福井県 .

. Gifu　岐阜県 / Gunma 群馬県 / Hiroshima 広島県 / Hyogo 兵庫県 .

. Ibaraki 茨城県 and Ishikawa 石川県 .

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. Kagawa 香川県 / Kanagawa 神奈川県 / Kochi 高知県 .

. Kyoto 京都 .

. Mie 三重県 and Miyazaki 宮崎県 .


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. Nagano 長野県 .
56 (22)

. Nara 奈良県 and Niigata 新潟県 .

. Okayama 岡山県 .

. Osaka 大阪, Saitama 埼玉県 and Shiga 滋賀県 .

. Shimane 島根県 .

. Shizuoka 静岡県 .

. Tochigi 栃木県, Tokushima 徳島県 and Tottori 鳥取県 .

. Tokyo 東京 - Edo 江戸 .


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. Toyama 富山県 .

. Wakayama 和歌山県 .

. Yamaguchi 山口県 and Yamanashi　山梨県 .


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Manga Nihon Mukashibanashi マンガ昔話データベース

主人も猫も鶏も同じ年
...」とこれも感謝するのでした。こうして庄屋様に大事にされて、鶏も猫も長生きをしておりました。 ある年のこと。今まで元気だった庄屋様は寝込んでしまいました。その頃、一人の旅の坊様がこの村の近くを通りかかりました。夜になってしまったので、坊様は山の薬師堂で一夜を明かすこととしました。 しばらくして坊様が目を覚ますと、いつの間に来たのか年老いた一人の男が坊様の前に座っておりました。男は下村の庄屋様に飼われている鶏である、と坊様に告げました。坊様が驚いていると男はこう続けます。 庄屋様は今年で４８歳にな...
…全文を見る


きつねの花嫁 Kitsune no hanayome - Mikawa
昔、三河の国の宇頭（うとう）という所に、とんでもないイタズラ好きな与太郎という若者がいました。今日も、薬師様にお供えしてあった油揚げに釣り針を仕掛けて、キツネを釣るイタズラをしていました。 イタズラに手を焼いた母親は、嫁さえもらえば与太郎も落ち着くだろうと考え、村の鎮守様に「どうかせがれに良い嫁が来るように」とお願いしました。そのおかげか、村の庄屋さんの紹介で、与太郎にも隣村から器量よし（美人）の嫁さんが来ることになりました。


沼薬師如来 numa Yakushi
...も再び目が見えるようになった。 このことがあってから、村人は大木の芯の部分で薬師様を彫り、また残りの部分を使って小さな薬師堂を建てた。この薬師堂は沼薬師と呼ばれるようになり、これ以降、村では目の病だけではなく流行病もなくなって長生きする者が増えたという。



子どもたちと薬師さま the children and Yakushi
昔、ある村に薬師様がありました。村の人たちはたいそう大事にしておりました。子供たちはお堂のそばで、雪合戦などをして毎日遊んでおりました。その子たちの一人が権兵衛。 ある日、権兵衛の親父の甚兵衛さんが村の寄り合いに出て、村の世話役に選ばれました。上機嫌で薬師堂のそばを通りましたら扉が開いている。中をのぞくとなんとしたことか、薬師様の像がない。 権兵衛たちがお堂のそばで遊ぶうち、薬師様と一緒に遊ぼうという話になって、引っ張り出したのでした。遊ぶうちに日が暮れたのか薬師様は雪の中で置き去りになっていたので


乳の薬師さま breast feeding and Yakushi - Nagoya
...いった。 困り果てたおさよは、身体の願いなら何でも叶うという名古屋の東光寺の薬師様へお参りに行くことにした。東光寺までの道のりは遠く、いくつも峠を越えなければならなかったが、おさよは真夜中に毎日毎日通い続けた。 満願である二十一日目、おさよが薬師様に精根こめてお願いすると、自分の乳房がみるみる張ってくるのを感じた。大急ぎで家に...乳をしゃぶらせると沢山の乳が出て、赤ん坊は死を免れることができた。おさよ夫婦はお薬師様にいつまでも感謝した

- source : nihon.syoukoukai.com


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薬師如来　紙芝居 Yakushi Nyorai - Kamishibai
tba

MORE
- source : www.google.co.jp

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. Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来 place names .
many come with a legend


- reference -

Monsters, legends and Yakushi 妖怪データベース
- source : nichibun yokai database
薬師如来 　29 (07)
薬師 183 (00)



YAKUSHI NYORAI, YAKUSHI TATHĀGATA　Buddha of Medicine and Healing
Yakushi literally means Medicine Teacher
Lord of the Eastern Paradise of Pure Lapis Lazuli
(Jp. = Jōruri 浄瑠璃, Skt. = Vaiduryanirbhasa).
Yakushi’s full name is Yakushi-rurikō 薬師瑠璃光,
meaning Medicine Master of Lapis Lazuli Radiance.
Commonly shown holding medicine jar in left hand.
Among the 88 temples on the well-trodden Shikoku Pilgrimage, 23 are dedicated to Yakushi, second only to the 29 sites dedicated to Kannon (Goddess of Mercy).
- source : Mark Schumacher -

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


. O-Mamori お守り　Amulets and Talismans .

. Yakushi Nyorai - 薬師如来 - Introduction .




おんころころ夕日に沈む春の塵

- shared by 五島高資 - facebook

on koro koro sendari matoogi sowaka


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. Yakushi Pilgrims INFO - INTRODUCTION .


. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
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