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. Buddhist Temples and their Legends .
. Ise Saigoku 33 Kannon 伊勢西国三十三所観音巡礼 Pilgrimage .
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Funanji 府南寺 Funan-Ji, Ko
泰平山Taiheizan 府南寺 Funanji
鈴鹿市国府町254 / Mie, Suzuka city, Ko
The Kannon statue is 千手観音
Senju Kannon with 1000 arms.
- Chant of the temple
色づくやうへ寺山の峯の松 風音して秋をしらせん
Pine trees changing colors at the peak of Mount Uedera.
Sound of the wind shaking the pine trees informs that the autumn has come.
The temple was founded by 聖徳太子 Prince Shotoku Taishi (574 -4622).
- quote
Funan-ji temple was founded by a famous politician and promoter of Buddhism – Prince Shōtoku (574-622).
In the 9th Century it became a special class sub-temple of 仁和寺
Ninna-ji
and changed its affiliation to 御室派 Omuro branch of Shingon school of Buddhism.
Since the Tenshō period (1573-1592) Funan-ji exists as a merged temple of two other ones.
The first was called 泰平山無量寿寺
Taiheizan Muryōju-ji.
Its main statue was Buddha Amida (Buddha of Infinite Light) also called 国府阿弥陀
Kō Amida (Amida of Kō).
It was barely saved from being burned during the local war.
The second temple was called 補陀落山, Fudarakuzan Kannon-ji and it stood at the top of the Mount Kannon.
During the war its buildings were burned down and only the Main Statue of Kō Kannon (also called 上寺の観音 Uedera Kannon) was saved.
It was later moved to Taiheizan Muryōju-ji and the two temples merged in to one.
The mountain name and the temple name were combined and so the current temple’s name
泰平山府南寺 Taiheizan Funan-ji was created.
For that reason Funan-ji has two main statues in two separate buildings standing beside each other:
千手観音 Senju Kannon (Thousand-Armed Kannon) enshrined in 観音堂 Kannon Hall,
and 阿弥陀如来 Buddha Amida enshrined in 阿弥陀堂 Amida Hall.
During the Edo period (1603-1868) all generations of 亀山城主 the Lords of
Kameyama Castle were devoted believers
and every year they offered 750kg (1653lb) of rice to the temple.
Acording to the legend Taiheizan Muryōju-ji was founded by Prince Shōtoku
after he had a divination while praying at Ise Shrine for a victory in a battle.
In Kamakura period (1192-1333) 覚乗上人 a monk named
Kakujō
from 奈良西大寺 Saidai-ji temple in Nara had a divination while praying at Ise Shrine.
When he asked the Goddess Amaterasu for her will, he was told to visit this temple and pray in front of the Buddha Amida.
When he did as he was told he found that the statue of Kō Amida in Muryōju-ji is the only true manifestation of Goddess Kannon.
Since that day he became a devoted worshiper of this Amida.
Fudarakuzan Kannon-ji was also founded by Prince Shōtoku.
The Main Statue of this temple is Senju Kannon which is also known as 国府の観音 Kō Kannon or
Uedera Kannon.
Two statues of her attendants stand on both sides: elegant 毘沙門天王
Bishamon (God of Treasure, Wealth, & Warriors) and
勝軍地蔵 Shogun Jizo, Victoroius Jizō (Bodhisattva who looks over travelers and the underworld).
From far and near many people come to pray to Goddess Kannon of this temple.
It is believed that she cures sickness, expels bad luck, invites good fortune,
grants safe childbirth and in older days brought luck in silkworm rising.
勢陽雑記 Seiyōzakki
Fudarakuzan Funan-ji
The main statue of this temple is Senju Kannon which is also known as Kō Kannon or Uedera Kannon.
Two statues of her attendants stand on both sides: elegant Bishamon and Battle Victoroius Jizō.
It is believed that this temple and
Taiheizan Muryōju-ji were both founded by Prince Shōtoku.
He wanted to spread Buddhism in Japan but he had an opponent in a high-ranking head of
the Mononobe clan 物部守屋 Mononobe no Moriya (died 587).
Prince Shōtoku prayed at the Ise Shrine wishing for Mononobe’s surrender.
He received a divination saying: If you want to spread and make Buddhism flourish,
you should first start with building a first building of the temple in this province
and devote yourself to prayer.
The Prince traveled across Ise province and when he came to this land,
he received a divination from 雨宝童子
Uho-dōji (divine rain-making boy = Goddess Amaterasu) saying:
「汝を待てり。この南の山は観音有縁の地にして、ここに千手観世音菩薩像を奉安すれば、諸願は成就すること疑いなし」
I was waiting for you. Make this southern mountain a land deeply connected to Goddess Kannon
and when you enshrine a Senju Kannon here, certainly any wish will be granted.
He immediately started to search for a sacred tree and when he found one,
he carved a 3.94m (12ft11in) high Senju Kannon out of it.
Then he built a complete seven-structured temple compound and enshrined the statue inside.
The mountain name of the temple was taken from the mythical Kannon’s Pure Land called Mount Fudaraku (Potalaka).
The temple’s name Funan-ji originally means
the temple south of Kokufu (provincial office).
In ancient times there used to be a 国府 Kokufu (provincial office) in the northern area of this land.
Because the temple was standing south from it, the location became its formal name.
Prince Shōtoku decided to enshrine a statue of 摩利支天
Marishiten (Goddess of the Warrior Class, Wealth and Entertainers)
as a protector of this temple.
Before the battle with Mononobe no Moriya, he gave Kannon’s protective talismans
to all of his soldiers wishing for battle victory and expelling of bad luck.
In the end he won the battle and thanks to this achievement,
the temple became an official place where monks directly prayed for 推古天皇
Empress Suiko (554-628).
Within the temple’s grounds there is a pond called 観音池
Kannon ike (Kannon pond) or
天人影向ケ池
Tennin yougou ga ike (A pond where a heavenly being shows itself for a moment).
In front of the Kannon Hall grows a pine tree called 岸の松
kishi no matsu (pine of the shore).
According to the legend it was planted by Prince Shōtoku.
It is believed that the main statue of the temple cures sickness, expels bad luck,
invites good fortune, grants safe childbirth and in older days brought luck in silkworm rising.
Even now many people from far and near come to pray and get their wishes granted.
Taiheizan Muryōju-ji
According to the legend the temple was built by Prince Shōtoku, who came to pray at Ise Shrine
for a victory in a conflict with Mononobe no Moriya.
He received a divination which ordered him to build this temple.
Later it became a praying place for Emperor Shōmu (701-756).
He ordered
Gyōki (668-749), a famous monk who traveled around Japan to preach to commoners,
to expand the temple.
During the Kōnin period (810-824)
Kūkai came to this temple for a short visit
while traveling and preaching around the country.
He was so astonished with the spiritual power of the main statue of Buddha Amida,
that he conducted a 17 day long grand memorial service ritual in front of it.
It was said that:
The visiting crowds of monks and laity, men and women were so numerous that they looked like a clouds and haze.
In the 13th Century, during the reign of 後宇多天皇
Emperor Gouda (1274-1296),
a monk from Saidai-ji temple in Nara called 覚乗上人
Kakujō stayed in Ise Shrine for prayer.
He decided to do 100 days prayer and ask:
I’d like to hear the will of the Goddess Amaterasu.
On the 99th night Goddess appeared in his dream and told him:
Wait until dawn then come to 二見浦 Futami ga ura bay, I will show myself to you.
He did what he was told and when he reached Futami ga ura bay at dawn,
he saw a 3m (9ft10in) long golden serpent appearing on the ocean’s surface.
Kakujō shouted:
people of this endless degenerate world will fear you and it will be hard for them to have faith.
He took off his monk’s stole made from bamboo fabric and threw it at the serpent.
The serpent disappeared in the depths of water.
He went back to the Ise Shrine and devoted himself to prayer again.
In the middle of the 17th night of continuous prayer he heard a voice from the sky saying:
"North from here there is a village called Kō in which a temple called
Taiheizan Muryōju-ji stands.
Buddha Amida with his two attendants who are worshiped there are my true manifestations.
By praying to that statue you will pray to me."
Kakujō rushed to Muryōju-ji. Together with the abbot of the temple 良範法印 Ryōhan
they invited common people and chanted Daihannya Sutra (Large Perfection of Wisdom Sutra).
When both of them opened the altar to pray to the hidden statue 良範法印
they noticed that the statue had Kakujō’s bamboo stole,
the one he threw at the divine serpent in Futami ga ura bay, hanging on it.
When the participants of the sutra chanting heard what happened in Futami at dawn,
they understood that this Buddha Amida is truly the only true manifestation of Goddess Amaterasu
and decided to deeply devote themselves to prayer.
News about this miracle spread quickly and this is how Amida of Kō became famous.
- source : funanji ...
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shuin 朱印 stamp
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- - - - - Homepage of the temple
- source : funanji.jp ...
- reference source : isekannon.jp/english ... -
- reference source : nippon-reijo.jimdofree ... -
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This temple is Nr. 18 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 .
. Shō Kannon 聖観音 / 正観音 Sho Kannon / 聖観世音菩薩
. 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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