Chomeiji Tokyo

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. Gofunai 御府内八十八ヶ所霊場 88 Henro Temples in Edo .
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Choomeiji 長命寺 Chomei-Ji
東京都練馬区高野台3-10-3 - Tokyo Nerima ward, Takanodai

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The temple bell and the deva gate of Chomeiji Temple
Chomeiji Temple was constructed in the Edo period and is known to possess many cultural assets, including the temple bell, deva gate, and a color print of performers on a wooden board, all of which are located on the temple grounds.



The temple bell, which hangs in the bell tower, is an elongated copper bell that stands 115 centimeters in height, 63.2 centimeters in diameter, and 6.3 centimeters in edge thickness. The bell was originally used as a signal to gather the monks for an assembly but is now used as joya-no-kane, which means the bell strike on New Year's Eve.

The deva gate, with its beautiful kaerumata decoration (decorative curved wooden support above the main beam), is a structure with a half-hipped roof made from sheet copper and has been preserved as a valuable asset reminiscent of architecture from the late 17th Century.
- source : nerima-kanko-en.blogspot.jp

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Choomeiji hakkei 長命寺八景 eight famous views from Chomei-Ji


本堂 / 南大門 / 東門 / 書院 / 鐘楼堂 / 観音堂 / 奥ノ院

- source : www.neritaka.net/history/cyoumeiji




The temple bell hall - 鐘楼堂
paintings by Okubo san 大久保潤二

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futatsu choochoo kuruwa nikkizu ema 双蝶々曲輪日記図絵馬



- source : www.city.nerima.tokyo.jp/annai

Votive tablet on a wooden board with two kabuki actors
右 三代目坂東三津五郎演じる濡髪長五郎 - Nuregami Chogoro on the right
左 三代目中村歌右衛門の放駒長吉 - Hanaregoma Chokichi on the left

designed by Torii Kiyonaga 鳥居清長 (1751 - 1815), a famous ukiyo-e painter of his time.

. ema 絵馬 votive tablets - Introduction .

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Futatsu chocho kuruwa nikki - Two butterflies of the licensed quarter

Ichikawa Ebijuro I as Nuregami Chogoro and
Ichikawa Danjuro VII as Hanaregoma Chokichi
at the Kawarazaki theatre in 1820

In this surimono both actors wear the traditional wrestler’s dress of a folded haori jacket across the shoulders, and a second sash (uwajime) over the first to stop it unravelling. The play derived from the puppet theatre and appears to have been based on a true event in which a quarrelsome Sumo wrestler named Nuregami Chogoro killed a samurai and was captured after hiding out at his father’s house in Yawata village. In the play, Hanaregoma Chokichi is an amateur wrestler whose patron is at odds with Chogoro’s patron Yogoro.



In this scene the two wrestlers engage in a test of strength to see who can crush a tea cup with their bare hand. Chogoro succeeds, but the amateur Chokichi has to cheat by hitting the cup against the guard of his sword (katana no scuba). The two later swear allegiance as blood brothers. The words futatsu (two) and chocho (butterflies) in the play’s title pun on the wrestlers’ names, which both include the character cho (long).
- source : www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/gallery

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The temple was founded by the priest 慶算阿闍梨 Keisan Ajari in 1613 as a small retreat to hold a statue of Kobo Daishi.
In 1640 priest 小池坊秀算 Koikebo Shuzan brought a statue of an eleven-headed Kannon from Nara and the temple was named as it is today.



The main statue is the eleven-headed Kannon Bosatsu 十一面観音.

武蔵野観音霊場第一番札所 - Nr. 1 of the Musashino Pilgrimage to 33 Kannon Statues
and
豊島八十八ヶ所 - Nr. 17 - Toshima 88 Henro temples

It is Nr. 17 of this Edo pilgrimage:
. Gofunai 御府内八十八ヶ所霊場 88 Henro Temples in Edo .


- ご詠歌 - chant of the Henro temple 井戸寺 Idoi-Ji in Shikoku :
面影を映してみれば井戸の水　結べば胸の垢や落ちなん
Omokage o utsushite mireba Ido no mizu musubeba mune no aka ya ochinan


- 朱印 - stamp of the temple :



- Homepage of the temple
- source : chomeiji.org






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There are many other temples in Japan with this name.

滋賀県近江八幡市 - Shiga prefecture
- wikipedia -

Choomeiji 長命寺 Sumida ward, Tokyo 墨田区向島5-4-4 - see below

and many more -
- reference 長命寺 -

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Choomeiji sakuramochi 長命寺桜もち
焼皮桜餅- 長命寺 sakuramochi rice cakes from temple Chomei-Ji in Sumida ward
The wrapping is fried on a hot plate and the cherry blossom leaf is lightly pickled in salt.
. sakura mochi, sakuramochi 桜餅 Cherry Blossom Rice Cakes .
kigo for late spring



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長命寺さくらもちより賀状かな
choomeiji sakuramochi yori nenga kana

from temple Chomei-Ji
instead of cherry blossom rice cakes
there comes a New Year greeting . . .

The cut marker KANA is at the end of line 3.

. 久保田万太郎 Kubota Mantaro .


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三つ食えば葉三片や桜餅　
mitsu kueba yoo sanpen ya sakuramochi　

if you eat three
you have three leaves -
sakuramochi

. 高浜虚子 Takahama Kyoshi .

At the temple Choomeiji 長命寺 Chomei-Ji they are wrapped in three leaves, so if you eat three cakes you have nine leaves.

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. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC .


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yomi yellow springs

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yomi 黄泉 "the yellow springs"
die Gelben Quellen, unterirdisches Schattenreich, Jenseitswelt

meido めいど【冥土 / 冥途】 the Netherworld, nether world, underworld

The Japanese word "yomigaeru" よみがえる【蘇る / 甦る】has the meaning of
"coming back from a visit to the Yellow Springs, yomi kara kaeru 黄泉（よみ）から帰る.

Diyu 地狱 (Jap. jigoku) (Sanskrit: नरक "Naraka")
is the realm of the dead or "hell" in Chinese mythology.
. Alternate names for the Chinese hell .


The deity Izanagi イザナギ visiting the land of YOMI and coming back
. Purification Ritual of Izanagi (misogi 禊 ) .


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- quote
The Chinese Underworld
In ancient Chinese religion the Underworld was called the Yellow Springs (Huángquán 黄泉) —
possibly a reference to the ubiquitous Yellow River. The Yellow Springs were not a ‘hell’ where one suffers retribution but rather a place where the souls of the departed were supposed to reside, the destination of the whitesoul (pò 魄). Life could be made easier for the pò if it was provided with the necessary amenities: food, clothing, money, precious objects, and servants. These would be placed in the tomb by the surviving relatives. The servants (human and animal) were at first provided by immolating the actual servants of the deceased in the tomb, but with time (during the first half of the first millennium BC) this practice ended and inanimate representations of the attendants were placed in the tomb instead.

Anything more precise as to the exact ancient conception of the underworld is lost, as the surviving texts from Chinese Antiquity have been written by Confucianists who have generally ridiculed the ancient myths.

Under the Hàn, the God of the Eastern Mountain (Mount Tài: Tàishān 泰山), the abode of the xiān 仙, starts being held responsible for the register of the living and the dead; as a result, the idea that the dead reside under Mt Tài starts spreading. Concurrently with Mt Tài in Shāndōng (山東), a temple in Fēngdū 酆都 in Sìchuān (四川) also starts being considered as the entrance to the underground realm of the dead.

MORE
- source : celestialempire.blogspot.jp


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The Japanese word "yomigaeru" よみがえる【蘇る / 甦る】has the meaning of "coming back from a visit to the Yellow Springs, yomi kara kaeru 黄泉（よみ）から帰る.


©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Fudaraku Tokai 補陀落渡海
Kumano was famous for sending boats to the Fudaraku Paradise of Kannon, and people were not supposed to come back from this "yomi" trip.
... portrays Kumano on the one hand as land of death (yomi), and on the other hand
... individual belief; it was either a trip to Kannon's paradise (fudaraku tokai　)
Localizing Paradise –
Kumano Pilgrimage and the Religious Landscape of Premodern Japan
- source : japanese-religions.jp


. WKD : Kumano 熊野 .

. The Yellow Springs, Purification Rituals and Haiku

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Afterlife in Ancient and Medieval China
By Thich Thanh Nguyen

... underworld then came to have other names, such as the Dark City, the Yellow Springs, or the Netherworld.
This was where the dead resided which had nothing to do with the punishment yet.
So,
how and what did the Netherworld look like? There was a common belief that the life in the Netherworld was similar to life on earth. This similarity was clearly depicted through the life of dead being and the netherworld’s government. Firstly, people believed that the dead beings were just the continuation of the living; for example, they needed food and possessed various desires: “Yellow Springs reflected the hierarchy nature of the moral world. If a person had a poor and miserable time when alive, they would have the same in the afterlife.”
Thus, people started to provide the dead with almost everything to enable the dead to live a happy and comfortable life in the netherworld:
MORE
- source : www.tuvienquangduc.com.au




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Sailing away
... From Heian to Edo times it’s estimated that some twenty monks in all sailed away in this manner. The base for their suicidal mission was Furdarakusan Temple, one of Kumano’s World Heritage sites. It stands near the coast and is said to have been founded, like Seiganto-ji, by a monk from India called Ragyō Shōnin.
source : www.greenshinto.com/wp


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梅咲くや酒屋へ一里黄泉へ二里
ume saku ya sakaya e ichiri yomi e niri

plums are blossoming -
one ri distance to the liquor shop
two ri distance to the Yellow Springs

Anai Futoshi 穴井太 (1926 - 1997)

one RI 里 is about 3.93 kilometers.
. The use of numbers in Haiku. .


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遠しとは常世か黄泉か冬霞
tooshi to wa tokoyo ka yomi ka fuyugasumi

far away - does that mean
heaven or the yellow springs ?
mist in winter

Nakamura Sonoko 中村苑子(1913-2001)
Born in Shizuoka

. WKD : fuyugasumi 冬霞 winter mist .


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愚案ずるに冥土もかくや秋の暮
guanzuru ni meido mo kaku ya aki no kure

it seems to me that
beyond the grave is like this--
autumn evening
Tr. Addiss


in my humble view
the netherworld must be like this –
autumn evening
Tr. David Landis Barnhill

Written in 延宝8年作, Basho age 37

. Basho, Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉(1644 - 1694)


. Enma, Emma 閻魔天、閻魔王 the King of Hell


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. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .
meido - the underworld

. konpaku 魂魄 legends about two souls .

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Chiba 千葉県 夷隅郡 Izumi district

rinshi taiken 臨死体験 near death experience
タマヨバイされて甦った人。三途の川の向かいの高い山から連れ合いが筏に乗ってやってきた。引返すと池の周りに、赤や青の旗が立ち、オンベン（御幣）が回っていた。


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Gunma 群馬県 太田市 Ota city

rinshi taiken 臨死体験 near death experience
Once a Buddhist priest came to perform the last rites, but found that the person might still be alive and shouted at the person "Your time is not yet up!"
Thus the person came back to life. On his way to the underworld he saw a lot of lotus flowers and kind people showed him the way. He also got two delicious meals. When he came to himself, he found himself in the living room of his home, with many people visiting.

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Gunma 群馬県 富岡市 Tomioka city

. hitodama 人魂 / 人玉と伝説 Legends about the human soul .
hitodama 人玉 spirit of a dead person, "soul flame"
It has the size of a Bon lantern for a child and stagers around in the air. It appears in front of a temple or home of a diseased person or is seen on the way to the underworld, but it soon becomes invisible again.


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Hyogo 兵庫県 Asago 朝来市 Asago city

neko 猫 cat
通夜は親類の人が夜通し、猫が死者をまたがないように見張っていた。猫に跨れると、死者の霊が悪霊になって甦るという。

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Hyogo 神戸市 Kobe city

yomigaeri 甦
有馬山清涼院の石文が死んだ後、19日して甦った。冥土のことを聞いたところ、ただ、湖山の間にいて、風景が良いだけで特に見るところもなかったと石文は答えた。



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Iwate 岩手県 雫石 Shizukuishi

yomigaeru / yoosei 妖精 fairy
今は行われないが、昔この地方では死んだ人の膝をまげて縄をかけ、胸の方に屈折しておいた。それはひとつには妖精によって甦らせることを恐れたからである。


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Kanagawa 神奈川県 鎌倉市 Kamakura city

onnome sama おんめ様 , ウブメ / 産女 Ubume
At the temple 大巧寺 Daigyo-Ji
昔、大巧寺の上人が川にかかる橋を通りかかったところ、赤ん坊を抱いたウブメに出会った。冥土の苦難を訴えるウブメに上人が経をあげて回向してやると、その心は鎮められた。数日後、美しい女が上人の前に現れ、お礼として1包みの金を置いていった。上人はこれで宝塔を作ったのだが、それが今日も大巧寺にある。


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Kyoto 京都府

meido de shari o eru 冥途で舎利を得る bringing back relics from the underworld
In the village 藍田村 Aidamura in the district 丹波舟井郡 Tanba Funaigun there lives 山田彦七 Yamada Hikoshichi, who was a pious man saying the 念仏 Nenbutsu prayer regularly.
On the first day of the 12th lunar month in 1698 he died at the age of 27, but the next day he caem back to life.
He started talking about his experience in the underworld, telling people he got some busshari 仏舎利 Buddha's relics there. He was holding something sparkling in his left hand - like a small grain.
But on the next day he died for good and the relic was gone from his hand.
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yomigaeri 甦
天慶年中に、東寺の日蔵が死んだ後に甦った。日蔵が言うには、地獄で鉄窟の中に炭のようになった人が赤灰の上に蹲っていて、我は宇多帝の子であるが、仏寺を焼いて有情を害した罪を受けて苦しんでいる。本国に帰って国王および宰補に奏上して供養の卒塔婆を作れと告げたそうだ。
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yuurei 幽霊 ghost
ある民家で妻が死んだ。ある夜、夫が引きこもっていると、亡妻がやってきて生前大切にしていた鏡を取りに来て、冥土に持ち帰る。その後も夜毎に来て存命中に使った調度を持ち帰ったが、ある夜いぶかしく思い糾問すると幽霊と思ったのは欲深な隣家の女だった。

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Kyoto 右京区 Ukyo ward

meido no tori 冥途の鳥 bird of the underworld
In the village of 宇津村 Utsumura there lives this bird, with white feathers and a red beak. When it calls at night, someone has died in the village.



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Mie 三重県 尾鷲市 Owase city

shinbutsu 新仏 rituals for a person who has just died
線香立ては新仏専用のもので、平常は使わない。蝋燭も一本その傍に立てておくが、これは決して継ぎ足してはいけない。新仏の魂は、この明かりと煙をたよりにして冥土の旅に上がるという。




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Nagano 長野県 茅野市 Chino city

daija 大蛇 huge serpent
甲賀三郎は妻に隠された愛妾を探しに蓼科山に登った。頂上にあった竪穴で翁と媼に出会い、道を尋ねた上に栗餅をもらい、その晩は池畔にあった祠に宿を取った。夜が明けて人が来たが、三郎を見て「大蛇大蛇」と言って逃げ出してしまった。神々が、「冥土の食べ物を食べたので人になることはできない。諏訪湖に入り神になるのがよい」と言ったので、その通りにしたという。



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Nara 奈良県 都祁村 Tsuge mura village

aburi sakana アブリ魚
深江川のアブリ魚は、腹の両側に焼けたような模様がある。子どもたちが魚を焼いているところに弘法大師が通りかかり、買い取って川に放してやると、半焼けの魚はみるみる甦って泳ぎまわった。模様はそのときの焼け焦げの跡。これと同じ話が室生村にもある。



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Niigata 新潟県 長岡市 Nagaoka city

kinki 禁忌 taboo
死者に着せる衣類を縫うのには、縫った糸を止めるのに玉を結ばないこれは、冥土への旅で鬼に引っ張られたときに、すぐに着物が脱げるようにという。


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Osaka 大阪市

Enma-O 閻魔王 king of hell
At the temple 長宝寺 / 長寳寺 Choho-Ji the King of Hell called the priest to visit the underworld, showed him all the pain and suffering there and made him change his ways in the future.



長宝寺 / 長寳寺 Choho-Ji
3-chōme-4 Hirano Honmachi Hirano-ku, Osaka


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Tokyo 東京都 中央区 Chuo ward

. oogonkyuu 黄金宮 Ogon-Kyu Golden Hall .


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Tottori 鳥取県 岩美郡 岩美町 Iwami town

The tamashi 魂 soul of a dead person leaves the home soon, via the gables of the house.
It moves on to the underworld, others say it goes to 摩尼山 Mount Manizan.
On the first equinox after a death, family members make a ritual visit to Mount Manizan.


- reference source : db.pref.tottori.jp/bunkazainavi.nsf... -

Manizan is a mountain in Tottori, also called 喜見山 Kikenzan.
It is in the compound of the temple Mani-Ji and is 357 m high.
There is a temple called 摩尼寺 Mani-Ji.
624 Kakuji, Tottori / 鳥取市覚寺（かくじ）

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- reference : Nichibun Yokai Database -
冥途 // 冥土 OK // 甦 - OK
14 魂魄 (01)

- 30 臨死 extra file

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. Juusanbutsu 十三仏 13 Protector Buddhas .


. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC .


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- #meido #yomi #netherworld #hell -
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Nyoirin-Ji Fukuoka

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Nyoirinji 如意輪寺 Nyoirin-Ji
kaerutera, kaerudera かえる寺　 "Frog Temple" , "Frogs Temple"

福岡県小郡市横隈1729 Fukuoka prefecture, Ogoori 小郡市 Ogori city, Yokoguma ,

. kaeru かえる/　蛙 frog and kigo .


. Nyoirin Kannon Bosatsu 如意輪観音 "Wishfulfilling Kannon" .




Nr. 3 of the Pilgrimage to 88 temples in Kyushu 巡礼霊場「九州八十八ケ所」.
Nr. 8 of the Pilgrimage to 33 Kannon temples in Chikugo.





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CLICK for more frog photos !



In the precincts are statues of more than 3000 frogs.
Many carry a special message about the meaning of life.


fuufu enman　夫婦円満　let us be a happy couple


The main statue is a Nyoirin Kannon, an important cultural property of Fukuoka prefecture.
It is a secret statue and only shown on January and July 17 every 12 years (in the year of the snake 巳の年.

The temple was built by saint Gyoki 行基 on request of Emperor Kooken Tennoo 孝謙天皇 Koken Tenno (718 - 770). It was often frequented by members of the Imperial Family.
IN 1586, the local feudal lord Shimazu destroyed the temple but has later been built again.

- - - - - Homepage of the temple
- source : kaerutera.ogoricity


Amulets and Talismans　御守り　



kaeru senbei かえるせんべい rice crackers with frogs

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buji ni kaeru　無事にかえる "let us come home safely!
traffic security amulet

- source :
kaerutera.ogoricity.info/omamori


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Fudo Myo-O 不動明王

PDF-file with many more photos of the temple and its deities:
- source : hiroalex2014.blogspot.jp/2013/03

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gankiri Fudo 癌切り不動明王 Fudo to take away cancer disease

More photos of the temple :
- source : hakataboy.com/temple/Fukuoka



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source :　facebook

katsufuku Fudo Myoo Oo 勝福不動明王 Fudo Myo-O for winning and good luck

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- quote
Nyoirinji temple here will display about 600 wind chimes carrying the wishes of visitors, many of whom sought respite from the summer heat.

The glass wind bells were used in the July 17 wind-chime festival at the temple and will be on display until late September.


Genshu Haraguchi, chief priest at the temple, began selling the wind chimes five years ago for 500 yen ($6) a piece. Buyers can write their wishes on strips of paper and attach them to the chimes as a form of dedication.

The temple, also known for its thousands of stone sculptures of frogs, has a history that dates back to the eighth century.

Other wishes attached to the chimes include “safety of family members” and “easy delivery.”
- source : Noriko Yahiro



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Sanzen-In Kyoto

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Sanzenin 三千院 Sanzen-In

(Sansen-In)　－京都市左京区大原来迎院町540 Raigoin district



- quote
Sanzenin Temple (三千院) is the main attraction of the rural town of Ohara, which is located about an hour north of central Kyoto. The approach from Ohara bus stop to Sanzenin is lined with shops and restaurants catering to temple visitors, and there are a number of smaller temples in the vicinity. Sanzenin Temple itself has large temple grounds and a variety of buildings, gardens and walking paths.

Sanzenin is a temple of the Tendai sect of Japanese Buddhism and was founded by nobody less than the revered monk Saicho who introduced Tendai Buddhism to Japan in 804. Sanzenin is a monzeki temple, one of only a few temples whose head priests used to be members of the imperial family.

After entering the temple through the front gate, visitors to Sanzenin pass through a series of connected temple buildings. The first major building is the Kyakuden (guest hall), which displays works of Japanese calligraphy and paintings on sliding doors (fusuma). The building opens up onto the Shuhekien Garden, a traditional Japanese garden that has a small pond and hill.

Connected to the Kyakuden by a corridor, the Shinden (main hall) displays statues of three Buddhist deities, the central figure of Amida Buddha being flanked by the attendants Kannon and Fudo Myoo. From the Shinden visitors can enjoy the most famous view of Sanzenin Temple: the Ojo Gokuraku-in Hall seen through maple and cedar trees across a moss garden.

After admiring the view from the Shinden, visitors walk through the moss garden. A tranquil atmosphere permeates the garden, and there are a number of amusing stone statues that peek out from the moss. Along with the rest of the temple, the garden is particularly impressive during the autumn colors, which usually take place in mid November, about a week earlier than in central Kyoto.

Located in the middle of the moss garden, the Ojo Gokuraku-in Hall is the oldest temple building at Sanzenin. The hall was first built in 985 and most recently rebuilt in 1143. It holds a statue of Amida Buddha, Sanzenin's most valued treasure. The statue of Amida is accompanied by two attendant deities, Kannon on one side and Seishi on the other.

From the Ojo Gokuraku-in Hall there is a path that leads to the back of the temple grounds, where there are a few temple buildings of more recent construction. One interesting spot has rows of miniature statues of Kannon that were donated to the temple by visitors. On the way back to the front gate stands a treasure house that displays a few more of Sanzenin's artifacts.
- source : www.japan-guide.com and wikipedia -


- further reference -


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Daikodaki (daikotaki) 大根焚 Cooking large radishes
Temple Sanzen-In, Kyoto, Feb. 10 - 13 - 三千院の初午大根焚き, 年2月10日～13日
kigo for early spring

. Temple Festivals and Food .

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- Homepage of the temple
- source : www.sanzenin.or.jp/guide


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source :　chinaalacarte.web.fc2.com

Fudo Myo-O, carved by 智証大師円珍 Chisho Daishi Enchin (814 - 891).

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source :　blogs.yahoo.co.jp/syo_getu

konjiki fudoo cha 金色不動茶 "tea of the Golden Fudo"

Tea colored purple with shiso perilla and sprinkled with gold powder.

And an amulet for the "Golden Fudo Myo-O" 金色不動明王」




. Konjiki Golden Fudo 金色不動明王 .

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amulet to find a good partner - enmusubi 縁結び

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amulet for traffic safety - kootsu anzen 　交通安全


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CLICK for more samples of amulets.

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. Amulets and Talismans from Japan .　

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Ohara Raigo-In 大原来迎院
Ohararaikoincho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto Prefecture

- quote -
Raigo-in is one of sub-temples of Enryaku-ji.
The Tendai sect temple was built as a training hall for "Shomyo", or Buddhist chant by "Jikaku Daishi" Ennin (794-864) in the 9th century. The temple then decayed and priest Ryonin (1072-1132) revived it in 1109. Ryonin also revived and completed Shomyo.

The temple once had many buildings but those were destroyed by fire in November 1426. The present main hall was built in 16th century.
The three Buddhist images of the temple are important cultural properties of Japan.

- source : ohara/raigoin -




薬師如来 Yakushi Nyorai,、釈迦如来 Shaka Nyorai, 阿弥陀如来 Amida Nyorai

. 薬師如来 Yakushi Nyorai Bhaisajyaguru .




Fudo Myo-O


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



春惜む三千院の茶店かな
haru oshimu Sanzen-in no chaya kana

lamenting spring
at the tea stall of
Sanzen-In . . .
Tr. Gabi Greve

Nomura Hakugetsu 野村泊月 ( 1882 - 1961)

The cut marker KANA is at the end of line 3.

. haru oshimu 春惜しむ lamenting (the passing of) spring .


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菊冷えの柱の数も三千院
kikubie no hashira no kazu mo Sanzen-in

cold spell on chrysanthemums
and the many pillars
at Sanzen-In
Tr. Gabi Greve

Suzuki Takao 鈴木鷹夫 (1928 - 2013)

. kiku 菊 chrysanthemun .




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Kannonsho-Ji

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Kannonshooji 観音正寺 Kannonsho-Ji

This is Temple Nr. 32 on the Saigoku Pilgrimage to 33 Temples of Kannon Bosatsu in Western Japan.


- quote
Overlooking Lake Biwa, Kannonsho-ji is the 32nd temple on the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage. According to legend, Kannonshoji was founded when a merman begged a young nobleman to build a temple so that he could worship Kannon and be assured of better fortune in the next life.



The temple's principal object of worship is an enormous image of Kannon carved from 23 tonnes of Indian sandalwood, which took 10 years to finish.
- source : www.taleofgenji.org

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More photos :
- source : ameblo.jp/junchan-chi

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Kannonjijoo 観音寺城 remains of castle Kannon-Ji nearby
- source : www.azuchi-shiga.com/m-kannonsyouji

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gumyooshichoo, gumyoo shichoo 共命之鳥 ぐみょうしちょう Gumyo Bird


source :　gumyou.web.fc2


A clay bell of the gumyo bird
sold at this temple




- quote
“Sariputra, in the Buddha Land there live a number of wonderful birds of different colors — crane, peacock, parrot, myna, Kalavinka, and Gumyo bird, or the bird of double lives. Six times each day and night, these birds sing melodious tunes.”

According to Sakyamuni Buddha’s words, there are six kinds of birds in the Pure Land. ...
Although the first four birds really exist, the Kalavinka and Gumyo bird are imaginary and exist only in Sutras and stories. It is said that these birds always sing elegantly and all those who listen to their song cannot help but have the mind of seeking the Buddha Dharma.

In a Sutra, the Gumyo bird is depicted as a rare bird with two heads and minds sharing a common body. There is a Buddhist tale about the Gumyo bird which goes like this.

A long time ago, there were many beautiful Gumyo birds. There was one in particular with a most beautiful shape and song. Its two heads boasted about themselves, asserting things like, “The feathers on my head are incomparably lovely and my voice is the most beautiful.”

Each head hated the other and there was no end to their quarreling. Then one day, one head happened to think, “If the other head were to die, I would truly be the best in the world!”

The next day, this head made the other head eat fruit which it had secretly poisoned. Of course, the head that ate the fruit died soon after so the head that survived finally became the most beautiful bird in the world. At that moment, the bird started flying while singing proudly.

However, its joy was short-lived. The head that died gradually rotted and eventually even the body they had in common rotted as well. So this Gumyo bird lost its life.
...
Despite a Gumyo bird's foolishness, these birds now grace the Pure Land to teach the dignity of life in their lovely voices:
“The way we destroy others is the same way we destroy ourselves. The way to let others live is exactly the way that we should live.”
- source : www.btsd.net/Dharmamsg


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- - - - - The Six Birds of Paradise - 浄土の鳥 -
gumyo

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karyoobinga, Karyôbinga 迦陵頻伽 Karyobinga
. Kalavinka - paradise bird with a human head .

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. kujaku 孔雀 peacock .


. Mynah bird -- kyuukanchoo 九官鳥 .
shari 舎利 mynah, a bird that talks like men


parrot


. tsuru 鶴 crane .


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Enkyo-Ji

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Enkyooji 円鏡寺 Enkyo-Ji

Kitagata-cho, Gifu Prefecture - 岐阜県本巣郡北方町北方1345-1



The Mino Thirty-three Kannon (美濃三十三観音, Mino Sanjūsan Kannon) are a collection of Buddhist temples in southern Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The name is derived from Mino Province, the former name for the area.
The list was originally created during the mid-Edo period.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Enkyo-Ji is Nr. 19.

More information about
. Enkyooji 円鏡時 / 圓鏡寺 Enkyo-Ji - Kitagata .
池鏡山 Chikyozan 円鏡時 Enkyoji
本巣郡北方町北方1345-1 / Motosu, Kitagata town, Kitagata


. Fudo Myo-O / Acala Vidyârâja 不動明王 .



Carved by Kukai himself.

Founded in 811 by Kobo Daishi Kukai on behalf of Emperor Saga Tenno.
With a statue of Fudo Myo-O in the hall dedicated to Kukai.


The famous Kannon statue 正観音立像
- source : www8.ocn.ne.jp/~enkyouji


The famous old tree 夫婦和合のモチ
mochi no ki - of the Aquifoliaceae (plant family); holly
- source : www8.ocn.ne.jp/~enkyouji


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nemuri Jizo

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nemuri Jizoo 眠り地蔵 nemuri Jizo asleep

. Jizoo Bosatsu (Kshitigarbha) 地蔵菩薩 .



source :　www.e-matsusaka.jp

野中の眠り地蔵
along the Wakayama Kaido Road 和歌山街道

多気町野中, Eishooji 永昌寺 temple Eisho-Ji, Mie prefecture

This temple has been build in 1605

Once a daimyo parade passed the region and the people had to fall on their knees, head down, to let it pass. One peasant fell asleep while doing this and the angry lord had him killed on the spot.
To appease the poor soul, this temple with the "sleeping Jizo" was erected.

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- Since Jizo is so popular, there are other "sleeping Jizo" in other temples.


In the mountains of Shodoshima (Shodojima 小豆島) Island


With its head tilted to the side, seemingly to sleep.
- source : shodoshimal-yama.sblo.jp





CLICK for more photos !


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source :　yoshi869.exblog.jp/tags

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. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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