Showing posts with label - - - KK KK - -. Show all posts
Showing posts with label - - - KK KK - -. Show all posts

2016/11/28

Konryu Daishi and Fudo

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
. Japan - Shrines and Temples - Index .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Konryu Daishi 建立大師 and Fudo Myo-O

建立大師相応和尚 Konryu Daishi So-O Kasho (833 - 918)
(そうおうかしょう) Souou, priest Soo Kasho
His teacher was Ennin.



He was born in 近江国浅井郡 Azaigun in Omi and is said to be a descendant of 天帯彦国押人命 Ametarashihikokunioshihito no Mikoto, the first son of Kōshō 孝昭天皇 Kosho Tenno (475 - 393 BC), the fifth emperor of Japan.
At the age of 15 to entered the monastery at Mount Hieizan and became a monk at age 17.

After long practise he begun to offer flowers every day for seven years at the hall 根本中堂 Konponchudo at temple 比叡山延暦寺 Enryaku-Ji.
Upon approval of 大納言藤原良相 Dainagon Fujiwara Yoshimi (813 - 867) he received his Buddhist name So-O, including the character 相 from Yoshimi.

Legend knows that he was taken to the paradise of Miroku Bosatsu after praying to Fudo Myo-O.

He is the founder of the 北嶺回峯行の創始者 Hokurei Kaihogyo practise of the "Northern Peaks" of Mount Hieizan.
Kaihogyo of the 南山 Southern Peaks had been started by 役行者 En no Gyoja.

He died at the age of 88 at the temple 十妙院 Shosha-In while saying prayers to Amida Nyorai.



明王堂 Myo-O Do(比叡山 / 無動寺谷) Hieizan Mudojidani
法華経常不軽菩薩の行 Hokekyo Sutra, Jofukyo Bosatsu (Sadāparibhūta Bodhisattva)
供花 kuge - "Flower offerings" of 樒 Shikimi branches

不動明王の信仰 - His strong belief in Fudo Myo-O, retreat at 無動寺谷 Mudojidani.
In the Southern district of Hieizan he built the hall 無動寺明王堂 Mudo-Ji Myo-O Do and from there started his Kaihogyo with the aim to become one with Fudo Myo-O himself.

葛川参籠 Katsuragawa sanro retreat
山王信仰 Belief In Sanno at the hall 山王大宮社殿 Sanno Omiya Shaden.
加持祈祷 Fire rituals to heal sick emperors
- reference source : tendai.or.jp/daihoue/profile -

- reference : 建立大師 -



. kaihoogyoo, kaihōgyō 回峰行 Kaihogyo, "circling the mountain" .
The Tendai Marathon Monks

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

..............................................................................................................................................

Katsuragawa 葛川息障明王院 Katsuragawa Sokusho Myo-O In
滋賀県大津市葛川坊村町155 / Katsuragawa bomuracho 155
安曇山 Adosan Myo-O In


The statue of Fudo is a secret statue and only shown on the 28th day of the 8th month.
The temple was founded in 859 by the priest 相応和尚 So-O

- Chant of the temple
白露の玉まくくずのかつら川 くる秋にしも我はかへらん

- quote -
Sokushō Kō 息障講 Stopping-Obstacles Group
an organization of individuals who devotedly serve the practitioner and act as guides through the Kyoto portion of the circumambulation.
- Writes Catherine Ludvik:
"The Sokushou-kou appears to derive its name from a temple in the western foothills of Mt. Hira in Shiga Prefecture known as Katsuragawa Sokushō Myō-ō-in 葛川息障明王院, an important center of Tendai mountain asceticism since the Heian period (794-1185).
The temple was established by the founding figure of the Kaihougyou, the Tendai monk Souou 相応 (831-918), who performed ascetic practices in this area. When Fudo Myo-o appeared to him in a waterfall, Souou jumped in to embrace him, and, finding a log of a katsura 葛 tree, enshrined it.
Tradition has it that from this log of katsura he carved three images of Fudo, worshipped today at Katsuragawa Sokushou Myou-ou-in, the temple he established near the waterfall, at Mudouji 無動寺 (Mudo-Ji), the temple he set up on Mt. Hiei, and at Isakiji 伊崎寺 in Shiga Prefecture."
- source : Mark Schumacher -

..............................................................................................................................................


Mudooji 無動寺明王堂 Mudo-Ji Myo-O Do
滋賀県大津市坂本本町4220 / 4220 Sakamotohonmachi, Otsu
比叡山 Heiezan Mudo-Ji



The temple was founded by
建立大師相応和尚 (そうおうかしょう) Konryu Daishi So-O Kasho in 865.

- Chant of the temple
詣で来る人のねがひの満ち足れと 
ただひとすじ耳祈る明け今れ




The statue of Fudo Myo-O is secret and only shown during the mandala ritual
明王講曼荼羅供法要 on 6月23日 June 23.

- reference : 無動寺明王堂 滋賀県 -

..............................................................................................................................................


Isakiji 伊崎寺 Isaki-Ji (Izaki-Ji)
滋賀県近江八幡市白王町1391 / Shiraocho, Omihachiman, Shiga

Isaki no saotobi 伊崎の竿飛び Isaki Pole Diving
- quote -
Izaki Pole Diving is a Buddhist rite held on the 1st Sunday of August every year at Izaki Temple in Shirao Town in Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture.



Izakiji Temple located at the tip of the small peninsula protruding into Lake Biwa is a temple belonging to the Tendai sect. It is said that the temple was founded in the Teikan era (859-877) by Priest Gyoki.
A thick, square 13m pole protrudes out in parallel to Lake Biwa, about 7 meters above the water.
On the day of the event young trainees at the temple dive boldly from the end of the pole, or drop into the water after hanging by their feet from the metal ring also attached to it.



The rite is said to date back more than 1100 years, to when the monk Konryu Daishi trained at the temple.
He would throw a bowl down onto the lake in order to collect charity from the fishermen below, and then dive down into the water to pick it up again.
It is performed to pray for getting rid of bad luck and also testing for participants’ courage, which is a vestige of harsh ascetic training performed by Tendai monks.
The spectators on fishing boats on the lake erupt into cheers and applause when gallant young men dive into the lake with splashes of water in the strong sunshine.
- source : nippon-kichi.jp -


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

Hoozanji, Hōzan-ji 宝山寺 / 寳山寺 Hozan-Ji - Ikoma
奈良県生駒市門前町1-1 / 1-1 Monzenchō, Ikoma-shi, Nara



- quote -
'Ikoma-Shoten' 生駒聖天.
a Buddhist temple in Monzenmachi, Ikoma, Nara, Japan.
It is also called 'Ikoma-Shoten' (生駒聖天).
The area around Hozan-ji was originally a place for the training of Buddhist monks.
The name of the place at that time was Daisho-Mudo-ji (大聖無動寺).

Mount Ikoma was originally an object of worship for the ancient people in the region, and so this area was selected as a place for religious training. The training area is said to have opened in 655 by En no Gyōja. Many Buddhist monks, including Kukai (空海), are said to have trained in here.

Hozan-ji started when Tankai (湛海) re-opened this training area in the 17th century. Tankai set up a statue of Kankiten at this place in 1678, the official year Hozan-ji was established.
In the Edo period, this temple was one of the most popular Buddhist temples in this region.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !



source : iroenpithu-12.boo.jp

. Kinki Pilgrimages to 36 Fudo Temples 近畿三十六不動尊巡礼 .
Nr. 29 Hoozanji 宝山寺 Hozan-Ji
Ikomasan 生駒山


source : www.kinki36fudo.org/29

The main statue is a Shoten 聖天.
Outside is also a mizukake Fudo 水かけ不動.



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

. Shiga Prefecture 滋賀県 Fudo Myo-O Temples .

. Fudō Myō-ō, Fudoo Myoo-Oo 不動明王 Fudo Myo-O
Acala Vidyârâja - Vidyaraja - Fudo Myoo .


. 薬師如来 Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来 Bhaisajyaguru - ABC .

. O-Mamori お守り Amulets and Talismans .

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

. Pilgrimages to Fudo Temples 不動明王巡礼
Fudo Myo-O Junrei - Fudo Pilgrims - INTRODUCTION .



. Japan - Shrines and Temples - Index .


[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- - #konryudaishi #isakifudo -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

2016/11/22

Korinbo Tengu Koyasan

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
. Tengupedia - 天狗ペディア - Tengu ABC-Index .
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Koorinboo 高林坊 Korin-Bo, Korinbo
護法天狗高林坊 Goho Tengu Korin-Bo, protector of the law
identical with 狩場明神 Kariba Myojin of Mount Koyasan


He is one of the
. 四十八天狗 48 Tengu of Japan .

He is the local protector deity (jinushigami) and Tengu leader from 高野山 Mount Koyasan.

. Koya San in Wakayama 高野山 和歌山県 .
and its founder 空海 弘法大師 Kukai Kobo Daishi
- Introduction -

Kobo Daishi met the deity 狩場明神 Kariba Myojin in 815.

. Niu Myoojin 丹生明神 Niu Myojin .
A female mountain deity that resides in Mt. Koya 高野山.
Nui Myoujin's son (or emanation) Kariba Myojin 狩場明神 (also known as 高野明神 Koya Myojin) appeared as a hunter who led Kukai to the site.


. jinushigami 地主神 "deity of the land" .

..............................................................................................................................................


- reference source : toki.moo.jp/gaten 419 -

..............................................................................................................................................

Apart from Korin-Bo there lived many other Tengu on the mountain and in the valleys to protect them, but Korin-Bo was their leader.

One of them was Myoo-on boo 妙音坊 Myoon-Bo, Myoonbo.

The legend of the Tengu from 高野山弁天岳 Mount Bentendake (984 m)


- reference source : toki.moo.jp/gaten 281 -

Benzaiten is venerated at the shrine 弁財天社 on this mountain.
Myoon-Bo Tengu lived on a large cedar tree in the compound and protected the shrine.

. Benten, Benzaiten 弁天 弁財天 .

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


. - - - Join my Tengupedia friends on facebook ! - - - .

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


. 四十八天狗 - 48 famous Tengu of Japan .

. Tengu 天狗と伝説 Tengu legends "Long-nosed Goblin" .

. - yookai, yōkai 妖怪 Yokai monsters - .

. Legends and Tales from Japan 伝説 - Introduction .

- #korinbo #korinbotengu #koyasantengu -
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

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

Kumamoto Henro Kyushu

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
. . 九州88ヶ所108霊場 Kyushu - 88 and 108 Henro temples . .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Kumamoto 熊本県 Henro Pilgrims

50 願成寺 Ganjo-Ji
51 勘代寺 Kandai-Ji
52 高寺院 Takatera-In
53 観蓮寺 Kanren-Ji
54 医王寺 Io-Ji
55 本蔵院 Honzo-In
56 金剛寺 Kongo-Ji
57 蓮華院誕生寺 Renge-In Tanjo-Ji
58 金剛寺 Kongo-Ji

98 生善院 Shozen-in
99 高野寺 Koya-Ji
100 金剛乗寺 Kongojo-Ji
101 大勝寺 Taisho-Ji



source : nihon-naigai.com/html

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

50 Ganjooji 願成寺 Ganjo-Ji
伝法山
熊本県人吉市願成寺町956 / Ganjojimachi, Hitoyoshi


51 Kandaiji 勘代寺 Kandai-Ji
遍照山吉祥院
熊本県球磨郡多良木町久米1396 / Kume, Taragi, Kuma District


52 Takaterain 高寺院 Takatera-In
金剛山
熊本県球磨郡山江村大字山田甲1640 / Kō Yamada, Yamae-mura, Kuma-gun


53 Kanrenji 観蓮寺 Kanren-Ji
千福山
熊本県人吉市城本町村山1363 / Hitoyoshi, Murayama


54 医王寺 Io-Ji
白雲山
熊本県八代市袋町5-34 / Fukuromachi, Yatsushiro


55 Honzooin 本蔵院 Honzo-In
最栄山
熊本県熊本市中央区本荘6-15-50 / Honjo, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto


56 Kongooji 金剛寺 Kongo-Ji
白蓮山
熊本県熊本市中央区新屋敷1-22-12 / Shinyashiki, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto,


57 Tanjooji 蓮華院誕生寺 Renge-In Tanjo-Ji
高原山
熊本県玉名市築地2288 / Tsuiji, Tamana


Nr. 58 金剛寺 Kongo-Ji
熊本県荒尾市宮内出目373 / Kunaideme, Arao


98 Shoozenin 生善院 Shozen-in
千光山
熊本県球磨郡水上村大字岩野3542 / Iwano, Mizukami, Kuma District


Nr. 99 . Kooyaji 高野寺 Koya-Ji .
青井山 Aoi san
熊本県人吉市下青井町47 / Shimoaoimachi, Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto


. 100 Kongōjō-ji 護国山 金剛乗寺 Kongojo-Ji .
熊本県山鹿市山鹿1592 / Yamaga, Kumamoto


101 Taishooji 大勝寺 Taisho-Ji
成田山 Naritasan
熊本県荒尾市下井手1595-6 / Shimoide, Arao


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

- reference : list with stamps -
- reference source : www.kyushyu88.com -

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

. Fudō Myō-ō, Fudoo Myoo-Oo 不動明王 Fudo Myo-O
Acala Vidyârâja - Vidyaraja – Fudo Myoo .


. 九州三十六不動尊霊場 Kyushu - 36 Fudo temples .

. . Pilgrimages to Fudo Temples 不動明王巡礼
Fudo Myo-O Junrei - Introduction - .


The Five Great Wisdom Kings, Godai Myo-O - 五大明王
. The Five Great Elements of the Universe - 地水火風空の五大 .

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

. 四国お遍路さん Pilgrims in Shikoku . - General Information

Koya San in Wakayama

Kobo Daishi Kukai 弘法大師 空海
(Kooboo Daishi, Kuukai)

. Gyoki Bosatsu 行基菩薩 (668 - 749) Saint Gyōki .


Haiku and Henro:
.... . The Haiku Henro Pilgrimage  

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

. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC .


[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ] - - - - - #kumamotohenro #kyushuhenrokumamoto - - - - -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

2016/09/26

Daibutsu Kyoto

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
. Japan - Shrines and Temples - Index .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Daibutsu in Kyoto 京都の大仏様

. daibutsu 大仏 Big Buddha statues .
- Introduction -
The best known are in Nara and Kamakura.

There have been four BIG BUDDHA statues build in Kyoto in the course of history, but all of them are now lost.


京都大仏御殿盛衰記 - 村山修一



(『都名所図絵』より、赤丸内に大仏の顔が見える)
Miyako Meisho Zue : The face of the Daibutsu can be seen in the red circle.
Now there is a public park : 大仏殿跡緑地公園

- reference source : shihobe505/archives -


. Hookooji, Hōkō-ji 方広寺 Hoko-Ji .

Toyotomi Hideyoshi 豊臣秀吉 ordered its construction to appease the souls of the Tensho earthquake victims, January 18, 1586, with a magnitude of M 7.8.
He had a sculptor from China make a huge wooden statue. 
It was then covered with clay and laquer and finally gold foil.

Hideyoshi was determined that the capital city should have a Daibutsu temple to surpass that of Nara.
He is reputed to have claimed at the outset that he would complete construction in half the time it took Emperor Shōmu to complete the Great Buddha of Nara.



The hall and the statue was destroyed by the Bunroku earthquake before it was finished in August 14,1596.
Two years later, Hideyoshi died.

His son Toyotomi Hideyori 豊臣秀頼 re-built the temple and statue, this time to be cast in bronze to make it last.
But it was again destroyed by fire in 1602.
The next reconstruction was finished in 1612.
That was when the huge bronze bell was cast.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !



 Construction of the Great Buddha by Hideyoshi
秀吉の大仏造立 - 河内将芳 Kawauchi Masayoshi

..............................................................................................................................................

- quote
The 24-meter-high Kyoto Daibutsu (no longer extant) of Hōkōji Temple 方広寺 was built during the reign of Toyotomi Hideyoshi 豊臣秀吉 (1536-1598).
Toyotomi founded this Tendai-sect temple and ordered the creation of its giant monument to honor the spirit of his dead mother and his ancestors. After his own death it became the Toyotomi mortuary temple. Construction of the giant statue reportedly took only three years (as compared to 20 years for the Nara Daibutsu).
The wood image was made by noted sculpture Kōshō 康正 (1534-1621), the head of the Shichijō Bussho 七条仏所 (Seventh Avenue Atelier), a major sculpting workshop of the Keiha school located in Kyoto. However, the statue was destroyed by an earthquake soon after its completion in 1596.
Another statue was soon commissioned, this time in bronze, but it was destroyed in an accidental fire during the casting process in 1602.
A third effigy was commissioned between 1609 and 1616, but it was ruined in another natural disaster in 1622.
A fourth statue, this time made of wood, was created in 1664 by the Buddhist sculpture Genshin 玄信 (active mid-17th century, part of Kōshō’s lineage). It was destroyed by lightning in 1789.


Tokyo National Museum

All that remains of this once spectacular landmark is a small wooden maquette (hinagata 雛形) attributed to Genshin.
Note:
Tokyo National Museum attributes the maquette to sculptor Fujimura Chūen 藤村忠円, a student of Genshin. But research by Chō Yōichi (published in TNM’s own journal, #554, June 1998) explains why Genshin is the likely creator.


Mode, Attributed to Genshin 玄信.

--- Says scholar Beatrice M. Bodart-Bailey
in A Song for the Shogun: Engelbert Kaempfer and 17th-c. Japan:
“The only detailed pictorial record of the Kyoto Daibutsu is from the drawings of the German physician Engelbert Kaempfer (1651-1712), who stayed in Japan from 1690 to 1692. In his writings, he noted the particulars, from the ’long bovine ears’ and the ’frizzy hair’ to the fact that there would be space enough for three Japanese mats on its outstretched palm. He measured out the distances for a more detailed record, and noted that the width between the shoulders was equivalent to fifteen paces.”
(Site Editor: The effigy he witnessed must have been the statue built in 1664.)

--- Says scholar Jens Hvass in 1999:
..... The Daibutsu at Tōdai-ji in Nara in 752.
..... The Daibutsu in Kamakura in 1252.
The third big Buddha figure was erected in Kyoto in the late 16th century by the big upstart in Japanese history, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-98). It was even bigger than its two predecessors were, and by that time in Japanese history, legitimization through architectural manifestations seems to have become an unquestionable necessity of power positions.”
- source : Mark Schumacher



Sketch of Hōkōji Daibutsu by Kaempfer - wikipedia -

..............................................................................................................................................


- quote -
京都 ~まぼろし大仏の旅~
東福寺
・京都の町の南東、鴨川のほとりにある正面橋。大仏様の真正面にあったことから名づけられたという。
The bridge Shomen-bashi 正面橋 "Front Bridge" was in the front of the Daibutsu Temple.

・橋の先にある方広寺は400年ほど前に創建された由緒あるお寺。戦国の頃の文化財も数多く残されている。
・明治時代に撮影した写真に大仏殿が写っている。高さ約10m、江戸時代の終わり頃に木で造られた。胸から上だけだったが、親しみのあるお顔。
・江戸時代の京都を描いた絵図にも大仏様が載っている。大仏殿を造るため、木材を川から引き上げている。京都の大仏はたくさんの町の人たちの力で造られたが、4代目の大仏だという。
..... more
- reference source : NHK Historia September 2016 -

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


Postal stamp : Daibutsu Mae
京都大仏前郵便局 風景印
- reference source : humi.sakura.ne.jp/paco -
方広寺の大釣鐘 Hoko-Ji and the Big Bell


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

. Japan - Shrines and Temples - Index .


[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- - #daibutsukyoto #kyotodaibutsu #hokoji -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

2016/09/24

Koshoji Iwafune Tochigi

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
. Japan - Shrines and Temples - Index .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Kooshooji 高勝寺 Kosho-Ji, Tochigi
岩船山 高勝寺 Iwafunesan, Iwafune-San Kosho-Ji




〒329-4307 栃木県下都賀郡 岩舟町静3 / Tochigi, Shimotsuke-gun, Iwafune-machi, Shizuka 3

This is one of the three most important temples in honor of
Jizo Bosatsu 地蔵菩薩.

.......................................................................

高勝寺 History of Kosho-ji
Priest Myogan, living in Daisen, Tottori, had a desire to meet a living Jizo (a Buddhist saint) and so, went on a trip to east Japan. He traveled and looked for Jizo, and eventually arrived at Iwafune. As dusk fell, he found a mountain hermitage in the middle of the rock, where a man called Igabo lived. Igabo kindly gave him a night’s lodging, and told him a living Jizo would come out on the top of the rock on the 18th and 24th of every month. The priest was happy to hear that and asked Igabo if he could stay at the hermitage for a while.

One day a villager visited Igabo to help him plow a field on the following day. Then a different villager came and told him that he wanted Igabo to thatch his roof the next day. Then another villager appeared and asked him to plane boards for his house, also on the next day. Then yet another villager asked Igabo to dig a well —you guessed it— the next day. Igabo answered “Sure!” to all of them. Myogan murmured, “It looks strange. He received all these requests, but how can he do everything in one day?”

The next morning, Igabo left the hermitage and began to do the work. The priest Myogan followed Igabo secretly. But soon Myogan was given the slip. So, he went around the places where Igabo should have been helping. To his surprised, Igabo was working very hard at all the places he promised.

Igabo came back to the hermitage at night. Myogan thought Igabo must be exhausted from the hard work. But he said in a happy voice, “Let’s get up early and go to see a living Jizo tomorrow!”

Early in the morning, Myogan and Igabo scrambled up the rocky mountain and reached the summit. Just at that moment, the sun rose and birds chirped. Myogan sat on a rock and prayed wholeheartedly that a living Jizo would come. Finally, brilliant light was released from the sky and a Jizo appeared. Myogan felt supreme bliss for a while. When Myogan came to, he found himself alone. Myogan was so happy that he didn’t realize Igabo had left.

After that Myogan returned to his homeland. And the next year, he came back to Iwafune to see Igabo. But he couldn’t find the hermitage Igabo had lived in. He asked some villagers about Igabo, but no one knew about the hermitage or Igabo. He was sad. And then he went to the place the hermitage used to be, and found a stone Jizo statue there. Myogan looked at the Jizo statue carefully, and suddenly realized that the face of the Jizo was exactly the same as Igabo. Eventually, Myogan understood that the living Jizo was Igabo himself!

Myogan established a temple on the rock of Iwafune and enshrined the Jizo statue in 771. After that, Myogan protected the temple and did his best for the villagers, much as Igabo had. Since then, the number of Jizo statues has been increasing, due to the donation of believers.

Tochigi Iwafune-san Kosho-ji Temple

Iwafune-san Rock looks like a boat left on the broad Kanto Plain.
The rock itself has been deified and is worshiped as a god. It is considered to be the place where spirits get together and come back to the next world. The top of the rock has been a sacred place for more than 1200 years and Kosho-ji Temple has been a great support to people living in all over the Kanto district.
- - - - - Jizo statues
There are huge numbers of Jizo statues in this temple. People believe Jizo bless barren couples with children, help mothers with safe deliveries and bless the children with health—all through divine grace. The origin of these Jizo statues is based on the folklore described below.
- - - - - Nio-mon Gate
- - - - - Three-story pagoda
- - - - - Rocky cliffs
The highest point of the rock is 173 meters above sea level. The edges of this rocky mountain are all cliffs, with Jizo statues scattered around along the edges. ...
- source : Tomoko Kamishima 2013 -



shooshin Jizoo 生身の地蔵 living Jizo at 下野の岩船 Mount Iwafune in Shimotsuke (Tochigi).
Iwafune Jizoo 岩船地蔵 Iwafune Jizo

Guseiboo Myoogan 弘誓坊 明願 Guseibo Myogan, priest from 大山 Mount Daisen, Tottori,
came to Tochigi in 777 (宝亀8).

Igaboo 伊賀坊 Igabo, Iga-Bo


Later 徳川吉宗 Shogun Yoshimune had the main hall rebuilt, but it was lost in a fire in 1926.
The pagoda dates back to 1751.



Mount Iwafunesan

..............................................................................................................................................


shuin 朱印 temple stamp




- Homepage of the temple kousyouji
- source : www.iwafunesan.com

..............................................................................................................................................

- Yearly Festivals 年中行事 -



During the Spring and Autumn Equinox, many visitors come to look at the many Jizo statues to find the face of a loved one.


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

. Jizoo Bosatsu 地蔵菩薩 Jizo Bosatsu Kshitigarbha .
- Introduction -

. Legends about Jizo Bosatsu - 地蔵菩薩 .

. O-Mamori お守り Amulets and Talismans .


. Japan - Shrines and Temples - Index .


[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- - #Koshoji #iwafunetochigi #myoganpriest #igabopriest -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

2016/02/22

kaidan ordination platform

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

kaidan 戒壇 platform for Buddhist ordination

A special hall to perform a Buddhist ordination (kairitsu 戒律).


source : pikapikasos.blog95.fc2.com
戒壇巡り Kaidan meguri
岐阜県関市西日吉町35 / 関善光寺 Seki Zenko-Ji in Gifu

..............................................................................................................................................

Kaidanin 戒壇院 Kaidan-In 戒壇堂 Kaidan-Do


source : todaiji.or.jp/contents
Nara, Todai-Ji, 戒壇堂 Kaidan-Do

- quote -
A Tendai 天台 sect building that contains an ordination platform used exclusively for the ceremony to impart the Buddhist precepts upon priests and nuns.
At the ceremony, called jukai 受戒, the initiates vow to accept and follow the precepts of Buddhism. The Chinese priest Jianzhen (Jp; Ganjin 鑑真, 688-763), who reached Japan in the mid-8c is said to have ordered an ordination platform to be erected in front of Toudaiji 東大寺 (Todai-Ji)  (Nara), in April 754, for the precepts of Emperor Shoumu 聖武. In May 754, it was relocated west of the Daibutsuden 大仏殿 where a building had been erected for the platform. This is considered the first in Japan. The building was often destroyed and rebuilt. Finally, in 1731 at Reiunji 霊雲寺 in Tokyo, it was rebuilt in its original form.

Another kaidan-in was built in 1678 as the center of the Tendai sect. It is called the Enryakuji Daijou Kaidan-in dou 延暦寺大乗戒壇院堂 and is located in Shiga prefecture. It is a 5×5 bay square, single-storied structure. The kaidan is 3×3 bays and a 1-bay wide aisle surrounds it. This aisle is called a mokoshi 裳階 and has a pent roof. The kaidan-in has a coffered ceiling, and the roof over it is pyramidal hougyou-zukuri 宝形造, with an undulating bargeboard karahafu 唐破風. Roofing is tochibuki 栩葺, that is, wood roofing 1cm to 3cm thick and 9 cm to 15cm wide.
The kaidan-in or daijou kaidan-in correspond to the Kanjoudou 潅頂堂 of the Shingon 真言 sect.
- source : JAANUS -

..............................................................................................................................................

kanjoodoo 潅頂堂 Kanjo-Do

- quote -
Also called kanjouin 潅頂院 Kanjo-In.
The hall used to conduct the ceremony to confer the basic precepts and mystic teachings of Esoteric Buddhism, mikkyou 密教, on young men who are to be trained as Buddhist priests. An important part of the ceremony is the pouring of water over the young men's heads as part of their initiation rites. Kanjou are known to have existed at Mt. Kouya 高野, Wakayama prefecture, the headquarters of the Shingon 真言 sect, and at Jingoji 神護寺 in Kyoto.
Only one Shingon sect kanjoudou still exists at Kyouougokokuji 教王護国寺 (also called Touji 東寺) in Kyoto.
This building, called the Kanjouin 潅頂院, was rebuilt in 1634. The TOUHOUKI 東宝記 describes the original kanjoudou, at Mt. Kouya, as having been constructed in the twin hall style narabidou 双堂, with a large main hall shoudou 正堂, of 5×4 bays and a separate worship hall raidou 礼堂. These two halls were connected by a passage-like hall called an ai-no-ma 合の間.
- reference source : JAANUS -

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

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

. Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 - Introduction .

かいだんの穴よりひらり小てふ(ちょう)哉
kaidan no ana yori hirari kochoo kana

lightly, from a passageway
beneath Amida Buddha
a small butterfly

Tr. Chris Drake

This hokku is from the third month (April) of 1818. In Issa's diary the hokku is placed next to a hokku about Zenkoji Temple, and he also mentions making a pilgrimage to Zenkoji on the morning of 3/7 (April 11), so presumably this hokku is based on that visit to the temple, which is located only a few miles from his hometown. This large temple is very famous and attracts pilgrims from throughout Japan. One of the highlights of a pilgrimage to the temple was (and still is) passing through a completely dark passageway under the raised main hall, a hall in which a very old statue of Amida Buddha is worshiped. The statue is so fragile that it is never shown, and at official "showings" an exact copy, itself very old, is shown instead.

The corridor beneath the high floor of the main hall is known as the "ordination platform," but its larger purpose is to allow all people visiting the temple to form a close relationship with Amida Buddha. People do this by wholly depending on and trusting completely in Amida in spite of being unable to see anything down in the corridor. Feeling their way in the dark through the winding corridor, an experience that is said to be a bit frightening for some pilgrims, their hands eventually touch a large metal key attached to the wall on their right. The key is located directly beneath the statue of Amida Buddha in the hall above, and it symbolizes entrance into the Pure Land. If people think wholly of Amida while touching this key, it is believed that Amida will feel their sincerity and promise to accept them into the Pure Land. After symbolically touching Amida and sensing his promise, people then feel their way to the exit, a stairway located a few feet from the entrance. See the contemporary picture of the passageway entrance at the link below.

In the hokku one of the pilgrims is revealed to be a small butterfly. Since ancient times in Japan and the Ryukyus, butterflies have been evoked in songs and poems as the physical manifestations of souls and gods, so Issa may feel that the butterfly fluttering so freely out of the passageway exit is the soul of someone who sincerely prayed to Amida down in the darkness and is now flying through the air of the Pure Land. Or perhaps Issa takes the butterfly to be a sign that his own recent underground feelings toward Amida have been mutual. If so, his own feet must now feel as light as the butterfly.

The link below is to a picture put up by the Issa Memorial Museum of two pilgrims in Issa's age going down into the dark corridor beneath the high floor of Zenkoji Temple's main hall, a corridor that passes directly under an especially revered statue of Amida Buddha. Two monks stand at lower right:



Chris Drake

一茶と善光寺 - 戒壇巡り」
- source : issakinenkan.com/diary -


.......................................................................

kaidan no ana yori hirari ko chô kana

from a hole in the temple's
pulpit, swish!
little butterfly


Kaidan doesn't signify, as I first thought, the step of a staircase. Shinji Ogawa notes that it means "an ordination platform" in a large Buddhist temple, like Zenkôji Temple in Issa's home province.

From this platform, Buddhist precepts are taught; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 499, and so I've chosen the English word, "pulpit," to approximate its meaning. No longer a caterpillar, Issa's butterfly has been reborn as a pure, innocent embodiment of enlightenment. This little "priest" has more to teach about Buddha's law than human preachers.

- source : David Lanoue -

..............................................................................................................................................

戒壇院裏の崖なる穴施行
Kaidan-In ura no gake naru ana segyoo

Kaidan-In hall
in the cliff behind it
offerings in the holes


茨木和生 Ibaraki Kazuo (1939 - )

. ana segyoo 穴施行 placing alms food at the holes for animals .
kigo for late winter

.......................................................................

戎壇院辺りは静かお山焼 橋本道子

戒壇院前に屯す袋角 森孝子

戒壇院霰ひと撒きして雪に 赤松[けい]子

杉花粉とぶ下野の戒壇院 大坪貞子

余寒なる戒壇院址何の花弁 橋本榮治

靴音一つ戒壇院の秋の昼 鷲谷七菜子

端居して戒壇院に女あり 高野素十

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

. Pilgrimages to Fudo Temples 不動明王巡礼
Fudo Myo-O Junrei - Fudo Pilgrims - INTRODUCTION .



. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC .


[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- - #kaidanaltar #altarkaidan -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

2016/01/07

kinun Jizo for Money

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
- Jizo Bosatsu 地蔵菩薩 - ABC-List -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

kinun Jizoo 金運地蔵 Kin-Un Jizo for Money

kinun shoorai 金運招来
zaiun koojoo 財運向上 make more money
shoobai hanjoo 商売繁盛 good business
.kinun, kin un 金運お守り to make money - amulets .
- Introduction -

..............................................................................................................................................

金福地蔵 Kinpuku Jizo for Luck with Money



- source : yahoo.co.jp/waraku-store


..............................................................................................................................................

Origami 折紙 Six Jizo for all purposes

6人のお地蔵さんが作れてそれぞれ
「学(賢」「体(勝)」「金(福)」「美(輝)」「芸(才)」「剛(強)」





- source : ほうりん折紙 -


..............................................................................................................................................


開運ゴールドプレート護符地蔵大菩薩子供守護金運
Gold Plate for your purse



- source : royalstone.mobi -


- - - - - another one to keep in your purse


CLICK for more photos !

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

銭塚地蔵尊 Asakusa Zenizuka Jizo - かんかん地蔵 Kankan Jizo
Zeniduka-Jizou

- quote -
One day in the early 18th century, a certain housewife happened to dig up a jar full of coins from her garden. Worried, however, that she and her husband would become lazy due to reliance on this new-found wealth and lose what they had, she decided to put it back into the ground. This mind-set brought the family prosperity. The couple placed a statue of Bodhisattva Jizo on the spot where she had buried the jar.
“Kanei Tsuho”



Zenizuka Jizo-do Hall enshrines this image of Bodhisattva Jizo, still visited by large numbers of people praying for success in business. The coins are said to be buried under the stone pagoda housing six statues of Bodhisattva Jizo in the center of the hall. Thus originated the name zenizuka (“mound where the treasure is buried”). Buddhist ceremonies are offered each month on dates containing the number four (4, 14 and 24), and a particularly large ceremony is held on the 24th of January, May and September.
The current Jizo-do Hall
was reconstructed in 1964. Visitors to the hall offer salt, incense and candles to the images of Jizo. Because of the salt used to purify the Jizo images, the statues here are also known as Shioname-jizo (Salt-licking Jizo).
- source : senso-ji.jp/guide/zeniduka -



People offer a small pot of salt and then take one of the two black stones to hit the statue.
This makes the sound of "kankan", hence the name. The white figure used to be Jizo . . .

. Asakusa Kannon 浅草観音 Tokyo .


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

- Jizo Bosatsu 地蔵菩薩 - Introduction -

. Pilgrimages to Jizo Bosatsu 地蔵菩薩 - 地蔵霊場 Jizo Reijo .

. Legends about Jizo Bosatsu - 地蔵菩薩 .




. Join the Jizo Bosatsu Gallery - Facebook .



. O-Mamori お守り Amulets and Talismans .

. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC List .


[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ] - - - #kinunjizo #kinpukujizo #konkonjizo #zenizukajizo - - -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

2016/01/02

Kakurinji Harima

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
. Yakushipedia - ABC-Index 薬師如来 .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Kakurinji 鶴林寺 Kakurin-Ji Harima, Hyogo
加古川市加古川町北在家424 / 424 Kakogawachō Kitazaike, Kakogawa-shi, Hyōgo

Nr. 09 on this pilgrimage :
. 播州薬師霊場 Yakushi pilgrim temples in Banshu - Harima / Hyogo 兵庫県 .
- Introduction -

..............................................................................................................................................



He sits on iwaza 岩座, a stone podestal, which is quite unusual for a Yakushi statue.

- quote
蓮華じゃなく岩?に座った珍しいお薬師さん。
- source : generalgingerxxx.doorblog.jp/archives

..............................................................................................................................................

刀田山鶴林寺 Todasan Kakurin-Ji
Toda no Taishi 刀田の太子




The temple was built on request of Imperial Prince Shotoku in the hope to spread Buddhism. Its original name was Shitennoji Shoryo-In.
It hosts many treasures and cultural property from the Heian and Muromachi Period.


. Imperial Prince Shotoku 聖徳太子 Shotoku Taishi (Daishi) . 574-622

..............................................................................................................................................






sange no hana 散華の花 auspicious flower petals

. sange 散華 "scattering blossoms" amulets .

.......................................................................
- Homepage of the temple
- source : kakurinji.or.jp


- - - - - Famous statues of this temple


◆薬師三尊像 Yakushi Sanzon Trias



◆ Eben Hooshi 恵便法師像 Priest Eben Hoshi from 高句麗 Kokuri, Korea
聖徳太子が、加古川下流に身をかくしていた僧、恵便のところに足を運ばれ「木の丸殿」を作って教を受けられたと言われている。

◆行道面
◆釈迦像
◆行基菩薩像 Gyoki Bosatsu
◆聖徳太子像
◆如意輪観音像 / ◆十一面観音 / ◆聖観音立像
◆十二神将より伐折羅大将像
◆持國天 / ◆広目天 / ◆増長天 / ◆多聞天
- source : kakurinji.or.jp -

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

..............................................................................................................................................

- Yearly Festivals  年中行事-

1月1日 - 初詣
1月8日 - 修正会(鬼追い)
2月15日 - 涅槃会
3月21日 - 春彼岸法要(太子会式)
3月22日 - 太子法要(太子会式)
3月23日 - 柴灯大護摩供(太子会式)
5月8日 - 花祭り(納骨・納髪・塔婆回向)
7月下旬 - 早朝坐禅会
8月7日 - 盆施餓鬼会
9月 - 秋坐禅会
十三夜 - 観月会
12月31日 - 除夜の鐘

月例行事 - every Month
毎月8日 - 写経と法話の会
毎月18日 - 観音講

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

- Further Information -



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



Join the friends on facebook !


. Yakushipedia - ABC-Index 薬師如来 .

. Yakushi Nyorai - Legends from the provinces .

. Yakushi Nyorai Pilgrimages 薬師霊場巡り - Introduction .


. O-Mamori お守り Amulets and Talismans .

. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC List .


[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ] - - - #kakurinjiyakushi #harimapilgrims - - -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

2015/12/12

Kani Yakushi Gifu

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
. Yakushipedia - ABC-Index 薬師如来 .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Kani Yakushi 蟹薬師 "Crab Yakushi"
大寺山願興寺 Daiji San, Ganko-Ji
Mitake no Kani Yakushi 御嵩の蟹薬師

岐阜県南部,可児(かに)the district of Kani in Gifu
岐阜県可児郡御嵩町御嵩1377-1 / Mitake town

Situated on the Western Side of 御嶽宿 Mitake-Juku of the old 中山道 Nakasendo road.
The temple was first built in 713.
In 815, 伝教大師(最澄) Dengyo Daishi Saicho dedicated the statue of Yakushi.
It is also closely related to the emperor Ichijoo Tennoo 一条天皇 Ichijo Tanno, when the annual festival 蟹薬師祭礼 started
The temple was lost to fire many times in its history, but usually rebuilt in greater splendor.
A special hall for the Yakushi Statue, 薬師如来の厨子堂, was built in 1610.





- source : gankoji.sakura.ne.jp - [


The crest of the temple 願興寺の紋章
kani botan 蟹牡丹 crab and peony



. kamon 家紋 family crest - Introduction .


- quote -
The foundation of Gankoji Temple
At the age of 36, Saicho visited China with Kukai (referred to as Kobo-taishi) as a member of Kentoshi (a mission represening Japan to China). On his return from China, he founded Enryakuji Temple (the headquarters of Tendai-shu, a faction of Buddhism) at Hieizan in north-eastern part of Kyoto. In order to carry out the Tendai-shu’s tenet “relieve all the people”, Saicho travelled all around Japan and finally reached Mitake via Tosando (an old passway connecting northern Japan and Kyoto). At that time the area surrounding Mitake was suffering from epidemic, so he built a fuseya, leaving a hand-made sculpture of Yakushi-Nyorai and said his prayer for the residents’ recovery.

Building of Shichido-Garan
There was a very clever girl who was a daughter of Emperor Ichijyo. She boasted about her own ability but the Emperor was uncomfortable with her attitude and drove her out of Kyoto. She started travelling along the Tosando , but during her trip she became exhausted and much thinner than before. It was already winter when she arrived in Nakamura village (currently called Naka district in Mitake-cho) in her ragged clothes. She built an hermitage with the help of neighbors in the village and began to live there. She shaved her hair and became a nun named Gyouchini, praying for Yakushi-Nyorai every day.
At that time, a line of light began to appear every night from a pond at the foot from the mountain in the south of the village. Fierce wind blew, waves in the pond and a roar of mountain went accompanied the light. Gyouchi went close to the bank of the pond in the evening and found the pond had flooded and the entire village was under water with people almost drowned. Gyouchi counted her beads and kept praying, gazing the pond. Then an enormous 30-meter-long, big snake suddenly appeared and tried to swallow her.
Despite the snake’s appearance, Gyouchi just kept praying for Yakushi Nyorai without any fear. After a while the wind and wave stopped, and a small 6-centimeters-long image of Buddha surrounded by small crabs appeared in front of her. Inspired by this development, Gyouchi said her prayer for the image and enshrined it in her hermitage. On hearing the whole story, the Emperor Ichijyo issued a permission to build a sanctum there. This led to the establishment of a magnificent Shichido-Garan style temple in 998 named “Oterasan-Gankoji”.

Gankoji, burnt down twice by wars
Gankoji was burnt down in 1108 (the first year of Tenjin Era) during a rebellion led by Yoshitsugu Minamoto. At that time the image of Yakushi-Nyorai was moved to and enshrined at a shrine in Tsushima, Aichi Prefecture. After a while, the Yakushi-Do (a hall to enshrine Yakushi-Nyorai) was rebuilt in the premises of Gankoji. 100 years later, Koketsu Gengo Yasumori (in his capacity as Jito, an administrator of the Mitake area from the central government) re-constructed the rest of Gankoji. In 1572, in the midst of the battle between Takeda and Oda, a servant of Shingen Takeda set fire to Gankoji and burnt it down. As valuable images of Buddha and scriptures were kept ivied Gankoji, a number of monks of Gukeiji temple rushed into Gankoji and carried them out of the temple. Thanks to their work, all the images and 600 sets of scriptures remained intact. The images were kept in a temporary hall in the premises of Gukeiji for a while.

Building of the present hall
Shingen Takeda, an enthusiastic believer of Tendai-shu, expressed his strong anger with his staff for setting fire to the Gankoji. It is believed that he gave residents in Mitake area his promise to rebuild the temple. However, Shingen died before undertaking the restoration. 10 years later, led by Yojiro Tamaki, residents in the area began to rebuild Gankoji by themselves. Not only did they collect a fund from neighboring temples and shrines, but also brought wooden boards and pillars voluntarily. The restoration was completed in 1582 (the 9th year of Tensho Era).
One feature of the present hall is its wide corridors. This shows the residents’ thoughtful consideration in order for travelers to avoid rain during the night. The other is that the humble style of the back of the hall compared to the front. It shows that the residents tried hard to rebuild the hall within their financial constraints.
In the concert on the 23rd November 2006 held during the event “Nakasendo Walk”, Mr. Bincho Tanaka, a teacher of Gagaku both in Japan and all over the world played a whistle. In the concert which took place at Gankoji, some attendees would have felt eternal history as in the air the Emperor Ichijyo was known as an expert of whistle.
- source : gankoji.sakura.ne.jp -


. Dengyo Daishi Saicho 伝教大師最澄 .
(766 - 822)

..............................................................................................................................................



- Homepage of the temple
- source : gankoji.sakura.ne.jp

..............................................................................................................................................

- Yearly Festivals -


CLICK for more photos !

The origin of the Gankoji Festival 蟹薬師祭礼
The Gankoji Festival is originated in 999 (the 5th year of Chotoku Era), when the Shichido-Garan style temple was completed. Since then, ceremonies such as Daiji-Hyoshi, Shishi-mai and Hae-oi have been held part of the festival. Among them, Hae-oi was an important ceremony to drive off something unclean, given that could an epidemic, which was a matter of life and death at that time.
It is believed that the mask used in the Hae-oi ceremony was created by Gyouchi. There were two types of heads of Shishi (an item used in Shishi-mai lion-head ceremony), one was male and the other was female. When the male one was used, clothes and a mask for a male were used in the Hae-oi ceremony and vice versa.

願興寺月例祭事 - every month
8日 薬師縁日  (焚き上げ・法話)
18日 観音縁日  (説法)
24日 地蔵縁日  (水子供養)
28日 不動明王縁日(安全祈願)

願興寺年間祭事と行事
4月第1日  蟹薬師祭礼 The main Festival in April
8月第1土曜 竹筒の燈明
大晦日    竹筒の燈明

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


- quote
STATUE OF KANI YAKUSHI
Daianji, Nara City, Japan



This statue was dedicated to the temple by a medical doctor to pray for confining cancer. Both words of KANI in Japanese and cancer in astronomy in English share a common meaning, that is, crab. In view of such a relationship, the doctor wanted to have this statue created for dedication.
- source : nara-heritage-online.naist.jp

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

- Further Information -

One of the three great Yakushi temples of Japan 日本三薬師:

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

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

. Yamanaka Yakushi 山中薬師 - 瑠璃山医王寺 Rurisan Io-Ji . - Gifu

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



Join the friends on facebook !


. Yakushipedia - ABC-Index 薬師如来 .

. Yakushi Nyorai - Legends from the provinces .

. Yakushi Nyorai Pilgrimages 薬師霊場巡り - Introduction .


. O-Mamori お守り Amulets and Talismans .

. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC List .


[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ] - - - #kaniyakushi #crabyakushi #canceryakushi - - -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::