Nyoirinji

Hidden in the woods of Yoshino in southern Nara Prefecture is a quiet temple with a storied past. Originally founded in the 10th century, the temple gained siginificant notoriety in the 14th century when Emperor Go-Daigo moved his imperial court from the north (Heian-kyô/Kyoto) to the south in Yoshino. The emperor was recently ousted from the capital by the very warriors he had worked with to overthrow the warrior government of the time, the Kamakura bakufu. He and his allies formed a new court in Yoshino to combat the usurpers, but the emperor passed only two years later and his supporters were removed or eliminated soon after. Emperor Go-Daigo and his wife are buried within small earthen tombs on the slopes just above the temple grounds.

For the casual: 2. For the educated: 6.

To be honest, there isn’t much of a reason to visit this temple. There’s nothing particularly outstanding to see and it’s a long travel for those with no more than a vague interest. There are two scenarios where I believe someone could have more of a reason to visit: first as scholars or those interested in Japanese history, and second as a casual visitor in spring.

For a more educated visitor, the temple is of course home to an emperor’s tomb, and it’s the tomb of a particularly prominant emperor in a long long line of puppet emperors. This guy was actually able to take back his political power even if for only a few years. I mean, no one else was ever able to do that until Emperor Meiji in 1868. But more than that, the temple is home to a treasure hall with items of note belonging to the emperor and his loyal retainers. There are pieces from Kusunoki Masashige (See my post on Minatogawa Jinja), armor sets, paintings, and even the names of loyal retainers carved into the temple door.

Visitors to Japan in spring, particularly in late March-early April, are treated to the entire nation turning to pink with the annual wash of cherry blossoms. There are many brilliant places across the country to see these famous blossoms, but the slopes of Yoshino are literally COVERED in cherry trees. Every spring the entire mountainside turns pink, and the temple grounds are no exception. If you enjoy the annual blooms, then Nyoirinji is a pretty nice spot to pull over and enjoy the flutter of petals through the air.

Emperor Go-Daigo’s mausoleum.

 

Asuka-dera (Hôkôji)

Hidden in a cluster of buildings on the south side of Nara Prefecture is Asuka-dera, a temple founded in the late 7th century and named after both the community and the time period. The temple was built by the Soga clan, one of the most powerful of the time. In the Asuka Period, the temple was a massive complex with a pagoda, lecture halls to the east and west, and smaller halls within the walls for sutra study and copying, farming, and living quarters. Asuka-dera would remain a premier temple until the government moved north to modern Nara. From then on the temple grounds gradually shrank from fires and disrepair, but the main hall and the buddha inside have never changed locations.

For the casual: 4. For the educated: 6.

It’s not every day that you get to come across a location like Asuka-dera. Most of us would likely drive right by if we saw it, assuming that it’s just one of any number of local temples that proliferate every corner of Japanese society. There are no towers, grand halls, or sprawling parking lots. The only access road always has at least one car, not because it’s busy, but because it’s so narrow. To all the world, there is nothing of import here, save for those who know. The first hint is in the name: Asuka. Not only is this the name of the community, but also the time; about 1400 years ago or so. And after all that time, this one hall has not moved an inch. It has stood in one form or another in this singular location for all that time. When Charlemagnes ruled the Franks, this temple was already one hundred years old. Just think on that for a moment. But how do we know how old it is? Because the buddha inside is the oldest dated buddha in Japan with an inscription dating it to 609 C.E. It’s quite battered but standing at 3 meters tall, it is still a fairly imposing figure. The rigid seated posture and corkscrew hair indicates that the statue was cast in accordance with Chinese style and design; very understandable considering buddhism had just arrived from China.

 

Suzumushi-dera

Suzumushi-dera, or Kegonji as it is officially named, is a temple nestled into the woods south of Arashiyama in western Kyoto. While I’m sure many would have heard of Arashiyama before, I doubt many people would be familiar with this temple. The temple receives its moniker Suzumushi-dera for the populations of bell crickets it breeds and raises all year round for their popular chirping.

For the casual: 10. For the educated: 2.

So let’s start with some basics. This is not a temple founded by a special person, for a special reason, or home to special artifacts. If that’s what you’re looking for then you want the other temple just up the road which can only be visited after making a reservation via postcard. This temple is really great for casual visitors because it doesn’t require any extra information to thoroughly enjoy.

Founded in the 18th century, Kegonji was a humble local temple in western Kyoto, but a few decades ago the chief grounds keeper, a fan of the sounds of crickets, would rest after a long day of work by enjoying the warm summer nights and listening to them chirping. Believing that crickets embodied many of the ideals of buddhist principles, he began raising a population of crickets in the temple. After years of breeding and research, the temple is home to several thousand bell crickets, suzumushi in Japanese, that chirp throughout the year instead of their typical brief presence in autumn. Visitors to the temple are welcomed indoors in groups every hour to enjoy tea and a 30 minute sermon led by one of the monks who explains not only the crickets chirping away in their boxes at the front of the room, but also how the guests can incorporate more mindfulness in their every day lives. When it’s over, the guests leave through the garden. Be sure to say a prayer at the Jizo statue out front. This statue is unique because he is wearing sandals, a small detail that implies that Jizo will personally deliver your prayer to you.

 

Saijo Inari-san Myokyoji

Ok, so I’m not going to lie, this is a shrine, so why would I put it here? Well, the answer to that is because when I visited, it felt more like a temple than a shrine. There is a massive temple hall as well as burial halls, and then behind all that are a series of small shrines. Every major structure in the complex was a purely Buddhist building and everything related to shinto was small and in the back. I’ll gladly accept criticism from anyone that says that this should be a shrine instead of a temple, and who knows, maybe I’ll switch it over, but until then the most prominent and lasting impression was that it was a temple, despite the massive torii down the street.

Saijo Inari-san Myokyoji is a temple/shrine complex in the Kibi Plain in Okayama Prefecture. The complex is best known for being one of the Three Great Inari Shrines along with Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, and Toyokawa Inari in Aichi Prefecture. It now is mostly known for the buddhist services it provides for the area at Myokyoji founded by Ho-on Daishi, a monk of the Tendai sect of Buddhism. The temple would later change sects in the 17th century when it was rebuilt.

For the casual: 4. For the educated: 5.

I think the most interesting thing about this location is the knowledge that before the separation of temples and shrines during the Meiji Restoration in the 19th century, this is how all religious sites were set up. Every complex was a composition of shinto and buddhist buildings and practices. Some complexes focused on one belief over another, but all in all there was some aspect of both faiths to each place. But what can I say, Saijo Inari is certainly a break from the traditional mold, but that also makes it rather off-putting in my mind. There is a small shopping street at the front of the complex, but it appeared to be largely abandoned almost like in a post-apocalyptic scene. Then there’s the main building which is for the buddhist rites, but is also adorned with a shimenawa (shinto rope) above the doorframe. Behind the main building is a small shrine to finding love with the original main hall of the temple behind that. The original main hall is far more modest than the current one, but this is also where I have the most problem with calling this complex a shrine: though the original main hall is surrounded by small fox shrines to Inari, the main buildings are all dedicated to Buddhist practices.

In the surrounding hills are a variety of other small buildings and monuments, but overall they’re just not really that necessary to see if you’re not interested. And that was my problem with this complex, I really had trouble finding much of a spark of interest to the location. I enjoyed the original main hall and the surrounding Inari shrines, but besides that I was just not interested. Perhaps if I visited again when the pandemic is over I will be able to find a greater interest in everything, but I really I just wasn’t that amazed with the layout, the art, architecture, or history.