Chionji

Founded sometime in the 9th century C.E. just south of Amanohashidate, Chionji is a temple of the Rinzai-Zen sect. While the temple claims to be built in the 9th century, the eariest recorded dates are from the Kamakura Period (1180-1333 C.E.). Many of the buildings and the pricipal figure in the temple are all also dated to the Kamakura Period. The temple is dedicated to the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, Monju (Manjusri), and as a result the temple has been a noted pilgrimage spot for leaders and philosophers throughout Japan’s history. For much of its history, Chionji claimed the forested sandbar Amanohashidate (The Bridge to Heaven) as private property of the temple, until the Meiji Restoration formally separated it from the temple. Amanohashidate is a key feature of the Shinto belief and therefore could not be associated with Buddhism per the new regulations. It was later established a national forest in 1871.

For the casual: 6. For the educated: 8.

Let’s just get the main issue out of the way first, it’s not easy to get to Amanohashidate from Kyoto. There is a train, but it takes a few hours. Now, that being said, this is a beautiful temple and one of my personal favorites for which I will explain in a bit. The road to the temple is one of those roads that clearly hasn’t changed in at least a hundred years. Cute little shops are here and there with maneki neko in windows and standing outside doors beckoning the odd passerby to see their wares. The main gate to the temple certainly announces itself because of its size and its clear distinction from the neighboring buildings. Once through, the grounds are filled with beautifully kept pine trees that are covered in omamori (fortune telling papers) which are specially printed on small paper fans. My favorite part of the temple is within the main building to the side. Keen eyed observers will notice a lot of very gruesome images painted on large wooden boards. These are images of the Buddhism Hell Scrolls! Yay!!! Just like gruesome stone statues outside a cathedral, these images show what happens to those who do not follow the teachings of the Buddha, and especially those who are evil in this life and do not deserve enlightenment. There are punishments befitting the crimes of the individual, like being turned into mostly animal if the person was cruel to animals, being turned into a hungry ghost for those who were too greedy, and quite a few other ones that I’ll just let you look it up if you have the stomach for these things. These images bring me particular joy because they remind me of one of my favorite classes in college taught by one of my favorite professors, a man with a dry sense of humor who knowingly showed us the most graphic images just before lunch time then asked us if we had any appetite left. We did not.

Omamori hanging from tree branches. These both say “Daikichi” or “THE BEST LUCK!!!” 

Yup, they’re pretty gruesome. 

 

Takao-san Yakuôin Yukiji

Takao-san is one of the best-known mountains in western Tokyo. It’s famous for its views over the Kanto plains, and for the Yakuôin Yukiji temple complex. It was originally founded by the imperial court in 744 C.E. as a way to spread the teachings of Esoteric Buddhism, the primary school of Buddhist faith in the Imperial Court, into the then very distant area of the Kanto region. The temple and the mountain have played an important role in the history of the Kanto area; it serves a spiritual purpose as the mountain in the west, it’s said to be home of a powerful tengu, and it’s a mountain pass that overlooked the main roads into and out of the eastern plains. One of the main figures of worship at the temple is Izuna Daigongen, a tengu spirit which straddles the lines of both Shinto and Buddhist belief. Izuna embodied many of the qualities found in Myo, righteous Bright Kings in Escoteric Buddhism who smite the wicked and defend the faithful, but he was also seen as a divine being who worked in concert with the Shinto harvest god Inari. In the 14th century, a noted monk staying at the temple named Shugen Daitoku, had a vision of Izuna Daigongen and persuaded the temple to establish Izuna as a figure of worship. Tengu, humanoid figures typically wearing monk robes and with varrying degrees of bird-like features, are fascinating figures in Japanese folk lore and mythology because they can be creatures of great wisdom and power, but can also bring ruin and mischief. Another noted tengu with a temple connection is Sôjôbô at Kurama-dera in Kyoto.

For the educated: 8. For the casual: 9

Takao-san is one of those places I just can’t recommend enough. For one, it’s just a great hike for those who want a nice burn in the legs but isn’t punishing. The trail to the summit is steep but not particularly long, and even if you find yourself short of breath, there are plenty of places to stop and observe the beauty in the area. If hiking isn’t your thing, no problem! There is a ropeway and a chair lift which can take visitors up most of the way to the observation decks and the lower levels of the temple. Along the way, there’s also a monkey enclosure, a food and beer garden, and a traditional snack stall.

The temple itself will require climbing some stairs, but most of the visitor attractions are on the lowest level. To reach the temple complex from the ropeway station, there is the “Woman’s Path” and the “Men’s Path.” I know, not very 21st century school of thought, but that’s the way it’s layed out. The Man’s Path ascends the terrain via a large stairway which is hard to miss. Short but steep. The Woman’s Path is slightly longer but the ascent is much more gradual. Once at the lower levels of the temple, you can clean money in the prayer halls, while specialty halls are higher up on the hillside as well as the trail which eventually leads to the mountain summit. As mentioned before, the temple is closely linked to tengu spirits, so there is no shortage of tengu statues, masks, and other ornamentations around the complex.

 

Nariaiji

Nariai-ji is a temple complex in northern Kyoto Prefecture overlooking the city of Amanohashidate. The temple was first constructed in 704 C.E. is the 28th stop on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, and is known today for granting prayers.

For the casual: 6. For the educated: 3.

Let’s get straight to the point, this temple incredibly beautiful. For sure it’s not an easy location to get to: Sea of Japan coast, long train rides, super steep roads, and more, but once you’re there it’s a wonderful place to stop and spend some time. There’s the beautiful pine trees all around, the view of Amanohashidate from the observation deck, and a five story pagoda surrounded by maple trees. Smell the air, take some photos, and enjoy the day, it’s worth it. I apologize that I don’t have more photos. Looking through them, I was feeling a little too artsy-fartsy that day and don’t have a good representative photo for you.

 

Sekizan-Zenin

Sekizan-Zenin is a temple in the Higashiyama disctrict of Kyoto dedicated to the Sekizan Daimyôjin. The temple was founded in the 9th century and is one of the temples on the Kyoto pilgrimmage of Shichifukujin (七福神), The Seven Lucky Gods, in Kyoto.

For the casual: 7. For the educated: 4.

Sekizan-Zenin is a fun temple to visit in Kyoto if you’re looking for a change of pace. There are notable statues and features of the temple that are uncommon anywhere else. There are lucky monkey statues on the roofs, there is a prayer bead gate to walk through for luck, and there are dozens of statues of monks, priests, and holy figures. Rather than a temple with one main hall, Sekizan-Zenin is a complex of small halls and shrines.

Just a photo note. I was going through my photos to write this post and for some reason I never took a photo of the buildings, just statues and other small things. Sorry about that. If you can take my word on it, this is a lovely little temple with beautiful buildings. Sorry!

The orange sign reads “goshuin” and there are dozens of signs around every corner leading the path through the complex to the goshuin booth. It made me laugh at least.