Daigoji

Though hidden, Daigoji is no secret to those who wish to see the spectacles of Kyoto. In a quiet community in eastern Kyoto, Daigoji puts on some of the most spectacular natural shows in Japan with cherry blossoms in Spring and the changing of leaves in Autumn. Each year thousands of spectators and hungry photographers descend on the temple to get that perfect photo, and as one of those people, I can say with certainty that the temple does all the work. The temple was first established in the 9th century at a location higher in the hills above the current complex as a monastery for study. With large patronage from multiple emperors over its early years, the complex expanded and became more lavish to look more like what it is today. As a temple of the Shingon sect, its primary triad is of Yakushi, the Buddha of Medicine and Healing.

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

Let me start by saying that this temple deserves a TOURIST TRAP warning depending on the time of the year. Sometimes the quest for that perfect photo draws a lot of competition to get the best shot. I recommend a calm state of mind and a great deal of patience. And some good luck ^-^.

Like any good complex, Daigoji is broken up into several sections. The first I wish to write about is the Main Drawing Room (Omote Shoin). The building is classic aristocratic architecture from the Heian Period which looks out on a lovely garden. Many of the sliding doors and carvings within the building are designated as National Treasures and photos are not allowed. Many of the screens are replaced on a regular basis to match the seasonal themes, but all in all the screens are up fairly often and depict anything from birds and trees to flowers and clouds made of flakes of silver and gold , reflective minerals, and colorful paints.

The next section I wish to discuss is the on site museum called the Reihokan. Many major temples in Japan are filled with treasures that they have collected over the centuries. Storage needs, damage to housing structures, and preservation concerns can cause some of the larger temples to establish their own museum of treasures so that they can better manage and share the collection. In this case, the Reihokan is home to several thousand National Treasures, Important Cultural Artifacts, and other designations. Most of the items are small like carvings and scrolls, but others are large wood carvings, old sections of the temple which were removed for restoration, and larger hanging scrolls. The Reihokan has some small intimate rooms to enjoy some of its smaller pieces and a large main section for its main pieces. Though not always open to the public, please take some time to visit if it is open.

The last part of the complex is essentially the main part of the complex. In this section are the main halls, specialty halls, and a five-story pagoda. You can also describe this part of the temple as the photography heaven. The trees are lush, the space is wide, and the opportunities to take some really fun photos are plenty. There are a few places that stand out more than others for photo possibilities. The first is the main hall with the Yakushi triad. It’s not a super fancy hall, but the spacing of the statues and the symmetry of the building make for some fun experiments. The Five-Story Pagoda is another one because as the trees change through the year guests can have ever changing views of the building. Another favorite for me was the Fudo Hall, dedicated to Fudo Myo’o. Like the main hall there’s a fun sense of symmetry to the space but a large stone statue of Fudo Myo’o in front draws a lot of cool energy to the area. The most famous structure is almost at the very back of the complex and it’s a small building in a lake to Benzaiten, one of the Seven Gods of Fortune. The appeal is not for the building itself, but instead the trees around it which turn bright and brilliant red. This corner of the temple brings people from around the world to take those lucky photos of the seasonal colors. In this area in particular I recommend a heavy dosage of patience as there will typically be people in your shot, and a little good will doesn’t hurt.

It’s important to note that there is one more section to this complex and that is the natural wood monastery in the mountains that served as the original temple. This area of the temple however, is no longer available to visit because of severe damage received from Typhoon Jebi in September of 2018. There is no known timeline of when the buildings will reopen, but hopefully it won’t be too long. Supposedly on a clear day you can see Osaka from there.

 

Sanjusangen-do

Sanjusangen-do, or as it’s temeple name of Rengeo-in, is a temple hall in the Higashiyama area of Kyoto across from the Kyoto National Museum of Art. The temple was originally built in the 12th century by famed samurai Taira no Kiyomori, but was rebuilt in the 13th century after the hall burned down due to fire. Over the years other major patrons like Toyotomi Hideyoshi constructed gates and halls around the center hall of the temple. The temple name, meaning “the hall with thirty three spaces between the columns,” may not inspire the same kind of opulance or grandeur like Kinkakuji (The Golden Pavilion), or Tenryuji (Temple of the Heavenly Dragon), but in many ways I would argue that it is certainly at the forefront of major structures in the Kyoto area. The main hall is designated as a National Treasure, and as I will write in the next section, I hope to pursuade you to see the same.

For the casual: 10. For the educated: 11.

If you’ve been reading my posts, you may have noticed that I haven’t graded a location above a 10 on this scale. Only two places have received such distinction in my book prior to this post: Tôdaiji and Nikko Tôshôgû. I firmly believe that this is one of the best places to visit in Japan, especially in the Kyoto area because of its art, its history, its culture, and its appeal. The building has a curious mysteriousness to it even though it’s not much of a secret destination. For one, it’s not a tall building and it lacks other features like pagoda or large gates to distinguish itself from the surrounding city. Structures like Tôdaiji are visible from miles away because of just how huge it is, Kinkakuji glitters in golden sunlight, other places will even have massive gates or sprawling forests with winding trails to the main buildings, but none of that is at Sanjusangen-do. Instead, the grounds are surrounded with a plaster wall and a large sign hanging off said wall with the name of the temple. So the outside isn’t super inspiring and there’s very little standing out to draw your attention or curiosity. But once you pay for your ticket to pass the wall, things start to look better. The grounds are well managed with beautiful old trees known for their annual blossoms, while the occasional ceremony performed outside draws in additional guests. The grounds however are not nice enough for the ranking, but from the grounds you can see at least a hint of the temple’s appeal, namely the massive main hall. The temple is specifically built around the Sanjusangen Hall, and when you first see it the curiosity meter spikes. The hall is about 120 meters (~393 feet) long and the idea that there are thirty three “spaces” between the pillars begins to speak to the importance of what is inside. Inside?

Even before I had been to Kyoto for the first time, I had heard about this amazing temple where there was a vast trove of statues. The idea had been lost to the back of my mind until the fateful day when my friend and I decided to poke our heads inside to find some Autumn leaves for photographing. We made our way to the hall’s entrance, being considerate of the massive signs everywhere asking guests not to take pictures of the inside of the hall (they will take your camera and check the memory if you bring one in). We turned the corner into the smoke filled walkway where the air was an intoxicating mixture of wonderful incense and ancient wood. That was when it hit us, the grandeur, the spectacle, and the very real urge to pull out our cameras and start documenting absolutely everything (we didn’t because the guards and signs are more than willing to remind you not to). This is where things get real. The hall is almost 400 feet long because it’s not home to a couple, a dozen, or even a hundred statues, instead it’s home to 1,001 statues of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Kannon. With a single main statue of the “Thousand-Armed” Kannon, the 1,000 smaller statues stand at attention, 500 figures flanking each side of the main statue, to witness the suffering of humanity. I call these statues small, but they’re all really human sized. Each statue has 11 heads to watch over all of humanity, and each statue has a total of 42 arms including the two main arms. You may be wondering, why are they called “Thousand-Armed” Kannon if they only have 42 arms? Well. if you subtract the two main arms to make 40 arms, and multiply by the 25 planes of existence, then you come out with a total of 1,000 arms.

As an additional visual feast, we dive into iconic visuals of Buddhism. Now if you’re at all familiar with the basics of Buddhism, you’ll likely recall that a Buddha is any being that has gained enlightenment by casting off their attachments to the world around them. Please note that as mentioned, any enlightened being is called a Buddha, but any reference to “the Buddha” indicates the historical Buddha named Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince that left the life of wealth and began the practices of Buddhism. Ok, my scholarly side has had its say. As such, these figures are depicted in art as wearing little more than humble robes. But Bodhisattvas are not fully enlightened and their last attachment to the world is their desire to help the suffering of everyone who has yet to open enlightenment. Therefore they are not depicted in simple robes, but are adorned with fantastic jewelry and crowns to visually represent the last connections to the world by referencing Siddhartha’s past as a prince.

Now back to the statues. We have established that there are 1,001 statues in total, 1,000 of which are human-sized, and now we’ve established that since all of these statues depict a Bodhisattva, each statue is adorned in brilliant wealth. Now for the new stuff: each statue is gilt, so the whole sight is just golden eye-candy. Can you begin to imagine why we wanted to take pictures? The whole experience was just a rush of the senses. The smells, the sights, and the sounds were all intoxicating. I mention in my advice page that visiting sacred sites in Japan is always planned with specific sights, sounds, feelings, and smells to invoke a deeper reaction to the faith. Sanjusangen-do has certainly climbed to the top of my rankings for this reason alone. So if you have time to visit this temple, please please please do.

 

Nakayama-dera

Founded in the 12th century, Nakayama-dera is a temple dedicated to Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. If you have been reading my posts or have visited Japan yourself, you probably have noticed that Kannon has at least a hall in dedication to the deity in almost every temple complex, and it’s easy to see why. Compassion is a form of relief that we all strive to obtain no matter what the situation. As such, Kannon is one if not the most popular Bodhisattva in Japan if not all of Buddhism. But Nakayama is slightly different from other temples to Kannon because it focuses on a specific kind, or genre, of compassion; namely for and around child birth. Nakayama-dera is a temple solely dedicated to the well being of mothers and newborns. Even the goshuin from the temple are varied based on the condition of the mother. There are goshuin pre-conception, others for midterm, and others for newborns. Prayer services focus on the familiy and call upon Kannon to bless them with good fortune during a major transition in any family’s timeline.

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

Even though I marked this location as only a 5 out of 10, I believe it has much more to offer than just that. For one, the location is a really great one. Up in the hills between Osaka and Kobe, it overlooks the greater Osaka area with very little resistance. Second, the community surrounding the temple is lovely. Nakayama-dera is nestled in a suburban community which means that there are cute little shops, stalls, and cafes all around, not to mention the lovely reprieve from the bustling noise of city life. Third, the temple is extremely considerate of the women in particular who are coming to the temple to pray. I mentioned earlier that the temple is on a hill and in Japan hills are not gentle; they rise and fall with very little hesitation. This means that there are multiple flights of stairs that are equally not as gentle as one would like especially when being weighed down by a human. So how does this compassionate temple respond? They install outdoor escalators for you to use if the stairs are simply too difficult to use.

Another reason I found this temple a great place to visit was because of the sights. The temple buildings are covered in vibrant colored paintings with beautiful and fantastical creatures on almost every wall. For those alone I would recommend the trip to anyone with a pension for art. The five-story pagoda is also slighty irregular but facinating with a blue-purple color painted atop the wood wich both complements the dark colors of the exposed wood and ceramic roof tiles, but also stands out without being loud.

If you’re looking for a place to enjoy the Kansai area with a kind of overlooking and quiet vibe, there are very few other places I would recommend apart from Nakayama-dera.

 

Hase-dera (Nara)

Founded in the late 7th century in Nara Prefecture, Hase Dera is one of the premier temples devoted to Kannon, the Bodisattva of Compassion. It is a temple devoted to the Shingon sect of Buddhism and is the head temple to the Bunzan school of Shingon. It is home to one of the largest wooden Buddhist statues in Japan, a 12 meter tall (about 40 feet) statue of Kannon. Legend has it that a monk came across an exceptionally large tree in the woods and had enough wood not only to make the venerated statue at Hase-dera in Nara, but had enough to carve a second statue wich was tossed into the sea with a prayer for it to resurface where it was needed most. After 15 years, it washed up in Kanagawa Prefecture, just south of Tokyo. A temple, also named Hase-dera, was constructed in the city of Kamakura to house the statue where it resides today.

For the casual: 7. For the educated: 9.

I love this temple. Ok, now I feel even better. Hase-dera is temple eye candy for anyone interested in the concept of a hidden beauty. Not too far of a train ride from Abe Monjuin in the city of Sakurai, Hase-dera is a bit of a different beast. For one, it has grandeur. Hase-dera has a full build up as you walk from the station over to the temple. From the station, visitors climb down the fights of stairs through traditonal housing until the creek. From there you follow the creek upstream into a maze of very old town houses and stores that fill your senses with fresh baked treats, incense, and ceremonial trinkets. Before long, you can see the base of the temple and that’s when the beauty of it all finally begins to sink in. Unlike most temples or sites of worship, Hase-dera is not on one level of elevation, rather the entirety of the temple, apart from the main gate, is stretched up and across the hillside, connected only by a series of covered stairways which resemble a great tree with its branches baring the fruit of beautiful temple halls.

Trust me when I say I could go on and on about how visually striking this temple is. But that’s also the thing, the architecture of this temple isn’t anything particularly special or extraordinary, rather it’s all about how the temple moves through the mountainous terrain and embraces its surroundings to become something even more. The view from the main hall’s balcony alone warrants the trip into this countryside town. For greater visual stimulation, please consider visiting in autumn or spring for the cherry blossoms or the changing of colors.

I’ll leave you with this story from the time I was there. I was at Hase-dera just following New Years and the weather was perfect. The air was cold and crisp, the sky was crystal clear, and the smell of wood and incense was intoxicating. I was with my best friend and we were both going on and on about how this temple and its sister temple in Kamakura were able to use elevation to enhance the complex and its deity beyond conventional temple design to elicit a stronger spiritual sense. As we decended the steps to the town below, a perfect light mist of snow began to fall desipite the fairly clear skies above. It was like a moment from a dream or a story which defines a moment of serene bliss. I have been counting the days until I can go back.