Kôsanji

Founded in 1936 on the island of Ikuchijima in Hiroshima Prefecture by Kôsan Wajo, a successful businessman in Osaka, Kôsanji was built over the course of 30 years in dedication to the passing of his mother. The temple is a collection of buildings based on noted originals all across Japan ranging in style from the Asuka Period in the 6th and 7th centuries, to the Edo Period in the 17th through 19th centuries. Nikkô Tôshôgû’s Yomeimon is the central gate, Byôdô-in’s Phoenix Hall is the central structure, and the pagodas are based on those of ancient Nara at Hôryûji and Yakushiji. Kôsanji is a temple known for its flashy colors and austentacious architecture.

For the casual: 10. For the educated: 4.

This is a temple for the casual visitor not only because of how outgowing the entire complex is, but also becauase it has so many famous building replicas in one place, you can kind of say that you’ve seen what needs to be seen. I mean, I still urge you the reader to see the original structures, but I can’t fault you for not wanted to travel great distances to see the same buildings. The temple is also home to a small collection of art collected by Wajo-san over his lifetime, many of the pieces being nihonga silk paintings.

Naturally the biggest draw to the temple are the buildings. Each one is a replica of some of the most beloved and outstanding pieces of architecture ranging across Japan’s history. To make it even more dramatic, each building is also painted in bright colors, certainly a throwback to the aesthetics established by the Edo period shoguns. Visitors are able to experience the change in structures as they climb up the different levels of the hillside this structure is founded upon. For added drama, there is also a tunnel graciously referred to as the “Hell Tunnel” because of the stone effigies and statues depicting the various Buddhist hells that await the non-devout. Due to the coronavirus, the tunnel was not available when I visited, so I have little more to say on the matter, but I’m also kind of glad because I think I would have had to crouch most of the journey through.

Behind the complex as a whole is a monument park carved out of Italian marble. The park is called Hope Hill and is supposed to portray not only a balance and harmony between humans and nature, while also emphasizing the importance of familial relationships. Personally I had a hard time enjoying this area. Part of it was because of how hot it was. The white marble reflects so much heat right back at you it can be a little overwhelming, but also I for one couldn’t see the desired tensions and harmonies implied by the artist. I’m sure that if it had been explained to me I would have had a greater enjoyment of it all, but for the most part it was lost on me. I will say that I enjoyed watching little kids playing around the stones, or listening to them cry about random things. Overall it’s a nice little area to walk around above the temple with a nice view of the town and sea, but ultimately the temple doesn’t need this attachment to the complex.

Byôdô-in’s Phoenix Hall

Nikkô Tôshôgû’s Yomeimon.

 

Daisho-in

Daisho-in is the primary Buddhist temple on the island of Miyajima in Hiroshima and also serves as the starting point for the holy pilgrimage from the shores of the island to its mountainous summit. Though it doesn’t always feel like it, this temple has received imperial patronage over the years and was even said to have been founded by Kukai, the founder of Koya-san.  The temple is mainly located on the hillside looking down on the tidal flats, but there are several buildings in a variety of locations ranging from the Kannon-dô behind Itsukushima Jinja, to several halls along the climb to the mountain summit.

For the casual: 8. For the educated: 7.

I think my only criticism is about something that it can’t really control: it’s just not as stunning as Itsukushima Jinja. It’s a crazy criticism I know, but after the jovial brightness of vermillian paint, the smell and sight of the crystal blue tidal flats, and the looming statement that is the water torii, going to this temple of dark browns and hints of gold, it just doesn’t have the same presence. In any other place, I think I would be ranking this temple higher, but again, the competition is just on another level all together. That being said, I think that Daisho-in is one of the nicer temples around. There are a series of halls and noted locations within the temple grounds wich bring their own unique taste to the complex. From sutra prayer wheels lining the main stairs to the complex to a cave of sandstone carvings and lanters. Each turn a visitor takes will change the style, the world, and the art available for viewing. The stream of water coming down from the mountain brings in that lovely sound of bubbling water while several waterfalls just upstream add that roaring rush of noise. All of this water and moisture nourishes the rich blanket of moss which covers most of the temple off the stone paths.

I think one of the best perks of this temple is the lack of large crowds. Sure there will be more than a few people visiting the temple and one time, and the narrow layout of the grounds will make even a small group of people feel like a crowd, it really isn’t all that crowded. After visiting Itsukushima Jinja, a place which will almost always have crowds, it’s a welcome escape from it all to make the quick walk through the small town to Daisho-in where you can get a really fantastic view of the sea.

As mentioned before, the climb to the top of the island starts on a gravel trail next to the temple entrance, but I would like to share a warning that the trail is steep and takes about an hour to climb. If that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, feel free to follow the signs to the ropeway which will take visitors up to a secondary peak for a small price. From this secondary peak there is a trail which will join with the main trail from the temple to reach the summit.

 

Mitaki-dera

Nestled in a mountain ravine just west of Hiroshima, Mitaki-dera meaning the Temple of Three Waterfalls, is a temple of the Shingon sect of Buddhism which dates back to the turn of the 9th century C.E. As its name suggests, the temple is built around three small waterfalls which cascade from the mountain tops, through the temple grounds, and make their way into the river system which divides the multiple islands of Hiroshima. The water from these falls are presented in offering during the annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6th to honor those killed in the atomic bombing of the city. The temple is also one of the few buildings in the area to have survived the atomic blast. A two-story pagoda on the temple grounds was donated by a shrine in Wakayama Prefecture and was taken apart piece by piece and reassembled on site in 1951 to honor the souls of those lost in the atomic blast. 

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

There are many reasons to visit this temple but none can really compare to the one reason I love this location over so many others: atmosphere. Getting to the temple from Hiroshima Station is very easy and even the short hike up the hill to the temple from Mitaki station is rather pleasant apart from the incline. As of when I have posted this, I have been to the temple twice, once in late summer/early autumn, and the second shortly following New Years. Both times I have visited I have been swept off my feet with the serenity with which I was embraced. The first time was in the morning after a rather warm weekend. Mitaki-dera is not a temple of buildings, and really I cannot recall how many, what size, and what style of architecture was used in the various small halls of the temple, but what I do remember are the surreal surroundings I found myself in. The temple was cool and damp, the moss covered trees and stones were dripping with the morning, and the soft rush of the falls calmed the mind like waves on a beach. The walls of the ravine close in as you climb, but there is always this wondrous sense of breath about the space. The temple grounds are filled with a variety of effigies from statues newly erected to carvings on the faces of great boulders which are barely distinguished from the encroaching moss. The second time I visited was also in the morning following a rain, but a thick fog refused to leave the valley. These statues took on a new and arcane life of their own as they slipped into and out of sight in the passing mist. My friend and I were greeted with the sudden ringing of the temple bell as another unseen visitor announced their arrival just up ahead. All in all, the temple was something out of a book, a fantasy novel where despite being only meters away from houses and busy streets, we had stumbled on something completely divided. It carried the years in plain sight but it never seemed like it was burdened with it, but rather had let the years shape it and mold it into something amazing. If what I've written doesn't inspire you to visit then nothing else will, but I can say that although each experience is unique, each one will take you to a different world that is not necessarily that of the divine, but more like one which translates an intersection where ripples of humanity and nature are the most harmonious.