Honganji, Tsukiji

If awards were being given out for the most untemple like temple in Japan,  Honganji would be a strong contender.  A Jodo shinshu sect temple, that's located not far from Tsukiji fish market,  it looks rather more like an art gallery, or European parliament building than it does a Buddhist temple.  I have passed it many times, usually when visiting Tsukiji markets or visiting a friend who was being treated at the National Cancer Centre across the road, but never popped in to see it. 

Today was the day, inspired partly by Katsu, a friend in Kyoto who suggested it, partly because it's somewhere that I have been meaning to go, and partly because the Tsukiji Harumi map was on the top of the walking tours of Tokyo pile that I picked up at Tokyo Metropolitan Govt a couple of weeks ago.  

In terms of architecture, Honganji is obviously different, but more striking for its difference was the attitude.  I get a headache trying to discern the differences between Jodoshu, Jodoshinshu, Tendai, Soto Zen, Rinzai Zen, Nichiren and its manifestations, Shingon and any and all sects that I haven't mentioned, but Honganji's Jodoshinshu was the first time to see what appeared as inclusive Buddhism in Japan.  Hiro was hungry so we didn't stay long, though I was interested to note they have English seminar there each month (just what I might need if I am ever going to contribute to a Zen text translation project I agreed to do months ago when I had a whole lot more time).

I intend to go back again someday to check out out in more detail.



Honganji

Chanting for what looked like a memorial ceremony up the front

other people were coming and going as they pleased.

In such a grand  marble building in Europe, I doubt cattle would be

 the animals on the bannisters.

ditto

Looking out to a courtyard

Unorthodox for  a Japanese temple..

Detail above the door

http://tsukijihongwanji.jp/tsukiji/index_e.html The link to the temple homepage.

Yamadera

Having come so far, when I got to Yamadera I was relieved that there was not much snow there and getting off was feasible.  I hadn't heard of Yamadera till recently,  I was looking at somewhere to stop off on the way back, and came up with it, though beyond being a temple mountain, as the name suggests, I had little idea of what was actually there.  It was well worth the stop.

Not all temples are created equal.... and actually in Japan although temples are omnipresent, they feel very closed.  Compared with a church or a Thai temple where everyone is welcome and can participate and where there is an active and defined avenue to learn more about what goes on there, I often get the feeling from Japanese temples that anyone is welcome - but only as an observer.   Yamadera was the same in this respect. There was no space inside a building set aside for people there to pray, as far as I could see there was little information about Buddhism as a religion (either in Japanese or English ), as though it was already self contained,  though there was historical information but in Japanese only. I did see a monk but he was absorbed in a book between selling entry tickets.  Yamadera seems to be a place for Buddhist ascetics, and there was an area higher up the mountain off limits to non ascetics.  There were some inaccessible little huts on the mountainside, that reminded me of the 'tree houses' at  the Santi Asok temple in Bangkok that were home to ascetic monks.   It's something I know very little about, and something I should ask Lily's friend Kazuo san; he is one of the few people I have met in Japan that has knowledge of Buddhism.

But as a historical, architectural site it was impressive. Particularly the view across the valley and up to the mountains.  For anyone with a wish to see off the beaten track Japan that is relatively accessible, this is it.

Yamadera

Yamadera: the steps up

A commemoration stone dedicated to someone who achieved a high rank in the armed forces during the Russo Japanese war

Kaimyo boards - when Japanese Buddhists die they typically are allocated a new name for the afterlife.

I'm struggling with the writing on this, but it fits with the ascetism of the temple.

Yamadera: Graffiti on the walls of the look out building...... multilingual graffiti

Yamadera

Yamadera: Beyond here is for ascetics only

Stunning scenery

Little huts are visible here, I imagine the caves also are used for ascetic practice.

Yamadera

Yamadera: Hiking courses nearby.... maybe in the summer...

http://www.yamagatakanko.com/english/sightseeing/yamadera.html

This is a useful site  of Yamagata sight seeing places for anyone interested in going there.

Sakata

The Uetsu line train from Murakami terminated at Sakata, Yamagata prefecture,  and there was a 90 min wait between trains - enough time to get out of the station and have a quick look around. What a lovely city.  Two short visits and I'd like to go back for a couple of days.  Sakata was an old port city, as I mentioned when I wrote about being here last October.  The strees are wide, the houses are well maintained, there is spit and polish to it.  Even the man holes on the ground had a fresh painted zing.  Many Japan seaside places, especially those away from the Shinkansen lines, have a worn, dilapidated feel. Not Sakata.  Even the empty shops by the station looked neat and clean, with no sense of urban decay.

The cheery zing of the painted manhole covers

My short wanderings took me by chance through a temple district that featured in the movie 'okuribito'  (Departures) which won the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2009.  (Buddhist)  Temples tend to signify urban life, literacy and education. Buddhism, which came to to Japan via China has many sutras and religious text that require at least some of the population to be literate. In contrast, Shinto, the indigenous religion has no written doctrine and shrines which are connected to nature and are found randomly on mountain paths, by waterfalls and in forest clearings.   (The lack of written  doctrine helps explain how Shinto could be manipulated so much in the lead up to world war II).

Kaian - A Zen temple with pagoda near the station  

A signboard showing where part of Okuribito was filmed

Itsukushima shrine

 Itsukushima shrine

Itsukushima shrine

A house of no particular significance that I could see.

Shops to rent near the station

Around Sakata

Sakata town map (the macro setting isn't quite right)

North of Sakata it was dark.  I took the train to Akita city and changed to an all stations to Odate, arriving at 9.54pm. 
Some time in the future I would like to go back to Sakata and follow the trainline up the coast to Aomori.

Engyoji

Outside Himeji, at the terminal station of Bus number 8, is a ropeway that goes up Mt Shosha to Engyoji, a temple of the Tendai sect of Buddhism. Engyoji is one of Tendai's main temples and is also on the pilgrim circuit of temples and shrines in Western Japan.  East Asian religion is noteable for it's tendency to syncretism and the pilgrim circuits in Japan tend to be inclusive of all Buddhist sects as well Shinto.  Pilgrim passports are available - with each temple and shrine having its own stamp.

On arrival at the top we had the option to either walk or take a minibus.  It was a nice day and only a km or so, so we opted to walk.  The fact that their bus fee gets marked down as a donation to the temple, to avoid tax liability also rankles, perhaps more than it should.

Anyway it was a good decision. Aside from the fresh mountain air and good weather, it was pretty; the dirt road meandered up the mountain through the trees lined with Buddhist statues (that look like Hindu gods)  and donation stones to the temple bearing the names of the donors and how much they donated...

A Vishnu like statue along the way

A meandering path - the fence on the left is made of stone donation pillars

A jizo protecting a cemetery on the way up

Maniden, this is the main building.The original building, thought to have been built in the 900s,  burned down  in 1921 and was re-opened in 1933.

Lanterns at the temple with chrysanthemum, the symbol of the emperor (and to that extent of Shinto), with the ancient Buddhist manji (swastika) symbolizing the intersection of love and intellect.  Temples have been persecuted at various stages of history, in Meiji and the prewar era many temples were at pains to show they were not a threat to imperial power.

The roof of Maniden. Master craftsmen needed for this kind of detail.

A statue of Buddha

A cedar tree thought to be 700 years old - still going strong.

The jikido, or dormitory for monks is on the left and now houses treasures of the temple -statues of Buddha, the godess of Mercy, protector gods among others.  Unfortunately none is labeled in English, and the Japanese labels give no indication of age or significance. It was originally built in 1174 (Muromachi era), but was dismantled and reconstructed in 1963.

The Daikodo is on the right. It was originally built in the late 900s, but was dismantled and reconstructed in 1956. 

 Part of the last samurai was filmed on location here

.

Spectacular wood work

This isnt bad either.

Wood doesnt last forever... this is a beam that was replaced due to internal rot.

Jizo dedicated to mizuko (water babies), babies that did not survive to be born alive.  To buy a statue here for dedication costs 30,000Y.

Practical information about how to get here etc can be found at

: http://www.himeji-kanko.jp/en/spot/ss014.html

The details of the temple came from their tourist guide.