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Year: 2017

Naritasan Shinshoji: Great Peace Pagoda

Naritasan Great Peace Pavillion Goshuin

– Naritasan Shinshoji – 成田山新勝寺 – – Great Peace Pagoda – 平和大塔 – Narita （成田） – December 27, 2017 The Great Peace Pagoda, or Heiwa no Daito, is massively tall structure that was built in 1984. The prayer area is up the stairs, and down on the ground level you can enter a museum. It’s down here that you receive your goshuin. The gentlemen there clipped a numbered clip to my goshuincho, gave me a matching token, and set me loose to check out the displays. When I visited, they had a collection of woodblock prints and paintings on display.…

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Naritasan Shinshoji: Iouden

Naritasan Iouden Goshuin

– Naritasan Shinshoji – 成田山新勝寺 – – Iouden – 醫王殿 – Narita （成田） – December 27, 2017 Iouden is a very new temple that was built in 2017. Everything is so shiny and the fresh cut wood still smells amazing. I love old temples, but the smell of a newly built wood building is amazing. Also the fresh black lacquer was like black glass. It was beautiful. I visited home for the first time in almost two years during winter vacation this year. On the way home I had a whopping 8 hour layover in Narita, so I decided to…

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Naritasan Shinshoji: Komyodo

Goshuin from Naritasan Komyodo

– Naritasan Shinshoji – 成田山新勝寺 – – Komyodo – 光明堂 – Narita （成田） – December 27, 2017 Komyodo is a small temple building that was built in 1701. Nearby, you can see the open air hall, Gakudo. For some reason, I really liked the way Gakudo looked. Something about the plaques and signs hanging all over it felt nice. I visited home for the first time in almost two years during winter vacation this year. On the way home I had a whopping 8 hour layover in Narita, so I decided to go check out Narita-san Temple. Naritasan Shinshoji has…

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Naritasan Shinshoji: Shusse Inari

Naritasan Shuse Inari Goshuin

– Naritasan Shinshoji – 成田山新勝寺 – – Shusse Inari – 出世稲荷 – Narita （成田） – December 27, 2017 Shusse Inari is an example of the odd mixing that occurred between Shinto and Buddhism in Japan. It’s totally a shinto style inari shrine but it’s a temple. Unlike most of the locations on the Naritasan Shinshoji grounds, it also doesn’t appear on the English information map but does appear on the Japanese one. I’m not sure why. I visited home for the first time in almost two years during winter vacation this year. On the way home I had a whopping…

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Naritasan Shinshoji: Shakado

Goshuin from Shakado in Naritasan Shinshoji

– Naritasan Shinshoji – 成田山新勝寺 – – Shakado – 釈迦堂 – Narita （成田） – December 27, 2017   Shakado is one of the temples on the grounds of Naritasan Shinshoji. It was built in 1858 and was originally the main hall before the Great Main Hall was built. It’s much smaller than the Great Main Hall. I visited home for the first time for my winter vacation this year. My itinerary included a whopping 8 hour layover in Narita, so I decided to go check out Narita-san Temple. Naritasan Shinshoji has several temples on the grounds and you can get…

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Naritasan Shinshoji: Great Main Hall

– Naritasan Shinshoji – 成田山新勝寺 – – Great Main Hall – 大本堂 – Narita （成田） – December 27, 2017 The Great Main Hall (Daihondo) was built in 1986, making it one of the newer buildings on the grounds. When you walk through the gate, across the bridge, and up the stairs, this is the huge building that dominates the plaza. To the right of it is the beautifully painted three story pagoda that was built in 1712. I visited home for the first time in almost two years during winter vacation this year. On the way home I had a…

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Gosha Shrine / Suwa Shrine

– Gosha Shrine / Suwa Shrine -五社神社／諏訪神社– Hamamatsu （浜松） – October 21, 2017   Gosha Shrine / Suwa Shrine is a nice sized shrine in Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. There used to be two separate shrines, but they merged in 1960. It’s not a very far walk from Hamamatsu Station. I visit Hamamatsu every year for the big Zen Nihon Iaido Renmei Taikai. This year I decided to go a bit early on Saturday so I could visit a shrine or two before the banquet. It was raining pretty hard, so I only went to one: Gosha Shrine / Suwa…

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Kasuga Shrine (Seki)

Kasuga Shrine Goshuin

– Kasuga Shrine – 春日大社 – Seki（関市） – October 8, 2017   Kasuga Shrine is a medium sized shrine in Seki located next to the Sword Tradition Museum. It is a swordsmithing shrine that was built in 1590. I went to the Seki Hamono Matsuri (Seki Cutlery Festival) to buy myself a nice cooking knife and to have fun. While there, I dropped by the shrine.  On that day, they also had an exhibit of old clothes and masks that you could go inside and see. They’re old enough that everyone who went in to see had to wear a surgical…

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Tejikarao Shrine

Tejikarao Shrine goshuin

– Tejikarao Shrine – 手力雄神社 – Kakamigahara （各務原市） – August 26, 2017   Tejikarao Shrine is one of the five major shrines in Kakamigahara. It enshrines Ame-no-Tajikarao and is associated with Ise Grand Shrine. While Oda Nobunaga was attempting to take Gifu Castle, he came through Kakamigahara with the intent of destroying everything in his path. This was a common strategy for him. However, when he was preparing to attack the shrine a strange fog blew in. It was so uncanny that Nobunaga was deeply unsettled to the point that he apologized to the gods and prayed for victory at…

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Masumida Shrine

– Masumida Jinja – 真清田神社 Ichinomiya （一宮市） – July 28, 2017   Masumida Shrine was the ichinomiya, or main shrine, of old Owari Province. It was built at least 1400 years ago and enshrines Amenoho no Akari no Mikoto. Every year in April is the Plum Festival. At this event you can see some funny yabusame and a parade. I actually learned about goshuin when I was here with some friends. The huge Tanabata Matsuri that the city if famous for is held in late July. Food stalls start at the station and extend all the way to the shrine.…

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