Home Posts tagged "temple" (Page 3)

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Enshuu Shigisan Betsuin (Hamamatsu)

Enshuu Shigisan Betsuin 遠州信貴山別院 Hamamatsu (浜松市) October 6, 2018 About Enshuu Shigisan Betsuin Shigisan is the oldest temple in Japan devoted to Bishamonten. Bishamonten is the heavenly king of the north and one of the seven lucky gods. He is a god of war and is often prayed to for victory. As a lucky god, he’s assiocated with bringing safety to the home and prosperity to businesses. This temple is one of its branch locations. So in addition to being a good mini sightseeing trip, it was an appropriate place to go before a martial arts competition. My Visit I…

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Anyo-ji (Gujo)

Anyo-ji 安養寺 Gujo（郡上） September 17, 2018 About Anyo-ji Anyo-ji is located near the base of Mt. Joyama under Gujo Hachiman Castle. It is the largest wooden structure in Gifu Prefecture. It also has a treasure room that you can enter. The nearby Joyama Park is one of the locations for Gujo Odori in the summer. My Visit to Anyo-ji The day we stopped by the temple was unfortunately under construction. A typhoon hit us recently and the roof was in need of repair. You can see other goshuin from Gifu Prefecture here. Links Temples and Shrines of Gujo Hachiman (EN)…

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Todai-ji Nigatsu-do “Namukan” (Nara)

Todai-ji Nigatsu-do 東大寺二月堂 Nara (奈良) August 9, 2018 About Nigatsu-do Most people go to Todai-ji in Nara for the Great Buddha (and the deer) and understandably so. It’s huge, very imposing, and absolutely worth the visit. However, there’s more to the temple than the main hall that you pay to enter. This goshuin is from one of the other buildings on the Todai-ji grounds, Nigatsu-do, or February Hall. Originally founded in 752, it was later dedicated to Kannon and Suni-e, a repentance service held on the second month of the lunar calendar, has been held here every year since 760.…

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Todai-ji (Nara)

– Todai-ji – 東大寺 – Nara (奈良) – August 9, 2018 One could say that no trip to Japan is complete without a trip to Todai-ji, one of Japan’s most famous Buddhist temples. Home to arguably the most famous Great Buddha statue, or Daibutsu, in Japan, it is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Treasure. The giant statue is a stunning 15 meters tall, a number that’s pretty hard to fully comprehend until you’re standing next to it. I’ve had the opportunity to visit it 3 times and its size still puts me in awe. And if that…

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Kinkaku-ji (Second visit)

Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺 Kyoto (京都) August 8, 2018 About Kinkaku-ji This is the temple that everyone thinks of when they think of temples in Kyoto. The gold one on the lake. It really is one of the top tourist destinations in Kyoto. One thing that makes this zen temple unique is that its upper floors are covered with gold leaf. This extravagant temple was made to be the retirement home of the third shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. In addition to the temple, the sprawling garden is also wonderful to visit and includes other buildings such as a tea…

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Senso-ji: Sacred Bodhisattva (Asakusa)

– Senso-ji – 浅草寺 – Tokyo (東京) – July 31, 2018 The Asakusa area has a lot of iconic Japanese things in one area. The striking Kaminari-mon (Thunder Gate) with its huge paper lantern, a 200 meter shopping street where you can buy souvenirs and more, and a good view of the nearby Tokyo Skytree. Then, at the end of the walk, the oldest temple in Tokyo: Senso-ji. History According to the homepage, in 628, about 1000 years before Tokyo became the capitol, two brothers were fishing in the Sumida River. When they hauled in their net to check their…

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Bansho-ji: Migawari Fudo-Myo

Goshuin for Banshoji’ｓ Shindai Fudoumyou

– Migawari Fudo-myo – 身代不動明王 – Nagoya（名古屋） – May 5, 2018 If you ever get the chance to spend time in Nagoya, I recommend going to the Osu Kannon shopping area. Of course, Osu Kannon is probably the biggest tourist site in the area, but if you enter the shopping arcade you’ll discover a treasure trove of shops, good food, and a small, modern temple known as Bansho-ji. Now it’s very modern and flashy looking and really fits in nicely with the surrounding arcades and electronics stores, but it’s actually very old. It was built by the Oda family in 1540…

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