Showing posts with label mount wakasugi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mount wakasugi. Show all posts

Saturday, November 7, 2015

The Okunoin on Mount Wakasugi


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The Okunoin on Mount Wakasugi is in a cave just below the summit. It is here that Kukai, later known as Kobo daishi, practised austerities on his return from China.

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Considering its remote location, a surprising number of people make the climb, though I suspect most have parked their cars at the Kannon-do just below.

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there were many statues around the area including a Fudo Myo (it was Kukai who introduced this deity into Japan) and a Kurikara, the dragon sword of Fudo.

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The Okunoin is on the south side of the peak and so all the snow had melted, but just above there was still snow...

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Sunday, November 1, 2015

Kitayama Shrine, Mount Wakasugi


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Located right on top of Mount Wakasugi at about 660 meters above sea level, the maps and many people call it Kitayama Shrine, but it is really the Upper Taiso-gu shrine. The lower Taiso-gu I stopped in at on my way up the mountain.

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Not surprisingly it seems to have the same set of kami enshrined as at the lower shrine, the main one being Izanagi, along with Amaterasu, and Hachiman.

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All around the shrine are Buddhist statues and shrines as the Okunoin where Kukai supposedly practised austerities is in a cave just below the shrine. It was usually Buddhists or Yamabushi who established shrines on mountaintops like this.

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There is a large, white statue of the mythical Jingu, mother of Ojin, and a curious statue of Daikoku with an extreme smile....

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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Wakasugi Kannon-do


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Climbing higher on Mount Wakasugi after Kongochoin, I was surprised to find a newish temple though there was none marked on the map.

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It is no longer a temple, being the site of the former Wakasugi Kannon-do. Now it is just an ossuary, a repository for bones.

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The Kannon-do must have been quite old as it housed a 12th Century statues that is now in the Kyushu History Museum.

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There was a small Fudo-do and lots of statues including yet more Fudo Myo's.

From here the trail heads up to the top of the mountain to the Okunoin where Kukai practised austerities.

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Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Kyushu 108 Pilgrimage Temple 89 Kongochoin


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Kongochoin is temple number 89 on the Shingon Kyushu Pilgrimage. It is not far from Temple 9, Myooin, just a little bit higher up Mount Wakasugi. Like Myooin it has a lot of Fudo Myo statues that I posted recently.

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According to the legend Kobo Daishi visited the mountain in 806 on his return from China.

Apparently it was quite a large temple complex that at its peak had 108 monks residing here.

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In 1347 the whole conplex was destroyed during a battle. The current. much smaller buildings date from 1942

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The honzon (main enshrined deity) is a seated Dainichi Nyorai, Great Sun Buddha.

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There is also a Kannon Hall and an Awashima Shrine.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Fudo Myo at Kongochoin


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A little higher up Mount Wakasugi from Myo-oin is Kongochoin, temple 89 on the Kyushu Pilgrimage.

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Like Myo-oin there are a lot of Fudo Myo statues here, many quite primitive and therfore in a way more expressive.

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There was also a small man-made waterfall for ascetic use and this also had numerous Fudos around it.

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I seem to be on a Fudo Myo binge right now but to a certain extent that is just because of the way I am slowly working through my backlog of photos....

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Friday, September 18, 2015

The Views From Mount Wakasugi


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Mount Wakasugi rises to 681 meters in height to the east of Fukuoka. Climbing from the north side views over Sasaguri become visible at various breaks in the trees.

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A little higher and the town of Hisayama comes into view.

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Higher still and the bay and Shikanoshima can be seen.

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Close to the top and the urban sprawl of southern Fukuoka City lies spread out.

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From the top you can see all the way to the Fukuoka Tower and Fukuoka Dome with the mountains north of Itoshima behind.