In 680, Emperor Temmu ordered a great temple to be built as a prayer for the recovery of his ill wife. When he died eight years later, she had regained her health and as the new Empress Jito took on the task of finishing the temple, to be called Yakushiji. It was dedicated in 697, in the short-liv...
One of Kyoto’s oldest temples, the ‘Clear Water Temple’ has its origins in the activities of Enchin, a priest of the Hosso sect in Nara who arrived in the area in or around 778 AD in answer to a vision in which he was instructed to seek out the clear source of the upper reaches of the Kizu River. Re...
Though it’s not much to look at after Todaiji, Gangoji has an impressive history. Originally built in Asuka and relocated to Nara when the city became the capital in 710, Gangoji (or at least its predecessor in Asuka) is one of Japan’s oldest Buddhist temples.
Gangoji once had extensive grounds,...
Within the incredible Shingon Buddhist mountaintop complex of Koyasan, about fifty temples function as shukubo, temples which provide overnight accommodations and meals for visitors. Shukubo also offer the opportunity to take part in the life of the religious community. This may involve joining i...
Thought by many to be the Kanto region’s most impressive temple, Kawasaki Daishi is the Head Temple of the Chisan sect of Shingon Buddhism. It is also the third most visited temple in Japan during the New Year Holiday, when almost three million people crowd into the temple grounds over the first fe...
One of Kyoto’s oldest temples, the ‘Clear Water Temple’ has its origins in the activities of Enchin, a priest of the Hosso sect in Nara who arrived in the area in or around 778 AD in answer to a vision in which he was instructed to seek out the clear source of the upper reaches of the Kizu River. Re...
Within Koyasan, the most sacred spot in mind of most faithful is the resting place of founder Koba Daishi. In 835, according to believers, he passed into nirvana and awaits the coming of Maitreya, the Future Buddha in a state of eternal meditation.
The entrance to Okunoin is marked by the Ichi-n...
In the year AD 628, two fishermen working on the Sumida River found a small golden statue of Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, in their nets. The master of their little village recognized the importance of the find, and promptly enshrined the statue in his own home. Some years later, Senso-ji w...
Dewa-sanzan, sometimes shortened to Dewasan, is a collective term for three peaks in Yamagata Prefecture that have been regarded as sacred since at least the sixth century.
The three peaks, Haguro-san, Gas-san, and Yudono-san are also famously one of the principal haunts of the Yamabushi (meaning...
You’ve probably seen the little desktop Zen gardens that are sold as a balm to the harried spirit of the modern corporate warrior. A wooden tray, some white sand, a few rocks and a tiny bamboo rake to make all those wonderfully even lines.
In Kyoto you can see the original, the famous karesansui ...
Buddhism had a profound impact on the Japanese diet, and from the 7th century onwards the consumption of animals was subject to a succession of prohibitions. These varied according to time and place but the general effect was that the common diet contained very little meat.
In Kyoto, both the cul...
Senkoji
Most of Onomichi’s temples have a little real estate, but Senkoji, a symbol of the town, clings to the rock like a barnacle. Scarlet-lacquered and by far the most colorful of the temples you’ll pass in Onomichi, the temple is said to date to the year 806.
Senkoji belongs to the Shingon s...
Visitors to Koyasan will enter through the massive Daimon, or great gate. The 25 meter high vermillion gate was built in 1705, replacing an earlier structure. On either side of the gate, five-meter tall statues of the Nio guardians, also called the Kongo-rikishi, prevent demons and thieves from ga...
Worried about fire walking? Understandable, but actually fire walking is practiced around the world, and has been for centuries. The present Guinness world record fire walker marched more than 91 meters over glowing coals in 2006, so your little hop over the embers at Daishoin shouldn't prove too di...
