Ueno park

In Ueno park there are several temples, but there seems to be a great variety in their usage. The Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺 1 which is dedicated to Sen-ju Kannon-bosatsu 千手観音菩薩 for example attracts a lot of tourists, but monks are often present in or near the temple. There is a rather strict atmosphere surrounding the site: it is forbidden to take pictures of the honzon (the statue of Kannon) and there are signs warning visitors not to clap before praying as is done in Shintoist temples.

In the Benten-dō 弁天堂 near the parks pond, however, there is a completely different atmosphere. Visitors are allowed to approach the temple’s statue of the seated Benzai-ten 弁財天 and take pictures as much as they like. There are also no instructions available for people who want to pray. This lenient atmosphere is enhanced by numerous syncretic elements. As Benten-sama 弁天様 belongs to the gods of Buddhism (天部 tenbu) one would expect a Buddhist altar. The general impression is Buddhist indeed, but there are several elements that are associated with Shintoism. I shall give a brief overview.

Buddhist elements: a large incense burner in front of the temple, singing bowls and sutras on the altar, as well as golden flowers. The usage of golden fittings in general leaves a Buddhist impression. In a Shintoist shrine fittings of unpainted wood or white porcelain are more common. The statue of Benten-sama itself has (at least) eight arms and is carrying a sword with the typical vajra-shaped grip.

Shintoist elements: a sacred rope (注連縄 shimenawa) with attached paper/cloth (紙垂 shide), a temizuya 手水舎 in front of the temple, offerings of sake etc. If I have seen it correctly – it was rather dark inside – there is a small torii 鳥居 on top of Benten-sama’s head, in spite of the statue’s generally South-Asian appearance.

The Kiyomizu-dera in Ueno park

The Benten-dō with the large incense burner

The Benten-dō’s Temizuya

The altar with the shimenawa

[added 19-7-2012
 According to the lady in the Benten-dō the golden zushi 厨子 (miniature shrine) in front of the Benten statue contains Ugajin 宇賀神, a deity often portrayed with a human head and the body of a snake. This deity is commonly associated with Benzaiten.

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A small Shintoist shrine near the Benten-dō

 

Footnotes

1 I have talked about this temple in one of my earlier entries regarding ningyō kuyō.