Ryōzen Kannon

On August 20^th, I visited Ryōzen Kannon 霊山観音 in Kyōto. This enormous statue that measures 24m was erected after World War II to commemorate the people who died in battle.

A miniature version of the statue inside where one can make offerings of money and incense.

 Note the Shinto style rope (shimenawa 注連縄)

 Three ihai 位牌 (spirit tablets) for

水子の靈 the spirits of children who were aborted, born dead or died soon after birth.

殉国英靈the spirits of the people who died for their country

三界萬靈 the spirits of the three worlds

Statue of a Buddha, presumably the historical Buddha Shaka-nyorai 釈迦如来.

A sculpture of a snake near an altar for Benzai-ten 弁財天, who is often associated with Uga-jin　宇賀神 (often depicted as a snake with a human head).

The objects used for religious worship look very esoteric, but I could not confirm any association with Shingon Buddhism or Tendai Buddhism.

A hidden Benzai-ten statue to the right of the main idol.

The eleven-headed Kannon 十一面観音 is this temple’s honzon (本尊, “main idol”).

A statue of Jizō-bosatsu 地蔵菩薩 to the left of the main idol.

A notice that informs visitors about the monthly Dai-goma kuyō 大護摩供養 (burning of cedar sticks that have wishes written on them, often asking for protection in traffic, study or work).

A statue of the historical Buddha as he dies and enters Nirvāṇa (Skt: निर्वाण).

In the restroom I found an image of Ususama-myōō 烏枢沙摩明王, the guardian of bathrooms, right above the mirror.

A box where visitors can deposit old lucky charms etc.

Mizuko Jizō

Upstairs I found a number of beautiful statues, somewhat hidden in the dark. There was a piece of wood next to each one of them, indicating the Shingon 真言 (“True word”: incantation; mantra) of the deity.

Sen-ju Kannon 千手観音, “The thousand-armed Kannon”

Kokū-bosatsu 虚空菩薩

Yakushi-nyorai　薬師如来

A box containing a statue of Shō Kannon-bosatsu　聖観音菩薩

Monju-bosatsu　文殊菩薩

Seishi-bosatsu　勢至菩薩

Dainichi-nyorai　大日如来

Fudō-myōō　不動明王

Amida-nyorai　阿弥陀如来

Daikoku-ten　大黒天

Two more Kannon statues in another building

The inside of a building where ihai are kept.

Fushimi Inari Grand Shrine in Kyōto

On the 19^th of August I visited Fushimi Inari-taisha 伏見稲荷大社, probably the largest and most famous sanctuary dedicated to Inari, the god(ess?) of fertility, rice and commerce. Apart from being a major visiting spot for tourists and joggers (that don’t mind steep hills and stairs), it is also an important place of worship. The higher one climbs the mountain, the more serene the atmosphere gets and the more apparent the traces of folk worship become.

Around the large shrine near the entrance of the sacred grounds one can find a lot of souvenir shops etc.

 A man praying.

 Two kannushi 神主 (priests) cleanisng themselves by a temizuya 手水舎.

 The kannushi wear their traditional uniform in spite of the unbearable summer heat in Kyōto.

 Visitors write wishes on small torii 鳥居 and offer them to Inari. On the left, one can see dozens of small origami cranes bunched together. I failed to count all of them, but it is likely that there is a thousand of them, in which case it is called  sen-ba zuru 千羽鶴. Folk belief has it that anyone who folds a thousand cranes will be granted a wish and therefore these bunches of origami cranes can often be found as offering in Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.

 Bajin 馬神, the “horse god”

 A price list for different sizes of torii. One has to pay  ¥1.302.000 if one wants to purchase the largest size.

 A list to find out when your yakudoshi 厄年 or unlucky years will be throughout your life. During their unlucky year, some people visit a shrine to undergo a ritual cleansing to protect themselves from misfortune.

 This shrine did not have foxes or komainu 狛犬 as guardians, but two dragons.

 Omo-karu ishi 重軽石: After having bowed to the stone, visitors make a wish and try to pick it up. If the stone feels heavy, nothing happens, but if the stone feels light, your wish will be granted.

 Amidst numerous torii and fox statues: a Buddhist statue of Fudō-myōō 不動明王   

A small go-hei 御幣 (staff with paper or cloth which is believed to house/represent a deity)

 One of the most impressive altars I found on the grounds of the Fushimi Inari Grand Shrine. The light provided by large candles almost makes the six fox statues look as though they were alive. On top stands a rock with an inscription that reads Inari-daijin  稲荷大神 (“the great deity Inari) and a shinkyō 神鏡 (sacred mirror).

 At a rest stop we enjoyed some inari zushi 稲荷寿司and inari udon 稲荷うどん. Both dishes contain fried tofu, which is often associated with Inari. On different occasions I have encountered small bags of fried tofu from the supermarket that were put in front of an Inari shrine as an offering.

 This time no foxes, komainu or dragons guarding the shrine, but two horses.

 Most of the torii have the characters 奉納 (hōnō, “offering”) on them. Note: read from right to left.