A
stone that is enshrined as it is believed to possess sacred powers due to its
resemblance to a turtle.
Wadatsu-no-miya
龍宮 with a large statue of a dragon
on top. Note that the dragon has four fingers on each hand like the Chinese
dragon, while Japanese dragons are usually depicted with only three fingers.
This detail combined with the general impression of the statue makes it look
rather unauthentic.
People
praying at Okutsu-no-miya 奥津宮
The inside of Enoshima
Daishi 江ノ島大師. The outside
of this Shingon temple looks rather modern and on the inside one can find a
very large statue of Fudō-myōō 不動明王. The altar gave an almost magical impression,
especially since we were the only visitors, but the silence that was created by
Fudō-sama’s severe expression, was broken by the people sitting at the
reception who were chatting carelessly.
Nakatsu-no-miya 中津宮 possesses two famous Benzai-ten 弁財天 statues. One is called Myōon Benzai-ten 妙音弁財天, colloquially referred to as Hadaka Benzai-ten 裸弁財天 (“Naked Benzai-ten” as the statue depicts the deity
without clothes). The other statue right next to it has eight arms and is one
of Japan’s three biggest Benzai-ten statues. Unfortunately it was not allowed
to take pictures of these remarkable statues. As one has to pay an entrance fee
in order to see the statues, Nakatsu-no-miya may feel more like a museum than a
place of worship, but several visitors prayed, offered money or even recited
sutra’s while I was inside. The entrance fee does not appear to have any effect
on the place’s sacredness.
Visitors passing
through a chi no wa 茅の輪 (ring of cogon grass) to purify themselves
before praying.
A modern statue of
Benzai-ten holding a jewel (宝珠 hōju) and a sword.
