{"id":2601,"date":"2015-07-30T22:27:59","date_gmt":"2015-07-30T13:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2015-07-30\/2601"},"modified":"2015-07-30T22:27:59","modified_gmt":"2015-07-30T13:27:59","slug":"the-solemn-uniqueness-of-kyotos-kuginuki-jizo-temple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2015-07-30\/2601","title":{"rendered":"The Solemn Uniqueness of Kyoto’s Kuginuki Jizo Temple"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 17mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 360 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nKuginuki Jizo Temple (\u91d8\u629c\u5730\u8535)\nKyoto Japan\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Without question, the most unique and solemn temple I've ever come\nacross in Japan is the small but emotionally-packed Kuginuki Jizo Temple\nhere in Kyoto.<\/p>\n\n

\u4eca\u307e\u3067\u51fa\u4f1a\u3063<\/span>\u305f\u304a\u5bfa\u306e\u4e2d\u3067\u3001\u4e00\u756a\u9762\u767d<\/span>\u3044\u306a\u3001\u3044\u304b\u3081\u3057\u3044\u304a\u5bfa\u306f\u4eac\u90fd<\/span>\u306b\u3042\u308b\u91d8\u629c\u5730\u8535<\/span>\u3067\u3059\u3002\n\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e<\/span>\u3067\u8aac\u660e<\/span>\u306f\u96e3\u3057\u3044\u3067\u3059\u304c\u3001\u30a6\u30a3\u30ad\u30da\u30c7\u30a3\u30a2\u3067\u306f<\/a>\u8aac\u660e<\/span>\u304c\u3042\u308b\u306f\u305a\u3002<\/p>\n\n\n

Its official name is The Shakushoji Temple (\u77f3\u50cf\u5bfa),<\/span> but its name in\nthe local vernacular, kuginuki jizou<\/i> (more or less “<\/span>nail-pulling guardian deity”<\/span>) reflects\nthe images of nail and spike pullers that permeate the temple grounds...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 35mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>160 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 360 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWall Detail<\/span>\nnail puller and nails\n
Vertical Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n\n\n1050×<\/span>1680<\/a>  ·  1200×<\/span>1920<\/a>  ·  1600×<\/span>2560<\/a><\/small><\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Until you understand the meaning behind it, it certainly feels quite\nodd. But once you<\/span> understand the meaning (which we'll get to below), you'll\nunderstand why the temple is so solemn.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nHuge Puller for Railroad Spikes<\/span>\nor the like; it's about four feet tall\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

As is common with jizo<\/i> statues (like these<\/a>), this spike puller has a little<\/span> bib.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nEntrance from the Street<\/span>\nwith its “<\/span>shrine name”<\/span> \u5bb6\u9686\u5c71<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The temple is in the middle of what is now urban city, with its only\nexposure to the street being a small<\/span> unassuming entrance. You could<\/span> walk by\nthis place every day and never notice it.<\/p>\n\n

The red lanterns across the top have the common name of the temple\n (\u91d8\u629c\u5730\u8535\u5c0a),<\/span>\n\nwhile the beautifully carved wood with golden lettering has the “<\/span>mountain name”<\/span> for\nthe temple, \u5bb6\u9686\u5c71<\/span> (karyuzan<\/i>).<\/p>\n\n

This “<\/span>mountain name”<\/span> business is a bit<\/span> interesting, and I didn't<\/span>\nunderstood it until a month<\/span> or so ago when it was explained to me by the lady of\nthe temple at the\nShimyouin Temple (\u5fd7\u660e\u9662)<\/span><\/a> when I stopped<\/span> by during a bicycle<\/span> ride....<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

Sidebar: Temples, Shrines, and Shrines in Temples....<\/b><\/p>\n\n

Japan has a lot of temples and shrines, with temples being related to\n Buddhism and shrines related to Shintoism — distinct religions\n — but all temples in Japan have a long<\/span> official name with a\n sub<\/span>-name that includes a reference<\/span> to “<\/span>mountain”<\/span>, even if the temple is\n located in a completely<\/span> flat area. This might be considered an ancient\n marketing technique to help the Buddhist temple appeal to\n Shinto followers: in Shinto, mountains have a “<\/span>spirit”<\/span> to be respected,\n and so temples include a small<\/span> shrine with a mountain<\/span> name.<\/p>\n\n

The “<\/span>mountain name”<\/span> for the famous Kiyomizu Temple<\/a>,\n for example, is otowayama<\/i> (\u97f3\u7fbd\u5c71).<\/span> There's actually a mountain<\/span> of\n that name 10km (6mi) away (which I rode to the top<\/a> by\n bicycle recently), but I don't<\/span> know whether or how they might be\n related. (Update:<\/b> they used to be sister temples, but, I'm told,\n the bigger and more-popular Kiyomizu temple pulled out of the larger temple group because it didn't want to pay a percent of its income to the group.)<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1600 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nStone Wheel<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I don't know the purpose of the stone wheel along the entrance path, but I have<\/span> a hunch<\/span> it's related\nto prayer wheels<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 17mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nInside<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 35mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>160 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 180 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nDeeply Meaningful<\/span>\nlong moment in prayer\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWhat He Was Grasping<\/span>\nthis donated statue is dated 1964\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

So here's the meaning behind the nail\/spike pullers...<\/p>\n\n

Some emotional or physical pains are so intense that they feel like a spike<\/span> through the heart, so you come here to pray\nthat the spike be removed.<\/p>\n\n

It's a simple concept made all the more meaningful by the mood at the\ntemple. It has absolutely<\/span> no feeling of showy trappings catering to the\ntourist; it was a 100<\/span>% low-key local temple for the benefit of those\nwho visit. In my visits<\/span>, I've never seen a tourist<\/span> (other than myself and those I brought<\/span>). It's not that<\/span> kind of place.<\/p>\n\n

Despite no tourists, the patronage was lively, with visitors seemingly\nsplit into two groups: those visiting it simply as their local\ntemple, and those visiting it for its specific spike-pulling specialty.<\/p>\n\n

Because of the delicate nature of that latter group, I took care<\/span> not to\nphotograph people's faces, and went out of my way to not make people feel\nthey were being watched by the camera. Someone dealing with death or\nillness or heartbreak comes here for emotional salve, not to be featured on\nmy blog.<\/p>\n\n

If you visit, please take care to be on your most humble, respectful, least-intrusive behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The vibe at this place is so unique and wonderful that I seriously<\/span>\nconsidered whether I should<\/span> even post about it, worrying that loud touristy\nvisitors could destroy the mood. Folks who read my blog have, by definition, class and good\ntaste \ud83d\ude09<\/span>, so hopefully it's not a problem.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

It's always good to keep in mind when visiting any temple or shine (or church\nor synagogue or mosque, etc.) that even though it may not be a religious<\/span>\nplace for you<\/i>, it is exactly that for some others, so conduct\nyourself accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 17mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 160 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nEven The Incense Basin<\/span>\nhas an engraved spike puller\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The temple itself apparently dates from about 1,200 years ago, but\naccording to the story given on its\nWikipedia page<\/a>, the nail-pulling aspect is only four or five hundred\nyears old. The story<\/span> given there is that there was a merchant<\/span> with intense\npain in his hands that nothing could cure. He prayed<\/span> intently here for a\nweek,<\/span> after which he was visited in a dream<\/span> by the guardian deity and\ntold that his pain came from someone in a past<\/span> life with a grudge<\/span>,\nplacing a curse<\/span> on him by driving huge spikes into a voodoo<\/span> doll\nrepresenting the merchant. As evidence, the deity showed the merchant the\nspikes. When he awoke from the dream, his pain was gone (the spikes having\nbeen removed and all).<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 25mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 160 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n
Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n1280×<\/span>800<\/a>  ·  1680×<\/span>1050<\/a>  ·  1920×<\/span>1200<\/a>  ·  2560×<\/span>1600<\/a>  ·  2880×<\/span>1800<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 17mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 250 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPhotogenic Lanterns<\/span>\nin front of the main altar\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 20mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWall of Offerings<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 17mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 180 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMaking the Rounds<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The main devotional action at the temple involves walking around the small central building. First you collect a number<\/span> of bamboo sticks\nequal to your age...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/1.6, ISO 500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBox of Bamboo Sticks<\/span>\neach with the name and age of someone who donated it as an offering\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

So, if you're 77 years old, you collect 77 sticks.<\/p>\n\n

You then walk around the building, and when you get to the back wall,\nyou touch a special<\/span> something (I don't<\/span> know what it is)...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 17mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBack Wall<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 450 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBack-Wall Detail<\/span>\n
Vertical Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n\n\n1050×<\/span>1680<\/a>  ·  1200×<\/span>1920<\/a>  ·  1600×<\/span>2560<\/a><\/small><\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

In the photo above, you can see the vertical bar has had the paint long\nworn away. That's where folks touch on the way by. In practice, I saw some<\/span>\nfolks just stroll by without touching, while others stopped and clasped\ntheir hands together in prayer.<\/p>\n\n

As you continue your way around the building, you drop on stick back\ninto the box as you go by, and start over again with another trip around\nthe building, continuing in this manner until the sticks are gone. So, in\ntotal, you make as many circuits as your age.<\/p>\n\n

The temple grounds are quite small, but feel big with as much detail as they have packed into them.\nThere are numerous little side areas for devotion...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 17mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 3200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n“<\/span>Traditional”<\/span> Stone Jizo<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 20mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 17mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 4500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMain Altar<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 22mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 900 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nCute Corner Cozies<\/span>\non the head-high pointy end of a tin<\/span> roof\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + 17-35mm f\/2.8 @ 17mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 2800 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPatchwork Wall<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 1000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWorking Well<\/span>\nthis deep well was just a source of water\nfor cleaning, watering plants, etc\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I think this is the first working well I've ever seen.<\/p>\n\n

It's a unique place and truly worth a visit<\/span> if you can be sure not to disturb the ambiance. The entrance<\/span> is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Without question, the most unique and solemn temple I've ever come across in Japan is the small but emotionally-packed Kuginuki Jizo Temple here in Kyoto.<\/p>

\u4eca\u307e\u3067\u51fa\u4f1a\u3063\u305f\u304a\u5bfa\u306e\u4e2d\u3067\u3001\u4e00\u756a\u9762\u767d\u3044\u306a\u3001\u3044\u304b\u3081\u3057\u3044\u304a\u5bfa\u306f\u4eac\u90fd\u306b\u3042\u308b\u91d8\u629c\u5730\u8535\u3067\u3059\u3002 \u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u3067\u8aac\u660e\u306f\u96e3\u3057\u3044\u3067\u3059\u304c\u3001\u30a6\u30a3\u30ad\u30da\u30c7\u30a3\u30a2\u3067\u306f\u8aac\u660e\u304c\u3042\u308b\u306f\u305a\u3002<\/p>

Its official name is The Shakushoji Temple (\u77f3\u50cf\u5bfa), but its name in the local vernacular, kuginuki jizou (more or less \"nail-pulling guardian deity\") reflects the images of nail and spike pullers that permeate the temple grounds...<\/p>

Until you understand the meaning behind it, it certainly feels quite odd. But once you understand the meaning (which we'll get to below), you'll understand why the temple is so solemn.<\/p>

As is common with jizo statues [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,1,2,6,10,25],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}