Iwaya-ji (Kumakōgen)
The Iwaya-ji ( Japanese 岩 屋 寺 ) with the Go Kaiganzan (海岸 山) is a temple of the Buzan direction (豊 山 派) of Shingon Buddhism in Kumakōgen (久 万 高原 町) in Ehime Prefecture . It lies at an altitude of 700 m at the foot of a rock face. In the traditional count, the Iwaya-ji is the 45th temple on the Shikoku pilgrimage route .
history
Priest Kūkai is said to have visited the place of prayer in the 6th year of Kōnin (815). During his visit he is said to have made the holy Fudō (不 動 明王) out of wood and then another out of stone. The wooden one is the main cult figure, the stone one stands on the rock wall that extends behind the temple. There is a drawing of the complex that Priest Ippen ( 一遍 ; 1239–1289) made during his visit: It shows a spacious complex.
It is no longer possible to determine when the temple became the “rear place of prayer” ( 奥 の 院 , Oku-no-in) of the 44th Daihō-ji temple . In any case, in 1874 he became self-employed. In 1889 the temple burned down and the historical documents were also lost. Only the Niō Gate, located far below, was preserved at that time. In 1920 the Daishidō was rebuilt, and much larger than the main hall. The main hall followed in 1927 and the temple gate seven years later. The bell tower was built in 1952 and the guest quarters in 1963. In 1978 the pavilions for the “Seriwari Fudō” ( 逼 割 不 動 堂 ) and those for the “Hakusan Gongen” ( 白山 権 現 堂 ) were added.
The attachment
After passing the front temple gate, which is here as a Niō gate (仁王, Niō-mon; 1), i.e. a gate with space for the temple guards to the right and left of the passage, it goes on a winding path to the temple, whereby one passes the holy Jizō (地 蔵 菩薩; 2), the protector of hikers and children. After further bends you get to the temple itself.
The pavilions for the Seriwari Fudō (編 割 不 動; 6) and the holy Benten (弁 天; 7) are located on the bottom level on the right. A longer staircase leads to the middle, narrow level. On this level is the bell tower on the left (鐘楼, Shōrō; 5) and at the end another building. On the top level, you have the small main hall (本 堂, Hondō; 3) in front of you and next to it a larger hall dedicated to the temple founder, the Daishidō (大師 堂; 4).
The temple can be reached by another route. You then pass a rear temple gate (山門, Sammon).
photos
Rear temple gate
Fudō on the way
Niō Gate
Jizōdō
"Mountain Face"
Monastery complex
Remarks
- ↑ The Hakusan Gongen is a saint who is venerated at Hakusan , a dormant volcano (2700 m) on the border between the prefectures of Gifu and Ishikawa . The mountain belongs, together with the Fuji and the Tateyama , to the "Three Sacred Mountains of Japan" ( 日本 三 霊 山 , Nihon Sanreizan).
literature
- Ehime-ken kotogakko chireki komin bukai rekishi bukai (Ed.): Iwaya-ji . In: Ehime-ken no rekishi sampo. Yamakawa Shuppan, 2008. ISBN 978-4-634-24638-6 . Page 59.
- Oguri, Doei: Kukai. Shikoku hachijuhachi kosho no arukikata. Chukei no Bunko, 2011, ISBN 978-4-8061-4067-2 .
Web links
Coordinates: 33 ° 39 ′ 31.2 ″ N , 132 ° 58 ′ 50.6 ″ E