This is the temple where Kobo Daishi's master, Kinso Daitoku, was founded. We will introduce NyuzanJingujiTemple popularly known as niu Daishi, and its surrounding spots.

◆Article creation: MAMMY
A monk and a photographer, a monk photographer wearing two sandals
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Lately, I've been curious about mirrorless cameras... (tears)


niu Daishi (NyuzanJingujiTemple)

Kobo Daishi (left) and Gonsou Daitoku (right)

Located in Nyu, Taki-cho TakiTown niu TanNyuzanJingujiTemple popularly known as the Living Daishi. In the 5th year of Hoki (774), Kinso Daitoku, the master of Kobo Daishi, opened the temple, and when Kobo Daishi visited the temple in the 4th year of Kounin (813), the Shichido Garan was constructed. It is a temple with a long history.

niu Daishi Sanmon (Niomon)

White water lilies spreading in the pond

White water lily and dragonfly

First of all, once you pass through the Sanmon gate, the approach to the shrine stretches straight all the way to the back. There is a large pond on the right side, and many white water lilies are blooming on the surface of the water. The area around the pond is always crowded with people who come to worship, as well as people who use it as a walking route, people who come to see the water lilies here, and people who take pictures. The best time to see water lilies is from mid-May to early August, and we recommend viewing them in the morning when they are in full bloom.

The deputy chief priest taught me how to tell the difference between a water lily and a lotus. Water lilies bloom near the water surface, and their leaves are shiny and have slits. Lotus flowers have long stems that bloom high above the water surface, and their leaves are round and lack luster.

You can see the reception hall on the left side of the approach. There is a temple office in one corner of the reception hall, and the temple office is the place where temple reception desks are held, and where stamps and amulets are given out. This guest hall was built during the Kanei era (around 1624) and is visually impressive. The entrance is also wonderful, and the building seems to have faithfully followed the traditional style of the guest halls of esoteric Buddhist temples. It is true that Kongobu-ji, the head temple of the Koyasan Shingon sect, has a similar shape.

Continuing along the approach, you will see a white-walled storehouse-like building on your right. This is Enmado.

Peeking inside through the lattice, you can see the ten kings including Lord Enma, the judge of hell, Shimyou and Shiroku, who support Lord Enma, and Ueba of the Sanzu River. Datetsuba), Ninzujo, Red Oni, and Blue Oni are all there.

I took this photo from inside, but it might be a bit eerie to see these statues inside the dimly lit temple through the latticework...

It is rare to see Enma-sama alone or ten kings including Enma-sama being enshrined there, but it is not uncommon nationwide to have a complete set of things such as a robber and a human cane. Is it? It's worth a look!

When I turned around from Enmado, Right frontThere is a bell tower, and behind it is Goma-do (Fudodo).There is. As the name suggests, this hall is dedicated to Fudo Myo-o and is used for praying and practicing prayers by lighting a fire in a hearth called Goma.

Next, the large hall in the square isKannon-do, which is the main hall of niu Daishi, and the slightly smaller hall next to it is Yakushi-do.

Kannon-do (main hall) inner hall. It's obvious at a glance that it's a magnificent hall, but if you look at the ceiling of the inner sanctum, you'll realize how impressive it is even more.

Ceilings also come in various styles and formalities; the style in which the ceiling is raised using curved wood above the walls is called ``Origami coffered ceiling'', and the one that is one step higher is known as ``double folded coffered ceiling''. Is called. Furthermore, the squares of the coffered ceiling called kogumi are decorated with Confucian patterns inside, which is called ``double folded upper and small coffered ceiling,'' and is truly the highest quality structure.

Even just looking at the ceiling has various meanings, such as formality, so paying attention to the small details like this will make your visit to the shrine more enjoyable.

On the side of the Kannon-do Hall, there is a zushi of the Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannons. Inside the large zushi, 33 Kannon statues are lined up in rows.

Kannon can be seen in various forms, such as standing or sitting.

Next to it is a stone pillar carved with Rokujizo-do, and a rare lantern with a cypress bark roof made of wood. There used to be a Jizo-do here, but it was not rebuilt, so it was built to make its existence known.

In addition, the stone staircase leading from this plaza to the Daishi-do Hall and the corridor next to it are spectacular views that can only be seen here." niu Daishi" is so famous that when you think of it, you think of the cloister. In the spring it is covered with cherry blossoms, in early summer it is fresh green, and on rainy days it is also wonderful. It is a place where you will want to take photos throughout the year, including autumn leaves and snowy scenery.

It is said that this corridor was built for the Edo period lords and other great figures to protect themselves from the rain and wind and from enemies when they visited Daishi. It was destroyed by a typhoon in 2017, but was rebuilt beautifully. It is now open to worshipers as well, so come and experience what it feels like to be a lord.

When you go up the stairs positiveThe one you can see on the surface is DaishiHall And, Daishi is enshrined here.

This statue was engraved by Daishi himself when he was 42 years old, reflecting his image in the mirror pond next to Enmado.

It is almost life-sized, and its face has a very gentle expression.

On the left is Manjusri Hall,inside which enshrines Manjusri Bodhisattva as the principal image and Fugen Bosatsu as a side Buddha. Both Buddhas are seated in lotus position with one leg out. Below the lotus position, there is a blue lion statue of Manjusri and a white statue of Fugen Buddha called the Bird and Beast constellation. It's also nice to be able to see the Buddha up close, which is not something we're used to, such as the way it sits and the animals underneath it.

On the right are Inari Shrine and the stone Buddha statues of the 88 Sacred Sites of Shikoku.

This stone statue of the Shikoku 88 Sacred Sites was also damaged by a typhoon in 2014, along with the Daishi-do Hall, but thanks to the help of the chief priest, believers involved with the temple, and local people, it was repaired and rebuilt.

As you go deeper into the Daishido, you will see niu no Mikoto is enshrined If you pass in front of it and go further, you will reach the highest point in the temple grounds. Atago Daigongen, famous as the god of fire protection is enshrined here.

Right in front of Atago-san,there is a new spot where you can see the entire niu Daishi temple!

This photo is a composite of several photos, but you can easily take it using your smartphone's panoramic camera. The far left is niu no Mikoto, and the right is beyond the Sanmon gate to the village.
It is truly a scenic point! I wanted to take a sunset from here if possible. (tears)

Why has this become a new spot? It was created because the typhoon I mentioned earlier caused a large tree to fall and damage Daishi-do Hall and the 88 Sacred Sites of Shikoku, so they made the difficult decision to cut down the large tree to prevent further damage. Please feel free to drop by here as well.

Additionally, there is a torii gate at the very end of the approach leading from Niomon. can you see it…? (Sweat)

niu Shrine is enshrined there.

This is the deep relationship I mentioned at the beginning, and there was a time when monks read sutras and performed rituals in the Buddhist style in front of the shrine, called the syncretization of Shinto and Buddhism. Temples and shrines were separated due to the Haibutsukishaku movement of the Meiji period, but as the name suggests, Jingu-ji is the one that has the closest connection to shrines among all temples. That relationship remains inseparable even today.

Niomon’s opening commemorative red seal and commemorative rosary

These are special red seals and bracelets made to commemorate the opening of Niomon. There are two sizes of prayer beads: large and small. It was built in 1722-1723 and is made from the original wood. This is wood from about 300 years ago, right? If you think that the wood of the gate that continued to watch over the people who visited niu Daishi during that time will protect you with its own arms, you will feel even more grateful.

niu Daishi is currently the 35th temple of the 49 sacred sites of Saikoku Yakushi, the 24th temple of the 36 Fudoson sacred sites in the Tokai region, the 75th temple of the 88 temples of Mie and Shikoku, and the 75th temple of the 88 temples of Mie and Shikoku. As it is the 12th temple of Saigoku's 33 Kannon Sacred Sites, there are of course the usual goshuin stamps for each of them. Please come and visit us if you have a chance!

Click here for the niu Daishi Jinguji website!

⬇︎⬇︎We will introduce surrounding spots on the next page! Please proceed to the next page! ⬇︎⬇︎

niu Kinchokokuji Temple

niu Nagaeji Temple is located in Hase TakiTown as niu Daishi. After going up the straight road for a while along the navigation road, the end was a parking lot. I had heard from the Deputy Chief Priest of niu Daishi that ``You have to climb a steep slope for several minutes to get from the parking lot to the temple,'' so I was feeling anxious. The quaint torii gate at the entrance makes you think so even more.

A slope that bends over and over again. It's hard to tell from the photo, but it was really steep. Even when I took this photo, I was out of breath and had to retake it several times... (sweat) It has a history of more than 1,000 years, along with Fugen-ji Temple and Kongoza-ji Temple, which are located in the narrow area of Hase and Kamisaka in TakiTown, and the locals affectionately call it ``Taki's Tibet.''

It takes about 5 minutes to climbwith heavy equipment, and when you climb the final stone stairs, you will see a magnificent temple in front of you. The main hall is in front, and the storeroom is in the back right. There is no doubt that building such a magnificent hall in such a mountainous area is difficult even in modern times, but I am awed by the faith and passion of our predecessors who built it on this spot at the time.

The principal image is an eleven-faced Kanzeon statue made in the late Heian period, which is designated as a nationally designated important cultural property. The height of the statue is 6.6m! Its size will take your breath away. This is also worth a visit, but please be careful when visiting. The inside of the hall can be viewed every Sunday and the 18th of the festival from 10:00 to 15:00. Other than that, you can't see it, but you can get the goshuin from niu Daishi, who also works there. There is also a 200 yen fee to enter the hall. It seems that local people take turns cleaning and caring for the shrine when they visit the shrine.

Click here for the niu Hasedera website!

Hydrangea path (Komichi)

There are about 10,000 hydrangeas around niu, and you can see them everywhere. The photo is of a place called Hydrangea Path, which is a short​ walk south from the Sanmon Gate of niu Daishi. The colorful hydrangeas lined up in rows are very beautiful.

Hydrangea and frog.

Hydrangea and cochlea.

Hydrangea and dragonfly.

Coincidentally, we found frogs, snails, and dragonflies on the hydrangeas! I was lucky because I had never taken a photo like this before.

I don't know where I learned this, but I mistakenly thought, "Hydrangeas are poisonous, so snails don't live on hydrangeas," but in reality, "hydrangea leaves have toxins, so snails don't eat them." That's what it meant. However, all three have similar compositions... (Sweat)

It can be difficult to focus on the eyes of small creatures, but if you open the aperture as much as possible, the background will be blurred and the subject will stand out, so give it a try. We recommend taking insurance and taking several photos of each composition, or checking it thoroughly after taking the photo. (lol)

Medaka pond

This is, aA medaka pond in the middle of the small path. Is there a green clay pipe in the middle? It was very popular with the children. In addition to killifish, frogs and newts were swimming happily in the pond. There are also fireflies at certain times of the year.

There were many aquatic plants called water hyacinth floating in the pond. It seems that purple flowers bloom in summer. I'm thinking of going to take pictures again when it's blooming!

Mercury mine ruins

If you go further south along the hydrangea path, you will see a signboard, and if you go a little farther from the road, you will see the entrance to a mercury mining shaft. It is said that the 50,000 ryo of mercury (currently about 2 tons) that was used to build the Great Buddha at Todaiji Temple a long time ago came from here niu. I couldn't go inside, but as I approached the entrance, a cold wind came from inside... It was a bit scary for my timid monk (cold sweat).

This is a nearby ​mercury refining equipment that was used in the 1950s.

ZACK'S BAKE

It's a little far from niu, but as you head west on Prefectural Route 701 in the countryside, you'll see a particularly stylish building on your right. (My monk passed by once, admiring it...)
This is ZACK'S BAKE, a scone and quiche shop with a dog run in Shomachi, MatsusakaCity City. Both eat-in and take-out are possible.

Not only the exterior but also the inside of the store is extremely stylish, so much so that even the monk alone would feel out of place. It was really nice to have my wife and kids with me. (lol)

This time I decided to take out due to time constraints. The scones and quiche were both delicious at home. Business hours are 10:00 to 16:00. Please check the store's Instagram as it is closed irregularly. We also have a limited menu!

Click here for ZACK'S BAKE's Instagram!

beef road

During the move, debtI looked at the sign and saw the words Beef Road.. When I looked into it later, it turned out to be one of the regional agricultural roads. The scenery was peaceful and there were few traffic lights, making it a good place for touring and driving. Thousands of Japanese cattle are bred in this area, and it seems that the name was chosen from a public contest.

Kokekokko Republic Mountain Station Yottei

The letters ``Kokekokko Republic'' can be seen on the signboardthat can be seen from the highway. To tell you the truth, I've been really curious about this monk for a long time. This time it's an undercover investigation! (lol)

I ordered the free-range chicken lunch for weekday lunch. A soft sauce, a hard salt-koji pickle, and a raw egg for TKG (egg-fried rice). The unique texture of the parent bird was irresistibly delicious. And it's cheap! !

At the back of the grounds, we found a funky signboard commemorating our visit! Don't forget to take a commemorative photo here when you visit! (lol)

Click here for the Kokekokko Republic HP!

Thank you for watching until the end. how was it? The area around TakiTown has history, nature, and a somewhat nostalgic feel. There are still many places that I wasn't able to visit this time, so I would like to continue exploring them. If you are ever in the area, please drop by!

Please click here for my previous articles!