SHRINES, TEMPLES AND STATUES: A LONG WALK UNDER THE SUN

On May 28^th, 2022, we visited the Higashi-Ku area of Fukuoka. Known for its historic sites, this region could not have been missed for its statues, temples, shrines, and park.

                                                          

We first reached the third largest statue of a monk in Japan (excluding the even bigger and magnificent Buddha statues). It was the statue of a Zen monk of the Kamakura period (1185 AD – 1333AD) named Nichiren Shonin. Nichiren Shonin was the founder of Nichiren Buddhism. Soka Gakkai, an organization run by Daisaku Ikeda has been preaching this form of Buddhism in the modern world. 

He not only wielded power and influence in spiritual circles but also had a great amount of influence in the political and administrative spheres. He had predicted the threats of foreign invasion looming over Japan. He advised the people of Japan to follow the branch of Buddhism propounded by him to save Japan from external threats. These predictions did come true as Mongolians invaded Japan twice, first in 1271 AD and then in 1284 AD. The statue not only adds to the beauty of Fukuoka as a well-developed city but is also a center of attraction for those who follow the faith of Nichiren Buddhism. The pedestal on which the statue is placed graphically depicts the journey of Nichiren from being exiled by the then ruler and later being accepted as an important spiritual figure in Japanese society.

       

After learning about Nichiren’s influence on Japanese society we headed towards the nearly situated Higashi Koen (Park). The park was the site of the battle between the Mongolian and the Japanese army. The park has a magnificent statue of Japan’s ninetieth emperor, emperor Kameyama who also happened to be the contemporary of Nichiren Daishonin. We learned that the park was once a zoo!

          

Japan has more shrines than convenient stores and hence it wasn’t a surprise to visit yet another shrine situated in the vicinity of the park. This shrine is dedicated to the Ebisu God and Daikokuten. Ebisu god is considered to be the God of luck while Daikokuten is considered to be the god of the harvest. We prayed to the gods in traditional Shinto style.

We then headed to a zen temple named Sofukuji Temple. Generally, people are not allowed inside the main premises of the Zen temples but we could explore the outer areas of the temple that truly reflected the zen principles. Zen monks practice discipline quite diligently and the cleanliness of the temple’s premise was a testimony to their commitment to Zen principles. Three Zen sects practiced in Japan include Rinzai, Obaaku, and Soto. These were introduced to Japan in the Kamakura period. Within the outer premise of the temple was a Buddhist cemetery. Here we could see the cemetery of a nationalist Japanese politician named Toyama Mitsuru. He was a staunch advocate of the philosophy of Pan-Asianism or the Great Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. According to this line of thought, it is Japan’s destiny to lead Asia and the Asian countries. This theory was well-known and widely propagated during the 20^th century.

While exploring the premises of the temple I found numerous small and large statues of Buddha. I asked my sensei about them and he told me these are Ojizousan or the Children’s Buddha. When small children leave this world for the heavenly abode, their family members place statues in the temple with the belief that these children are now forms of Buddha. I was moved by the presence of numerous statues all across the premise.  

Our trip did not end here. The next stop was one of the awaited shrines named Hakozaki Shrine. As I have already shared in my previous blogs Japan does not have the facility of ola and uber like many other countries and even buses here have defined routes like metros, we had to walk for around 40 minutes to reach the Hakozaki Shrine. The shrine is dedicated to the Hachiman God, the God of war and samurais. This shrine is one of the three major Hachimangu shrines of Japan. The shrine was reconstructed after being burnt down during the Mongolian invasion in 1274 AD. Since people pray here to ward off any possibility of losing in a competition, the shrine was put into question by the Americans after Japan’s defeat in World War 2. Nonetheless, the shrine is one of the most important cultural sites not only in Fukuoka but in entire Japan.

                                                          

Even though all of us were too exhausted after the trip, it was worth the long walk that seemed to have no end. Thank God I come from a land where summers are hotter than here as it helps me survive the sunniest and the warmest days of this city!