Nagasaki Kofuku-ji Temple

Kōfuku-ji or Tōmeizan Kōfuku-ji is a Buddhist temple of the Ōbaku school of Zen established in 1624 in Nagasaki, Japan. It is an important cultural asset designated by the government.

Its Mazu Hall (Masu-do) or Bodhisattva Hall (Bosa-do) is one of the few temples located in Japan of the Chinese sea goddess known as Mazu, the deified form of the medieval Fujianese shamaness Lin Moniang.

Kofukuji Temple Gate.

Bronze statue of Yinyuan.
Bronze statue of Yinyuan the Chinese Zen master monk by Wu Weishan at the Kofukuji Temple in Nagasaki.

Many of the monks who came from China were accomplished calligraphers, and Obaku's founder Yinyuan Longqi and two other Ōbaku masters, Mokuan Shōtō and Sokuhi Nyoitsu, became known as the Ōbaku no Sanpitsu (or, the "Three Brushes of Ōbaku").
The Chinese community was therefore thrilled when the founder of the Ōbaku, a master of the Linji school/sect named Yinyuan Longqi (J. Ingen Ryūki), arrived from China in Nagasaki in 1654 with a small group of his Chinese students. Furthermore, Yinyuan himself was happy to get away from China, which was then amidst a terrible war. Yinyuan was there with the explicit purpose of helping three underdeveloped temples founded by Chinese emigrants grow in the city.
Having planned to stay in Japan for a short period of time, Yinyuan was persuaded by a group of his Japanese students to remain in Japan.
See more at Ingen - Wikipedia.

Going up to the main hall.
At the top you can already see the bell and drum tower.

Bell and drum tower.
The Bell tower is an important building in Han Chinese Buddhist temples. Together with the Drum tower, the loud and melodious sound of the bell is often used to convene monks.

In each morning and night, beating the bell 108 times symbolizes the relief of the 108 kinds of trouble in the human world.

Sanjiang Club Gate.

Wooden fish.
A wooden fish, also known as a Chinese temple block, wooden bell, or muyu, is a type of woodblock that originated from East Asia that is used by monks and lay people in the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism. They are used by Buddhist ceremonies in China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam and other Asian countries. They may be referred to as a Chinese block, Korean block or, rarely, as a skull.

Wooden fish often used in rituals usually involving the recitation of sutras, mantras, or other Buddhist texts. In Chan Buddhism, the wooden fish serve to maintain rhythm during chanting. In Pure Land Buddhism, they are used when chanting the name of Amitabha.
Wooden fish come in many sizes and shapes, ranging from 150 millimetres (5.9 in), for laity use or sole daily practice, or to 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) for usage in temples.
See more at Wooden fish - Wikipedia.

Main hall.
The temple is dedicated to Shaka Nyorai (Śākyamuni).

The Japanese word Nyorai (thus come) is the translation of the Sanskrit and Pali word Tathagata, the term the historical Buddha used most often to refer to himself.
Among his Japanese honorifics, it is the one expressing the highest degree of respect.
Although originally applied only to Buddha himself, with the advent of Mahayana Buddhism Tathāgata (and therefore Nyorai) came to be used for all those who have achieved enlightenment, entities which occupy the highest of the four ranks of the Japanese Buddhist pantheon. Their rank is accordingly called the Nyorai-bu (Nyorai category).

Mazu Hall.
Its Mazu Hall (Masu-do) or Bodhisattva Hall (Bosa-do) is one of the few temples located in Japan of the Chinese sea goddess known as Mazu, the deified form of the medieval Fujianese shamaness Lin Moniang.

Mazu or Matsu is a Chinese sea goddess also known by several other names and titles. She is the deified form of the legendary figure Lin Mo or Lin Moniang, a Fujianese shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987.
Revered after her death as a tutelary deity of seafarers, including fishermen and sailors, her worship spread throughout China's coastal regions and overseas Chinese communities throughout Southeast Asia and overseas, where some Mazuist temples are affiliated with famous Taiwanese temples.
She was thought to roam the seas, protecting her believers through miraculous interventions.
She is now generally regarded by her believers as a powerful and a benevolent Queen of Heaven.
Mazu worship is popular in Taiwan as large numbers of early immigrants to Taiwan were Hoklo people; her temple festival is a major event in the country, with the largest celebrations around her temples at Dajia and Beigang.
See more at Mazu - Wikipedia.

Mazu guardians.
The goddess Mazu is always flanked by these guardians: “Thousand li Eyes” and “Wind Favouring Ears”, who both symbolize clairvoyance and deep knowledge as one can see far ahead and the other can hear all that the wind brings.

Her dedication to save lives meant that she took a vow of celibacy. However, she had a fair share of suitors. It is said that two warriors of great fame lusted after her and each asked for her hand in marriage. The ever intelligent Mo Niang challenged the warriors to a duel. They were each to fight her until their deaths; her only condition was that if they lost to her, they would have to serve her for all eternity. As the legend goes, the two warriors died at this duel since Mo Niang who was tutored in in the Buddhist art of Kung Fu outwitted them in her superiority. They have remained her celestial guardians since.

Mazu wish board.
Today, Mazuism is practiced in about 1500 temples in 26 countries around the world, mostly in the Sinosphere or the overseas Chinese communities such as that of the predominantly Hokkien Philippines. Of these temples, almost 1000 are on Taiwan, representing a doubling of the 509 temples recorded in 1980 and more than a dozen times the number recorded before 1911. These temples are generally registered as Taoist, although some are considered Buddhist.

There are more than 90 Mazu Temples in Hong Kong.
In Mainland China, Mazuism is formally classified as a cult outside of Buddhism and Taoism, although numerous Buddhist and Taoist temples include shrines to her.