Skip to main content

Daigan-ji Temple

The official name is Kamei Yamakata Koin Daiganji. The founding of the temple is unknown, but it is an ancient temple of the Shingon sect that is said to have revived the monk Ryokai during the Kenjin period (1201-1203).

Until the Meiji decree to separate the gods from the Buddha, he was in charge of repairing and building temples as a general contractor of the Hakushima Shrine, and was the center of the Itsukushima temple formed from the Senjokaku, the five-storied pagoda, and the Tahoto.

In addition, the Shoin at the back of the main hall is known as the place where Katsu Kaishu and the feudal lords representing the Choshu clan held a peace conference during the Second Choshu War.

Nio guardians.
Nio are two wrathful and muscular guardians of the Buddha standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in East Asian Buddhism in the form of frightening wrestler-like statues.

  • They are usually portrayed as a pair of figures that stand guarding temple entrance gates usually called Shanmen in China, Niomon in Japan and Geumgangmun in Korea.
  • The right statue (top) is traditionally called Guhyapada and has his mouth open, representing the vocalization of the first grapheme of Sanskrit Devanagari which is pronounced "a".
  • The left statue (bottom) is traditionally called Narayana and has his mouth closed, representing the vocalization of the last grapheme of Devanagari which is pronounced "hum".
  • These two characters together (a-hum/a-un) symbolize the birth and death of all things. (Men are supposedly born speaking the "a" sound with mouths open and die speaking an "hum" and mouths closed.)
  • Similar to Jaya-Vijaya, they signify "everything" or "all creation". The contraction of both is Aum.
  • See more at Nio - Wikipedia.

Peace Kannon (Heiwa kan'non).

Dragon God (Ryujin).
Ryujin (lit. "Dragon God") was the tutelary deity of the sea in Japanese mythology.

  • Many believed the god had knowledge on medicine and many considered him as the bringer of rain and thunder.
  • This Japanese dragon, symbolizing the power of the ocean, had a large mouth. He is considered a good god and patron of Japan, since the Japanese population has for millennia lived off the bounty of the sea.
  • See more at Ryūjin - Wikipedia.

Inside Daigan-ji Temple.
Itsukushima Benzaiten is said to have been created by Kobo Daishi Kukai, and is one of the three Benzaiten in Japan.

  • Benzaiten is the goddess of worldly benefits, and during the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, the chief deity of Itsukushima Shrine, Ichikishimahimerei, came to be worshiped as the goddess of wealth, and was identified with Benzaiten in Buddhism.
  • Including this Itsukushima Benzaiten, which was transferred from Itsukushima Shrine due to the separation of Shintoism and Buddhism, the wooden statue of Yakushi Nyorai (Important Cultural Property), which is said to be the oldest existing Buddha statue on Miyajima, and the wooden Shaka Nyorai, which was the principal image of Senjokaku.
  • The seated statue (Important Cultural Property), the statues of Ananda and Kasha that guarded both sides (both Important Cultural Properties), the Sanzon statue that was the principal image of the five-storied pagoda, the Yakushi Nyorai statue that was the principal image of the Tahoto, and the principal deity of the Goma-do.
  • It houses the Nyoirin Kanzeon Bodhisattva, which was designated as an Important Cultural Property.

Hall for the Fire Ritual (Goma-do).
Next to Daigan-ji Temple, there is a Goma-do, where people perform Gomagyou (Buddhist rites of burning wood). You can get a close look at the 4-meter high Acalanatha statue made of sandalwood and an incense tree believed to be the abode of Buddha.

  • The homa (goma) ritual of consecrated fire is found in some Buddhist traditions of Tibet, China and Japan.
  • Its roots are the Vedic ritual, it evokes Buddhist deities, and is performed by qualified Buddhist priests.
  • In some Buddhist homa traditions, such as in Japan, the central deity invoked in this ritual is usually Acalanatha (Fudo Myoo, lit. immovable wisdom king).
  • Acalanatha is another name for the god Rudra in the Vedic tradition, for Vajrapani or Chakdor in Tibetan traditions, and of Sotshirvani in Siberia.
  • The Acala Homa ritual procedure follows the same Vedic protocols found in Hinduism, with offerings into the fire by priests who recite mantras being the main part of the ritual and the devotees clap hands as different rounds of hymns have been recited.
  • In most Shingon temples, this ritual is performed daily in the morning or the afternoon, and is a requirement for all acharyas to learn this ritual upon entering the priesthood.
  • See more at Homa (ritual) - Wikipedia.

Kukai, Kannon and Fudo.
Kukai (27 July 774 – 22 April 835), born Saeki no Mao, posthumously called Kobo Daishi ("The Grand Master who Propagated the Dharma"), was a Japanese Buddhist monk, calligrapher, and poet who founded the esoteric Shingon school of Buddhism.

  • He travelled to China, where he studied Tangmi (Chinese Vajrayana Buddhism) under the monk Huiguo.
  • Upon returning to Japan, he founded Shingon—the Japanese branch of Vajrayana Buddhism.
  • With the blessing of several Emperors, Kukai was able to preach Shingon teachings and found Shingon temples.
  • See more at Kūkai - Wikipedia.

See also

Source

Location

Location: Nakaichiba-22-1 Nakahonmachi, Iwakura, Aichi 482-0042, Japan