It's taken me quite a while to realize just how big Jiyugaoka is... while aimlessly wandering about I happened to come across a Temple! Technically I think it's located in between Jiyugaoka and Futako-Tamagawa but either way it didn't look like too much from the outside but it was so beautiful and surprisingly quiet once you entered the grounds.
Joshin-ji or Kuhonbutsu was constructed several hundred years ago on the old grounds of Okusawa Castle, parts of the castle foundation can still be found.
I was wandering about on a Monday morning so there weren't too many other visitors at that time.
Writing kanji (chinese characters) is hard enough as it is... can you imagine carving them into stone? yikes.
The above picture is Founder's Hall - the sign says that there is a statue of the founder installed here. (bet you didn't see that one coming!) In 1657, the master received a message from the Amida Buddha 3 times and then carved the image (that I conveniently didn't take a picture of- sorry!) of himself which he saw reflected in the water.
There were many offerings placed at the bottom of this statue..
Although, apart from the Pikachu it kind of looked like they were just bought at a nearby vending machine. Still, it's the thought that counts I guess. However, once I got home, in order to look less like an uncultured idiot, I did a bit of research and it makes more sense to me.
Jizo is one of the more popular divinities in Japan. He is traditionally seen as the guardian of children, particularly those who died before their parents. He's also the guardian to souls of stillborn, miscarried, or aborted babies. Sometimes the offerings put near him are from grieving parents and sometimes from parents who are grateful to Jizo for saving their child from illness, etc.
This is a very intricately carved bell tower near the entrance.
You can tell I was here a bit of awhile ago since most of the trees still look dead... It's cherry blossom season in the next month or so!
That stone was really neat, it's Buddha's footprints! But really, it was created after Shakyamuni Buddha's death by his followers as an object of worship 600years before any full body images of buddha were created. Originally there was a dharma wheel carved into the center of the footprints but it has now been worn away. The coins in the footprint are mostly 5yen coins (very lucky) and 1yen coins (cheapskates, plus nobody likes the 1yen coins).
Statue of Buddha under one tree where he reached nirvana. Actually I'm not a 100% sure about that fact - might have made it up.
One of the many worship halls on the grounds of this temple.
The layout for the cemetery.
A typical Japanese grave is usually a family grave consisting of a stone monument, with a place for flowers, incense, and water in front of the monument and a chamber or crypt underneath for the ashes.
More little Jizo statues!
Since Jizo is seen as the saviour of souls, the statue is common in cemeteries but Jizo is also believed to be one of the protective deities of travelers so the statue can also be found roadsides.
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