Japan - See What I Saw

KAMAKURA (Revisited)

Cherry trees are in blossom

We recently spent the day (again) in Kamakura, a seaside town renowned for its shrines and temples. This time we visited Kamakura Hasedera temple and the Kōtoku-in Buddhist temple.

Before I go into details, I’ve got to point out an observation that these sites, though historic, and very interesting, are tourist traps. You pay to go in, once in, they nickel and dime you the entire visit. Throughout the sites there are places to pray and each prayer place has a “donation box” (pay-to-pray). Then there are many sites where you may purchase, for a nominal price, a piece of paper, or a wood doo-hickie, or a figurine, to place it at the foot of some idol for their blessings.

At the Hasedera Buddhist temple, established about 729-749 C.E., there was an abundance of Jizo-Do stone figures in forms that I had not seen before.

Jizo Do

There is a cave, benten kutsu, with a very low ceiling, with numerous figures carved into the wall. The only lighting is from candles placed along the route.

At one point, there is place where you can donate (purchase) small figurines of a kneeling female playing a stringed instrument, and place it with hundreds of others as a prayer offering (I’m not sure about the specifics of this one).

One of many types of prayer icons for purchase

Fureai Kannon is a Buddhist figure intended to be worshiped by rubbing with one’s hands. Touching it would relieve any pains of your mind or body.

Fureai Kannon

Shitenno Guardian is a Buddhist protectors of the four directions, North, East, South, & West. They ward off evil, guard the nation, and protect the world from malevolent spirits.

Shitenno Guardian

Cundi is a female deity with eighteen arms. Known as the Goddess of the Seventy Million”

Cundi

After visiting the Hasedera temple, we took the short walk to Kōtoku-in, another Buddhist temple, most well-known for its giant statue of Buddha, known as the “Great Buddha” (Daibutsu). Made of bronze, it dates from around 1252 (wow, amazing to me) and is around 44 feet tall.

Great Buddha

The statue is hollow and for an additional ¥20 you can squeeze past the outgoing visitors, up a dark, very narrow, and very steep stairway, to the dimly lit, and very crowded interior.