Kukai (Kobo-Taishi) is famous for bringing Esoteric Buddhism from China, and he is often compared to Saicho, who was active at the same time. In my understanding, Hieizan, opened by Saicho, who accepted his own weaknesses, actively allowed many sects to arise, but Kukai is a genius and self-respect. The two are polar opposites of soft and hard.
This time, in commemoration of the 1250th anniversary of the birth of Kukai, I visited because the Buddha statue wrapped in a secret veil was open to the public, but the admission fee was a little too high. They show special things that are not usually shown, which increases their market value. In particular, “Hikime Taishi,” which will be open to the public this time, is said to be a living copy of a young Kukai, and there is an anecdote that he blinked when an emperor visited him in the Kamakura period, but who knows Kukai’s face when he was young? It’s not as horror as the bloody Mary statue, but the blinking Buddha statue is also a bit charming.
Therefore, I tried to save money and challenge myself by going around the dark basement of the temple, which is always open to the public, and re-examining myself in it. However, I was told that it was a combined fee with the opening of Hikime Taishi, and I gave up on this as well.
By the way, the name “Zentsuji” temple can be read as “pass well” in the Japanese kunyomi reading. That’s why the amulet seems to be popular with students preparing for university entrance exams. In my case, I just “passed by” the temple without doing anything. Kanchi-in Temple, the sub-temple of Zentsuji Temple, had a secret Buddha statue open to the public for free, so I “passed well” taking a good look at it.
Kobo-Taishi teaches that just naming though carefully and attractions created well attract people and they will come to temples naturally.
It is said that the tour of the 88 sacred sites in Shikoku began when the disciples traced the place of prayer opened by Kobo-Taishi. A journey always has an end, and it won’t end until you’ve completed everything. (A never-ending journey, it’s wandering.) This “traversing” is important, and once you step on it, you must go around it all, so it’s a great system for the tourist association. In the sacred site tour, you dedicate your own amulet with a wish to each temple, while in the stamp rally, you collect stamps from the places you visit in your notebook. Recently, collecting goshuin stamps has become popular in the same sense as this stamp rally, and it has become a new source of income for shrines and temples. This is some kind of gimmick. Some of them even issue paper-cutting-type goshuin stamps for the season, and I think it’s a little overheated. In any case, the teachings of Kobo-Taishi have continued to this day. Chichibu 34 Kannon tour in Saitama prefecture is the same system. There are tricks all over the country, and it has become a tourist attraction.
detour
Kumaoka confectionery shop is located between the east and west temples of Zentsuji. Hard bread is very dangerous for people with bad teeth. If you hold it in your mouth instead of chewing it, you can enjoy the delicious taste of ginger. If you’re still in danger, have a pound cake. It’s also cheap and delicious.
