Day 16 - Along the shore, again

After getting our luggage and settling our packs on our backs we started out walking along the shore. As you can see, the usual beautiful scenery was still there for us.
At one point we rounded a headland and had this view of the way ahead.
We were walking along a seawall and the inshore side had definitely seen better days. This is a good example of the rundown and often empty buildings that we passed.
This is the seawall and the paved path on the inland side, looking back the way we had come. The temple was somewhere up on the top of the mountain.
I was fascinated by the combination of a derelict house and a well kept up shrine. It somehow exemplified the whole area.

Day 16 -

The doors to the main hall were open so I was able to see inside. I would have liked to have gone inside to chant the sutra, but although the doors were open, the way inside was blocked. Maybe if we had been there at around dawn or dusk, the local priests would have conducted a service. In any case the interior was very impressive and it was nice to stand looking at it while we chanted.
Having finished our ritual, we headed back toward the stairs and had another view of the small building. I had the impression that it may have been older than the other buildings, but we were unable to find out during our limited stay on the grounds.
At the top of the stairs we again stopped to admine the statue of Kobo Daishi. Notice the motorbike in the background. On the back the yellow box contains dirty towels. I assume that some laundry was making a pick up at the temple, or the worker just stop to make offerings.

On the way up the stairs we had looked straight ahead and to our left because that was where the buildings and statues seemed to be. As we started down, we realized that off the other side was a really impressive statue of a guardian king of the type that is usually on each side of the main gate. Once back down on the administrative level, we discovered a very nice gate that appeared to be the entrance into the priests' quarters.
We walked back down the hill to the gift shop and had more coffee and bought some trinkets to use as presents after we got home. While we sat drinking our coffee, we noticed a sign advertising a taxi company. Since the way down was exactly the same as the way up, we decided to take a cab back to our lodging where we had left our bags. It was an incredible ride - like that street in San Fransisco but it want on and on and on and ....

Day 16 - At the top of the stairs

At the top of the stairs we discovered the temple proper of to our left. It was a group of beautiful buildings. This is the first one, but it was not the main hall.
This is the main hall. The entrance where we chanted is on the left.
One of the small buildings, which although closed, apparently contained a statue of some sort.
At the point farthest away from the stairs we found a little shelter containing a large group of small statues, all wearing bibs.
As we walked back toward the stairs, I turned around and noticed that one of the buildings had a strange tower rising from it roof.

Day 16 - Further upward

We took the stairs to the temple (never did get to the shrine). As usual they were long and steep.
Off to the side we could see a group of small statues, all wearing bibs. The row of wooden sticks in the back have the names of people who donated money written on them. People believe that they will get merit towards their next rebirth if they support a temple, so to encourage the practice the temples make the names prominent.
At the top of the stairs I turned around and discovered this view of the grounds below.
At the top of the stairs we were greeted by a life-sized statue of Kobo Daishi. Except for the pants vs. robe thing, Ian's clothing closely resembles that worn by Kobo Daishi. I, of course, was dressed in a similar way to Ian.
Here is another view without Ian blocking your line of sight.