Dou'unji Temple

 This ornate stone lantern stands in front of the now empty field where the main building used to stand. The building on the hill is a newish meditation hall. It was built before the earthquakes and seems to have survived.

 This stone lantern looks like a moss covered mushroom.

 Here we have a guardian lion. Notice the insides of the mouth and nose are red as are its claws.

 This is the small altar that the lion is guarding.

 I started home and as I passed near the graveyard I noticed that someone had left tea and flowers at this small stele.

Also this statue has been give a new red bib.

Dou'unji Temple

 This little roof shelters a bench where I sat for a while and meditated. This time of year is very nice because there are no bugs to distract you while you sit.

 A bit deeper into the valley and I came to the meditation cave carved into the rock cliff. There must be some loose rocks at the top because the red traffic cones are meant to keep you away from the base of the cliff.

 In the previous picture there is a black spot inside the cave. That is a secondary cave. This picture shows it in a bit more detail.

 I love these old stelae that covered with moss. I usually can not read very much but I still like looking at them.

 This is a sign that was placed here by the Izumi Ward office. It says that this temple was established here on June 28, 1747, and traces it roots back to a temple built in 704.

The main meditation hall is completely gone, replaced by an empty field. Buddhism is very high on the idea of emptiness, often a subject for meditation, so I guess it is appropriate. This picture shows the remains of a stone lamp that is still lying where it fell during the tremors. It once stood near the entrance to the meditation hall.

Dou'unji Temple

It had been a long time since I had been to Dou'unji Temple so I decided to walk over and see what the grounds would look like in the fall. Also what damage there had been in earthquakes and recent typhoon.

 At this shrine cut into the rock fact of the cliff, most of it seemed okay except for the fallen tree in front of it.

 The second nearby shrine also seemed okay but the doors no longer seemed straight.

 The Japanese garden had suffered no damage at all, at least as far as I could see. Even though it was getting colder, there were still a few flowers.

Surprisingly this stone lamp was in great shape and the monks had obviously been taking care of the plants.

Dou'unji

 This is the the corridor that leads from the priest's quarters which are off to the left to the meditation hall which you can see in the rear.

 This is looking back on the same structure. The priest's quarters are on the left and the meditation hall is on the hill to the right. I assume that the building between the corridor going up the hill and the priest's home contains a reception hall of some sort. At least that is the way most temples seem to be constructed.

 I was surprised that the statues survived all the shaking.I am not sure who is represented in this statue but because of the children a good guess would be Kannon, who is a protector of pregnant women and children.

Another statue that survived the tremors. Again I do not know who it represents and in this case can not even offer a guess. I am sure that there are sufficient clues that some who was better educated than me would know exactly who is represented.

Most temples have little secondary buildings like that are dedicated to someone or something that is not the primary focus of the temple.

As I followed the road back to the main road, I had to pass through a place where the road cut through a small hill. The tree roots had been exposed and now created a view that reminded me of some modern sculpture.

Someone had left flowers, a yogurt drink and some water as an offering at this little statue.

When I was here just after the earthquakes many of these statues had fallen over. They have now been righted but the tall one in the middle is still leaning at a strange angle.

Dou'unji

 I decided to walk over to Dou'unji and see what was happening there. The last time I visited the temple, a work crew was just finishing the removal of the main hall of the temple. I also decided to take the back roads on my way north. I was very surprised to find this store hidden away in a housing area. It sells fishing equipment. The pictures in the window are prints made from fish. The fish is painted with black ink and then a piece of paper is pressed against it to make an image.

 There are still blue tarps everywhere but a blue fence to hide the damaged house was something quite new.

 I reached the entrance to Dou'unji and found the stump of a big tree. It was very symbolic with the dead tree being covered with a new growth of vines. Perfect for the entrance to a Zen temple.

Even though it is winter, the garden was still very pretty. Some of the plants retained colorful leaves.