🌸 Noire Henro-san: Shitenno-ji

Street view to Shitenno-ji temple in Osaka, Japan.

After Koyasan

I walked in Japan – leaving my footprints 👣 – on an ancient path followed by Buddhists, practitioners, walkers, non-believers, and many others. It began in Shikoku island and culminated on Wii peninsula on the big island of Honshu.

For all that has been, thank you.
For all there is to come, yes.

– Dag Hammarskjold

Therefore, I am still walking. Come with me.

Shitenno-ji

Temple of the Four Heavenly Kings

The founding of Shitenno-ji was driven by a major purpose: to promote the spread of Buddhism and encourage faith in the religion’s earliest days in Japan.

It is of the oldest officially administered Buddhist temples in Japan, established in 593 by Prince Shotoku.

Shitenno-ji is a temple of great significance in the history of Japanese Buddhism. It has been burned down, bombed, and almost completely destroyed many times over its existence. The temple buildings were faithfully rebuilt each time.

I entered the temple precinct through the stone torii from the streets of Osaka.

Stone temple fountain.

Gate to Paradise

Nishidaimon Gate, also known as The Great West Gate is a short distance from the stone torii.

Nishidaimon

Gokuraku-mon (Gate to Paradise).

Walking through the gate symbolizes the journey from the mundane world to the sacred realm of Buddha’s paradise.

Paintings of different Buddha statues (instead of carved Ones) associated with paper making guard the gate.

Kishin Daishi

Statue of Shinran Shonin (Kishin Daishi). Shinran decided the practitioner simply needed sincerity, faith, and the aspiration for rebirth in the Pure Land.

Instead of repeated recitations* of the nembutsu (thinking on Buddha), he decided one recitation was enough if said with pure faith.

* Namu-amida-butsu

Niomon

Two colorful Nio guardian statues stand at the middle gate:

Naranobe Kongo Rikishi and…

… Mitsukyo Kongo Rikishi.

The artist behind the guardians was also the same artist who made the Great Buddha statue at Nara.

South Bell Hall.

A big pond is on the temple grounds.

Shady rest area.

North Bell Hall.

Shitenno-ji Kings

Outside the entrance of the Four Heavenly Kings (Shi tennō) enclosure. Jikokuten of the East, Zochoten of the South, Komokuten of the West, and Tamonten of the North are enshrined here.

The Treasure house, Lecture hall, and pagoda are inside the enclosure.

The five-Story Pagoda (Gojunoto) is inside the enclosure but still manages to dominate the landscape. Each story or level symbolizes the five elements of Buddhist teachings: earth, water, fire, wind, and void.

City buildings create an interesting backdrop. I am resting here after getting a goshuin for my stamp book.

The vastness of the temple precinct is evident here. I am standing on the property in front of the Four Heavenly Kings enclosure.

Something Old and New

I love a good flea market!

Shitenno-ji temple hosts a large flea market on the 21st and 22nd of each month, with around 300 stalls selling secondhand clothes, antiques, handicrafts, and old kimonos. Almost anything old and Japanese can be found.

Not So Surprising

Over the next few days, Osaka will be my base as I explore the city. I will walk and take a bus or train to get around.

This is something that I do in every place I visit. I deliberately immerse myself, without being intrusive, in my surroundings.

Learning about the lives of everyday people who live, love, and long to express their humanity helps me to do the same.

I imagine myself growing in empathy and understanding. Still, I have a long way to go and more things to learn. It never stops. Being aware of the fact means all is not lost. It means I am not lost in a sea of uncertainty. I am not lost in a dark forest blocking the rays of the sun.

There is always hope and a way out. I’m realising that I have been a pilgrim all my life!

A Baptist church is a short walk from Shitennoji Temple across the street from Isshin-ji Temple.

A busy street near the temple.

A waterway in Osaka City.

See you next time.

Baadaye and Mate ne

Shirley J 🕉️

This and several posts this summer chronicled my pilgrimage in Japan where I walked the 1200 kilometer-long Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage and beyond. Read my announcement here.