Showing posts with label temple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label temple. Show all posts

10/27/2016

Ganjoji Itabashi Kanto Pilgrims

[ . BACK to Daruma Museum TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Ganjooji 願成寺 Ganjo-Ji

Nr. 36 清安山 板橋不動院 Itabashi Fudo-In - Ganjo-Ji
- 安産子育不動尊 - Anzan Koyasu Fudo
Seianzan 清安山 不動院 Fudo-In
Ibaraki prefecture 意密の道場 - imitsu

. 北関東三十六不動尊霊場
36 Fudo Temples in Northern Kanto .
 

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



2370-1 Itabashi, Tsukubamirai / 茨城県つくばみらい市板橋2370

- quote -
Itabashi Fudo-son,
or formally named Seian-san Ganjoji Fudoin Temple, is a temple of Shingon Sect. The temple was established by the great priest Kukai in 808. It had been burnt down by several fires, and in the 16th century, the temple was rebuilt by a high ranked Shingon Sect priest. The Fudo-son (the Buddhist divinity of fire) at this temple is worshipped by a lot of people for his power of bringing about easy delivery and successful childcare.
There are a lot of cultural properties at this temple including National Important Cultural Properties of the statues of Fudo Myoo and Ryo-doji, both of which were carved by Kukai himself, and prefectural Important Cultural Properties of the Main Hall, Sakura-Gate, and the 3-story Pagoda. The 3-story Pagoda was renovated in 1996.
This is one of the few temples in the prefecture which are composed of seven major buildings.
- source : nippon-kichi.jp -



- Map of the buildings

三重塔  three-storied pagoda

谷原大師八十八ヶ所霊場
walking the 88 pilgrim temples, Yawara Daishi

.......................................................................



:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


shuin 朱印 stamp



CLICK for more photos !

- - - - - Homepage of the temple
- source : fudouin.webnode.jp

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- - - - - Yearly Festivals 年中行事


1月1日~7日   初詣で護摩祈祷
1月28日      初不動 お開帳
2月節分       豆まき お開帳
8月10日      施餓鬼法要
11月1日~30日 七五三成長祈願              
11月28日     秋大縁日お開帳

毎月28日      縁日護摩祈祷

毎日   安産子育・成長安全
赤ちゃん初詣り、厄年厄除
自動車交通安全祈祷

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


- - - reference : itabashi fudo-in - - -


. Pilgrimages to Fudo Temples 不動明王巡礼
Fudo Myo-O Junrei - Introduction .
 

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Narita Fudo 成田不動尊 .
Temple Shinshooji 新勝寺 Shinsho-Ji

. O-Mamori お守り Amulets and talismans from Japan . 

. Japanese Temples - ABC list - .


[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
- #ganjoji #itabashifudo -
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

7/27/2016

Sojogatani Fudo

[ . BACK to Daruma Museum TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Soojoogadani Fudoo Doo 僧正ガ谷不動堂
Fudo Hall in Sojogatani
僧正谷

Sojo-ga-dani Fudo-do (Fudo Hall in Sojo Valley)
京都市左京区鞍馬本町 / 1074 Kurama Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto

Both readings are given, Sojogatani and Sojogadani.



The Fudo Hall is home to a statue of Fudo Myo-O carved by Dengyo Daishi. In his desire to spread Tendai Buddhism, he performed a special ritual before carving the statue.
ittoo sanrai 一刀三礼 carving one part and praying three times


. Saicho, Dengyo Daishi 伝教大師最澄 .
(766-822)

The valley 僧正谷 Sojogatani is more famous for the tales about Ushiwakamaru.

Many old Sugi cedar trees grow in the surrounding forest, which is also the stage for the 鞍馬天狗 Kurama Tengu tales about 牛若丸 Ushiwakamaru.
Opposite the Fudo Hall is
Gikeidoo 義経堂 Gikei-Do, a hall dedicated to Yoshitsune (Ushiwakamaru)

. 牛若丸 Ushiwakamaru 源の義経 Minamoto no Yoshitsune .


At Sojogatani in the Kurama mountains
Ushiwakamaru learns sword fighting from a Tengu
歌川広重 Utagawa Hiroshige

義経 is read Yoshitsune or Gikei.

. Kurama Yama 鞍馬山 Mount Kurama in Kyoto .




大聖不動明王 Daisho Fudo Myo-O


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


source : kifulog.shogi.or.jp/kisei
郷田棋王 の扇子「一刀三礼」
The fan of Shogi player 郷田 真隆 Goda Masataka

ittoo sanrai 一刀三礼 itto sanrai
carving one stroke with the blade and praying three times

for copying the sutra
ichiji sanrai 一字三礼
writing one letter and praying three times

for painting a Buddha
ippitsu sanrai 一筆三礼
painting one part and praying three times


- quote -
ittou sanrai 一刀三礼
Also ichiji sanrai 一字三礼, ittou sanpai 一刀三拝.
Lit. to worship three times with every stroke.
A practice employed by an artist carving a Buddhist image, who would pray to the Buddha three times after every stroke of a knife.
Ichiji sanrai, means to worship three times with every letter, a practice carried out by an artist copying a Buddhist sutra, who would pray three times after every letter that he wrote.
The idea of ittou sanrai is said to originate in the Kamakura period, and represented a deep Buddhist faith expressed in the piety of the artist in the making of the image. It is not known whether any Buddhist statues were actually made according to this process, but there are legends associated with many temples that indicate the practice was used.
- source : JAANUS -

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Legends and Tales from Japan 伝説 - Introduction .

.................... Gunma 群馬県
高崎市 Takasaki

Long ago on the banks of the Usui River 碓氷川, there was a thatched hut housing a statue of Kannon 観音様, the bodhisattva of compassion. Legend has it that after a flood the villagers found an old log of fragrant wood and placed it in the hut. One day, during the Enpoo period (circa 1680), an old ascetic named Ichiryo Koji 一了居士 arrived and reverently carved a seated figure of Daruma Daishi out of the piece of fragrant wood, praying after each stroke.
Subsequently, both statues were enshrined there.



The Fuku-Daruma originated here at the Shorinzan Daruma-Ji. Shinetsu, the founder of this temple, began a custom of giving the farmers pictures of Bodhidharma, which he would draw with a single brushstroke, as a talisman to ward off evil during the year.

. 少林山達磨寺 Shorinzan Dharma-ji .


.................... Miyagi 宮城県
白井市 Shiroi, 下戸沢 Shimotozawa

Tobifudoo 飛び不動 "the Flying Fudo"
It is said Kobo Daishi Kukai 弘法大師 carved this statue with respect to Itto Sanrai.
Once the Fudo Hall was all in flames, so the statue flew for a secure place in a rock cave. This is the reason why the halo of the statue has scratches - from the rock cave. So this statue does not have a halo any more.
In 1731 during the Great Earthquake on the 7th day of the 9th lunar month a huge boulder came down from the mountain behind the hall, but only one pillar of the small hall was crashed and like a miracle again the statue was not hurt.

. Legends about Fudo お不動さま from Miyagi .

.......................................................................

- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



. - Join Fudo Myo-O on facebook - Fudō Myō-ō .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Pilgrimages to Fudo Temples 不動明王巡礼
Fudo Myo-O Junrei - Fudo Pilgrims .



[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
- - #sojogatani #kuramafudo #sanrai #ittosanrai - -
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

12/30/2015

Miyukiji Matsuyama

[ . BACK to Daruma Museum TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Miyukiji 御幸寺 Miyuki-Ji
Matsuyama-shi, Miyuki, 1 Chome−442−1



A temple famous for the 天狗 Tengu.

. Tengupedia - 天狗ペディア - Tengu ABC-List .

Mount Miyukijisan 御幸寺山 - 118 m high




Someone walked on the mountain road on the 6th day of the 5th lunar month during the rice-planting season at 12 in the night, when suddenly he felt a strange something, a black something with a white something waving like hair on its top. He could not figure out what it was, but developed a high fever that lasted for seven days.
A wise old man told him that this was the onryoo 怨霊 vengeful spirit of a young man from a rich family, who had once made the Tengu very angry. The Tengu had thrown him high in the sky to fall to his death. This was his vengeful spirit.

-

inuboo no rei 犬坊の霊 the spirit of Inu-Bo
The Lord of 御幸寺山城 Miyukiji castle went to war riding his horse. He fell into a valley and died. Other versions say he died during the war.
His spirit appeared riding a horse, cursing anyone who happened to see him.
If anyone sees this apparition, he will fall ill.
To appease his soul, 大脇清太夫 sat on a horse and ordered the soul of Inu-Bo to leave. They saw a white piece of paper fly away and landing on the top of 石手寺山 Mount Ishitejiyama.
Since then the apparition did not show up any more.


.......................................................................



- source : Bradford on facebook

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規 .

天狗泣き 天狗笑ふや 秋の風
tengu naki tengu warau ya aki no kaze

one Tengu cries
one Tengu laughs -
autumn wind




秋の山 御幸寺と申し 天狗住む 
aki no yama miyukiji to moshi tengu sumu

mountain in autumn
it is called Miyuki-Ji
and Tengu live there



秋の水 天狗の影や うつるらん


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



. - Join Fudo Myo-O on facebook - Fudō Myō-ō .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Pilgrimages to Fudo Temples 不動明王巡礼
Fudo Myo-O Junrei - Fudo Pilgrims .



[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
- - #miyukiji -
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

7/02/2015

Fudo-Do cho Kyoto

[ . BACK to Daruma Museum TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Fudoodoochoo, Fudōdōchō 不動堂町 
FudoDo-Cho villages
不動堂村 Fudodo Mura



Some villages and streets are named after a 不動堂 Fudo Hall in the neighbourhood.

Kyoto, Miyagi, Chiba . . .
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Kyoto 京都市

Fudoodoochoo, Fudōdōchō 不動堂町
FudoDo-Cho in Shimogyo 下京区

and
Fudoochoo, Fudōchō 不動町 Fudo-Cho
in Nakagyo 中京区  


. Kyoto- hana no miyako 花の都 .  
- Introduction -

In Kyoto there are four towns that were newly established during the change of town names in 1966 in the area west of Kyoto Station
(Kita Fudodo-cho, Minami Fudodo-cho, Higashi Aburanokoji-cho, and Nishi Aburanokoji-cho).
(北・南不動堂町、東・西油小路町)



..............................................................................................................................................

明王院不動堂 Fudo-Do Myo-O-In / Meio-In
京都市下京区油小路塩小路下る南不動堂町7
Aburanokoji, Minami-Fudodo-Cho

Fudondoo Myoo-Oo In 不動堂明王院(ふどんどうみょうおういん)
Fudondo Myo-O In
京都府京都市下京区油小路塩小路下る南不動堂町7
- Kyoto Fudo-Do Machi
fudondoo ふどんどう is the local dialect for the Fudo Hall,
(Fudo No Do . . . fudondo) 不動堂 Fudo Do.



The Fudo Hall is in the compound of an Inari shrine 稲荷社.
It was founded on behalf of Emperor Uda Tenno.





稲荷社(いなりしゃ)Inari-Sha
不動堂(ふどうどう)稲荷社の南にあり Fudo-Do hall is South of the Inari Shrine.
- source : miyakomeisyo -

The main statue is
reiseki Fudo 霊石不動 spirit stone Fudo
The statue is burried deep in the ground and only a "maedachi" copy is to be seen.

In 823 Kobo Daishi Kukai built the temple Tooji 東寺 To-Ji and this Fudo Hall is in the un-auspicious North-Eastern direction of the Kimon 鬼門.
Kukai found a stone tablet in the ground and engraved Fudo Myo-O onto it. The tablet was then saved in a stone casket and sunk deep into the well to protect it from the eyes of normal people.

The temple has been protected by 宇多天皇 Uda Tenno (867 - 931).
In 899 He ordered the well to be shut for the public and gave it the name. Special rituals are performed at this well and the temple.
During the uproars in the Muromachi Period (Onin no ran 応仁の乱 1467) the temple building was lost to fire, but the stone Fudo in the well remained.
The present-day hall was built in 1764.

Emperor Uda 宇多天皇 Uda-tennō
(May 5, 867 – July 19, 931)
was the 59th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.
Uda's reign spanned the years from 887 through 897.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


..............................................................................................................................................


Dooso Jinja 道祖神社 Doso Jinja
"Shrine for the Wayside Deities" (Dosojin, Dososhin)





都市下京区油小路通塩小路下る南不動堂町
Aburanokoji, Shiokoji-sagaru, Minami Fudodo-Cho


- quote -
The deity of matchmaking and marital harmony
Doso-shin (Traveler's Guardian Deity)

is usually placed between streets and villages, hence this deity’s function is protection during travel and helping to avoid evil spirits.
Doso Jinja Shrine was rebuilt during the era of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (late 16th century), but originally it has a quite a long history. Here enshrines Sarutahiko no Mikoto, deity for travel and Ama no Uzume no Mikoto, deity for entertainment.
They’re a married couple deities, therefore, they have been worshiped for successful matchmaking and marital harmony. “Two figures Doso-shin”, there are many Doso-shin statues, but here is a couple statue of a man and a woman snuggled against each other, who are wearing the clothes of Heian period in front of the gate.



It is a small shrine located between the buildings near Kyoto Station. Here you can see a harmonious couple and it makes people smile when they see it.
The benefit of this shrine is for matchmaking, but if you visit with your partner, you can receive a blessing for a long and happy marriage life.
- source : eng.trip.kyoto.jp -


. 道祖神 Dosojin - Introduction .

. 道祖神 Legends about Wayside Gods .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

不動堂村屯所跡 Fudodo-Mura Tonsho
remains of military headquarters


in rememberance of the Shinsen-Gumi 新選組
Yagi House (former Shinsengumi Tonsho)




京都市下京区松明町 / Taimatsucho Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto
- source : bakutora.japanserve.com -


. Shinsengumi 新選組 - Introduction .


..............................................................................................................................................




Fudocho Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto
Fudoochoo 不動町 Fudo-Cho 中京 




a machiya town house in the Fudocho district.

- reference -


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Fudoodoochoo, Fudōdōchō 不動堂町 宮城県 FudoDo-Cho in Miyagi Prefecture


Toda District 遠田郡

It used to be Fudo-Do village 不動堂村 since 1889.

Founded in 1954, former 遠田郡中西部 Central-West Toda District
現在の美里町の小牛田駅周辺にあたる。 Now part of Misato Machi, 小牛田町 Gogota Cho.

遠田郡:涌谷町、北浦村、南郷村 志田郡:松山町、敷玉村


Fudodo Village is Nr. 11. - 11.不動堂村

The village office is in
宮城県遠田郡不動堂町

- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Fudoodoochoo, Fudōdōchō 不動堂町 千葉県 FudoDo-Cho in Chiba Prefecture


- quote -
The 8th general of the Edo bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) Yoshimune TOKUGAWA had already ordered Aoki Konyo to cultivate the known sweet potato as an emergency crop at the famine in West Japan, and make trial pieces in the Koishikawa Medicine Garden (Koishikawa Botanical Gardens), Makuwari-mura village in Chiba District of Shimousa Province (present Makuhari, Hanamigawa-ku Ward, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture), and
Fudodo Village in Yamabe County of Kazusa Province (present Kujukuri-cho, Sanbu-gun, Chiba Prefecture).

上総国山辺郡不動堂村(現在の千葉県山武郡九十九里町)
- source : ejje.weblio.jp -


青木昆陽 不動堂甘薯試作地
Aoki Konyo Fudodo Kansho Shisakuchi
Memorial stone at the place where he planted the first sweet potatoes.


source : www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku


Aoki Konyoo 青木昆陽 (1698 - 1769)
. "Doctor Sweet Potato", 'Master Sweet Potato' - Introduction .


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



. - Join Fudo Myo-O on facebook - Fudō Myō-ō .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Pilgrimages to Fudo Temples 不動明王巡礼
Fudo Myo-O Junrei - Fudo Pilgrims .



[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
- - #fudodocho #fudokyoto #fudocho #fudondo - -
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

3/26/2015

Senryu-Ji North Kanto 13

[ . BACK to Daruma Museum TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Senryuuji 泉龍寺 Senryu-Ji

Nr. 13 御瀧山 - 明王院 Myo-O In 泉龍寺 - Otome Fudo 乙女不動尊
泉龍寺 Senryu-Ji
Tochigi prefecture 口密の道場 - kumitsu

. 北関東三十六不動尊霊場
36 Fudo Temples in Northern Kanto .
 

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


. . . CLICK here for Photos !

栃木県小山市乙女1-25-8 / 1 Chome-25-8 Otome, Oyama-shi, Tochigi

The temple has been founded by Rooben 良弁 Roben in 765.
The bell tower has been reconstructed in 1844.
There is also a Benzaiten Pond 弁財天池 and Hyotan Pond ひょうたん池 in the precincts.



. 良弁僧正 Roben Sojo .
(689 - 773)



- source and more photos : rsjjr083

Dragon carving above the entry

.......................................................................


mizukake Otome Fudo 水掛け乙女不動尊 in the compound


source : okuno san - facebook

The main Fudo Statue has been declared a sacred and hidden by Saint Akimoto 淳元上人 in 1714 during a reconstruction of the temple. It is hidden behind the closed doors of its sanctuary and should not been shown again. Later it was shown every 25 years.
The statue is 5尺 high.
Before showing the statue, there are special rituals to be performed
omoirkae, o-morikae 御守替 and kangen omorikae 還元御守替.

When the statue had to be re-located to the main hall due to repair work in its own hall in the beginning of the Showa period, many unmarried men of the village had to perform severe purification rituals before carrying the statue to the main hall - and later back to the repaired Fudo Hall.

The next showing of the statue 本尊大開帳 is scheduled for 2016.

In the summer of 1995 the Fudo Hall was hit by lightning and a fire started. Thanks to the quick action of the head priest, the statue was transported outside and the Fudo had again shown his power of hibuse - surviving a fire.
The following year the burned beams and decorations of the temple were renewed and now the Fudo Statue is in its own space again.


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

「御瀧山泉龍寺不動尊縁起絵巻伝」
Scroll about the History of the Fudo Temple



Once upon a time,
an unknown monk came to the lake of Chuzen-Ji in Nikko to make ablutions in the waters and pray. After 100 days his vow was fulfilled. On the surface of the lake he saw a beautiful light coming near him. It was a statue of Fudo Myo-O - says the legend.
The monk was overwhelmed with joy and cried, taking the statue in his arms. Then he followed flow of the river, walking down the waterfall, all the way South. He prayed:
"Please, please let me find the right place where I can be of help to all people past, present and future."

During the daytime he walked down at the riverside, at night he slept in the wilderness, always trusting the bond he had established with Fudo Myo-O.
Then one day, when he had reached the small hamlet of Otome 乙女の里, the statue of Fudo Myo-O suddenly became very heavy and he could not continue walking. He placed the statue by his side to rest for a while.
When he tried to pick it up again, the statue had become so heavy it would not move any more.

Now the monk was convinced this was the region Fudo Myo-O had choose for him. So he asked the local people for their permission to build a hall for Fudo and placed the statue there for worship.
The place is now called 不動塚 Fudo Zuka - Fudo Mound in Otome Kanzawa 乙女寒沢.
The Fudo Hall has changed place a few more times and is now at its present location at Fudo Hara 不動原 in the compound of temple 泉龍寺 Senryu-Ji. According to ancient records, the temple had been constructed in 1333.

During the 南北朝 Nanboku Period around 1333 there was a lot of fighting of the Oyama clan 小山義政 (Oyama Yoshimasa, ? - 1382) and the temple was burned down, but the statue was never damaged. So people began to call it

hibuse no Fudo 火伏せの不動 Fudo preventing fire
Fudo protecting from fire
and believed in his power more and more.
- - - - - By the way
during repair work in the Showa period, they found a small part on his back side scorched by fire.

During the Edo period when Tokugawa Ieyasu passed the region he gave some land to the temple and Fudo, 「不動仏供領」.
Later they built a landing place for boats carrying construction wood for the building of the Toshogu Shrine in Nikko.

In the Mid-Edo period around 1721 the Fudo Hall was in dire need of repair. So the head priest of that time, Saint Akimoto 淳元上人 decided to built it anew. Many people offered money or gold, others came to work for free. Once the hall was finished, the statue was placed behind closed doors as a hidden statue, 秘仏 hibutsu .


- - - - - Homepage of the temple
- source : otome_senryuuji



. Hibuse 火伏不動尊 Fudo preventing fire .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- - - - - Yearly Festivals 年中行事

1月  元朝護摩供・初詣
2月  初不動護摩供
3月  春彼岸
5月  蛇祭り
7月  夏不動護摩供・朝顔市 Summer Fudo Festival
8月  お盆
9月  秋彼岸

- - - - - others
御守替斎戒沐浴水行
還元御守替斎戒沐浴水行
入仏式
御開帳(または御開扉)


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



source : gkohun.world.coocan.jp

There is also a kofun mound called
Otome Kanzawa Kofun 乙女寒沢古墳
in Oyama Town.
栃木県小山市乙女947. - 小山市寒沢古墳

It is about 20 meters in diameter and 3.5 m high.
Said to be from the early to mid-Jomon period.
Close to it is a shrine for Inari 稲荷神社.


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


- - - reference - - -


. Pilgrimages to Fudo Temples 不動明王巡礼
Fudo Myo-O Junrei - Introduction .
 

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- quote -
Unryuu-in, Unryū-in 雲龍院 Temple in Kyoto
a sub-temple of Sennyū-ji
The temple has two large halls, Ryugeden and Reimeiden, each one with its rather empty garden.
- source : damien.douxchamps.net/photo -

In 豊中市 Toyonaka (Osaka) is a legend about unryuu 雲龍 Unryu,
a dragon in the clouds

This drgon lived in the nearby pond and was finally allowed to fly up into the clouds.
Every year during the O-Bon dance rituals, it comes back, shapeshifts as a woman and joins the dancers.
Unryu-In 雲龍院 (泉涌寺 Sennyu-Ji 別院)

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Narita Fudo 成田不動尊 .
Temple Shinshooji 新勝寺 Shinsho-Ji

. O-Mamori お守り Amulets and talismans from Japan . 

. Japanese Temples - ABC list - .


[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
- #fudosenryuji #senryuji -
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

2/10/2015

Kozen-Ji Nagano

[ . BACK to Daruma Museum TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Koozenji 光前寺 Kozen-Ji
宝積山 Hoshakuzan/ Hoshakusan 光前寺 Kozen-Ji

長野県駒ヶ根市赤穂29番地
29 Akaho, Komagane-shi, Nagano-ken

The founder was Honjoo Shoonin 本聖上人 Saint Honjo Shonin in 860.
Saint Honjo had studied Mikkyo at Hieiszan and practises ascetics unter a waterfall of the river Otagirigawa 太田切川 / 太田切黒川の瀑 in Ngano, where later he founded the temple.




- - - - - Look at more photos here :
- source : www.city.komagane.nagano.jp


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Fudo Myo-O on the way to the temple


source : www.city.komagane.nagano.jp


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::








The main statue is
a secret statue of Fudo Myo-O 不動明王.

Amulets are sold at the temple.



shuin stamp of the temple 光前寺 駒ヶ根 朱印



omamori amulet of the faithful dog Hayataro

霊犬早太郎伝説
The legend of the spiritual dog Hayataro.

"A Heroic Dog of the Kozenji Temple"

Once upon a time
There lived a strong mountain dog at the temple, called Hayatoaro by the priest and the villagers, who all loved the strong but gentle dog.
At that time, the village of Mitsuke in Omi had a problem. The fields were destroyed by wild animals and as a precaution, the villagers had to offer a girl from the village to the deity of Shrine Yanahime Jinja 矢奈比売神社.

In the year 1308 in August, a priest travelled in the region. He thought that the deities could not really be that bad and malicious and tried to find out what rally happened in the night of the festival. The monster arrived and said

「信州の早太郎おるまいな、早太郎には知られるな」
I hope Hayataro from Shinshu is not here,
I hope Hayataro does not know about this!"
And took the girl away.

So the monk travelled to Shinshu (Nagano) and found Hayataro at the temple Kozen-Ji. The priest agreed to help and during the festival next year, Hayataro was given as an offering instead of a maiden.
And what do you know?

Hayataro drove out the monster in no time, by the way, it was an old monkey (老ヒヒ).
But while fighting with the monkey, Hayataro got a deep would. When he finally made his way back to Kozen-Ji he could only bark faintly once more and then died.
So the priest decided to give him a fine burial and pray for his soul from now on.

This story is written in the sacred history book of the temple and told to our day.

- - - Homepage of the temple
- source : www.kozenji.or.jp


. Hihi (狒々, 狒狒. 比々) Baboon Monkey Monster .
Legend of Jutaro Iwami (Kanesuke Susukita) and Shippeitaro (Hayataro)


. Inu Jinja 犬神社 dog shrines .
- Introduction -

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



. - Join Fudo Myo-O on facebook - Fudō Myō-ō .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Pilgrimages to Fudo Temples 不動明王巡礼
Fudo Myo-O Junrei - Fudo Pilgrims .



[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

1/28/2015

Shoshin-Ji North Kanto 20

[ . BACK to Daruma Museum TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Shooshinji 崇真寺 Shoshin-Ji

Nr. 20 稲毛山 Inagetasan - 金剛王院 Kongo-In
Kai-un Inukiri Fudo 開運犬切り不動尊
Fudo who killed a Dog

Tochigi prefecture 口密の道場 - kumitsu

. 北関東三十六不動尊霊場
36 Fudo Temples in Northern Kanto .
 

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



. . . CLICK here for Photos !


1400 Inageta, Haga, Haga District, Tochigi
稲毛田山 金剛王院 崇真寺
栃木県芳賀郡芳賀町大字稲毛田1400

In the compound of the temple, there is also a


O-hyakudo Fudo お百度不動
Fudo of the 100 prayers circuit


and a scroll of
Byakue Kannon Bosatsu 白衣観音 Byaku-E Kannon




絹本著色白衣観音像の掛軸
source : town.haga.tochigi.jp



. "100 prayers circuit" (百度参り hyakudo mairi) .
- Introduction -

.......................................................................



The Fudo statue of this temple is secret and only shown once in 60 years.
- source : onsanmaya.at.webry.info

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



- - - - - Homepage of the temple
- source : town.haga.tochigi.jp


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- - - - - The legend of
犬切り不動 Fudo who killed a dog
Once upon a time in a temple in Japan
there lived a young priest called Sanchin さんちん, who was quite prone to play pranks and he also liked to eat a lot.

One day san Sanchin was cleaning the main temple hall, he realized that the manju rice cakes, offerings to Fudo Myo-O in the hall, had disappeared. When he reported this to the head priest, he told him "Well, go and search them."
This happened a few more times and the head priest finally thought that Sanchin was the thief, since he liked to eat rice cakes.
"Next time the rice cakes are gone, you will have to leave my temple" he told the acolyte in anger.

One day one of the parishioners had come to bring rice cakes as offerings for Fudo Myo-O. Sanchin, worried about being driven away from the temple, took a large broom and hid behind the hall. waiting for the thief.

That evening, when Sanchan was already half asleep, there was a noise : gattari ガタリ.
When Sanchin looked in the direction of the noise, he saw the floor plank had moved a little and a huge dog had come out. When the huge dog jumpet to Sanchin and bite into his foot, Fudo Myo-O blinked with his wild eyes, moved his large sword and hit the dog.

Next morning when the head priest came into the hall he found Sanchin bleeding on the floor. He asked what happened and Sanchin told him the story of the monster dog. And quite true, on the floor there was also the body of this huge monster dog. And blood dripped from the sword of Fudo Myo-O.
Now it was clear,
the rice cake offerings had been stolen by the huge dog !



As long as the dog had stolen his offerings, Fudo Myo-O had turned a blind eye on the happenings. But when the dog attacked the innocent Sanchin, Fudo got angry and helped him to show he was innocent and saved his life.

That is why the statue of this Fudo is now called
"Fudo Myo-O who killed a dog".
source : manga mukashibanashi


. Legends about Fudo Myo-O 不動様 .

.................................................................................


. 犬突き不動 Inu-tsuki Fudo, Fudo piercing a dog  .
慈恩寺 Jion-Ji Yamagata 山形県
Once a mad dog appeared and caused a lot of trouble.
So Fudo took his sword and stabbed the dog to kill him.


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


- - - reference - - -


. Pilgrimages to Fudo Temples 不動明王巡礼
Fudo Myo-O Junrei - Introduction .
 

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Narita Fudo 成田不動尊 .
Temple Shinshooji 新勝寺 Shinsho-Ji

. O-Mamori お守り Amulets and talismans from Japan . 

. Japanese Temples - ABC list - .


[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

10/27/2014

Meguro Legend

[ . BACK to Daruma Museum TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- - - Meguro Legend
THE LOVES OF GOMPACHI AND KOMURASAKI



. Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford .  
- Tales of Old Japan (1871) -




. Meguro Fudo Temple 目黒不動 .  
- Introduction -

.......................................................................



source : en.wikipedia.org

Shirai Gonpachi, a Kabuki character based on Hirai Gonpachi
by Kunisada, 1852

Hirai Gonpachi 平井権八 and Komurasaki 小紫

- quote
THE LOVES OF GOMPACHI AND KOMURASAKI


Within two miles or so from Yedo, and yet well away from the toil and
din of the great city, stands the village of Meguro. Once past the
outskirts of the town, the road leading thither is bounded on either
side by woodlands rich in an endless variety of foliage, broken at
intervals by the long, low line of villages and hamlets. As we draw
near to Meguro, the scenery, becoming more and more rustic, increases
in beauty. Deep shady lanes, bordered by hedgerows as luxurious as any
in England, lead down to a valley of rice fields bright with the
emerald green of the young crops. To the right and to the left rise
knolls of fantastic shape, crowned with a profusion of Cryptomerias,
Scotch firs and other cone-bearing trees, and fringed with thickets of
feathery bamboos, bending their stems gracefully to the light summer
breeze. Wherever there is a spot shadier and pleasanter to look upon
than the rest, there may be seen the red portal of a shrine which the
simple piety of the country folk has raised to Inari Sama, the patron
god of farming, or to some other tutelary deity of the place.

At the eastern outlet of the valley a strip of blue sea bounds the horizon;
westward are the distant mountains. In the foreground, in front of a
farmhouse, snug-looking, with its roof of velvety-brown thatch, a
troop of sturdy urchins, suntanned and stark naked, are frisking in
the wildest gambols, all heedless of the scolding voice of the
withered old grandam who sits spinning and minding the house, while
her son and his wife are away toiling at some outdoor labour. Close at
our feet runs a stream of pure water, in which a group of countrymen
are washing the vegetables which they will presently shoulder and
carry off to sell by auction in the suburbs of Yedo. Not the least
beauty of the scene consists in the wondrous clearness of an
atmosphere so transparent that the most distant outlines are scarcely
dimmed, while the details of the nearer ground stand out in sharp,
bold relief, now lit by the rays of a vertical sun, now darkened under
the flying shadows thrown by the fleecy clouds which sail across the
sky. Under such a heaven, what painter could limn the lights and
shades which flit over the woods, the pride of Japan, whether in late
autumn, when the russets and yellows of our own trees are mixed with
the deep crimson glow of the maples, or in spring-time, when plum and
cherry trees and wild camellias--giants, fifty feet high--are in full
blossom?

All that we see is enchanting, but there is a strange stillness in the
groves; rarely does the song of a bird break the silence; indeed, I
know but one warbler whose note has any music in it, the _uguisu_, by
some enthusiasts called the Japanese nightingale--at best, a king in
the kingdom of the blind. The scarcity of animal life of all
descriptions, man and mosquitoes alone excepted, is a standing wonder
to the traveller; the sportsman must toil many a weary mile to get a
shot at boar, or deer, or pheasant; and the plough of the farmer and
the trap of the poacher, who works in and out of season, threaten to
exterminate all wild creatures; unless, indeed, the Government should,
as they threatened in the spring of 1869, put in force some adaptation
of European game-laws. But they are lukewarm in the matter; a little
hawking on a duck-pond satisfies the cravings of the modern Japanese
sportsman, who knows that, game-laws or no game-laws, the wild fowl
will never fail in winter; and the days are long past when my Lord the
Shogun used to ride forth with a mighty company to the wild places
about Mount Fuji, there camping out and hunting the boar, the deer,
and the wolf, believing that in so doing he was fostering a manly and
military spirit in the land.

There is one serious drawback to the enjoyment of the beauties of the
Japanese country, and that is the intolerable affront which is
continually offered to one's sense of smell; the whole of what should
form the sewerage of the city is carried out on the backs of men and
horses, to be thrown upon the fields; and, if you would avoid the
overpowering nuisance, you must walk handkerchief in hand, ready to
shut out the stench which assails you at every moment.

It would seem natural, while writing of the Japanese country, to say a
few words about the peasantry, their relation to the lord of the soil,
and their government. But these I must reserve for another place. At
present our dealings are with the pretty village of Meguro.

At the bottom of a little lane, close to the entrance of the village,
stands an old shrine of the Shinto (the form of hero-worship which
existed in Japan before the introduction of Confucianism or of
Buddhism), surrounded by lofty Cryptomerias. The trees around a Shinto
shrine are specially under the protection of the god to whom the altar
is dedicated; and, in connection with them, there is a kind of magic
still respected by the superstitious, which recalls the waxen dolls,
through the medium of which sorcerers of the middle ages in Europe,
and indeed those of ancient Greece, as Theocritus tells us, pretended
to kill the enemies of their clients. This is called _Ushi no toki
mairi,_ or "going to worship at the hour of the ox,"[9] and is
practised by jealous women who wish to be revenged upon their
faithless lovers.

[Footnote 9:
The Chinese, and the Japanese following them, divide the
day of twenty-four hours into twelve periods, each of which has a sign
something like the signs of the Zodiac:--
Midnight until two in the morning is represented by the rat.
2 a.m. " 4 a.m. " " ox.
4 a.m. " 6 a.m. " " tiger.
6 a.m. " 8 a.m. " " hare.
8 a.m. " 10 a.m. " " dragon.
10 a.m. " 12 noon " " snake.
12 noon " 2 p.m. " " horse.
2 p.m. " 4 p.m. " " ram.
4 p.m. " 6 p.m. " " ape.
6 p.m. " 8 p.m. " " cock.
8 p.m. " 10 p.m. " " hog.
10 p.m. " Midnight " " fox.]

When the world is at rest, at two in the morning, the hour of which
the ox is the symbol, the woman rises; she dons a white robe and high
sandals or clogs; her coif is a metal tripod, in which are thrust
three lighted candles; around her neck she hangs a mirror, which falls
upon her bosom; in her left hand she carries a small straw figure, the
effigy of the lover who has abandoned her, and in her right she grasps
a hammer and nails, with which she fastens the figure to one of the
sacred trees that surround the shrine. There she prays for the death
of the traitor, vowing that, if her petition be heard, she will
herself pull out the nails which now offend the god by wounding the
mystic tree. Night after night she comes to the shrine, and each night
she strikes in two or more nails, believing that every nail will
shorten her lover's life, for the god, to save his tree, will surely
strike him dead.

Meguro is one of the many places round Yedo to which the good citizens
flock for purposes convivial or religious, or both; hence it is that,
cheek by jowl with the old shrines and temples, you will find many a
pretty tea-house, standing at the rival doors of which Mesdemoiselles
Sugar, Wave of the Sea, Flower, Seashore, and Chrysanthemum are
pressing in their invitations to you to enter and rest. Not beautiful
these damsels, if judged by our standard, but the charm of Japanese
women lies in their manner and dainty little ways, and the tea-house
girl, being a professional decoy-duck, is an adept in the art of
flirting,--_en tout bien tout honneur_, be it remembered; for she is
not to be confounded with the frail beauties of the Yoshiwara, nor
even with her sisterhood near the ports open to foreigners, and to
their corrupting influence. For, strange as it seems, our contact all
over the East has an evil effect upon the natives.

In one of the tea-houses a thriving trade is carried on in the sale of
wooden tablets, some six inches square, adorned with the picture of a
pink cuttlefish on a bright blue ground. These are ex-votos, destined
to be offered up at the Temple of Yakushi Niurai, the Buddhist
Aesculapius, which stands opposite, and concerning the foundation of
which the following legend is told.

In the days of old there was a priest called Jikaku, who at the age of
forty years, it being the autumn of the tenth year of the period
called Tencho (A.D. 833), was suffering from disease of the eyes,
which had attacked him three years before. In order to be healed from
this disease he carved a figure of Yakushi Niurai, to which he used
to offer up his prayers. Five years later he went to China, taking
with him the figure as his guardian saint, and at a place called
Kairetsu it protected him from robbers and wild beasts and from other
calamities. There he passed his time in studying the sacred laws both
hidden and revealed, and after nine years set sail to return to Japan.
When he was on the high seas a storm arose, and a great fish attacked
and tried to swamp the ship, so that the rudder and mast were broken,
and the nearest shore being that of a land inhabited by devils, to
retreat or to advance was equally dangerous. Then the holy man prayed
to the patron saint whose image he carried, and as he prayed, behold
the true Yakushi Niurai appeared in the centre of the ship, and said
to him--

"Verily, thou hast travelled far that the sacred laws might be
revealed for the salvation of many men; now, therefore, take my image,
which thou carriest in thy bosom, and cast it into the sea, that the
wind may abate, and that thou mayest be delivered from this land of
devils."

The commands of the saints must be obeyed, so with tears in his eyes,
the priest threw into the sea the sacred image which he loved. Then
did the wind abate, and the waves were stilled, and the ship went on
her course as though she were being drawn by unseen hands until she
reached a safe haven. In the tenth month of the same year the priest
again set sail, trusting to the power of his patron saint, and reached
the harbour of Tsukushi without mishap. For three years he prayed that
the image which he had cast away might be restored to him, until at
last one night he was warned in a dream that on the sea-shore at
Matsura Yakushi Niurai would appear to him. In consequence of this
dream he went to the province of Hizen, and landed on the sea-shore at
Hirato, where, in the midst of a blaze of light, the image which he
had carved appeared to him twice, riding on the back of a cuttlefish.
Thus was the image restored to the world by a miracle. In
commemoration of his recovery from the disease of the eyes and of his
preservation from the dangers of the sea, that these things might be
known to all posterity, the priest established the worship of Tako
Yakushi Niurai ("Yakushi Niurai of the Cuttlefish") and came to

Meguro, where he built the Temple of Fudo Sama,[10]
another Buddhist divinity. At this time there was an epidemic of small-pox in the village, so that men fell down and died in the street, and the holy
man prayed to Fudo Sama that the plague might be stayed.
Then the god appeared to him, and said--

"The saint Yakushi Niurai of the Cuttlefish, whose image thou
carriest, desires to have his place in this village, and he will heal
this plague. Thou shalt, therefore, raise a temple to him here that
not only this small-pox, but other diseases for future generations,
may be cured by his power."

[Footnote 10:
Fudo, literally "the motionless": Buddha in the state

called Nirvana.]

Hearing this, the priest shed tears of gratitude, and having chosen a
piece of fine wood, carved a large figure of his patron saint of the
cuttlefish, and placed the smaller image inside of the larger, and
laid it up in this temple, to which people still flock that they may
be healed of their diseases.

Such is the story of the miracle, translated from a small ill-printed
pamphlet sold by the priests of the temple, all the decorations of
which, even to a bronze lantern in the middle of the yard, are in the
form of a cuttlefish, the sacred emblem of the place.

What pleasanter lounge in which to while away a hot day could a man
wish for than the shade of the trees borne by the hill on which stands
the Temple of Fudo Sama? Two jets of pure water springing from the
rock are voided by spouts carved in the shape of dragons into a stone
basin enclosed by rails, within which it is written that "no woman may
enter." If you are in luck, you may cool yourself by watching some
devotee, naked save his loin-cloth, performing the ceremony called
_Suigiyo_; that is to say, praying under the waterfall that his soul
may be purified through his body. In winter it requires no small pluck
to go through this penance, yet I have seen a penitent submit to it
for more than a quarter of an hour on a bitterly cold day in January.
In summer, on the other hand, the religious exercise called
_Hiyakudo_, or "the hundred times," which may also be seen here to
advantage, is no small trial of patience. It consists in walking
backwards and forwards a hundred times between two points within the
sacred precincts, repeating a prayer each time.

The count is kept either upon the fingers or
by depositing a length of twisted straw each time that the goal is reached;
at this temple the place allotted for the ceremony is between
a grotesque bronze figure of Tengu Sama
("the Dog of Heaven"), the terror of children, a most hideous monster
with a gigantic nose, which it is beneficial to rub with a finger
afterwards to be applied to one's own nose, and a large brown box
inscribed with the characters _Hiyaku Do_ in high relief, which may
generally be seen full of straw tallies. It is no sinecure to be a
good Buddhist, for the gods are not lightly to be propitiated. Prayer
and fasting, mortification of the flesh, abstinence from wine, from
women, and from favourite dishes, are the only passports to rising in
office, prosperity in trade, recovery from sickness, or a happy
marriage with a beloved maiden. Nor will mere faith without works be
efficient. A votive tablet of proportionate value to the favour prayed
for, or a sum of money for the repairs of the shrine or temple, is
necessary to win the favour of the gods. Poorer persons will cut off
the queue of their hair and offer that up; and at Horinouchi, a temple
in great renown some eight or nine miles from Yedo, there is a rope
about two inches and a half in diameter and about six fathoms long,
entirely made of human hair so given to the gods; it lies coiled up,
dirty, moth-eaten, and uncared for, at one end of a long shed full of
tablets and pictures, by the side of a rude native fire-engine. The
taking of life being displeasing to Buddha, outside many of the
temples old women and children earn a livelihood by selling sparrows,
small eels, carp, and tortoises, which the worshipper sets free in
honour of the deity, within whose territory cocks and hens and doves,
tame and unharmed, perch on every jutty, frieze, buttress, and coigne
of vantage.

But of all the marvellous customs that I wot of in connection with
Japanese religious exercises, none appears to me so strange as that of
spitting at the images of the gods, more especially at the statues of
the Ni-o, the two huge red or red and green statues which, like Gog
and Magog, emblems of strength, stand as guardians of the chief
Buddhist temples. The figures are protected by a network of iron wire,
through which the votaries, praying the while, spit pieces of paper,
which they had chewed up into a pulp. If the pellet sticks to the
statue, the omen is favourable; if it falls, the prayer is not
accepted. The inside of the great bell at the Tycoon's burial-ground,
and almost every holy statue throughout the country, are all covered
with these outspittings from pious mouths.[11]

[Footnote 11:
It will be readily understood that the customs and
ceremonies to which I have alluded belong only to the gross
superstitions with which ignorance has overlaid that pure Buddhism of
which Professor Max Mueller has pointed out the very real beauties.]



[- THE TOMB OF THE SHIYOKU.]

Through all this discourse about temples and tea-houses, I am coming
by degrees to the goal of our pilgrimage--two old stones, mouldering
away in a rank, overgrown graveyard hard by, an old old
burying-ground, forgotten by all save those who love to dig out the
tales of the past. The key is kept by a ghoulish old dame, almost as
time-worn and mildewed as the tomb over which she watches. Obedient to
our call, and looking forward to a fee ten times greater than any
native would give her, she hobbles out, and, opening the gate, points
out the stone bearing the inscription, the "Tomb of the Shiyoku"
(fabulous birds, which, living one within the other--a mysterious
duality contained in one body--are the emblem of connubial love and
fidelity). By this stone stands another, graven with a longer legend,
which runs as follows:--

"In the old days of Genroku, she pined for the beauty of her lover,
who was as fair to look upon as the flowers; and now beneath the moss
of this old tombstone all has perished of her save her name. Amid the
changes of a fitful world, this tomb is decaying under the dew and
rain; gradually crumbling beneath its own dust, its outline alone
remains. Stranger! bestow an alms to preserve this stone; and we,
sparing neither pain nor labour, will second you with all our hearts.
Erecting it again, let us preserve it from decay for future
generations, and let us write the following verse upon it:--'These two
birds, beautiful as the cherry-blossoms, perished before their time,
like flowers broken down by the wind before they have borne seed.'"

Under the first stone is the dust of Gompachi, robber and murderer,
mixed with that of his true love Komurasaki, who lies buried with him.
Her sorrows and constancy have hallowed the place, and pious people
still come to burn incense and lay flowers before the grave. How she
loved him even in death may be seen from the following old-world
story.



source : 8000stalks.wordpress.com
Shirai Gonpachi

* * * * *

About two hundred and thirty years ago there lived in the service of a
daimio of the province of Inaba a young man, called Shirai Gompachi,
who, when he was but sixteen years of age, had already won a name for
his personal beauty and valour, and for his skill in the use of arms.
Now it happened that one day a dog belonging to him fought with
another dog belonging to a fellow-clansman, and the two masters, being
both passionate youths, disputing as to whose dog had had the best of
the fight, quarrelled and came to blows, and Gompachi slew his
adversary; and in consequence of this he was obliged to flee from his
country, and make his escape to Yedo.

And so Gompachi set out on his travels.

One night, weary and footsore, he entered what appeared to him to be a
roadside inn, ordered some refreshment, and went to bed, little
thinking of the danger that menaced him: for as luck would have it,
this inn turned out to be the trysting-place of a gang of robbers,
into whose clutches he had thus unwittingly fallen. To be sure,
Gompachi's purse was but scantily furnished, but his sword and dirk
were worth some three hundred ounces of silver, and upon these the
robbers (of whom there were ten) had cast envious eyes, and had
determined to kill the owner for their sake; but he, all unsuspicious,
slept on in fancied security.

In the middle of the night he was startled from his deep slumbers by
some one stealthily opening the sliding door which led into his room,
and rousing himself with an effort, he beheld a beautiful young girl,
fifteen years of age, who, making signs to him not to stir, came up to
his bedside, and said to him in a whisper--

"Sir, the master of this house is the chief of a gang of robbers, who
have been plotting to murder you this night for the sake of your
clothes and your sword. As for me, I am the daughter of a rich
merchant in Mikawa: last year the robbers came to our house, and
carried off my father's treasure and myself. I pray you, sir, take me
with you, and let us fly from this dreadful place."

She wept as she spoke, and Gompachi was at first too much startled to
answer; but being a youth of high courage and a cunning fencer to
boot, he soon recovered his presence of mind, and determined to kill
the robbers, and to deliver the girl out of their hands. So he
replied--

"Since you say so, I will kill these thieves, and rescue you this very
night; only do you, when I begin the fight, run outside the house,
that you may be out of harm's way, and remain in hiding until I join
you."

Upon this understanding the maiden left him, and went her way. But he
lay awake, holding his breath and watching; and when the thieves crept
noiselessly into the room, where they supposed him to be fast asleep,
he cut down the first man that entered, and stretched him dead at his
feet. The other nine, seeing this, laid about them with their drawn
swords, but Gompachi, fighting with desperation, mastered them at
last, and slew them. After thus ridding himself of his enemies, he
went outside the house and called to the girl, who came running to his
side, and joyfully travelled on with him to Mikawa, where her father
dwelt; and when they reached Mikawa, he took the maiden to the old
man's house, and told him how, when he had fallen among thieves, his
daughter had come to him in his hour of peril, and saved him out of
her great pity; and how he, in return, rescuing her from her
servitude, had brought her back to her home.
When the old folks saw their daughter whom they had lost
restored to them, they were beside themselves with joy, and shed tears for very happiness; and, in their gratitude, they pressed Gompachi to remain with them, and they prepared feasts for him, and entertained him hospitably: but their daughter, who had fallen in love with him for his beauty and knightly valour, spent her days in thinking of him, and of him alone.
The young man, however, in spite of the kindness of the old merchant, who
wished to adopt him as his son, and tried hard to persuade him to
consent to this, was fretting to go to Yedo and take service as an
officer in the household of some noble lord; so he resisted the
entreaties of the father and the soft speeches of the daughter, and
made ready to start on his journey; and the old merchant, seeing that
he would not be turned from his purpose, gave him a parting gift of
two hundred ounces of silver, and sorrowfully bade him farewell.

[Illustration: GOMPACHI AWAKENED BY THE MAIDEN IN THE ROBBERS' DEN.]

But alas for the grief of the maiden, who sat sobbing her heart out
and mourning over her lover's departure! He, all the while thinking
more of ambition than of love, went to her and comforted her, and
said: "Dry your eyes, sweetheart, and weep no more, for I shall soon
come back to you. Do you, in the meanwhile, be faithful and true to
me, and tend your parents with filial piety."

So she wiped away her tears and smiled again, when she heard him
promise that he would soon return to her. And Gompachi went his way,
and in due time came near to Yedo.

But his dangers were not yet over; for late one night, arriving at a
place called Suzugamori, in the neighbourhood of Yedo, he fell in with
six highwaymen, who attacked him, thinking to make short work of
killing and robbing him. Nothing daunted, he drew his sword, and
dispatched two out of the six; but, being weary and worn out with his
long journey, he was sorely pressed, and the struggle was going hard
with him, when a wardsman,[12] who happened to pass that way riding in
a chair, seeing the affray, jumped down from his chair and drawing his
dirk came to the rescue, and between them they put the robbers to
flight.

[Footnote 12: Japanese cities are divided into wards, and every
tradesman and artisan is under the authority of the chief of the ward
in which he resides. The word _chonin_, or wardsman, is generally used
in contradistinction to the word _samurai_, which has already been
explained as denoting a man belonging to the military class.]

Now it turned out that this kind tradesman, who had so happily come to
the assistance of Gompachi, was no other than Chobei of Bandzuin , the
chief of the _Otokodate_, or Friendly Society of the wardsmen of
Yedo--a man famous in the annals of the city, whose life, exploits,
and adventures are recited to this day, and form the subject of
another tale.

- - - 幡随院長兵衛 Banzuin Chobei - (1622–1657)

When the highwaymen had disappeared, Gompachi, turning to his
deliverer, said--

"I know not who you may be, sir, but I have to thank you for rescuing
me from a great danger."

And as he proceeded to express his gratitude, Chobei replied--

"I am but a poor wardsman, a humble man in my way, sir; and if the
robbers ran away, it was more by good luck than owing to any merit of
mine. But I am filled with admiration at the way you fought; you
displayed a courage and a skill that were beyond your years, sir."

"Indeed," said the young man, smiling with pleasure at hearing
himself praised; "I am still young and inexperienced, and am quite
ashamed of my bungling style of fencing."

"And now may I ask you, sir, whither you are bound?"

"That is almost more than I know myself, for I am a _ronin,_ and have
no fixed purpose in view."

"That is a bad job," said Chobei, who felt pity for the lad. "However,
if you will excuse my boldness in making such an offer, being but a
wardsman, until you shall have taken service I would fain place my
poor house at your disposal."

Gompachi accepted the offer of his new but trusty friend with thanks;
so Chobei led him to his house, where he lodged him and hospitably
entertained him for some months. And now Gompachi, being idle and
having nothing to care for, fell into bad ways, and began to lead a
dissolute life, thinking of nothing but gratifying his whims and
passions; he took to frequenting the Yoshiwara, the quarter of the
town which is set aside for tea-houses and other haunts of wild young
men, where his handsome face and figure attracted attention, and soon
made him a great favourite with all the beauties of the neighbourhood.


source : ukiyo-e.org
「白井権八 岩井紫若」「三浦屋小紫 市川新車」
Gonpachi and Komurasaki
by Utagawa Kunisada II

About this time men began to speak loud in praise of the charms of
Komurasaki, or "Little Purple," a young girl who had recently come to
the Yoshiwara, and who in beauty and accomplishments outshone all her
rivals. Gompachi, like the rest of the world, heard so much of her
fame that he determined to go to the house where she dwelt, at the
sign of "The Three Sea-coasts," and judge for himself whether she
deserved all that men said of her. Accordingly he set out one day, and
having arrived at "The Three Sea-coasts," asked to see Komurasaki; and
being shown into the room where she was sitting, advanced towards her;
but when their eyes met, they both started back with a cry of
astonishment, for this Komurasaki, the famous beauty of the Yoshiwara,
proved to be the very girl whom several months before Gompachi had
rescued from the robbers' den, and restored to her parents in Mikawa.
He had left her in prosperity and affluence, the darling child of a
rich father, when they had exchanged vows of love and fidelity; and
now they met in a common stew in Yedo. What a change! what a contrast!
How had the riches turned to rust, the vows to lies!

"What is this?" cried Gompachi, when he had recovered from his
surprise. "How is it that I find you here pursuing this vile calling,
in the Yoshiwara? Pray explain this to me, for there is some mystery
beneath all this which I do not understand."

But Komurasaki-- who, having thus unexpectedly fallen in with her lover
that she had yearned for, was divided between joy and shame-- answered,
weeping--

"Alas! my tale is a sad one, and would be long to tell. After you left
us last year, calamity and reverses fell upon our house; and when my
parents became poverty-stricken, I was at my wits' end to know how to
support them: so I sold this wretched body of mine to the master of
this house, and sent the money to my father and mother; but, in spite
of this, troubles and misfortunes multiplied upon them, and now, at
last, they have died of misery and grief. And, oh! lives there in this
wide world so unhappy a wretch as I! But now that I have met you
again--you who are so strong--help me who am weak. You saved me
once--do not, I implore you, desert me now!!" and as she told her
piteous tale the tears streamed from her eyes.

"This is, indeed, a sad story," replied Gompachi, much affected by the
recital. "There must have been a wonderful run of bad luck to bring
such misfortune upon your house, which but a little while ago I
recollect so prosperous. However, mourn no more, for I will not
forsake you. It is true that I am too poor to redeem you from your
servitude, but at any rate I will contrive so that you shall be
tormented no more. Love me, therefore, and put your trust in me." When
she heard him speak so kindly she was comforted, and wept no more, but
poured out her whole heart to him, and forgot her past sorrows in the
great joy of meeting him again.

When it became time for them to separate, he embraced her tenderly and
returned to Chobei's house; but he could not banish Komurasaki from
his mind, and all day long he thought of her alone; and so it came
about that he went daily to the Yoshiwara to see her, and if any
accident detained him, she, missing the accustomed visit, would become
anxious and write to him to inquire the cause of his absence. At last,
pursuing this course of life, his stock of money ran short, and as,
being a _ronin_ and without any fixed employment, he had no means of
renewing his supplies, he was ashamed of showing himself penniless at
"The Three Sea-coasts." Then it was that a wicked spirit arose within
him, and he went out and murdered a man, and having robbed him of his
money carried it to the Yoshiwara.

From bad to worse is an easy step, and the tiger that has once tasted
blood is dangerous. Blinded and infatuated by his excessive love,
Gompachi kept on slaying and robbing, so that, while his outer man was
fair to look upon, the heart within him was that of a hideous devil.
At last his friend Chobei could no longer endure the sight of him, and
turned him out of his house; and as, sooner or later, virtue and vice
meet with their reward, it came to pass that Gompachi's crimes became
notorious, and the Government having set spies upon his track, he was
caught red-handed and arrested; and his evil deeds having been fully
proved against him, he was carried off to the execution ground at
Suzugamori, the "Bell Grove," and beheaded as a common male-factor.

Now when Gompachi was dead, Chobei's old affection for the young man
returned, and, being a kind and pious man, he went and claimed his
body and head, and buried him at Meguro, in the grounds of the Temple
called Boronji.

When Komurasaki heard the people at Yoshiwara gossiping about her
lover's end, her grief knew no bounds, so she fled secretly from "The
Three Sea-coasts," and came to Meguro and threw herself upon the
newly-made grave. Long she prayed and bitterly she wept over the tomb
of him whom, with all his faults, she had loved so well, and then,
drawing a dagger from her girdle, she plunged it in her breast and
died. The priests of the temple, when they saw what had happened,
wondered greatly and were astonished at the loving faithfulness of
this beautiful girl, and taking compassion on her, they laid her side
by side with Gompachi in one grave, and over the grave they placed a
stone which remains to this day, bearing the inscription "The Tomb of
the Shiyoku." And still the people of Yedo visit the place, and still
they praise the beauty of Gompachi and the filial piety and fidelity
of Komurasaki.

Let us linger for a moment longer in the old graveyard. The word which
I have translated a few lines above as "loving faithfulness" means
literally "chastity." When Komurasaki sold herself to supply the wants
of her ruined parents, she was not, according to her lights,
forfeiting her claim to virtue. On the contrary, she could perform no
greater act of filial piety, and, so far from incurring reproach among
her people, her self-sacrifice would be worthy of all praise in their
eyes. This idea has led to grave misunderstanding abroad, and indeed
no phase of Japanese life has been so misrepresented as this. I have
heard it stated, and seen it printed, that it is no disgrace for a
respectable Japanese to sell his daughter, that men of position and
family often choose their wives from such places as "The Three
Sea-coasts," and that up to the time of her marriage the conduct of a
young girl is a matter of no importance whatever. Nothing could be
more unjust or more untrue. It is only the neediest people that sell
their children to be waitresses, singers, or prostitutes. It does
occasionally happen that the daughter of a _Samurai_, or gentleman, is
found in a house of ill-fame, but such a case could only occur at the
death or utter ruin of the parents, and an official investigation of
the matter has proved it to be so exceptional, that the presence of a
young lady in such a place is an enormous attraction, her superior
education and accomplishments shedding a lustre over the house. As for
gentlemen marrying women of bad character, are not such things known
in Europe? Do ladies of the _demi-monde_ never make good marriages?
_Mesalliances_ are far rarer in Japan than with us. Certainly among
the lowest class of the population such, marriages may occasionally
occur, for it often happens that a woman can lay by a tempting dowry
out of her wretched earnings-, but amongst the gentry of the country
they are unknown.

And yet a girl is not disgraced if for her parents' sake she sells
herself to a life of misery so great, that, when a Japanese enters a
house of ill-fame, he is forced to leave his sword and dirk at the
door for two reasons--first, to prevent brawling; secondly, because it
is known that some of the women inside so loathe their existence that
they would put an end to it, could they get hold of a weapon.

It is a curious fact that in all the Daimio's castle-towns, with the
exception of some which are also seaports, open prostitution is
strictly forbidden, although, if report speaks truly, public morality
rather suffers than gains by the prohibition.

The misapprehension which exists upon the subject of prostitution in
Japan may be accounted for by the fact that foreign writers, basing
their judgment upon the vice of the open ports, have not hesitated to
pronounce the Japanese women unchaste. As fairly might a Japanese,
writing about England, argue from the street-walkers of Portsmouth or
Plymouth to the wives, sisters, and daughters of these very authors.
In some respects the gulf fixed between virtue and vice in Japan is
even greater than in England. The Eastern courtesan is confined to a
certain quarter of the town, and distinguished by a peculiarly gaudy
costume, and by a head-dress which consists of a forest of light
tortoiseshell hair-pins, stuck round her head like a saint's glory--a
glory of shame which a modest woman would sooner die than wear. Vice
jostling virtue in the public places; virtue imitating the fashions
set by vice, and buying trinkets or furniture at the sale of vice's
effects--these are social phenomena which the East knows not.

The custom prevalent among the lower orders of bathing in public
bath-houses without distinction of the sexes, is another circumstance
which has tended to spread abroad very false notions upon the subject
of the chastity of the Japanese women. Every traveller is shocked by
it, and every writer finds in it matter for a page of pungent
description. Yet it is only those who are so poor (and they must be
poor indeed) that they cannot afford a bath at home, who, at the end
of their day's work, go to the public bath-house to refresh themselves
before sitting down to their evening meal: having been used to the
scene from their childhood, they see no indelicacy in it; it is a
matter of course, and _honi soit qui mal y pense_: certainly there is
far less indecency and immorality resulting from this public bathing,
than from the promiscuous herding together of all sexes and ages which
disgraces our own lodging-houses in the great cities, and the hideous
hovels in which some of our labourers have to pass their lives; nor
can it be said that there is more confusion of sexes amongst the
lowest orders in Japan than in Europe. Speaking upon the subject once
with a Japanese gentleman, I observed that we considered it an act of
indecency for men and women to wash together. He shrugged his
shoulders as he answered, "But then Westerns have such prurient
minds." Some time ago, at the open port of Yokohama, the Government,
out of deference to the prejudices of foreigners, forbade the men and
women to bathe together, and no doubt this was the first step towards
putting down the practice altogether: as for women tubbing in the open
streets of Yedo, I have read of such things in books written by
foreigners; but during a residence of three years and a half, in which
time I crossed and recrossed every part of the great city at all hours
of the day, I never once saw such a sight. I believe myself that it
can only be seen at certain hot mineral springs in remote country
districts.

The best answer to the general charge of immorality which has been
brought against the Japanese women during their period of unmarried
life, lies in the fact that every man who can afford to do so keeps
the maidens of his family closely guarded in the strictest seclusion.
The daughter of poverty, indeed, must work and go abroad, but not a
man is allowed to approach the daughter of a gentleman; and she is
taught that if by accident any insult should be offered to her, the
knife which she carries at her girdle is meant for use, and not
merely as a badge of her rank. Not long ago a tragedy took place in
the house of one of the chief nobles in Yedo. One of My Lady's
tire-women, herself a damsel of gentle blood, and gifted with rare
beauty, had attracted the attention of a retainer in the palace, who
fell desperately in love with her. For a long time the strict rules of
decorum by which she was hedged in prevented him from declaring his
passion; but at last he contrived to gain access to her presence, and
so far forgot himself, that she, drawing her poniard, stabbed him in
the eye, so that he was carried off fainting, and presently died. The
girl's declaration, that the dead man had attempted to insult her, was
held to be sufficient justification of her deed, and, instead of being
blamed, she was praised and extolled for her valour and chastity. As
the affair had taken place within the four walls of a powerful noble,
there was no official investigation into the matter, with which the
authorities of the palace were competent to deal. The truth of this
story was vouched for by two or three persons whose word I have no
reason to doubt, and who had themselves been mixed up in it; I can
bear witness that it is in complete harmony with Japanese ideas; and
certainly it seems more just that Lucretia should kill Tarquin than
herself.

The better the Japanese people come to be known and understood, the
more, I am certain, will it be felt that a great injustice has been
done them in the sweeping attacks which have been made upon their
women. Writers are agreed, I believe, that their matrons are, as a
rule, without reproach. If their maidens are chaste, as I contend that
from very force of circumstances they cannot help being, what becomes
of all these charges of vice and immodesty? Do they not rather recoil
upon the accusers, who would appear to have studied the Japanese woman
only in the harlot of Yokohama?

Having said so much, I will now try to give some account of the famous
Yoshiwara[13] of Yedo, to which frequent allusion will have to be made
in the course of these tales.

[Footnote 13:
The name Yoshiwara, which is becoming generic for
"Flower Districts,"--_Anglice_, quarters occupied by brothels,--is
sometimes derived from the town Yoshiwara, in Sunshine, because it was
said that the women of that place furnished a large proportion of the
beauties of the Yedo Yoshiwara. The correct derivation is probably
that given below.]

At the end of the sixteenth century the courtesans of Yedo lived in
three special places: these were the street called Koji-machi, in
which dwelt the women who came from Kioto; the Kamakura Street, and a
spot opposite the great bridge, in which last two places lived women
brought from Suruga. Besides these there afterwards came women from
Fushimi and from Nara, who lodged scattered here and there throughout
the town. This appears to have scandalized a certain reformer, named
Shoji Jinyemon, who, in the year 1612, addressed a memorial to the
Government, petitioning that the women who lived in different parts of
the town should be collected in one "Flower Quarter." His petition was
granted in the year 1617, and he fixed upon a place called Fukiyacho,
which, on account of the quantities of rushes which grew there, was
named _Yoshi-Wara,_ or the rush-moor, a name which now-a-days, by a
play upon the word _yoshi,_ is written with two Chinese characters,
signifying the "good," or "lucky moor." The place was divided into
four streets, called the Yedo Street, the Second Yedo Street, the
Kioto Street, and the Second Kioto Street.

In the eighth month of the year 1655, when Yedo was beginning to
increase in size and importance, the Yoshiwara, preserving its name,
was transplanted bodily to the spot which it now occupies at the
northern end of the town. And the streets in it were named after the
places from which the greater number of their inhabitants originally
came, as the "Sakai Street," the "Fushimi Street," &c.

The official Guide to the Yoshiwara for 1869 gives a return of 153
brothels, containing 3,289 courtesans of all classes, from the
_Oiran_, or proud beauty, who, dressed up in gorgeous brocade of gold
and silver, with painted face and gilded lips, and with her teeth
fashionably blacked, has all the young bloods of Yedo at her feet,
down to the humble _Shinzo_, or white-toothed woman, who rots away her
life in the common stews. These figures do not, however, represent the
whole of the prostitution of Yedo; the Yoshiwara is the chief, but not
the only, abiding-place of the public women. At Fukagawa there is
another Flower District, built upon the same principle as the
Yoshiwara; while at Shinagawa, Shinjiku, Itabashi, Senji, and
Kadzukappara, the hotels contain women who, nominally only waitresses,
are in reality prostitutes. There are also women called _Jigoku-Omna,_
or hell-women, who, without being borne on the books of any brothel,
live in their own houses, and ply their trade in secret. On the whole,
I believe the amount of prostitution in Yedo to be wonderfully small,
considering the vast size of the city.

There are 394 tea-houses in the Yoshiwara, which are largely used as
places of assignation, and which on those occasions are paid, not by
the visitors frequenting them, but by the keepers of the brothels. It
is also the fashion to give dinners and drinking-parties at these
houses, for which the services of _Taikomochi_, or jesters, among whom
there are thirty-nine chief celebrities, and of singing and dancing
girls, are retained. The Guide to the Yoshiwara gives a list of
fifty-five famous singing-girls, besides a host of minor stars. These
women are not to be confounded with the courtesans. Their conduct is
very closely watched by their masters, and they always go out to
parties in couples or in bands, so that they may be a check upon one
another. Doubtless, however, in spite of all precautions, the shower
of gold does from time to time find its way to Danae's lap; and to be
the favoured lover of a fashionable singer or dancer is rather a
feather in the cap of a fast young Japanese gentleman. The fee paid to
singing-girls for performing during a space of two hours is one
shilling and fourpence each; for six hours the fee is quadrupled, and
it is customary to give the girls a _hana_, or present, for
themselves, besides their regular pay, which goes to the master of the
troupe to which they belong.

Courtesans, singing women, and dancers are bought by contractors,
either as children, when they are educated for their calling, or at a
more advanced age, when their accomplishments and charms render them
desirable investments. The engagement is never made life-long, for
once past the flower of their youth the poor creatures would be mere
burthens upon their masters; a courtesan is usually bought until she
shall have reached the age of twenty-seven, after which she becomes
her own property. Singers remain longer in harness, but even they
rarely work after the age of thirty, for Japanese women, like
Italians, age quickly, and have none of that intermediate stage
between youth and old age, which seems to be confined to countries
where there is a twilight.

Children destined to be trained as singers are usually bought when
they are five or six years old, a likely child fetching from about
thirty-five to fifty shillings; the purchaser undertakes the education
of his charge, and brings the little thing up as his own child. The
parents sign a paper absolving him from all responsibility in case of
sickness or accident; but they know that their child will be well
treated and cared for, the interests of the buyer being their material
guarantee. Girls of fifteen or upwards who are sufficiently
accomplished to join a company of singers fetch ten times the price
paid for children; for in their case there is no risk and no expense
of education.

Little children who are bought for purposes of prostitution at the age
of five or six years fetch about the same price as those that are
bought to be singers. During their novitiate they are employed to wait
upon the _Oiran_, or fashionable courtesans, in the capacity of little
female pages (_Kamuro_). They are mostly the children of distressed
persons, or orphans, whom their relatives cruelly sell rather than be
at the expense and trouble of bringing them up. Of the girls who enter
the profession later in life, some are orphans, who have no other
means of earning a livelihood; others sell their bodies out of filial
piety, that they may succour their sick or needy parents; others are
married women, who enter the Yoshiwara to supply the wants of their
husbands; and a very small proportion is recruited from girls who have
been seduced and abandoned, perhaps sold, by faithless lovers.

The time to see the Yoshiwara to the best advantage is just after
nightfall, when the lamps are lighted. Then it is that the women--who
for the last two hours have been engaged in gilding their lips and
painting their eyebrows black, and their throats and bosoms a snowy
white, carefully leaving three brown Van-dyke-collar points where the
back of the head joins the neck, in accordance with one of the
strictest rules of Japanese cosmetic science--leave the back rooms,
and take their places, side by side, in a kind of long narrow cage,
the wooden bars of which open on to the public thoroughfare. Here they
sit for hours, gorgeous in dresses of silk and gold and silver
embroidery, speechless and motionless as wax figures, until they shall
have attracted the attention of some of the passers-by, who begin to
throng the place. At Yokohama indeed, and at the other open ports, the
women of the Yoshiwara are loud in their invitations to visitors,
frequently relieving the monotony of their own language by some
blasphemous term of endearment picked up from British and American
seamen; but in the Flower District at Yedo, and wherever Japanese
customs are untainted, the utmost decorum prevails. Although the shape
which vice takes is ugly enough, still it has this merit, that it is
unobtrusive. Never need the pure be contaminated by contact with the
impure; he who goes to the Yoshiwara, goes there knowing full well
what he will find, but the virtuous man may live through his life
without having this kind of vice forced upon his sight. Here again do
the open ports contrast unfavourably with other places: Yokohama at
night is as leprous a place as the London Haymarket.[14]

[Footnote 14:
Those who are interested in this branch of social
science, will find much curious information upon the subject of
prostitution in Japan in a pamphlet published at Yokohama, by Dr.
Newton, R.N., a philanthropist who has been engaged for the last two
years in establishing a Lock Hospital at that place. In spite of much
opposition, from prejudice and ignorance, his labours have been
crowned by great success.]

A public woman or singer on entering her profession assumes a _nom de
guerre_, by which she is known until her engagement is at an end. Some
of these names are so pretty and quaint that I will take a few
specimens from the _Yoshiwara Saiken_, the guidebook upon which this
notice is based. "Little Pine," "Little Butterfly," "Brightness of the
Flowers," "The Jewel River," "Gold Mountain," "Pearl Harp," "The Stork
that lives a Thousand Years," "Village of Flowers," "Sea Beach," "The
Little Dragon," "Little Purple," "Silver," "Chrysanthemum,"
"Waterfall," "White Brightness," "Forest of Cherries,"--these and a
host of other quaint conceits are the one prettiness of a very foul
place.


- source : www.gutenberg.org

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::





. Yoshiwara 吉原 pleasure quarters in Edo . .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- - - Banzuiin Chōbei 幡随院長兵衛 Banzuin Chobei - (1622–1657)

was a historical street tough of Japan's Edo period who, according to later fictionalized portrayals of his life in literature and drama, fought against injustices, and to protect the common people from the abuses of the samurai aristocracy.[1] Born in Karatsu as Tsukamoto Itarō (塚本伊太郎), he established himself in the Asakusa district of Edo, where he led of a band of machi-yakko and founded an employment agency for ronin. Trained as a warrior, he was renowned for his swordsmanship.


Portrait of Banzuiin Chōbei.

In Asakusa, Chōbei organized a kumi (group or gang) which opposed the hatamoto-yakko in seeking to control the area's markets. He was eventually killed by hatamoto Mizuno Jūrozaemon.

Following his death, Chōbei became a popular figure in literature and drama. A 1974 prime-time television jidaigeki series,
Banzuiin Chōbei Omachi Nasei (幡随院長兵衛 お待ちなせぇ), starred Mikijirō Hira as Chōbei.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


He was a famous resident of Edo, Asakusa Hanakawado
. Hanakawadochoo 花川戸町 Hanakawado machi .


. kyookaku 侠客 Kyokaku, "chivalrous Yakuza" .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



. - Join Fudo Myo-O on facebook - Fudō Myō-ō .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Pilgrimages to Fudo Temples 不動明王巡礼
Fudo Myo-O Junrei - Fudo Pilgrims .



[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::