Mountain Mandalas Shugendo in Kyushu Bloomsbury Academic, an Imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Home , Chikugo Province, Eikan, Emperor Bidatsu, Keiun, Mikado Shrine, Mitama

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THE 183 SITES OF CULT OF THE KUNISAKI PENINSULA RITUAL PEREGRINATION

DATED: 1755

Translation: Allan Grapard

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♦No. 1 [Location]: Usa District [gun], Fube Township [mura], Tateshi, Hibira.i

[Name of the site of cult]: Ushiroyama Kongōshōji. [Status]: No priest in residence.

[Amulets]: [go to] Ushiroyama Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Amida nyorai.ii [Distance to]

Dainichi Iwaya:12 chō.iii

♦No. 2 Hayami District, Tateshi Village [chō], Mukuno, Matsuo. [Name of the site of cult]:

Dainichi Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Dainichi nyorai. [Distance to] Kannonji: 15 chō.

♦No. 3 Usa District, Fube Township, Tateshi, Shindō. [Name of the site of cult]: Kannonji.

[Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Kannon.

[Distance to] Nagabata: 14 chō.

♦No. 4 Usa District, Kita Maki Township, Ryōkai, Nagabata. [Name of the site of cult]:

Kissui Fukushōji (Reikiji). [Sectarian affiliation]: Zen, Sōtō. [Main object of cult]: Amida nyorai (built in the Reiki era). [Distance to] Yoshihisa: 5 chō.

♦No. 5 Usa District, Kita Maki Township, Eguma, Yoshihisa. [Name of the site of cult]:

Kōgen-in. [Main object of cult]: Mida. [Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. Destroyed by fire.iv

♦No. 6 Usa District, Kita Maki Township, Eguma, Izumimoto. [Name of the site of cult]:

Ita Shrine. [Main object of cult]: Roku Kannon. [Distance to] next site: one ri.v

♦No. 7 Hayami District, Tateshi Village, Mukuno, Matsuo, ōzukuri. [Name of the site of

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♦ No. 8 Hayami District, Tateshi Village, Mukuno, UshiroNo. [Name of the site of cult]:

Nakatsuosan Iwaya. [Status]: No priest in residence (go to Kannonji). [Main object of cult]: Yakushi nyorai. [Distance to] Daienji: one ri.

♦ No. 9 Hayami District, Tateshi Village, Kaoriishi.vi [Name of the site of cult]: Daienji.

[Status]: Priest in residence. [Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. [Main object of cult]: Amida nyorai. [Distance to] Uchizako: 18 chō.

♦ No. 10 Hayami District, Tateshi Village, Tateshi, Fune, Uchizako. [Name of the site of cult]: Amida-dō (Shōyō-dō). [Status]: No priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Amida nyorai. [Distance to] Kawabe Iwaya: 18 chō.

♦ No.11 Hayami District, Tateshi Village, Tateshi, Oka. [Name of the site of cult]: Kawabe

Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to]

Mishima daimyōjin: two chō.

♦ No. 12 Hayami District, Tateshi Village, Tateshi, Toshide. [Name of the site of cult]:

Mishima daimyōjin. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi nyorai. [Distance to] Jizōdō: one ri.

♦ No. 13 Hayami District, Yamaga Township, Uchi KawaNo. [Name of the site of cult]:

Jizōdō. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi. [Distance to]

Tsujiono: about 18 chō, uphill.

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♦ No. 14 Naka Yamaga Township, Kawano, TsujioNo. [Name of the site of cult]:

Tsujionosan Saimyōji (at present, a shrine). [Main object of cult]: Senju Kannon. [Distance to] next site: seven chō.

♦ No. 15 Naka Yamaga Township, ōtani. [Name of the site of cult]: ōtanisan Saikyūji.

[Main object of cult]: Jūichimen Kannon. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: 15 chō.

♦ No. 16 Naka Yamaga Township, Nobaru, Nukii. [Name of the site of cult]: Nukiisan

Daizenji. [Main object of cult]: Amida. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to]

Yawatamori: 12 chō.

♦ No. 17 Naka Yamaga Township, Nobaru, Yawatamori. [Name of the site of cult]:

Yawatamorigū [gōsha]. [Distance to] Jizōdō: 15 chō; wide river to cross.

♦ No. 18 Naka Yamaga Township, Nobaru, Tsunemichi. [Name of the site of cult]: Jizōdō.

[Distance to] Shōkōji: ten chō.

♦ No. 19 Higashi Yamaga Township, Kuranari, Kōanji. [Name of the site of cult]: Seiryūzan

Shōkōji. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi nyorai. [Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. [Status]: Priest in residence. In the past the name of the temple was written with different graphs. A certain Kōshō erected a hall there in honor of the bosatsu [Ninmon]. It is said that it was inaugurated by Shaku Gyōshū during the Eikan era.vii [Distance to] next site: ten chō.

♦ No. 20 Higashi Yamaga Township, Kuranari, HiraNo. [Name of the site of cult]:

Bishamondō (Tahō-in). [Status]: No priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi.

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[Distance to] next site: one ri.

♦ No. 21 Higashi Yamaga Township, Kodake, Mototani. [Name of the site of cult]:

Tenchūzan Kodakeji. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi. [Status]: Priest in residence.

[Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. Said to have been created by Kūya shōnin. [Distance to] next site: 18 chō.

♦ No. 22 Higashi Yamaga Township, Kuranari, Yuzunosako. [Name of the site of cult]:

Jizōdō. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] Myōzen-bō: 18 chō.

♦ No. 23 Higashi Yamaga Township, Kuranari, Myōzenbō. [Name of the site of cult]:

Myōzenbō. [Main object of cult]: Shō-Kannon. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] Taizōji: about 25 chō over the mountain.

♦ No. 24 Nishi Kunisaki District, Tashibu Township, Hirano, Kumano. [Name of the site of cult]: Ima-Kumanosan Taizōji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Fudō myōō; Ni-in Sanmyō, popuparly known as Kumano gongen; stone carvings and engravings: Dainichi nyorai, Fudō myōō. Nara period; it is said to have been sculpted by

Ninmon.

♦ No. 25 Tashibu Township, ōmagari, Mori. [Name of the site of cult]: Yakushidō.

[Status]: No priest in residence, but caretaker on grounds. [Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 26 Same Township, Hirano, Kannondō. [Name of the site of cult]: Inazumisan Jionji.

[Main object of cult]: Shaka nyorai. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Sectarian affiliation]:

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Rinzai. Kannondō is the place name. [Distance to] Tōkōji: five chō.

♦ No. 27 Same Township, Manaka, Maki, Tanoue. [Name of the site of cult]: Fukugenzan

Tōkōji. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi nyorai. [Distance to] Maki ōdō: four chō.

♦ No. 28 Same Township, Manaka, Maki. [Name of the site of cult]: Makisan Denjōji.

[Status]: No priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Mida. Fudō myōō, Daiitoku myōō,

Shitennō statues: all are originally from a temple originally located outside the compounds, but are now taken care of here. [Distance to] next site: 25 chō.

♦ No. 29 Same Township, Hirano, Hinatabira, Kubo. [Name of the site of cult]: Fukujuin.

[Status]: No priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi nyorai. (Caretaker on the grounds.) [Distance to] Kannondō: ten chō, uphill.

♦ No. 30 Same Township, Hirano, Hinatabira, Kubo. [Name of the site of cult]: Eboshidake

Kannondō. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Jūichimen Kannon.

[Distance to] Kaizan Iwaya: one ri.

♦ No. 31 Tashibu Township, Manaka, Kikuyama. [Name of the site of cult]: Kaizan Iwaya.

[Status]: No priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Kannon. [Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 32 Same Township, Kusaba. [Name of the site of cult]: Shakadō. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Shaka nyorai. [Distance to] next site: seven chō.

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♦ No. 33 Same Township, Nakamura, Mato. [Name of the site of cult]: Ninomiya daimyōjin. Township Shrine [sonsha]. [Main object of cult]: Shaka. [Distance to] next site: two chō.

♦ No. 34 Tashibu Township, Mato. [Name of the site of cult]: Asahi Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi nyorai. [Distance to] next site: two chō.

♦ No. 35 Tashibu Township, Mato. [Name of the site of cult]: Asahisan Matodera. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi. [Status]: No priest in residence. Amulets: Asahisan Iwaya. This cave is deep and must be visited with torches.

♦ No. 36 Same Township, Manaka, Nakamura, ōsumi. [Name of the site of cult]:

Daimonbō. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Amida nyorai.

[Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 37 Same Township, Manaka, Miyamoto. [Name of the site of cult]: Fudō Iwaya.

[Status]: No priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Mida. [Distance to] next site: seven chō.

♦ No. 38 Same Township, Miyamoto. [Name of the site of cult]: Hongū Hachimangū.

District Shrine [gōsha].

♦ No. 39 Same Township, Manaka, Kannonji. [Name of the site of cult]: Myōkōzan

Kannonji. [Main object of cult]: Amida nyorai.

♦ No. 40 Same Township, Takesaki, Osaki. [Name of the site of cult]: Yūhi Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Amida nyorai.

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♦ No. 41 Tashibu Township, Takesaki, Utenamura. [Name of the site of cult]: Hōshū-in.

[Status]: No priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Amida nyorai. [Distance to] next site: 12 chō.

♦ No. 42 Same Township, [Name of the site of cult]: Atagosan daigongen.

♦ No. 43 Same Township, Utsuroki. [Name of the site of cult]: Jizōdō. [Status]: No priest in residence.

♦ No. 44 Same Township, [Name of the site of cult]: Rokuro Iwaya (Shōkōji?). [Distance to] next site: one ri.

♦ No. 45 Kawachi Township, Okuda, Kurakakezan. [Name of the site of cult]: Kurakakezan

Batōji (Jingūji). [Status]: No priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Kannon. Amulets:

Hotokezaka Kurakake Iwaya. [Status]: No priest in residence. (Myōken Iwaya) [Main object of cult]: Myōken. [Distance to] next site: one ri.

♦ No. 46 Tashibu Township, Takesaki, Osaki. [Name of the site of cult]: Saisōzan Iwaya.

[Main object of cult]: Yakushi. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: six chō.

♦ No. 47 Same Township as above. [Name of the site of cult]: Iryō Iwaya (Saihōji). [Main object of cult]: Yakushi. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: six chō.

♦ No. 48 Same Township as above. [Name of the site of cult]: Harai Amidadō. [Status]:

No priest in residence. [Distance to] Hanai Iwaya: 12 chō.

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♦ No. 49 Same Township, Minesaki, Yokomine. [Name of the site of cult]: Hanai Iwaya.

[Main object of cult]: Kannon. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 50 Same as above. [Name of the site of cult]: Naka-no-Nishi Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Kannon. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: 15 chō.

♦ No. 51 Nishi Kunisaki District, Mukuno Township, Oda Saieizan. [Name of the site of cult]: Saieizan Takayamadera. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi. [Status]: Discontinued temple [haiji]. [Distance to] next site: 12 chō.

♦ No. 52 Tashibu Township, Yokomine. [Name of the site of cult]: Torime Iwaya (Aikyōji).

[Main object of cult]: Kannon. [Status]: Discontinued temple. [Distance to] next site: ten chō.

♦ No. 53 Same Township as above, Yokomine, Kiyotaki. [Name of the site of cult]: Kiyotaki

Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Kannon. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: ten chō.

♦ No. 54 Same as above. [Name of the site of cult]: Iwakurasan Seiryūji. [Main object of cult]: Kannon. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: seven chō.

♦ No. 55 Same as above. [Name of the site of cult]: Amidadō. [Main object of cult]:

Kannon. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: four chō.

♦ No. 56 Same Township, Takesaki, Yokomine, Iwawaki. [Name of the site of cult]:

Hōnisan Gankyōji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Fudō myōō.

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[Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 57 Tashibu Township, Ikebe. [Name of the site of cult]: Yakushidō. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: four chō.

♦ No. 58 Same as above. [Name of the site of cult]: Jūō7dō. [Distance to] next site: seven chō.

♦ No. 59 Same Township, Ikebe, Kagehira. [Name of the site of cult]: Anaidō. Jōfukudō.

[Main object of cult]: Kannon. [Distance to] next site: eight chō.

♦ No. 60 Same Township, Aihara. [Name of the site of cult]: Jizō bosatsu. [Distance to] next site: 12 chō.

♦ No. 61 Same as above. [Name of the site of cult]: Jizōdō. [Main object of cult]: Jizō bosatsu. [Distance to] next site: 12 chō.

♦ No. 62 Same Township, Aihara, UeNo. [Name of the site of cult]: Amidadō. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: 12 chō.

♦ No. 63 Same as above. [Name of the site of cult]: Amidadō. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: seven chō.

♦ No. 64 Same as above. [Name of the site of cult]: Inazumi Fudōdō. [Main object of cult]: Fudō stone statue. [Distance to] next site: four chō.

♦ No. 65 Same Township, [Name of the site of cult]: Sannomiya daimyōjin. Township

Shrine [sonsha]. [Distance to] next site: ten chō.

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♦ No. 66 Tabaru Township, Shimo Kutsukake. [Name of the site of cult]: Iwayadō. [Main object of cult]: Fudō. [Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 67 Tabaru Township, Shimo Kutsukake, Tōkōji. [Name of the site of cult]: Tōkōji.

[Main object of cult]: Yakushi nyorai.

♦ No. 68 Same Township, Shimo Kutsukake, Asukadani. [Name of the site of cult]:

Shiragami daimyōjin. [Distance to] next site: six chō.

♦ No. 69 Tabaru Township, Kami Kutsukake, Kusunoki. [Name of the site of cult]:

Banryūzan Seisuiji (at present, Hōdadera). [Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. Even though

Seisuiji was of Tendai affiliation, Master Giryō had an auspicious dream telling him to enlarge this site and build a temple. Having been granted a hermitage (goan), he was made its founder. This is the Banryūzan Hōda Fukuju-in. [Main object of cult]: Senju

Kannon.

♦ No. 70 Tabaru Township, Kami Kutsukake, Hachimatsu. [Name of the site of cult]:

Amidadō. [Distance to] next site: eight chō.

♦ No. 71 Tabaru Township, Nagamatsu, Tsutsumi. [Name of the site of cult]: Hachimangū.

[Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 72 Tabaru Township, Kami Kutsukake, Kogawara. [Name of the site of cult]:

Yakushidō (Yakushi Iwaya). [Distance to] next site: 12 chō.

♦ No. 73 Tabaru Township, Ishimaru, Motomura. [Name of the site of cult]: Jizō-in.

[Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. [Distance to] next site: eight chō.

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♦ No. 74 Asada Township, Hatakata, Tsurumine. [Name of the site of cult]: Hachimen daimyōjin. Township Shrine [sonsha]. [Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 75 Asada Township, Hatakata, Kamidaira. [Name of the site of cult]: Ryūren-in.

[Status]: Discontinued temple. [Distance to] next site: 20 chō.

♦ No. 76 Asada Township, Matami, Nata. [Name of the site of cult]: Toshi Shrine.

[Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 77 Asada Township, Matami, Naka Kajiya. [Name of the site of cult]: Yokodakesan

Enmyōji (Entsūji). [Status]: No priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi nyorai.

[Distance to] next site: 26 chō.

♦ No. 78 Same Township, Shiragibaru, Dōbaru. [Name of the site of cult]: Taigenzan

Shōrinji. At present, only one building. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi nyorai. [Distance to] next site: 11 chō.

♦ No. 79 Same as above. [Name of the site of cult]: Kannondō. Still there today. [Distance to] next site: one ri.

♦ No. 80 Tabaru Township, Ono, Tabaru MukuNo. [Name of the site of cult]: Ryūge-in.

[Main object of cult]: Miroku. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: 18 chō.

♦ No. 81 Tabaru Township, Ono, Honmyō. [Name of the site of cult]: Yakushidō. [Status]:

No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: one ri.

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♦ No. 82 Tashibu Township, Tomiku. [Name of the site of cult]: Kannondō. [Distance to] next site: 18 chō.

♦ No. 83 Tashibu Township, Tomiku. [Name of the site of cult]: Rengezan Fukiji.

[Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Mida. There is a large hall. The wall paintings and statue of Mida are national treasures. [Distance to] Jizōdō: 25 chō.

♦ No. 84 Same as above. [Name of the site of cult]: Jizōdō. [Distance to] next site: 25 chō.

♦ No. 85 Mukuno Township, Kodahara, Kamibayashi. [Name of the site of cult]: Kōgenzan

Chōfukuji. [Main object of cult]: Shaka nyorai. [Sectarian affiliation]: The Chōfukuji

Temple is now called Jōshūji and has changed its affiliation to Shingon. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: three chō.

♦ No. 86 Same Township, [Name of the site of cult]: Shiratori daimyōjin. Township Shrine

[sonsha]. [Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 87 Same Township, Kodahara, Tōnomidō. [Name of the site of cult]: Tōnomidō.

[Main object of cult]: Jizō. [Distance to] next site: three chō.

♦ No. 88 Same as above, Kurumeginohana. [Name of the site of cult]: Todoroki no Iwaya.

[Main object of cult]: Yakushi nyorai. [Distance to] next site: seven chō.

♦ No. 89 Same as above, Uchino’o. [Name of the site of cult]: Kawabe Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi nyorai. [Distance to] next site: six chō.

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♦ No. 90 Kawachi Township, Sano, Yamada. [Name of the site of cult]: Fudōdō. [Distance to] next site: 15 chō.

♦ No. 91 Kawachi Township, Sano, Hachiōji. [Name of the site of cult]: Hachiōji Shrine

(Kawachi Shrine). [Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 92 Same Township, Sano, Nishikawa. [Name of the site of cult]: Kenpuku-in. [Main object of cult]: Jizō. [Distance to] next site: ten chō.

♦ No. 93 Same Township, Sano, Uzumi. [Name of the site of cult]: Rokuro Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi nyorai. [Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 94 Takada Village, Kunawa, ōorisan. [Name of the site of cult]: ōorisan Hōonji.

[Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Kannon.

[Distance to] Yōtai-in: ten chō.

♦ No. 95 Takada Village, Kunawa, Teranomae. [Name of the site of cult]: Yōtai-in. [Main object of cult]: Shaka. [Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. [Status]: Priest in residence. There is a stone stupa representing Jingū Kōgō. [Distance to] next site: 20 chō.

♦ No. 96 Takada Village, Tamatsu, Mitama. [Name of the site of cult]: Wakamiya

Hachiman. Prefectural Shrine [kensha]. [Distance to] next site: 15 chō.

♦ No. 97 Same Village, Tamatsu, Shite. [Name of the site of cult]: Kaikenzan Raigōji. [Main object of cult]: Mida. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: six chō.

♦ No. 98 Same Village, Tafuku. [Name of the site of cult]: Tamaisan Kōmyōji. [Main object

♦ No. 99 Kawachi Township, Mori, Nishi. [Name of the site of cult]: Chōzō-in. [Main object of cult]: Kannon. [Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. [Status]: Priest in residence.

[Distance to] next site: seven chō.

♦ No. 100 Kawachi Township, Mori, Naibaru. [Name of the site of cult]: Usa-in (Sōzai-in).

[Main object of cult]: Mida. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: six chō.

♦ No. 101 Same Township, Yakuōji. [Name of the site of cult]: Yakuōji. [Status]:

Discontinued temple. [Distance to] next site: three chō.

♦ No. 102 Takada Village, Kanae, Chionji. [Name of the site of cult]: Ryōyakuzan Chionji.

[Main object of cult]: Yakushi. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: 20 chō.

♦ No. 103 Same as above, Kamo’o. [Name of the site of cult]: Hanatsu Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi. [Distance to] next site: 18 chō.

♦ No. 104 Nishi Togō Township, Haraida. [Name of the site of cult]: Miroku-in (Tōkeizan).

[Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: 13 chō.

♦ No. 105 Nishi Togō Township, Arao. [Name of the site of cult]: Rinchizan Myōkakuji.

[Main object of cult]: Mida. [Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. [Status]: Priest in residence.

[Distance to] next site: five chō.

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♦ No. 106 Nishi Togō Township, Dairiki. [Name of the site of cult]: Kutsu Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Fugen. [Distance to] next site: six chō.

♦ No. 107 Nishi Togō Township, Tsukiji. [Name of the site of cult]: Bitōzan Ryūōji

(Ryūunji). [Main object of cult]: Kannonji. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. This temple was renamed Kōeizan Ryūunji. [Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 108 Nishi Togō Township, Tsukiji. [Name of the site of cult]: Hachiman Betsugū.

[Distance to] next site: six chō.

♦ No. 109 Nishi Togō Township, Matsuyuki. [Name of the site of cult]: Kannondō.

[Distance to] next site: 18 chō.

♦ No. 110 Higashi Togō Township, Shinshō, Itsukushima. [Name of the site of cult]: Yatate myōjin. Township Shrine [sonsha]. [Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 111 Higashi Togō Township, Dairiki, Hamada. [Name of the site of cult]: Myōken bosatsu. [Distance to] next site: six chō.

♦ No. 112 Higashi Togō Township, Umenoki, Kotonokubi. [Name of the site of cult]:

Sankō-in. [Main object of cult]: Mida. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: 15 chō.

♦ No. 113 Higashi Togō Township, Umenoki. [Name of the site of cult]: Kannondō

(Gotoku-in). [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: 15 chō.

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♦ No. 114 Higashi Togō Township, Hitobata, Baiyūjibata. [Name of the site of cult]: Jizōdō.

[Distance to] next site: 25 chō.

♦ No. 115 Higashi Togō Township, Hitobata, Nameshi, Kakado. [Name of the site of cult]:

ōuchi Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Kannon. [Distance to] next site: 20 chō.

♦ No. 116 Higashi Togō Township, Karegawa, Niita. [Name of the site of cult]:

Karegawasan Mantokuji. [Main object of cult]: Fugen. [Status]: No priest in residence.

[Distance to] next site: 25 chō.

♦ No. 117 Higashi Togō Township, Yayama. [Name of the site of cult]: Yayama Chōanji.

[Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Kannon. Thirty-four copper-plate

Sutra, National treasure; Tarō tendō statue (standing). Kunisaki stone stūpa. [Distance to] next site: 18 chō.

♦ No. 118 Nishi Togō Township, Naga Iwaya. [Name of the site of cult]: Naga Iwaya

Tennenji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Senju Kannon. Mida; Shaka

(seated); Nikkō; Gakkō; Shisei; Kichijōten: all six statues are National treasures. Heian period tile with Mida engraving. Tarō tendō is enshrined.

♦ No. 119 Nishi Togō Township, Naga Iwaya. Futagoji Iwaya. [Main object of cult]:

Mida.

♦ No. 120 Nishi Togō Township, Naga Iwaya. [Name of the site of cult]: Ryūmon Iwaya.

[Main object of cult]: Kannon. [Distance to] next site: 28 chō.

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♦ No. 121 Kami Matama Township, Kurotsuchi. [Name of the site of cult]: Tamon-in

(Tahō-in). [Main object of cult]: Batō Kannon. [Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 122 Kami Matama Township, Shimo Kurotsuchi, Shiō. [Name of the site of cult]:

Shiō Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Shitennō. [Distance to] next site: six chō.

♦ No. 123 Kami Matama Township, Shimo Kurotsuchi, Koiwaya. [Name of the site of cult]:

Koiwayasan Mudōji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi nyorai.

Outside the compounds is the Tsubakidō, where Kōbō Daishi is enshrined. National treasure. [Distance to] next site: 22 chō.

♦ No. 124 Kami Matama Township, Shimo Ogi no mae, Nishibarai. [Name of the site of cult]: Nishibarai Miroku-in. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: 25 chō.

♦ No. 125 Same Township, Kurotsuchi, ōiwaya. [Name of the site of cult]: Fudōdō. To next site: three chō.

♦ No. 126 Same as above. [Name of the site of cult]: ōiwayasan ōrekiji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Senju Kannon.

[Distance to] Nebikidō: one ri.

♦ No. 127 Usuno Township, Yamabata, Mōto. [Name of the site of cult]: Nebikidō. [Main object of cult]: Jizō. [Distance to] next site: six chō.

♦ No. 128 Usuno Township, Yamabata, Akamatsu. [Name of the site of cult]: Sekishōzan

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Jufukuji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Main object of cult]:

Kannon. It is said that the temple has been renamed Gyokusenji. [Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 129 Usuno Township, Yamabata, Iimuresha Keidai. [Name of the site of cult]:

Masudare Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Mida. [Distance to] next site: seven chō.

♦ No. 130 Miura Township, Kataku, Uke. [Name of the site of cult]: Kisakinotō. [Main object of cult]: Mida. [Distance to] next site: 18 chō.

♦ No. 131 Mie Township, Nagaono, Miyanomoto. [Name of the site of cult]: Sannō gongen. [Main object of cult]: Mida. [Distance to] next site: ten chō.

♦ No. 132 Mie Township, Nagaono, Imai. [Name of the site of cult]: Imai Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi. [Distance to] next site: 21 chō.

♦ No. 133 Mie Township, Ebisu, Nakagawara. [Name of the site of cult]: Ebisusan Reisenji.

[Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Senju

Kannon. nyorai statues; bosatsu statues; tenbu statues: all date back to the Heian period.

♦ No. 134 Mie Township, Ebisu, Ima Ebisu. [Name of the site of cult]: Ima-Ebisu (Ebisu

Shrine). [Main object of cult]: The Shichi Fukujin are enshrined therein. [Distance to] next site: three chō.

♦ No. 135 Mie Township, Ebisu, Yakeo. [Name of the site of cult]: Yakeo Amidadō. [Main object of cult]: Senju Kannon. [Distance to] next site: one ri.

♦ No. 136 Higashi Kunisaki District, Taketazu, Seihōji. [Name of the site of cult]: Seihōzan

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Shōjōkōji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Kannon. Sekishōzan Ganjōjūji: An avatar (bunshin) of Myōken bosatsu is enshrined there.

♦ No. 137 Taketazu Village, Saihōji, Takaji. [Name of the site of cult]: ōfuji Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Mida. [Distance to] next site: ten chō.

♦ No. 138 Imi Township, Sendō, Nishi no Fudō. [Name of the site of cult]: ōfudō Iwaya.

[Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 139 Imi Township, Sendō, Shiritsukedō. [Name of the site of cult]: Shiritsuke Iwaya.

[Main object of cult]: Roku Kannon. [Distance to] next site: ten chō.

♦ No. 140 Imi Township, Sendō, Terasako. [Name of the site of cult]: Fudarakusan

Sendōji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Main object of cult]:

Senju Kannon, Mida nyorai (seated), both of the Heian period. Ninmon stūpa of the

Muromachi period.

♦ No. 141 Imi Township, Sendō, Okubata. [Name of the site of cult]: Gotsuji Iwaya. [Main object of cult]: Fudō myōō. Said to have been carved by Ninmon bosatsu at the time of his austerities dedicated to Fudō myōō. [Distance to] next site: one ri.

♦ No. 142 Imi Township, Noda, Byōdōji. [Name of the site of cult]: Nodasan Byōdōji.

[Main object of cult]: Shaka nyorai. Also called Shakadō. The statue of Yakushi is of the

Heian period. [Distance to] next site: ten chō.

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♦ No. 143 Imi Township, Shingai. [Name of the site of cult]: Bikōsan Mantokuji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Kannon. Statue of Ganzan Daishi. It is said that the statue of Yakushi nyorai is of the Heian period.

♦ No. 144 Kumage Township, Kibe, Shimo Kibe. [Name of the site of cult]: Tenchizan

Taizōji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Jōdo. [Main object of cult]: Mida. [Distance to] next site: one ri.

♦ No. 145 Kunoura Village, Miyamoto. [Name of the site of cult]: Gozu Tennō. [Distance to] next site: ten chō.

♦ No. 146 Kunoura Village, OkasoNo. [Name of the site of cult]: Taihōzan Kongōji.

[Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. [Main object of cult]: Shaka.

♦ No. 147 Kunoura Village, Nagano, Teranaka. [Name of the site of cult]: Chichisan

Taiseiji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Kannon. A poem by Miura

Baien is inscribed on the torii of the Rokusho Shrine, located within the compounds of the temple. [Distance to] next site: 12 chō.

♦ No. 148 Kunoura Village, Nagano, Sarubō. [Name of the site of cult]: Chōfukuin. [Main object of cult]: Kannon. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: 20 chō.

♦ No. 149 Kunoura Village, Iwatōji, Terasako. [Name of the site of cult]: Sekiryūzan

Iwatōji. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. The main object of cult is of the Heian period. The Kunisaki stūpa is of the Kamakura period. National treasure. Iwao; Onizuka; Kanro [sweet nectar] Spring” . [Distance to] next site: ten chō.

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♦ No. 150 Kunoura Village, Iwatōji, Sanjūbutsu. [Name of the site of cult]: Sanjūbutsu

Iwaya.

♦ No. 151 Tomiku Village, Daionji, Monju. [Name of the site of cult]: Gabisan Monjusenji.

[Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Kichijō

Daishi. Temple created by En no Gyōja. There was no water at the summit of the mountain; En no Gyōja took his vajra ritual implement and struck forcefully, causing miraculous water to flow. It is known as Monju’s Wisdom Water. [Distance to] next site: one ri.

♦ No. 152 Tomiku Village, Daionji, Kobarai. [Name of the site of cult]: Fuyōzan Daionji.

[Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Shaka nyorai. [Distance to] next site: 18 chō.

♦ No. 153 Tomiku Village, Nakamura. [Name of the site of cult]: Kifukuji. [Main object of cult]: Mida. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 154 Tomiku Village, Nakamura. [Name of the site of cult]: Kichijō-in. [Main object of cult]: Senju Kanzeon. [Status]: No priest in residence. To next site: 25 chō.

♦ No. 155 Kami Kunisaki Township, Michi, Yokoyama. [Name of the site of cult]:

Gyokurinji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Main object of cult]:

Jizō bosatsu. [Distance to] next site: 20 chō.

♦ No. 156 Kami Kunisaki Township, Kenji, Shigematsu. [Name of the site of cult]: Kenjisan

Tōkōji. [Main object of cult]: Mida. [Status]: No priest in residence. [Distance to] next

♦ No. 157 Kami Kunisaki Township, Jōbutsu. [Name of the site of cult]: Ryūgezan

Jōbutsuji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Mida.

♦ No. 158 Kami Kunisaki Township, Jōbutsu. [Name of the site of cult]: Shishi tendō

Shrine. [Distance to] next site: 13 chō.

♦ No. 159 Kami Kunisaki Township, Jōbutsu. [Name of the site of cult]: Kokuzō Iwaya.

[Distance to] next site: ten chō.

♦ No. 160 Toyosaki Township, Gyōnyū, Kōra. [Name of the site of cult]: Kōrasan Taishaku tendō Shrine. [Distance to] next site: eight chō.

♦ No. 161 Toyosaki Township, Gyōnyū, ōdake. [Name of the site of cult]: ōdakesan

Gyōnyūji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi. Six statues of the

Avatars of the Six Counties (Rokusho gongen); Engi-Shiki. Burnt effigies of several nyorai and bosatsu, originally of the Heian period.

♦ No. 162 Toyosaki Township, Gyōnyū, ōdake. [Name of the site of cult]: Bishamon

Iwaya. [Distance to] next site: seven chō.

♦ No. 163 Toyosaki Township, Gyōnyū, Gyōnyū [sic]. [Name of the site of cult]:

Sanshazan Gyōnyūji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Fudō. The nyorai, bosatsu, and tenbu statues are of the Heian period. [Distance to] next site: 33 chō.

♦ No. 164 Toyosaki Township, Iwaya. [Name of the site of cult]: Iwayasan Jōdoji.

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[Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. [Main object of cult]: Kannon. [Distance to] next site: 1.5 ri.

♦ No. 165 Kunisaki Village, Kōdōji. [Name of the site of cult]: Kōmanzan Kōdōji.

[Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Shaka. Created by Kūya shōnin, who was a grandson of Empress Ninmei and visited Bungo Province during the Tenryaku era.

♦ No. 166 Kunisaki Village, Kōdōji. [Name of the site of cult]: Sakura Hachimangū.

Prefectural Shrine [kensha]. [Main object of cult]: The antique kami statues are of the

Heian period. [Distance to] Ogi: 20 chō.

♦ No. 167 Musashi Village, Ogi. [Name of the site of cult]: Ogisan Hōmeiji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Senju Kannon. [Distance to] next site: 20 chō.

♦ No. 168 Musashi Village, Miidera. [Name of the site of cult]: Tsubaki Hachimangū.

Township Shrine [sonsha]. [Distance to] next site: 25 chō, about 2.5 ri.

♦ No. 169 Musashi Village, Teno. [Name of the site of cult]: Nyoi-in. [Sectarian affiliation]:

Zen. [Main object of cult]: Fudō myōō. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Distance to] next site: 12 chō.

♦ No. 170 Naka Musashi Township, Asada. [Name of the site of cult]: Kongōzan Hōonji.

[Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Kannon. Here Ninmon bosatsu held a memorial service for his parents and their retinue.

♦ No. 171 Naka Musashi Township, Maruono. [Name of the site of cult]: Iōzan

Maruonodera. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi. [Distance to] next site: 1.5 ri.

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♦ No. 172 Nishi Musashi Township, Futago. [Name of the site of cult]: Ashibikisan

Futagoji. [Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi and Senju Kannon.

The Six Avatars are enshrined in the hindmost sanctuary, and there is a sacred spring.

[Distance to] next site: five chō.

♦ No. 173 Nishi Musashi Township, Futago. [Name of the site of cult]: Kachimizu

Kannondō. One ri, over the mountain.

♦ No. 174 Asaku Township, Morota. [Name of the site of cult]: Hōryūzan Hōonji. [Main object of cult]: Senju Kannon. [Distance to] next site: 12 chō.

♦ No. 175 Asaku Township, Nakano. [Name of the site of cult]: Yakushidō. [Distance to] next site: 12 chō.

♦ No. 176 Asaku Township, Kyūmatsu. [Name of the site of cult]: Kyūmatsuzan Goshōji.

[Sectarian affiliation]: Zen. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Kanzeon bosatsu (two statues), of the Heian period. [Distance to] next site: 25 chō.

♦ No. 177 Nishi Musashi Township, Sugisan. [Name of the site of cult]: Sugisan Rurikōji.

[Sectarian affiliation]: Tendai. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi. The statues of Amida nyorai and Shaka nyorai are said to be of the Heian period. [Distance to] next site: 25 chō.

♦ No. 178 Nishi Aki Village, Kakehi. [Name of the site of cult]: Kentōzan Seiganji. [Main object of cult]: Yakushi. [Distance to] next site: one ri.

♦ No. 179 Nishi Aki Village, Jōkyū. [Name of the site of cult]: Saizan Jōkyūji. [Main object of cult]: Bishamon. [Distance to] next site: 18 chō.

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♦ No. 180 Minami Aki Village, Nishimoto, Naizako. [Name of the site of cult]: Naibakusan

Kakuanji. [Main object of cult]: Mida. [Distance to] next site: one ri.

♦ No. 181 Nagari, Emura, Nata. [Name of the site of cult]: Nata Hachimangū. Prefectural

Shrine [kensha]. [Distance to] next site: eight chō.

♦ No. 182 Nagari, Emura, Nata. [Name of the site of cult]: Hōonji. [Sectarian affiliation]:

Zen. [Status]: Priest in residence. [Main object of cult]: Nyoirin Kannon. [Main object of cult]: Shaka nyorai (seated), of the Heian period. [Distance to] Tōkōji: about two chō, over the mountain.

♦ No. 183 Nagari, Emura, Yokogi. [Name of the site of cult]: Tōkōji. [Main object of cult]:

Yakushi nyorai and his Twelve Attendants, all of the Heian period.

End of the list. Altogether, 183 sites of cult: 62 sites and 121 sites.

Date: Hōreki five, ninth month (1755.c.e).

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Historical Record of Mount Hiko

(Hikosan ruki 彦山流記)

[Ca. 1213]

Translation by Allan Grapard

Original text: Hikosan Ruki. In Gorai Shigeru, ed., Sangaku shinkōshi kenkyū sōsho, Vol. 18. (Tokyo:

Meicho Shuppan, 1984.

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In the remote past the Three Avatars (Sansho gongen) left the Central Land of Pao and Yue

[China] and sailed off in the direction of our distant solar region. This they did in order to benefit the people of this eastern land, and to ascertain the various sites where [buddhas and bodhisattvas] dimmed their radiance and manifested themselves in suijaku [hypostatic] forms. After they hurled five double-edged swords eastwards into the sky from Magadha [in India] on the year kinoe tora the

Three Avatars took off from Wang Zi-jin’s ancient spot on Mount Tiantai [J.: Tendai], and proceeded eastward. Deeply intent on their goal they charily soared on the waves abutting the western land and ultimately reached the mists and clouds of this eastern region. Their boat can be seen in Mifune near the village of Ōtsu, which is located in the district of Tagawa in Buzen Province. Once they made landfall the Three Avatars straightway asked the Landlord Kami of Mount Kawara for lodging, but these Kami balked at their request, claiming that whatever space was available on the mountain was too cramped. The Three Avatars took umbrage [at the Kami’s refusal], scaled Mount Kawara and ordered the one myriad and ten myriads Adamantine Youths [Skt. Vajra-kumara] to cut down and remove its trees, branches, and shrubs, thus causing its boulders and rocks to be exposed.

Thereafter the Three Avatars ascended Mount Hiko, whose three Landlord Kami, Kitayama San-no- gozen, granted them residence and for a while dwelled in another part of the mountain. Eventually, the Kitayama San-no-gozen Kami moved their residence to Mount Konomi. These events took place during the seventh year of Emperor Bidatsu’s reign [578 C.E.].

The primal manifestation of the Three Avatars assumed the shape of an eight-faceted crystal, three shaku and six sun [≃ 4 m.] in size. The first of the five swords the Three Avatars had thrown from India was discovered above Wisdom Cave. The substance of the Three Avatars then divided itself among forty-nine caves into which the Protective Heavenly Youths, namely, the one and ten myriads Adamantine Youths, were placed as objects of cult. The term "Avatars of the three sites"

(Sansho gongen) refers to the Body of Essence [Hottai], the Mundane Body [Zokutai], and the Female

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Body [Nyotai] divine entities, each manifesting itself as a mountain peak. These three mountain peaks are beyond intellection, for they represent the perfection of the Triple Truth of Tendai Buddhist doctrine and embody the principle of non-horizontality and non-verticality that is embedded in the shittan graph pronounced [I]: #.

In truth the Three Avatars’ will to benefit all living beings is not limited by any discrimination and in dispensing their blessings they are not concerned with human hierarchies. During summer retreats monks assemble in clusters dense as stalks of rice and hemp, and approach the august sanctuary's stone borders, even as monks and laymen of neighboring areas gather in groups dense as bamboo leaves and reeds to accomplish their pilgrimage to the sanctuaries. Since distant ages wealthy and poor people from distant and proximate places have looked up to these sacred peaks, and men and women of nearby villages still muster their courage and, fearlessly treading through mists hiding dangerous paths, come to enquire of the Three Avatars’ awesome will. Many monks and laymen were without a roof over their heads, but to each and all the Three Avatars dispensed gifts enabling them to build residence halls. This is an unequalled sacred space under Heaven, the greatest site of miracles in the four directions. A certain Fujiwara KŌyū completed the first ascent of the mountain during the KyŌtŌ era [531-37 C.E.].

Thinking of the merits they might earn in converting past, present, and future generations, the Three Avatars decided at this juncture to protect the Buddha's teachings and, operating as generals, marshaled the myriads Adamantine Youths. They then disclosed that the sacred peaks contained petrified construction beams. Ordering to gather these beams, they instructed the

Adamantine Youths to store them on the south side of South Peak, stipulating that they should be used in erecting the Great Lecture Hall in which the Bodhisattva Maitreya [Miroku bosatsu] would give his initial sermon upon becoming Buddha. The same type of beams is visible at two other sites

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An anchorite who resided in [a temple of] the West Compound of Mount Hiei [in Kyoto] descended daily to the SannŌ Shrines to pay his respects, and also spent his nights in the vicinity of these shrines. He had made a vow to visualize the corporeal form of Maitreya, and was engaged in ardent meditative exercises without producing thoughts on any other matter when he was granted the following oracle: “There are petrified beams on Mount Hiko in Kyushu that are Maitreya's metamorphic body. Go there and worship.” Without waiting for the sun to set he made arrangements for a boat to take him to Kyushu. He scaled the mountain, and as he laid his eyes on these beams he was overcome with bliss and could not hold back tears of ecstasy. He spent seven days in seclusion by the shrine, whereupon he addressed the Three Avatars: “I have received an oracle from the SannŌ Avatars, and wish to be granted a piece of these petrified beams so that I may take it back with me and place the mineral body of Maitreya in a sanctuary I shall erect when I return to Mount Hiei.” The Three Avatars manifested themselves [to him] and fulfilled his wish; he was granted a fragment of these petrified beams and took it back to the West Compound of Mount Hiei, where he built a temple dedicated to Maitreya and enshrined the relic therein. Truly Mount Hiko is a superior site of unparalleled wonders for the benefit of all living beings.

Thereafter eighty-two years passed. The Three Avatars found the second sword on Mount

Ishizuchi in Iyo Province in the year tsuchinoe ushi and enshrined it there. The third sword was found six years later on Mount Yuzuruha in Awaji Province, where it was placed in a sanctuary. After yet another six years, on the 23rd day of the third month, the fourth sword was sought for in Kii

Province, Muro District, and was found on Mount Kiribe, above Tamanaki Gorge; it too was enshrined. Finally, after 61 years elapsed, the fifth sword was found south of Kumano Shingū on

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Mount Kannokura on the 23rd day of the second month, and it too was placed in a sanctuary. After yet another 61 years elapsed, its spirit was invoked east of Shingū in the valley of Ishibuchi, north of the Suga shrine, and it too became the object of devotions.

Ever since Mount Hiko’s Three Avatars manifested themselves their dispensations to all forms of life have been ubiquitous, and they have become the most revered in the entire land of Japan.

The Three Avatars returned to Mount Hiko two thousand [twenty-five] years after these events, on the kinoe ushi day, 15th of the first month of the year kinoe ushi [814 C.E.].

One: Wisdom Cave (also called Crystal Gem Cave, Tamaya).

The Three Avatars brought from the country of Magadha [in India] a precious crystal gem and deposited it in this mountain's Wisdom Cave so that it may benefit Japan's population.

Hearing of the gem, an anchorite named HŌren lived in seclusion in this cave for twelve years and read the Diamond Sutra with an undisturbed and unified mind, strictly according to prescription.

Within that time he managed to read only the first book of the scripture. As he was thus dedicating this service to the Three Avatars while addressing a pledge to the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, a gray-haired elder joined him and devoutly attended to his needs. The anchorite HŌren asked the elder, "Where are you from?" The elder responded, "From the vicinity of this mountain." The anchorite HŌren then said, "Your mind of devotion is superb, and the bond we are forming shall last not a mere one or two lifetimes, but many lifetimes over ages to come. When my ascetic exercises enable me to acquire the precious gem, I will grant it to you." The elder was thrilled upon hearing these words and left. Thereafter, in accordance with the vow, pure water started flowing from the cave and a Kurikara [Kundalini] dragon emanated from it and disgorged the crystal gem. Ecstasy pervaded the anchorite’s heart-mind and body while tears of elation streamed down his cheeks;

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[enjoying the benefits of trustful surrender] he joined his hands to form the mystic hand configuration of concentration and wisdom, and spreading out his left sleeve deposited the priceless gem on his vestment. He then paid visits of gratitude, first to the mountain's Upper Shrine, and then to the Usa Hachiman Shrine. As he had covered approximately twenty chŌ [≃ 2 km.] along the Buzen

Road leading away from the mountain he reached a hill about three chŌ-long[≃ 310m.], where he encountered the elder who reminded him of his promise and begged him to hand over the gem. The anchorite HŌren said, "This gem was gained through unremitting exertion while I neglected my health for many years. Why should I give it away?" The elder retorted, "A righteous person should utter no lie, must observe the five injunctions, and must surrender to the triple refuge. What is more, a pledge made by such a person is no trivial matter. How can you break our bond and produce an attachment to that gem?" Repeatedly saying such things he decided to forget the fact that HŌren had been his master, and ended up leaving. This hill is known today as "Forgotten Master Hillock."

Later, as HŌren felt regret that he had broken his pledge, the elder appeared again and said: "Just say that you give it to me." The anchorite HŌren turned to the elder and uttered words of consent.

Satisfied that his wish had come true, the elder vanished. Confounded, the anchorite HŌren looked around for the gem but could not find it. He suddenly became perturbed and, overcome by wrath, recited the mantra of the realm of fire, and formed the mystic hand configuration [J.: in; Skt.: mudrā] of fire, which he then aimed at the elder's fleeing path. The Adamantine Wisdom's flames raced over the hill in the four directions, scorching it; unable to flee, the elder was forced to return. This hill is therefore known as “Burnt Tail.” The elder then turned to the anchorite and declared, "I am in verity the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman. I order you to build a protective shrine dedicated to the security of Japan. Since the gem is now mine I shall ensure that it benefits the entirety of the land.

Furthermore, in order to establish a bond to the time of Maitreya's appearance in this world, you will erect a temple named Mirokuji [Maitreya Temple] and make it the shrine-temple [jingūji]. Eighty

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Bodhisattva Hachiman gained possession of the gem and enshrined it in Usa.

On the 14th day of the eighth month of the fourth year of Empress GenshŌ's reign [720], upon gaining victory over enemies in the two provinces of Ōsumi and Hyūga, the Great Bodhisattva

Hachiman took up residence atop Mount Maki [Mount Omoto]. As the anchorite HŌren was seated and engaged in solar visualization on Takabaru Peak, purple clouds rose over the peak and covered the sky all the way to Dazaifu. The governor and other officials of Dazaifu deemed this occurrence exceedingly enigmatic and reported it to court. An imperial messenger was sent to Kyushu during the reign of Empress Suiko to summon the anchorite HŌren to a site renamed "Plain of the Lord" for the occasion, and the site where a hot bath was established for HŌren is now called Yunosako. He was subsequently summoned to the capital, where he was granted the title-rank KashŌ in recognition of his unequalled powers and superb achievements. He then returned to Kyushu and resided in seclusion in Wisdom Cave, where he enjoyed the pleasures [caused by] the appearance of the gem.

Called Wisdom Cave after the discovery of the sword, the cave was renamed Tamaya, "Crystal Cave," upon the appearance of the gem. One drop from the dragon source whence the gem issued can heal a myriad ills, delay aging and enhance the beauty of women, and for these reasons monks and laymen from the entire country pay their devotions to it, and men and women from the eight directions worship it. The sacred water neither increases nor decreases, rain does not add to it, nor does heat evaporate any of it. This excellent dragon water of no increase/no decrease is a marvelous medicine of supernatural potency and is not dry, even at this very moment.

Wisdom Cave is one of three sacred caves of Japan where a crystal gem has been found, a

Chikubu Island in Ōmi Province, and on Mount Hiko in Buzen Province. It is first among the forty- nine caves [of Mount Hiko]. Its guardian deity is the Heavenly Youth Kanatsue, an avatar of

Bishamonten [Vaiśravaṇa], Lord of the North.

HŌren KashŌ placed a statue of KokuzŌ Bosatsu [the bodhisattva Akasagarbha] in the

Kokubunji temple located in the KŌge district of Buzen Province and performed daily devotions in its honor. Made of gold and brass, this statue is now kept in the Kokubunji temple’s storehouse. Abbots of the Mirokuji Temple are in HŌren's disciple line and are nominated to their position by Mount Hiko

[authorities]. It is said that HŌren KashŌ was an incarnation of Maitreya.

An anchorite named Gaken later dwelled in Crystal Cave and engaged in austerities that involved reclining on his back while meditating on the proposition that all phenomena are empty of substance, and he spent one thousand days in seclusion there. Since the great rocky cave had become like the stone chamber of awakening, the anchorite received the nickname ‘Reclining Power.’

After one thousand days passed he decided to test what supernatural powers he had gained through his austerities. A cherry tree with a trunk of about three shaku [≃ 1m.] in diameter grew in front of the cave; he twisted the tree left and right as though he was a making a straw rope, but the tree's roots never dried up, its branches spread far and wide, and its flowers and leaves grew in profusion.

This cherry tree is still there at present, and Gaken came to be known under the sobriquet ‘Tree- twister.’ Gaken scaled Mount Aso in Higo Province in the course of his mountain austerities in

Kyushu. The mountain forms a body in which the seven treasures have produced high-rising peaks from which the view is unimpeded in the four directions. An extremely pure lake located there is blessed with the eight virtues of water and produces folding waves of five hues. The sound of waves crashing onto shore reveals the esoteric embodiment of the four perfections and [support] the contemplation of the three emancipations. The shades of the southern mountain and the western

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Pure Land, a scene common mortals cannot hope to behold. The anchorite made the vow to behold the Lord of that Treasure Lake. With great firmness of trust in his heart-mind he then offered a recitation of [the Scripture of] Wisdom; as he was about to complete the third volume in dedication, a goshawk came into view. The anchorite said, "King of birds as the goshawk may be, it cannot be

Lord of the Treasure Lake." As he repeatedly recited esoteric spells, a layman appeared. The anchorite then said, "A layman's figure such as is commonly seen in the world definitely cannot be

Lord of the Treasure Lake." As he recited the Lotus Sutra, a monk appeared. He then said, "Buddhist master as a monk may be, he cannot be Lord of the Treasure Lake. All these manifestations are hallucinations." Then there appeared a small dragon, but the anchorite still would not recognize it as the Lord of the Treasure Lake. Finally, engulfed in a resplendent radiance, Jūichimen Kannon Bosatsu

[the eleven-headed Bodhisattva Ekãdaša Mukha Avalokiteśvara] manifested itself, but he still would not recognize it [as the Lord of the Treasure Lake] and declared, "So long as I do not visualize the true form of the Lord of the treasure lake, I will not leave." He thereupon exhorted his heart-mind, recited the sublime sentences of both esoteric and exoteric vehicles with all the impelling force he could muster, and renewed his endeavor to recite the Buddha's teachings. For half a month, nothing happened. At this point, however, a voice rose from within the lake and chimed in, "The reason you are unable to visualize the true body of the Lord of the Treasure Lake is that your transgressions are too massive." Shocked, the anchorite then proclaimed, "As an attendant to FudŌ Myōō [the King of

Sapience Acala] who vowed to control the Three Realms, I am protected by the Twelve Great

Heavenly Deities who can exorcise any demon. What is more, I can bind down the eight grand youths attending to FudŌ Myōō as well as the demon king of the sixth heaven, so what is this I hear?"

He then engaged in reciting the central passages of sutras and commentaries, intoned secret mantras

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Near the path on the mountainside was a small hut. As the anchorite approached it he saw a young woman of exquisite beauty, who kindly prepared a delicate meal for him. Since there was nobody else around, the anchorite removed his clothes to dry them, and as he was seated naked by the fire the young woman looked at him, removed her own clothes and handed them to him--but the anchorite said, "Since my body is pure I cannot wear these clothes that are impure." Looking straight in the eyes of the anchorite the woman said, "According to what I have heard the Buddha treats each and everyone as his own children, bestows his compassion equally, and does not make distinctions between purity and pollution. Since your clothes are wet please just put mine on; I merely wish to establish an auspicious bond with you." She tried again to give him her clothes, but the anchorite still refused. After a few moments of thought, however, he said, "I have never known sexual relations, but now I feel an urge to have that experience." The woman firmly spurned him, arguing,

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"How can you dislike my clothes and at the same time want sexual relations with me?" The anchorite became violent and pushed her, thinking of violating her, but the woman still demurred.

The anchorite then yelled, at which point the woman said, "Well then, first kiss me deeply." The anchorite retorted, "My body may be that of a sinner and be impure, but my mouth chants secret mantras day and night. You are a woman, and your mouth is most impure, therefore I would not dare kiss it." At this juncture the woman said that in these conditions the anchorite could not possibly realize his desire, but she suddenly approached him and sucked his mouth forcefully, at which point his tongue fell to the ground, cut off. She then manifested herself as a great dragon and surged up to the sky while emitting claps of thunder. The anchorite fainted. When he came back to, he sighed and looked about, but found no traces of the woman, the hut, or his tongue. He remained alone in the mountains, meditating, but came to harbor ill feelings toward FudŌ Myōō, whom he had trusted up to this moment. A great doubt arose in him, and he wondered, "Of what buddha or bodhisattva was this woman a metamorphosis, who performed such a deed? May it reveal its true form! Who vowed that one might break interdictions one thousand times but not forfeit this body?

Such was FudŌ Myōō's fundamental vow! Who vowed that the possession of secret spells would grant supernatural protection? Such was FudŌ Myōō's broad vow! Who vowed that his devotees would be just like the Honored One? Such is the power of the fundamental vow of the Great Sage!

FudŌ Myōō's two acolytes manifest themselves as common folks, therefore, swiftly reveal yourselves, I implore you to return my tongue to its original state." So did he express his ardent wish.

He then meditated on FudŌ Myōō's fundamental vow, immersed himself in the contemplation of the doctrinal proposition to the effect that passions are not different from awakening, and intoned secret spells. As he was settling in the main elements of practice a youthful figure of fourteen or fifteen years of age appeared and stroked his head, a which point his tongue returned to its original state, and his body found peace. At the same time a voice resounded in the air and divulged, "Due

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With the help of such insights I have been able to see the true body of the Lord of the Treasure Lake, and the dragon deity has revealed the true form through which it benefits all living beings." The voice rose again in the air, affirming, "Although I have manifested myself in different forms because of the powers of your incantations, there nonetheless remain obstacles within your sense of vision, and you still cannot visualize my essential form." The anchorite then settled in meditation. As he was engaged in the penance of non-production, Jūichimen Kannon appeared, seated on a thousand- leafed lotus blossom, [hovering] over the mountain summit, and generated a great radiance that shone onto the anchorite’s forehead. As this radiance illuminated the worlds in the ten directions, he became able to visualize its golden embodiment, fully endowed with the thirty-two supernatural aspects and eighty marks of excellence.

When Jūichimen Kannon appeared first as a goshawk, it was the form taken by those who listened to the Buddha preaching the Lotus Sutra. When Jūichimen Kannon took the appearance of a layman, it was Hiko Banryū-no-mikoto DaimyŌjin’s. When Jūichimen Kannon subsequently took the form of a monk, it was RyŌgen of Mount Hiei. The dragon as Lord of the treasure lake was the Great Dragon of Anavatapta Lake. Jūichimen Kannon is the true body of the entity residing on this peak, whence its compassion benefits living beings. Those people who are afflicted with obstacles in their sense of vision cannot see this body. At this point the anchorite felt such great elation that he danced; he then made multiple obeisance, and left. The Great Dragon was

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Kannon.

It is further reported that Gaken met a certain Rikken, of Mount Sefuri, at a river crossing called Chikuri, and that they challenged each other's supernatural powers. One stood on the southern shore, the other on the northern shore, and they competed in pulling the ferry while calling loudly. While they were shouting the ferry split in half, in the middle of the river. When Gaken thought that he should compete with Rikken in repairing the joints and thus gain the ferry, Rikken, who did not have equal concentration or powers, stood there idly while everybody in attendance lingered in fascination. Gaken then formed the ‘hook’ mystic hand configuration [of FudŌ Myōō] and made the broken ferry approach him, at which point he repaired its joints, jumped into it and crossed the river. Gaken’s deeds have been noted down in ancient documents and that is how we know of him today.

Two: Kuramote Cave

The anchorite named Seisen established this cave. Kūtai [Empty Bowl] Cave is three ken long. This Seisen was from a village in Asuka; well versed in both wisdom and concentration, he resided here in a distant past. During the time he lived as a recluse, however, nobody passed by to give him food and his survival skills came to naught. At that point Seisen communicated his grudge concerning his empty bowl to his personal protecting deity. The rice bowl suddenly disappeared and was not to be seen, but after three weeks passed, it returned. A gray-haired elder then appeared and said, "I am the Moji investigator from the office of Kyushu's Guard. Twelve boats have recently arrived in Ōtsukushi at Moji. Inexplicably, however, their load of rice has vanished. Upon

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Hiko. He then vowed that he would not return the rice to Moji, and further vowed that he would not ever leave the mountain. Having thus produced a firm mind of awakening, he shaved his head and became an acolyte, dyed his garments and took the religious name Busshi. He spent his life in strict observance at the temple and worshipped the first protector [of the cave] at night. He then decided not to change his name after all, and thus continued to be known as the "Moji Investigator." He subsequently erected a granary to keep the rice, hence the name of the mountain, ‘Granary Mount’

(Kuramote). The empty bowl was in fact a metamorphosis of ShŌ-Kannon Bosatsu, and it is clear that the acolyte Chifu [Seisen] too, was a manifestation of the great [bodhisattva of] compassion. Just as is done on the main mountain [Mount Hiko], Memorial Offerings to the Great Master are performed there during the Sixth Month Assembly, and the FudangyŌ Ritual Assembly is regularly performed.

On this same mountain is Amber Cave, so named because it contains an amber fossil resin. Having heard of its existence, five hundred merchants from China crossed over to Japan in the hope of stealing it, but the Three Avatars and its Guardian Deities condemned this and assailed them, not sparing a single life. The five hundred skulls became as many stones, and the corpses formed five hundred glens.

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Three: HŌshūyama Cave

In this cave there is a DainichidŌ square building five ken [≃ 10m.] in width, with four main effigies (Dainichi nyorai, six jŌ [≃ 3.m.] in height, FudŌ Myōō and his two attendants). It is reported that this cave contains a crystal which anchorites will grant to future generations, hence its name, HŌshūyama [Crystal Mountain] Cave. Its guardian deity [shugojin] is Zennishi Dōji.

Four: Ōminami Cave

This cave has a structure [HŌden] five ken in width, dedicated to the honji [essence] FudŌ

Myōō and its suijaku [hypostasis] Taisei TendŌ. In this cave there once lived a recluse who required only one gŌ [1.8 dl.] of rice in the morning and one in the evening. If there was more than this amount, he would offer it to Kurikara, that is, a small snake. Long ago, this anchorite owned a straw coat; one day, a monk from another cave [Gem Cave] borrowed this coat but did not return it for a long time. When the recluse begged the monk of Gem Cave to give it back, the monk refused. Both protecting deities became upset. When SekitŌ Dōji of Gem Cave came out to retrieve the coat,

Kirikami Dōji of Ōminami Cave rushed to grab it; both applied such great force that the coat ripped in the middle, and each went away, one to the north and the other to the south. These were the messengers of Kanatsue TendŌ and Taisei TendŌ who had been sent to retrieve the coat. The ways various suijaku have of converting folks are beyond intellection. Inside Ōminami Cave there are five buildings; Nishi Cave is three ken [≃6m.] in width, Nai Cave three ken, and Ushi Cave three ken. A scholarly monk who lived there in the first year of the Ten'yŌ era was reborn and again became

Monacal Inspector, and it is said that he built the structures at the entrance of these caves.

Five: The Five Caves [Gokutsu]

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The main cave has a structure [HŌden] five ken in width. The suijaku is Mount Hiko's

SŌdaigyŌji, while the honji is Jūichimen Kannon. The DaigyŌji acts as father and mother to all and protects monks of this mountain. In particular, it behaves like the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman’s successive leader and bequeaths its waters of virtue upon the four oceans. On the three peaks of

Mount Hiko it manifests itself as divine heirs, whose radiance bathes the continent of Jambudvīpa

[India] in its glow. What is more, disciples from all over the land of Kyushu and its two islands make regular offerings to the residents of the four valleys of this mountain. Were it not for the Three

Avatars’ will to benefit living beings, how could the ascetics who reside on this mountain achieve their goals? Their mantle of compassion prevents the bitter cold from afflicting high and low on the mountain. The wind of benefit to living beings blows away both close and distant disasters in this land.

There are five numinous caves: KyŌ Cave (three ken), Uguisu Cave, Ryū Cave (each three ken), Kado Cave (three ken); when adding this DaigyŌji Cave, this amounts to five caves. Some time after their establishment there was a certain KyojitsubŌ who, when there was no large drum at Ima-

Kumano Cave, stole a drum from the village and planned to offer it to Ima-Kumano Cave. As he was passing in front of this DaigyŌji Cave, a voice issuing from within the shrine conveyed the following oracle, "It is most inappropriate that you should pass in front of me while carrying this large drum, because you are one of my devotees; I shall punish you." Fearing that he was about to be struck to death, KyojitsubŌ returned the large drum, while a devotee practitioner [of the Lotus Sutra] who resided in the same temple offered to DaigyŌji a sword three shaku [≃ 1m.] long, by means of which

KyojitsubŌ was able to avoid punishment. This large drum is now placed in the cave and is used to mark the passage of time during night and day.

Six: Takanosu Caves [Goshawk Nests]

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Structure [HŌden] of three ken. The honji is Yakushi nyorai [Bhaiṣajaguru, the Buddha of

Medicine] and the suijaku is Tora TendŌ. The twelve guardian generals of Yakushi and a large bell, three shaku in height, are placed near the entrance. Those who live in seclusion in these caves never miss to perform the triple penitence, without procrastination. About these Goshawk Nest Caves: the

Three Avatars were in the past imperial figures in China and are now numinous divine entities that reside in this solar land. Leaving the clouds of Magadha and facing toward the moon of this land, they first removed their imperial robes, decorated themselves with goshawk feathers and, flying more than ten thousand leagues over mountains and seas, came to this high mountain and transformed themselves into stone goshawks, hence the name of these caves and the fact that the goshawk is regarded as their suijaku. There are three caves; the Second Goshawk Nest is dedicated to Konpira TaishŌ, and the Third Goshawk Nest to the Eight Great Dōji [Hachi Dai Dōji].

Seven: Chimuro [Wisdom Chamber] Cave

Structure [HŌden] of five ken in width. The honji is KokuzŌ Bosatsu and the suijaku is

Fukuchi TendŌ. There are five caves there: Renge Cave, Tsurugi cave, DaishiŌ Cave, ShŌshiŌ Cave, and this one. Another document mentions one more cave, called Futado.

Eight: Ima-Kumano Cave

Structure [HŌden] of eight ken. The Avatars of the Twelve Sites of Kumano and all the Nyaku-

Ōji are the objects of the cult dedicated therein. The honji and suijaku are as noted in Hongū Nikki.

In front of Worship Hall there is a large boulder; it is said that a hermit is practicing therein, and that one can faintly hear bell sounds issuing from it. In a side cave there is Senju Kannon [Thousand

Handed Kannon, Sahasrabhuja Avalokiteśvara], near which statues of Amida and his two attendants

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This area is also called Kayoi Cave.

Nine: TenjŌ Cave

Structure [HŌden] of three ken. The guardian deity is FukutarŌ Dōji.

Ten: Kubote Cave. Guardian deity: Nisho Gongen; the main effigy is Yakushi nyorai and his twelve general guardians. All residents of the mountain engage in practice there in the afternoon.

Eleven: Taka Cave. Guardian deity: ReisŌ Dōji.

Twelve: Senbutsu Cave. Guardian deity: Setaka Dōji (Buzen, Miyako District).

Thirteen: Taka-no-o Cave. Guardian deity: Jihi Dōji.

Fourteen: Tsukue Cave. Guardian deity: JikyŌ Dōji. (Buzen, Kamige District, Yamakuni).

Fifteen: Kaiun Cave. Guardian deity: GakkŌ Dōji, same location.

Sixteen: Hiun Cave. Guardian deity: NikkŌ Dōji (same location, or at NisshŌ Cave).

Seventeen: Kotamaya Cave. Guardian deity: KinjŌshi Dōji. (In an inside cave: KŌse Dōji).

Eighteen: Buzen Cave. Guardian deity: Renbin Dōji. (In Gisa Cave: Renshiki Dōji).

Nineteen: Hanazono Cave. Guardian deity: Kekai Dōji. (In Sutemi Cave: AikŌ Dōji).

Twenty: Fukakura Cave. Guardian deity: JikongŌ Bishamon.

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Twenty-one: Denkū Cave. Guardian deity: HenjŌ Dōji.

Twenty-two: Kurado Cave. Guardian deity: Funnu Dōji.

Twenty-three: Yakeo Cave. Guardian deity: KŌmyŌ Dōji. Amida nyorai.

Twenty-four: Kokū Cave. Guardian deity: HigyŌjizai Dōji. KokuzŌ Bosatsu.

Twenty-five: Futado Cave. Guardian deity: Tamonten. Jikokuten.

Twenty-six: KyūhŌ Cave: Guardian deity: Inadayunaka. (GankŌ Dōji).

Twenty-seven: FudŌ Cave. Guardian deity: Hachi Dai Dōji.

Twenty-eight: Senju Cave. Guardian deity: Baso Sennin.

Twenty-nine: RyūkŌ Cave. Guardian deity: Suiryū Dōji.

Thirty: Bungo Cave. Guardian deity: KenkŌ Dōji.

Thirty-one: Ōkawabe Cave. Guardian deity: Uzusama Dōji.

Thirty-two: Taisei Cave. Guardian deity: Tai-ShŌgun.

Thirty-three: KoshiŌ Cave. Guardian deity: Raidenjin.

Thirty-four: Monju Cave. Guardian deity: Butsumo Dōji.

Thirty-five: Kūtai Cave. Guardian deity: Seisha Dōji.

Thirty-six: Kurikara Cave. Guardian deity: Kurikara Dōji.

Thirty-seven: Ninotakanosu Cave. Guardian deity: Konpira TaishŌ.

Thirty-eight: San no takanosu Caves. Guardian deity: Hachi Dai Dōji.

Thirty-nine: KŌhaku Cave. Guardian deity: Gyokushu Dōji. (Sanko Cave: Kinkara Dōji).

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Forty: Hio Cave: Guardian deity: Karai Tenjin (Recently, ShinkŌ Cave, Suiryū Dōji; Kochimuro Cave,

Kotobuki Dōji).

Forty-one: Ushi Cave. Guardian deity: Daiitoku Myōō.

Forty-two: Uguisu Cave. Guardian deity: Bishamon, KŌmyŌ Dōji.

Forty-three: KyŌ Cave. Guardian deity: JikyŌ Dōji. One thousand statues of Amida sculpted by

DengyŌ Daishi in seven days.

Forty-four: Kado Cave. Guardian deity: Shugo Dōji.

Forty-five: Tatsu Cave. Guardian deity: FudŌ Myōō.

Forty-six: Hokke Cave. Guardian deity: Jūrasetsu nyojin.

Forty-seven: Tsurugi Cave. Guardian deity: Kensai Dōji.

Forty-eight: Misaki Cave. (Daigan Cave Guardian deity: recently, KŌsei Dōji--Jodōji, located in

Yamakuni).

Forty-nine: Kabeno Cave. Guardian deity: Yasha KongŌ (Bungo Province, Hita District).

In each of the caves mentioned above, the Three Avatars, the various DaigyŌji deities, the three Kitayama San-no-gozen Kami, the Avatars of Hakusan, as well as all respective protective deities, are objects of devotion. They are the main pillars of Buddhism and protect the land.

According to one tradition, protectors of the teachings [gohŌ] are also placed in these caves.

At the time, near the summit of the mountain there was a temple named RyŌsenji. A lecture hall was built there to enshrine effigies of Shakamuni and his two attendants, of Amida and his two attendants, and of FudŌ Myōō and his two attendants, all sixteen-foot statues. Of these,

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Amida and his two attendants were objects of personal devotion on the part of Minamoto no

Yoriyoshi, the Protector of Iyo Province.

The [first] superintendent of the resident monks was named Ninniku Biku (Fujiwara

KŌyū). Early in his life he developed an aversion for common forms and thus was well equipped for arduous austerities. As a meditating shamon who evaded the passions found in this lower world and who engaged on the path to awakening, he abandoned hemp and silk garments and donned clothes made from vines; he abstained from salted foods and survived on meager meals.

The pines hanging over the cliffs of this mountain are dense and flourishing, and the wind resonates through their branches, clear as the strumming on a lute; thick creeping plants that are scattered-about are polished by radiant dew, while the roofs of the temples are stroked by clouds. The large bells’ ample resonance can be heard from a great distance and the small bells calling monks to meditation ring out six times a day, intimating that invocations and rites are performed diligently day and night and that everyone on this mountain must remain observant.

Recitations of the sextuple invocation trickle down the mountain's valleys, so they may save the multitude of living beings who are bound by attachments that cause suffering. The rites performed during the three divisions of the day protect lay devotees in all directions: even though these people might not be reborn in the Tosotsu Heaven [Tuśita, where Maitreya resides], may they at the time of their rebirth hear voices chanting the need to destroy the first two false views: that impermanence is constant, and that suffering is pleasure. Furthermore, even though they might not be reborn in the

Pure Land, may they hear voices chanting the need to destroy the two other false views: that the self is no self, and that pollution is purity.

Words cannot adequately convey the transcendent character of this mountain, as can be surmised from the fact that, up to this very day, the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman performs a pilgrimage to the Three Avatars of Mount Hiko every night between one and three a.m. To the west

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Lotus Sutra, the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman has time to go up Mount Hiko and return to the shrine.

It has never been heard that the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman exits this portal at any other time than between one and three a.m., or that a monk dares to venture by the portal at any other time of day or night. Some claim to have heard the sound of a bridle, or a horse's neigh--a matter not to be discussed lightly--and people in the three districts of Usa or KŌge and Shimoge who are in the know do not venture out onto the roads, or dare make any sound between one and three a.m. If they must go on an urgent errand, people walk silently in order not to meet the Great Bodhisattva

Hachiman on his way to or from Mount Hiko. The tips of grass on that road are dry and do not resemble their ordinary state, because this grass is the horse's food. Moreover, on the peaks of

Mount Hiko the dwarf bamboo leaf-tops are all red, because they too are food for the Great

Bodhisattva Hachiman's dragon-horse.

Another account has it that this mountain's Upper Shrine is visited each night between one and three a.m. by the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman: in permanent residence at the veneration hall of the Upper Shrine was a certain Inomoto no GobŌ, who spent his nights there, engaged in meditation and chanting. One night, at the time in question, there was a loud noise followed by the sound of a bridle, and a ceremony of a kind [Inomoto had] never seen took place: attendants followed someone wearing a bejeweled crown, and all entered the veneration hall in a grand, dignified manner. Someone in the procession pushed the monk away to a corner and said, "Do not treat this guest with neglect." Thereupon the night gradually waned and light illuminated the monk’s

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Moreover, during the first year of the Ten'yŌ era [1144 C.E.], a resident monk called

RyūnanbŌ accomplished his vow to spend twelve years in seclusion on the mountain. He then vowed to offer a bronze tablet engraved with the first and last chapters of the Lotus Sutra as well as the entire Heart Sutra, all in Sanskrit, and to offer them respectfully at the Veneration Hall of the Upper

Sanctuary. Was it for his mindfulness and diligence, he received an oracle from the Great

Bodhisattva Hachiman saying, "You will find the gold and bronze you need in Buzen Province, KŌge

District, at the Shinosumi Graveyard keeper' s home. Acquire them and engrave the Lotus Sutra."

Thanks to this vision obtained in a dream RyūnanbŌ descended to the village of Tsunoda in Kitsuki, accompanied by a man and a bull, and he reached that location in the middle of the night. There was indeed a Graveyard keeper' s home as seen in his premonitory dream, and he dug the earth and discovered the gold and the bronze. On the 10th day of the 7th month of the 3rd year of the same era, the mountain monk MyŌkakubŌ Gensei completed the calligraphy for the title of the sutra, while

EnjŌbŌ Genson, a resident of the Nefuji temple in the same province, engraved the text. On the fifth day of the tenth month of the first year of the Kyūan era [1145], the artisan Ki Shigenaga finished polishing the plates. The sutras were then dedicated and offered in the Treasure Hall of Mount

Hiko's Upper Sanctuary. Some gold still remained after the Lotus Sutra in ten volumes and the Heart

Sutra had been engraved, however. RyūnanbŌ wished to use this gold to make a receptacle for the

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Here is another marvelous event connected to this mountain. Located in the Honami district of Chikuzen Province, MyŌshŌji is a sub-temple of Mount Hiei and a site of miracles on the part of KokuzŌ Bosatsu. The temple's training center is called Yokodake, and a monk called MyŌyūbŌ had been in residence there for a number of years, but he was extremely regretful that he had never managed to accomplish a pilgrimage to Mount Hiko, even though he had been in its vicinity. He finally decided in his heart that within the next four or five days he would go. That night he dreamt that he visited the palace of Enma, the king of hells, and that he saw two guards dragging toward

King Enma a young monk carrying a creel filled with flowers, but the king said, "This monk must be quickly released for he is on his monthly pilgrimage to Mount Hiko, whose Three Avatars are numinous entities that cannot be antagonized, for they have sworn that whoever walks in the realm of five bonds would never sink into the three negative destinations." The king then ordered to quickly release the youth, who was set free. As MyŌyūbŌ was observing and pondering in awe, the guardians of hell approached and seized him, and then pushed him in the direction of King Enma.

The king then declared, "This monk must also be set free for he has made a vow to visit Mount Hiko.

Quickly release this subject." The dream ended there. Sweat was streaming over MyŌyūbŌ's body.

The following day, he left at dawn to pay his respects to Mount Hiko. About one league away from the MyŌshŌji temple, as he reached the site called Tsubaki and looked ahead, he saw a young monk carrying a flower creel and who was exactly the same as he had seen in King Enma's palace in his dream. Thinking this uncanny, he caught up with him and asked who he was and where he was going, to which the monk responded that he was from Hakata and on a monthly pilgrimage to Mount

Hiko. MyŌyūbŌ said, "I have never been to Mount Hiko, nor do I know how to go there; please be my guide." They thus went to Mount Hiko and stayed at KyŌjūbŌ, and for a number of years thereafter

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MyŌyūbŌ went on a monthly pilgrimage to Mount Hiko. We thus know that the Three Avatars of

Mount Hiko are such that even the guardians of hell at the palace of King Enma cannot oppose them, that people who go once on pilgrimage will not fail to realize their wishes in their next lifetime, and that those who go twice will see their benefits accrue during the life after that. We also know that one single virtuous footstep is not in vain, for it can prevent one from falling into the three negative destinations, and that to go twice on pilgrimage is indeed beneficial, for it enables one to be reborn on the highest of the nine lotus platforms in the Pure Land.

Mount Hiko's Upper Sanctuary is located about thirty-six chŌ [≃ 4 km.]from the residents' houses and temples. The River of Purification, Harai no Kawa, issues in the proximity of

Nyotai Peak. Pilgrims high and low who cleanse themselves therein wash away all sins and pollutions encountered in transmigration, and thus get closer to the treasure pagoda of awakening; this source may be referred to as the awe-inspiring pond of eight virtues. Close to it is a torii [shrine gate]; a distance of six chŌ [≃ 650 m.] separates it from Ōminani Cave, which marks the boundaries of a zone of twenty chŌ [≃ 20 000 m2] chosen by divination and in which it is prohibited to produce excrements of any sort, or to spit and blow one's nose. By thus preventing all manners of pollution from touching it, the mountain remains as undefiled as the Pure Land’s numinous mountains.

Indeed, this mountain's peaks have been embellished by a thousand springs that enhance the hues of their convoluted rocks and pines, and have been visited by autumns over ten thousand generations. Strewn with white flowing sands, swirling clouds and mists surround the elevated peaks and valleys, and sources let pure water flow onto the slopes. Forty-nine precious caves are located all around this mountain. The tiled roofs of temples are pressed against each other, and more than two hundred halls for meditation are as though scattered about: one may here envision the splendor of the Pure Lands of various Buddhas, where bejeweled pavilions are as numerous as the stars. The

Three Avatars are enshrined in these forty-nine caves, together with the multitude of Adamantine

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Youths attending them. In KŌnin 10 [819 C.E.] under the reign of Emperor Saga, the third abbot of

Mount Hiko, HŌren kashŌ, stated that these peaks are similar in shape to the triple truth’s rounded perfection, and that they symbolize non-verticality and non-horizontality. He also said that the mountain's back is in the east, while its front faces west.

South---- Zokutai Peak: Izanagi no mikoto, suijaku of Shakamuni

North---- Hottai Peak: Ame-no-oshihomimi no mikoto, suijaku of Amida

Centre---- Nyotai Peak: Izanami no mikoto, suijaku of Jūichimen Kannon

Four corners delimit the area of the sacred perimeter. The eastern corner is located in

Buzen Province, KŌge District, Kumoyamakuni, Nakatsu River, Ōitekuchi. The southern corner is

Yagatagawa Kabeno, Bungo Province, Hita District, Yasu (same, Ōzato Hamlet). The western corner is in Chikuzen Province, Mount Waki (same, Nishijima Hamlet) in Kamiza District, as well as

Tsuburayukiura Shirikake Rock in Shimoza District. In the same province: Kama District, HachiŌji

DŌsojin. The northern corner is located in Buzen Province, Tagawa District, Gansekiji, by the Hottai

Peak of Mount Kuramote.

The mountain described above is extremely high and comparable to the Himalayas.

Human affairs are prosperous there, and there is no shame in being compared to the northern and southern capital [monasteries of Nara and Kyoto]. Truly this is a site that the king of hells himself avoids, here are the sanctuary stones on which the benevolent Kami indicate the path to follow. As a consequence, all towns of Kyushu and its two islands worship the numinous suijaku of the Three

Avatars. Each of the forty-nine caves protects the mountain' s resident monks. It is for these reasons

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[atmosphere created by the] stones reign supreme. Monks progress to the sanctuaries at dawn and pray for the Three Kings and Five Emperors' lineages, and the rest of the day they dwell in their meditation halls, never idling in the course of their introspection of the Triple Truth.

The Three Avatars uttered an oath stipulating the following: "Those who tread only one step in this sacred space will be empowered to see the doors of the three negative destinations forever idle, and will soon delight in the presence of the three bodhisattvas. Those who perform double obeisance and make offerings will do away with the dangers of the seven disasters and nine obstacles, and we shall rain onto them a thousand blessings and the splendor of longevity." Rough statements to this effect are found in documents owned by a lay patron, while details can be found in other etiological records.

Lower Sanctuary: on this summit there is a site called Upper Shrine that is visited by many resident monks who mix their footsteps with lay people; it was erected in order to take care of and lodge the multitude of elderly folks who carry dove-garnered pilgrim staffs. This shrine's Main

Hall [HŌden] and Veneration Hall [Haiden] both measure eight ken in length; their roofs are covered with cypress bark, and effigies of the Three Avatars, Hakusan DaigyŌji, Gem Cave, Ōminami Cave,

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Chimuro Cave, Takanosu Nests, and Kitayama Cave [all bronze statues], as well as of the Kumano

Nyaku-Ōji are installed therein. In the case of Kitayama, the Main Hall measures three ken and the

Veneration Hall five ken; its honji is FudŌ Myōō, but other sources state that it may be Bishamonten,

Jūichimen Kannon, or JizŌ Bosatsu.

At present the RyŌsenji Temple of Mount Hiko comprises more than two hundred residence halls (bŌ).

The Great Lecture Hall (DaikŌdŌ) is a two-storied building seven ken in length (one ken is equal to one jŌ and two shaku), and it is bark-roofed. The second floor contains effigies of the

Buddha as well as of the two Guardian Kings, Tamonten and Jikokuten. The entrance gate is also two-storied, and contains statues of the Kings of Benevolence, both painted and each one jŌ and seven shaku in height.

The Treasure Hall (HŌzŌ) contains the following: one large banner five shaku in length; fifty banners two jŌ and eight shaku in length, all made of brocade; thirty-two sets of vestments for the SanjūkŌ ritual assembly: gray vests and trousers, as well as sets of sashinuki; thirty-two shichijŌ monk robes, all with upper vests; twelve vestments for resident monks (dŌsŌ); twenty-four dance costumes for youth; twelve formal vestments for youth; vestments for the Bosatsu Hachibushū.

The Sutra Repository (KyŌzŌ), square and three ken each side, contains the Canon in five thousand scrolls; two sets of the Daihannya-kyŌ, printed (inbon); from Tendai Eigaku (Mount Hiei), sixty printed scrolls; commentaries based on our school [Tendai] as well as other schools. The entire site of cult owns six thousand scrolls in more than twenty sets.

One Bell (KŌtaku), six shaku and five sun in height.

The Refectory (JikidŌ), sixteen ken (of one jŌ) in length, thatch-roofed.

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The Bathhouse (Onshitsu), eight ken in length. The boiler is [heated] on [the abbot’s] order and has a 20 koku [3600 l.] capacity.

Separate halls (Betsuin) are situated within the sacred perimeter:

Ketai-in, also called JŌgyŌ-zammai because of the ritual of the same name that is performed there on the seventeenth day of each month; it is a square building, each side five ken in length; the main effigies are gilded statues of the Amida triad.

An'yŌ-in, bark-roofed; the main effigies are gilded statues of the Amida triad, each six jŌ in height.

KongŌ-in, thatch-roofed and five ken in length; its main effigy represents FudŌ Myōō; this statue, which was the main object of devotion on the part of Retired Emperor Goshirakawa, was made by JŌchŌ and is six jŌ in height.

SŌji-in, thatch-roofed and five ken in length; its main effigies are a statue of FudŌ Myōō, six jŌ in height, and statues of the NiŌ.

KyŌshū-in, three ken in length and thatch-roofed; its main effigies are statues of the

Shakamuni triad, human size.

Amida Hall, three ken in length and thatch-roofed; its main effigies are one thousand statues of Amida.

Shingū; it consists of a Main Hall five ken in length and of a Veneration Hall six ken in length; both thatch-roofed; its main effigies are statues of the Three Avatars and of KonjŌ TendŌ, each made of bronze covered with gold.

Anniji Temple, surrounded by a corridor three ken in length on each side; its main effigies

Rites dedicated on this mountain to buddhas and Kami:

-- In the Great Lecture Hall, monthly, Shaka-kŌ [Shakamuni lecture assembly], FudŌ-kŌ [FudŌ lecture assembly], Amida-kŌ [Amida lecture assembly].

-- New Year: ShŌgatsu shushŌ (triduum, from the first to third day). Details are consigned in a separate document.

-- Second month, fifteenth day: Nigatsu-e [Indian lunar new year ritual assembly]; also called Shari-e

[Relics ritual assembly].

-- Third month: SaishŌ-e [Suvarṇaprabhāsottama-sūtra ritual assembly]; same, SanjūkŌ [recitation of the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings, of the Lotus Sutra 28 chapters, and of the Samantabhadra

Contemplation Sutra: 30 chapters in 30 days).

-- Fourth month: TanjŌ-e [Birth of the Buddha ritual assembly]; Hokke fudangyŌ [Perpetual recitation of the Lotus Sutra]: (triduum: three days and nights).

-- Sixth month, fourth day: Rokugatsu-e [Memorial dedicated to DengyŌ Daishi].

-- Sixth month, fifteenth day: Renge-e [Lotus Blossom Assembly]; Six Questions Debate.

-- Seventh month, fifteenth day: Ango kechigan-e [Assembly of completion of the rainy season retreat].

-- Eighth month: NefugyŌ-e [Sutra copying assembly].

-- Ninth month: Dai-nenbutsu [Great recitation of the Buddha's name].

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-- Tenth month: IssaikyŌ-e [Canon assembly].

-- Eleventh month: Kaizan-e [Founder assembly], dedicated to ZenshŌ shŌnin [Shan-zheng] in Crystal

Cave Valley.

-- Summer Ninety-day Constant Flower Offering (Ichige kujun fudan hanaku).

-- Constant Flower Offering, yearlong at the Upper Shrine.

-- Furthermore, during the summer, Flower Offerings at eight [other] sites.

-- First month: from first to seventh day, Hokke HakkŌ [Lotus Sutra Lectures]. All are accompanied by debate and deliberation.

-- Every month: Tani-kŌ [Valley assembly], engaging [residents of] the Four Valleys:

-- Southern Valley: 30 kŌshi [masters of lectures], 70 sendatsu [leading mountain ascetics].

All participate in the Ritual debate on three points.

-- Northern Valley: 30 kŌshi, 50 sendatsu. Same as above.

-- Central Valley: 25 kŌshi, 35 sendatsu.

-- SŌji-in Valley: 25 kŌshi, 50 sendatsu.

Rotating monks (kŌshū) and masters of lectures (kŌshi) are chosen on the basis of their abilities or learning, and dissolute members are not allowed to participate.

Date: KenpŌ era, first year [1213], seventh month, eighth day.

The main purpose of Hikosan Ruki is as written above. Details were found in various etiological

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[Signed:] HŌ-in Gon-daisŌzu [rank], TaniguchibŌ [residence hall], Keishun [name].

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Etiological Record of Mount Hiko in Chinzei

(Chinzei Hikosan engi 鎮西彦山縁起)

[1572 c.e.]

Translation by Allan Grapard

Source: Shintō Taikei Hensankai, ed., Shintō Taikei, (Tokyo: Kokusho Kankōkai, 1987), 120 vols. Vol.

50, “Aso-Hikosan”, edited by Asoshina Yasuo and Sasaki Tetsuya.

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This land of Ōyamato Toyo Akitsushima was engendered by the two kami [Izanagi and Izanami].

Directions to it were given by the Yata crow, and numerous buddhas have left their footprints everywhere, while awe-inspiring beings and divine entities have manifested their numinous spirits far and wide: there is no maritime or earthly site where they have not materialized themselves. Peerless among these numinous sites, Mount Hiko is located in Tsukushi [Kyushu] Island. This steep mountain displays a variegated topography. Its three peaks soar to the nine heavens, and its base is delimited by a boundary bestriding three provinces. The eastern corner of this boundary is located in Buzen Province, Kōge District,

Kumoyamakuni Nakatsu River, Oitekuchi. The western corner is located in Chikuzen Province, Kamiza

District, Higiyama, Nishijima Hamlet--Shimoza District, Tsuburayukiura, Shirikake Rock, Hachiōji Dōsojin,

Kama District. The southern corner is located in Bungo Province, Hita District, Yagatagawa, Kabeno, Okoe

Town. The northern corner is located in Buzen Province, Nakatsu District, at Mount Kuramote.

This [mountain] is where the Ultimate One [the Buddha] softened his radiance. Triple [in appearance], yet singular [in essence], [the summits offer views as clear as when the Buddha’s] universal gaze illuminates the world from the summit of the realm of form. The [three] Great Avatars descended onto this mountain and left footprints similar to those imprinted by the talons of the male crow that is firmly ensconced in the solar palace: singular, yet three- pronged. This mountain is, indeed, an ideal site for the contemplation of the perfect truth standing immaculate in front of one's eyes. The name of the mountain was originally written with graphs meaning solar child [hiko 日子] because it is owned by the progeny of the Solar kami [Amaterasu]. The [Buddhist] temple is named

Ryōsenji in virtue of the fact that the Great Hermit [the Buddha] took residence on the Peak of the

Numinous Eagle [where He preached the Lotus Sutra]. The name of the mountain is due to the fact that Fusō Ehiko was taken to this place so that he may be its patriarch. Flowing as they may in different directions, the teachings of the kami and those of the buddhas issue from the same source,

At the time of the origins and creation of Heaven and Earth, the kami of Heaven gave a command to

Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto, saying, "There is a land named Toyo-ashihara-no-chi- ihoaki-no-mizuho-no-kuni; you shall go there and rule over it." They then entrusted these two kami with a heavenly spear. The two kami stood on the floating bridge of heaven and thrust the spear down in search of land. As they churned the ocean and withdrew the spear, brine dripped from the tip of the spear, coagulated, and formed an island they named Onogoro. The two kami descended onto it and established their residence there, erecting a palace eight spans in width; in this dwelling they lived and gave birth to their progeny, the eight great isles [of Japan]. The first child was

Ōyamato Toyo-Akitsushima [Honshū], the second was Tsukushi-no-shima [Kyūshū], and the third generation consisted of the sea, rivers, mountains, plants and grass. One of their offspring was called

Hiko. At this point the two kami Izanami and Izanagi conferred, saying, "We have given birth to eight great isles, to mountains and rivers, and to plants and grass; why don't we now give birth to those who shall rule over this land?" They then gave birth to four kami. They sent the solar kami and the lunar kami up to the heavens. They placed the leech child onto a dugout named Ama-no-Iwabune and abandoned it, letting it go at the mercy of the currents.

Later on, Susano-o-no-mikoto and his elder sister took an oath, agreeing on the following:

"In order to prove that Susano-o does not harbor somber designs, let us beget children. Should his children be girls, their sex will indicate the presence of somber designs in his heart. Should the children be boys, their sex will prove the purity of his intentions." At this juncture the solar kami took Susano-o's sword and gave birth to the kami named Tagori-hime, Takitsu-hime, and

Ichikishima-hime, in all three female children. Susano-o took the solar kami 's Yasaka gem, and gave birth to the kami Masaka-akatsu-katsu-hayahi Ame-no-Oshihomimi-no-mikoto, Ame-no-Hohi-no-

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mountain-mandalas-9781474249003/ © Allan G. Grapard (2016) Mountain Mandalas Shugendo in Kyushu Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC mikoto, Amatsu Hikone-no-mikoto, Hayatsu Hikone-no-mikoto, and Kumano Kusubi-no-mikoto, in all five male children. The solar kami then spoke, commanding, "Should one enquire of the origins of our offspring, then it is clear that because the Yasaka gem is mine, I will accept these five children as mine and raise them. Because the sword belongs to my younger brother Susano-o-no-mikoto, the three female children will be entrusted to him. As solar kami I shall continue to reside in the heavenly palace. I hereby enjoin my offspring to rule the land named Ashihara-nakatsu [Japan], and hereby order my son Ame-no-Oshihomimi-no-mikoto to descend onto that land." She then ordered

Takuhatachichi-hime, a daughter of Takami- musubi-no-mikoto's, to be betrothed [to Oshihomimi- no-mikoto], and she handed over the three [imperial] regalia. She then ordered Ame-no-Koyane-no- mikoto and five other kami to assist them. At the very moment they were about to descend, however, they gave birth in the great sky to an offspring named Amatsu Hiko Ninigi-no-mikoto.

Oshihomimi-no-mikoto then entreated the solar kami, saying, "I humbly request that the child who was just born replace me." The solar kami acquiesced. Ame-no-Koyane-no-mikoto, Ame-no-

Futodama-no-mikoto, and various kami of other lineages were then given their orders, and each was granted a unit of sacred cloth for their duty as guides. Thereafter, Ame-no- Oshihomimi-no-mikoto returned to heaven, while Ninigi-no-mikoto landed atop Takachiho Peak in Hyūga Province.

Having thus ascertained that Susano-o's intentions were not evil, the solar kami ordered the three female offspring she had begotten to descend onto Tsukushi and gave them a command, saying, "You three shall descend onto that land and attend to my grandchild [Ninigi-no-mikoto], and you will carry out a cult dedicated to him." Upon acknowledging the order from the solar kami, these three kami descended onto land at Usa-shima, and thereafter moved to Mount Hiko. At this point

Ōnamuchi-no-mikoto took Tagori-hime-no-mikoto and Takitsu- hime-no-mikoto as concubines, and had them reside on Mount Hiko’s North Peak. This explains why these kami are referred to as North

Peak's Landlord kami. Ichikishima-hime-no-mikoto was ordered to take residence further down on

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mountain-mandalas-9781474249003/ © Allan G. Grapard (2016) Mountain Mandalas Shugendo in Kyushu Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC the slopes of the mountain. The spirit of Ame-no-Oshihomimi-no-mikoto then took the form of a goshawk, flew in from the east, and came to rest on that peak; later on, however, it moved to the sacred cave where an eight-faceted crystal appeared. That is why Ōnamuchi-no-mikoto bequeathed

North Peak to Oshihomimi-no-mikoto. After the divine concubines Tagori and Takitsu were invited to reside there, the mountain was renamed Hiko, and trees were planted to commemorate the event.

Thereafter, the three female Kami transferred their abode to the Munakata Shrine, and Ōnamuchi- no-kami moved his residence to Mount Konomi.

Subsequently, Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto took the form of goshawks and flew to this mountain. Izanagi-no-mikoto took abode on Central Peak, Izanami-no-mikoto established residence on South Peak, and the three goshawks then turned into massive rock outcroppings. Their heads, bodies, talons, and wings all appear as though they were real. These sites today bear the names,

"First, Second, and Third Goshawk Nests." Kukuri-hime-no-mikoto thereafter came to reside on this mountain under the name Hakusan Myōri Gongen. Takami-musubi-no-mikoto then manifested himself and also took residence on this mountain, under the name Sōdaigyōji Gongen. The shrine of

Chimuro Cave is dedicated to Mushuge Dōji, Ōminami Cave to Daishōten Tendō, Tamon Cave to

Kanatsue Dōji, Takanosu Cave to Tsura Dōji. Twelve shrines dedicated to the Avatars were then erected and named Shimo-no-miya; all were built by the elders who reside in this mountain's temples, which now serve as lodgings for pilgrimage and worship year round. The shrine of Buzen

Cave is dedicated to Dainichi Nyorai's metamorphic body, Buzenbō. Giant cypress trees grow on the three peaks of this mountain and are used by goshawks for nesting.

Susano-o-no-mikoto then declared, "There is silver and gold in the Isles of Karakuni [Korea]. It would be beneficial for my son to govern that country and its floating treasures." He then plucked hair from his mustache and beard and scattered them, whereupon they became cryptomerias. Moreover, he plucked and scattered his chest hair, and these became cypresses. He then declared, "May these

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mountain-mandalas-9781474249003/ © Allan G. Grapard (2016) Mountain Mandalas Shugendo in Kyushu Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC cryptomerias become materials for the floating treasure boats, and may these cypresses be used to make materials for the Auspicious Shrine." Such are the providential origins of this mountain community's consideration of cypress and cryptomeria as sacred trees.

On the flanks of this mountain there is a temple originally named Ryōsenji. [The Chinese] Master

Shan-Zheng was its founder. It is said that he was from the land of Wei, and that he left that country during the Pu-tai year, sailed across the eastern expanse of water and landed near Dazaifu, where he vowed to spread the Buddha’s great teachings. At that time the seeds of Buddhism had not yet been planted, however, and he was treated with contempt. For this reason his wish could not be executed, and he returned to his homeland for a while. One night the Three Avatars appeared to him in a dream and conveyed the following oracle, "To the east is a mountain called Hiko. In ancient times the Buddha, the great king of compassion who ruled the land of Magadha [in India], wished to benefit living beings of the eastern region [Japan]. He hurled five swords into the sky while uttering this oath: ‘May they land in a suitable space.’ In the year kinoe-tora, the Buddha ordered the first sword's brilliance to come to rest on Mount Hiko’s Peaks, while he placed a crystal inside Wisdom

Cave in order to realize his vow to convert multitudes in the future. The large boat in which Shan- zheng sailed morphed into a boulder that can be seen in Ōtsu Village in Buzen Province, in a site now called Mifune. After sixty-five years passed, in the year tsuchinoe-uma, the second sword brilliance materialized on Ishizuchi Peak in the province of Iyo. Seven years later, in the year kinoe-ne, the third sword brilliance rested on Yuzuruha Peak in the province of Awaji. After seven more years, in the year kanoe-uma, the fourth sword brilliance reached Tamanaki Gorge on Mount Kiribe, Muro

District, Kii Province. Sixty-one years later, in the year kanoe-uma, the fifth sword brilliance landed on Kannokura Peak, south of Kumano Shingū. In the second year of the Sūjin reign period, it returned to this mountain. Its form was that of an eight-faceted, three foot and six inch-tall crystal.”

When the [Chinese] master arrived where he was to plant the seeds of future prosperity, [the

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mountain-mandalas-9781474249003/ © Allan G. Grapard (2016) Mountain Mandalas Shugendo in Kyushu Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC oracle] stopped speaking and disappeared. He pursued it, but whatever he followed vanished in an uncanny manner. Terrified, he asked local folks for the mountain in question, and felt relief that he had not been misled. He scaled the mountain, chose by divination a dwelling in a rock cave, wore garments made of vines, and ate wild berries and mountain herbs. He drank from the spring

[emerging from the] rock, borrowed shade from fir and cypress, and in tranquility passed winters and summers while waiting for the appropriate moment to mature, which occurred in the twenty- fifth year of the Keitai reign period. At that time, a certain Fujiwara Kōyū was living in the hamlet of

Fujiyama located in the Hita District of Bungo Province. In his youth he excelled at archery. His nature was such that he loved to wander and hunt, and he ventured forth in the mountains in pursuit of wild animals. He then chanced upon Shan-Zheng, who was sitting inside a cave. Finding this odd, he asked him, "When did you come to reside here?" Shan-Zheng did not understand

Japanese, and thus could not answer. He instead used his own language to admonish the hunter against taking life. Kōyū, however, had no knowledge of Chinese and could not be instructed in virtuous behavior, so he went on hunting. Theirs was a dialogue between deaf people, just like the fisherman of old who asked a firewood gatherer about rivers and lakes but received only answers about mountain peaks. Nonetheless, as the hunter kept observing the monk's practices, some understanding germinated in him and he built a hut against the cliff, next to the cave. From that point on they sometimes went together across the mountain ranges and managed to establish some communication. In the third year of the Senka reign period, Kōyū again went hunting in the mountain, and saw a white deer. Not realizing that it was an auspicious animal, he extended his bow and killed it with one shot, whereupon three goshawks unexpectedly swooped down from the top of a cypress tree. One goshawk bit the arrow with its beak and yanked it out. The second extended its wing and wiped the blood away from the wound. The third goshawk immersed a cypress leaf in water and carried it over in its beak for the deer to drink. Thus revived, the deer mysteriously

Kōyū intuited that the goshawks and the deer were manifestations of awesome kami; feeling shame and remorse he knew terror and then threw his bow away, confessed, and begged for forgiveness.

He sold his possessions, secretly constructed a temple to manifest his new benevolence, and respectfully invited Shan-Zheng to install there the image of the kami of a foreign land [the Buddha].

This temple was named Ryōsenji. Shan-Zheng was made its founder, and Kōyū served him and became the second abbot after he shaved his head and practiced the way. His ordination name was

Ninniku. Such were the origins of Buddhist monasteries in our country.

Kōyū renounced cotton and wore vines, while he abstained from salt or grains and did not taste oil or alcohol. He engaged in ascetic practices of self-cultivation and in the end became a superior man.

He then reflected, "The goshawks and deer I saw in the past were manifestations of kami, but they were secondary bodies manifested by means of expedient devices, and not the true bodies of Honji

[original essence]." He then became especially absorbed in recitations, and pleaded to know the true form of the animals' original essence. At that time, North Peak appeared as the body of a monk and said, "I am the kami manifested as a suijaku [manifestation] of Amida Nyorai." South Peak appeared as a layman and said, "I am the kami manifested by Shakamuni Butsu." Central Peak took a female appearance and said, "My true body is Kannon Bosatsu." When Ninniku first heard the names of the great buddhas and bodhisattva, his hair stood on end and his elation penetrated to the marrow. He then went around the province to ask for subscriptions to construct thatched huts near the summits of the three peaks, and performed rituals of the most awe-inspiring kind, due to which ever-growing benefit to mankind became manifest. Thus it is reported that Shan-Zheng created these vast properties for the sake of the three treasures, and that Kōyū repaid the favor of the foreign monk's visit to this land. Shan-Zheng ultimately returned to his country of birth, and the conditions of his death are not known. Ninniku then replaced him, becoming the second abbot of the temple. Upon

"Protective kami of Karikome." The white deer was the convention body of Tenbōrin Bosatsu and the theriomorphic emblem of Kishima-hime-no-mikoto. In the distant past, Shakamuni Bosatsu manifested himself as a jewel of seven colors and saved a herd of deer in the sylph park. Due to this deed he achieved Awakening and delivered his first sermon [the first turning of the wheel] in the

Deer Park at Benares, in response to the earth's kindness. While deer in general are auspicious animals, the white deer is the most auspicious, and such miracles are found in our nation's historical records. Examination shows that this is indeed a case in point: Kōyū’s ill-conceived shot at a white deer was the oldest auspicious portent of the creation of a Buddhist monastery in Japan.

In the second year of the reign of Emperor Yōmei his imperial highness was indisposed. He spoke to officials in attendance, saying, "I wish to convert to the three treasures [Buddhism]; make the necessary preparations." [Mononobe no] Moriya and [Nakatomi no] Katsumi then consulted, saying,

"Why turn his back to this country's kami and worship a foreign kami, when there has been no precedent among former emperors?" Soga no Umako then said, "Today's imperial proclamation is merely the manifestation of a desire to achieve awakening in the afterlife; of what treason might I be accused, if all I do is obey the proclamation?" He then summoned the monk Ninniku and commanded him to appear inside the emperor's [palace] gate. The emperor paid respect to the monk and asked him about the path to awakening without superior, whereupon he set his mind onto liberation from the filth of transmigration, entered the realm of undefiled purity, and suddenly departed from the realm of vain human hopes, his body and mind at peace as he obtained extinction. Shōtoku Taishi then took Soga no Umako's hand and said, "The three treasures' mystery cannot be left to common people; evil parties will approach and attempt to conceal the brilliance of the Sage. You will not submit to false accusations, however, and will be called loyal and upright."

Soga no Umako bowed and said, "I trust the illustrious virtue of the Prince." Moriya lodged a glance

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mountain-mandalas-9781474249003/ © Allan G. Grapard (2016) Mountain Mandalas Shugendo in Kyushu Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC at Soga no Umako and the monk, and withdrew in great anger. The Prince then spread the rumor that "The Ō-muraji does not understand causality and is about to be defeated." Ninniku then left the imperial city and returned to his native mountain. On the 23rd day of the third month of the second year of Sushun's reign period, he died of natural causes at the age of eighty-two.

Mount Hiko is a site where several hundred types of ascetic practices are engaged in. Every year, two or three peregrinations through the mountains are conducted: delighting in Mount Hiko's spring flowers, the ascetics blend with Mount Hōman's misty vapors. Collecting Mount Fukuchi's autumn fruit, they turn toward the clouds on Layman's Peak. Ascending to the Hanaku Peaks they spend half the summer practicing the Soshiji; they then descend to Kongōzaka. Only upon completing that triple mandalized peregrination can one aspire to gain the rank of daiokke. The terms "recto course" and "verso course" may differ from the norm, but they refer to the Adamantine and Matrix realm mandalas. Hundreds of recitations of mantras, which form the core practice of Shugendō, are not neglected even once, and the fact that the lamp has been transmitted from generation to generation without interruption is due to the ascetics' faithful application of the disciplinary dictates left by Shugendō's founding patriarch, En no Ozunu.

Ozunu was a resident of Kaya in the upper district of Katsuragi in Yamato Province. His surname was

Kamo En-no-kimi, and his ancestor was Ōkamo-tsumi-no-mikoto, in the eleventh generation of descendants of Ōnamuchi-no-kami 's son, Ajisuki-taka-Hikone-no- kami, also named Takashima-no- kami. The surname Kamo was bestowed by the emperor who reigned from Shikinoshiro Palace.

Ozunu's mother's family line thus had imperial origins. Ozunu's mother's facial features were so unattractive, however, that nobody wished to marry her. At the age of twenty-four she went on pilgrimage to Kumano, whose kami opened the portal of the shrine and bestowed upon her an etiological record (engi). She returned to her village and kept it tucked in secrecy at the bottom of a bamboo basket. One night she had a dream that an Avatar came to lodge for the night and

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mountain-mandalas-9781474249003/ © Allan G. Grapard (2016) Mountain Mandalas Shugendo in Kyushu Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC penetrated her bosom. The same night she also dreamt that a small bull's horn descended from the heavens and lodged itself into her mouth, and when she woke up she realized she was pregnant. In the seventh month of pregnancy, on the morning of the new moon of the first month of the sixth year of the Yomei reign, she delivered without distress or suffering a son who exhibited peculiar features: his hands were folded in prayer as he declared, "I shall convert all living beings and cause them to enter the way of the Buddha." He uttered these words, but his tongue immediately became as though tied, and he did not speak thereafter, seemingly a mute person. His mother felt elation and sorrow at the same time. His uncle, whose name was Gangyō, nicknamed him "Little Horn"

[ozunu] because of his mother's auspicious dream, and his name thus became En no Ozunu. At the age of seven he regained the ability to speak and repeated the declaration he had made at his birth, whereupon he developed remarkable eloquence in debate. His inherited nature was perspicacious, and he was most filial and compassionate. He asked his mother, "Where is my father?" His mother answered, "Your father was an Avatar who penetrated my bosom in a dream. In addition, a bull’s horn descended from the sky and came into my mouth. This is how I conceived you. At the time of your birth, a radiant light surged forth from my navel and flew to the south, finally settling in Sonae

Hamlet in Muroto District, Kii Province. I suppose that is the place where your father is living." Upon hearing this story En no Ozunu's filial piety toward his mother increased all the more. He surpassed others in learning and studying ability, and was most attracted to the Buddhist Vehicle. He intoned the Fudō Myōō spell one hundred thousand times every day. By the age of thirteen his intellect was discerning and his knowledge, extensive. He quickly gained supernatural powers that enabled him to ensnare ghosts and vanquish spirits, similar in this respect to the Indian monk Enchō, who was expert at chanting spells and ordering ghosts around. At the age of sixteen he ventured forth to

Mount Ikoma in Heguri Township, Yamato Province, and forced two demons into his service. One was named Zendō, and the other Myōdō. Robust and muscular, they carried an axe attached to their

They never failed picking fruits or fetching water everyday. A temple named Kishuji was built where

Ozunu captured these demons, and it is still there today. Later on, Ozunu sent these two demons to live at Ōmine; they are widely known today by the nickname, "front and back demons."

At the age of seventeen Ozunu left his family and took up residence on Mount Katsuragi. He stayed by its precipitous cliffs for nine years, wearing clothes made out of vines, and eating pine nuts for his meals. Devoted to the Peacock spell, he rode on five-colored clouds and wandered freely among the immortals' residences. He extensively visited almost all sacred areas of Japan. In the third year of the

Hakuchi era, he resided in secret at his mother's place, where he nearly completed the Etiological

Record of Kumano. On the seventh day of the third month, in the spring of the fourth year of

Emperor Saimei's reign, at the age of twenty-five he scaled Mount Mino in Settsu Province. There he followed the bank of a stream until he reached the foot of a cliff. Looking up at the precipitous cliff, he saw three large waterfalls. Named Male Bird Fall, the top fall is over three meters high, and a black snake about ten meters long appears now and then, curled up at the bottom of the pool. Upon sighting people, the snake throws a piece of wood over the precipice onto a rock and, slithering on, climbs up the cliff. The tracks of the wood can still be seen today. The second fall is Jade Necklace

Fall; it flows and rushes down night and day, constantly streaming down like strung pearls. That is why the name [Jade Necklace] was given to it. The third fall is Female Bird Fall, about fifty meters high; water rolls over the cliff, draping it like a sheet. Above it there is a dragon cave of immeasurable depth, and below it there is another impressive fall about ten meters high. The motion of water creates black clouds that rush down like a rainstorm and hit the forehead, making it difficult to climb. En no Ozunu sincerely devoted himself to ascetic cultivation and made [daily] offerings for one month. On the 17th of the fourth month of that year, he had a dream connected to his desire to know the bottom of the dragon cave: carrying a sword attached to his waist by a rope,

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mountain-mandalas-9781474249003/ © Allan G. Grapard (2016) Mountain Mandalas Shugendo in Kyushu Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC he sank to the bottom of the pool and swam for about one league, when he set eyes upon a large city from which he was separated by a stone door that was tightly shut. He heard exceedingly clear and high-pitched sounds of music emanating from behind the door. En no Ozunu felt queasy, so he knelt down by the door and recited spells for a while, when a voice rose from behind the door and enquired, "Who is there, reciting spells?" He answered, "I am En no Ozunu from Japan. Who is enquiring?" The answer was, "I am King Tokuzen." The king then opened the door and took En no

Ozunu’s hand to lead him up to a hall. En no Ozunu could never have imagined the spectacle he was now beholding. He saw, all around himself, nothing but golden mansions, silver pavilions, jade halls, precious jade stairs, treasurable ponds and fine jade trees. In front of every building there stood three meter-long pilgrim staffs; when the time came, they would of themselves strike the hours. On both sides of the hall there were three meter-high drums and hanging bells; when the time came, they rang of themselves, every quarter of an hour. Elegantly decorated banners were strung about, fragrances wafted from lamps and candles, and food offerings were spread out, while flowers were offered everywhere in riotous profusion. On the front seat, Ryūju [Nagarjuna] and Benzaiten

[Sarasvati] sat solemnly next to each other, guarded to their left and right by the kami of Uga and his fifteen youthful attendants. The scene was reminiscent of the imperial palace back on earth. King

Tokuzen took fragrant water from the platform, poured it on En no Ozunu's forehead and, stretching his hands to stroke the top of his head, told him, "This is a secret initiatory unction. You shall return to your land, and do your best to transmit this knowledge." En no Ozunu was suffused with bliss, and he bowed to pay homage to the deities. Upon waking up from this dream he felt enlightened and lucid in his mind. In the past, Dainichi Butsu transmitted to Kongōsatta the secret Shingon mystic hand configurations, and Kongōsatta transmitted them to Ryūju, who had a deep understanding of the techniques of yoga, secret spells, and inscrutable mystic hand configurations. The name of

Esoteric Buddhism had not yet been heard in Japan by that time, but Ozunu received these teachings

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mountain-mandalas-9781474249003/ © Allan G. Grapard (2016) Mountain Mandalas Shugendo in Kyushu Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC in a dream. Had it not been for his inherited intelligence that stimulated him to pursue his efforts, he would not have been able to witness these events. Keya Shinkun's prophecy to the effect that "This is the land where Fugen and Ryūju will transmit Esoteric Buddhism" must have been based on this set of circumstances. After En no Ozunu had received these teachings from Ryūju, on the 17th day of the ninth month of that year he built a temple near the waterfalls at Mount Mino, and placed a statue of Ryūju in it. This is the Mino temple, dedicated to Ryūju; Benzaiten, King Tokuzen, as well as the fifteen youthful attendants and various deities who guard the Buddhist Teachings are placed in this temple's northeast corner. En no Ozunu climbed to the falls during the day to recite the

Peacock spell; he descended to the bottom of the falls at night, in intense dedication to the Fudō

Myōō spell. The traces of his practice still remain today. The two youthful attendants to Fudō Myōō,

Kinkara and Seitaka, stood on left and right in attendance, while the eight classes of heavenly dragons surrounded him. He thus practiced for ten years in this place. It is said in a biography that En no Ozunu was an incarnation of Fudō Myōō. In the sixth year of Emperor Tenji's reign, when he was thirty-four years old, Ozunu carried his mother on his back and ascended Mount Ōmine. He built on the bank of a pool a thatched cottage with a door made of branches, and invited his mother to live in it. Extraordinary birds and fabulous beasts brought fruits and melons and gave them to her. During the nine years that Ozunu resided at Ōmine, he circumambulated the mountain forty-five times. His mother's place never lacked water, beans, or warmth, and it remained in a pristine state. One day, as Ozunu was staying deep in the mountains, he craved for a bath. On all sides, however, cliffs surrounded him and there was no place to fetch water from. He then used his kongō-sho [vajra] ritual implement to dig into the rock, and pure water gushed forth from the hole thus caused. He bathed three times a day until the seventh day, when he felt his body and mind were pure and that his wisdom had gained in brightness. He subsequently scaled Mount Tsurugi, where he found a skeleton nine shaku and five sun-long. Its bones were not broken and the joints still connected. Its

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mountain-mandalas-9781474249003/ © Allan G. Grapard (2016) Mountain Mandalas Shugendo in Kyushu Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC left hand held a kongō-sho while its right hand held a sword, and its face was tilted to the sky. Since trees were growing out of the orbits where its eyes once had been, Ozunu was overwhelmed with an eerie feeling. He tried to yank the sword and the kongō-sho with all his might, but the skeleton did not let go of them, even though the rocks themselves were jolted by Ozunu's repeated efforts.

Ozunu felt even more unnerved, and he begged for help from Fudō Myōō, to whom he was constantly dedicated. Fudō Myōō granted him the following instruction in a dream, "You experienced seven past lives in this mundane world. You were first born in India; secondly, in China; all your subsequent lives occurred in Japan. This skeleton dates back to your third reincarnation.

Should you recite five times the Senju Kannon spell, and the three volumes of the Perfection of

Wisdom, you will be able to obtain these implements." Waking up from his dream he did as taught and gained hold of them. In the tenth year of Emperor Tenji's reign, when he was thirty-eight years old, he ventured into Mount Kinpu and for seven days recited the Heart Sutra three times a day, when a Kami manifested itself in the form of Shakamuni. Ozunu said, "This image is affable, but frail and not strong enough to convert living beings, who will not be frightened by it." Seven days later the figure of Miroku appeared. Ozunu said, "Not yet." After another seven days passed, Zaō Gongen emerged from a rocky cavern. His skin was greenish black, and his face exuded wrath; his left hand made the sword mystic hand configuration, while his right hand remained close to his waist and held a three-pronged kongō-sho, so that he displayed a terrifying appearance. Zaō Gongen declared in a thunderous voice, "In the past I have expounded the Lotus Sutra on the Mount of the Numinous

Eagle. Today I manifest myself on Mount Kinpu as Zaō gongen." Having said this, he trod the void and at once retreated into the rocky cavern. Ozunu exclaimed, "This manifestation is appropriate for

[the people of] my country." He then used a fossilized camphor trunk to carve a statue of Zaō

Gongen, and enshrined it in Shakamuni Cave. In the second year of the Hakuhō era, when Ozunu reached the age of forty, Prince Maro, the fourth son of Emperor Yomei, had an auspicious dream.

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He dreamt that his brother, Prince Toyosato, ordered to move the Manpōzō-in temple of Yamada county in Kawachi Province to Taima in Yamato Province. Taima was Ozunu's homeland. When

Emperor Tenmu came to hear of that dream he ordered Prince Kawakabe to deliver a message to

Ozunu. Prince Maro then accompanied Prince Kawakabe to visit Ozunu who, moved by the imperial message and pleased that two princes were visiting, donated his lands to the temple. Ozunu declared, "My ancestors Takakamo, Makake, and Totsukiwa own hundreds of leagues of mountains and rivers. Today I donate them all to the three treasures." He then planted a cherry tree in front of the hall, saying, "Should Buddhism become decadent, may this tree wither." Since then, old branches have been replaced by new tips covered with exuberant and attractive buds; the leaves are flourishing, flowers and fruit are fresh and splendid. This tree still stands today. In the spring of the fifth year of Empress Jitō's reign, Ozunu again scaled Mount Katsuragi. Set as they were in the same spirit of virtue, Hitokotonushi-no-kami and Ozunu became leading teachers of Buddhism; they traveled to various provinces in order to remove the poisons afflicting living beings, so that they might overcome obstructions caused by all forms of evil. Upon completion of this voyage Ozunu compiled the ten volumes of Katsuragi engi, which he placed into Hitokotonushi-no-kami 's treasure hall. Only one of these volumes, entitled Jingi, is extant. One day, in the third year of emperor

Monmu's reign, Ozunu told the mountain kami, "The space between Mount Katsuragi and Mount

Kinpusen is dangerous. Even ascetics find it unendurable. You fellows shall erect a stone bridge and thus make a road." This bridge is today called the Kume Road Bridge. Various kami received the order, and night upon night they delivered boulders, working strenuously on constructing the bridge.

Ozunu, however, once reprimanded the kami, saying, "Why is the bridge not completed yet?" The kami answered, "Hitokotonushi-no-Kami of Mount Katsuragi is ugly in appearance; it is a bitter experience for him to work during the day and he therefore waits for darkness to venture forth in the open. This is why work has been delayed." Ozunu urged Hitokotonushi-no-kami to quicken the

Because Ozunu was reputed for his skills in reciting spells, the court official Karakuni no muraji

Hirotari took him as a teacher, but he was jealous of Ozunu's superior abilities. He slandered him, accusing him of deceiving people with bewitching fallacies. At the same time, Hitokotonushi-no-kami used this as an opportunity to deliver an oracle to a sacerdotal official, saying, "I am the kami who controls rebels. I have seen Ozunu secretly conspiring to take over command of the country. If he is not quickly arrested, the country will be in great danger." The sacerdotal officiant relayed this to

Emperor Monmu, who straightway issued a warrant for his arrest, but Ozunu levitated and flew away, and nobody could chase and capture him. They then conspired and arrested his mother.

Unable to do otherwise, Ozunu then let himself be arrested, and he was exiled to [the island] Izu

Ōshima. For three years he remained there. During daylight he observed the interdiction to leave, but every night he ascended Mount Fuji. He walked on the sea as though he was on land with such speed that even birds could not compete, and he returned to the island in the morning. Sill afraid of future dangers, however, Hitokotonushi-no-kami further slandered Ozunu, saying, "Even though

Ozunu is staying at Ōshima he still conspires to usurp the throne. Should he not be executed immediately, it will be cause for regret later." The emperor then sent an envoy to put him to death.

Ozunu faced the envoy and said, "I have never committed any crime nor done anything such that I should encounter objections from the court. But such is my fate, so execute me promptly." He stuck his neck out to face the blade, looking upon death as though he were merely going home, and showed no expression of fear. The imperial envoy felt aghast and did not immediately execute him.

Ozunu then begged for the sword, and wielded it to cut off his own shoulders; he then turned the blade on the back of his head, stuck his tongue out and licked the blade before returning it to the envoy. Stunned, the official envoy returned to the capital and reported these events to the emperor, who was greatly shocked and ordered a record-keeping official to make a divination. The oracle said,

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"This subject is no ordinary being. Be careful not to execute and kill him. If you force the execution, disasters will occur." The emperor became apprehensive and ordered a stay of execution. On the first day of the first month of the first year of the Taihō era, Ozunu was released from exile and became free to return to the capital. When he was near the capital he said, "Although I was exiled because of Karakuni no muraji and Hitokotonushi-no-kami 's slander, Karakuni is not worth taking revenge on. Why not give the kami a lesson for slandering me." He then levitated and flew over to

Mount Katsuragi where, intoning spells with a forbidding voice, he chained Hitokotonushi-no-kami down onto boulders. He then declared, "Anyone with skills as good as mine may untie you; if not, you will have to wait for the Buddha of the Future to come down to this world and release you." He twined the chain seven times around the kami, fastening him securely in a deep valley now called

Hitokotonushi’s Hollow. [The yamabushi] Taichō from Etsu Province once climbed Mount Katsuragi and attempted to untie the chain by means of spells and magic arts. By the time the chain was untied as many as three times, however, a voice arose suddenly in the air and scolded him. Taichō then stopped, and the chain returned to its original shape. In the summer of the first year of the

Taihō era, Ozunu wished to go to China; he scaled Mount Mino, paid homage to the statue of Ryūju, and bid farewell to King Tokuzen. At this juncture King Tokuzen’s shrine started shaking greatly, there was a sound of woeful weeping, and furious billows of scorching smoke surged up. Ozunu formed a mystic hand configuration and sprayed water, at which point the fire died out. Ozunu then comforted King Tokuzen by saying, "Let go of your grief and sorrow. On the 7th day of every month I shall return to pay homage to you, great King Tokuzen." Even before Ozunu had finished uttering his words of solace, the sorrowful sounds ceased. After bidding farewell he went to pay his respects to the Homuda Shrine. The kami told him in an oracle, "The drugs of Peng-lai Islands are of no benefit if they are not consumed; similarly, the jade of Kun-lun Mountains is of no value if it remains in the rough." Ozunu felt elated. This same year he carried his elderly mother on his back and flew to

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Mount Hiko, where they stopped by a plum tree and spent the night below its branches. They were still dozing at around five in the morning when two elders appeared in Ozunu’s dream and said, "We are the Lords of this plum tree, Fugen and Monju. Should you still wish to fulfill your vow to benefit living beings, you must request aid and support from this mountain's spirits and deities." Upon saying this, the two elders lowered their hands to stroke the top of his head. Ozunu woke up from the dream, thought it exceedingly uncanny, and at once went to the shrines of the three kami. There he uttered a vow in all sincerity, saying, "I am leaving for a foreign land in order to save all living beings, and hereby request that my vow may come to fruition. When I return I shall come to this numinous area to pay the kami my debt of gratitude." Ozunu then climbed Layman's Peak, and as he was crossing the deep valleys towards Mount Hōman, he discovered a golden bell which he surmised to be a portent on the part of the Avatars of Mount Hōman. He then went down to the seaside, sat himself on a grass seat and, stationing his mother in his alms bowl, floated across the sea. Not depending on wind or rudder, his float was light and swift as a bird. Upon arrival in China En no Ozunu scaled Mount Kun-lun and gained access to the rocky chamber of Mother Queen of the

West. After living in China for a long time, Ozunu felt nostalgia for his native land. He then left the

Kun-lun caves and flew back to Japan. Arriving at Mount Fukuchi, passing by Mount Takabaru, En no

Ozunu ascended North Peak. He was then seventy-one years old. The same year, he went to Ōmine and commanded the demons Zendō and Myōdō to come settle with him on Mount Hiko. He ordered them, saying, "You fellows go and stay there." The following year he left South Peak, crossed the deep mountains to Mount Hōman, and [again] went over to China. This occurred during the summer of the second year of the Keiun era. He thus went back and forth to China for seven years. His pace was such that even flying birds could not pass him. This is truly a fact, not a lie. In the fourth year of the Wadō era he headed east and returned to Japan. Thinking of the place where he had been exiled in the old days, he journeyed to Ōshima Island in Izu and paid homage to the Mishima Shrine. He

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mountain-mandalas-9781474249003/ © Allan G. Grapard (2016) Mountain Mandalas Shugendo in Kyushu Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC then accompanied the Myōjin [of this shrine] to the capital; arriving by Yodo River in Settsu Province, they took the Tamaoki ferry at Ochi. This place is therefore known as Mishima Bay. Mishima Myōjin remained in the district of Ochi in Iyo Province, while Ozunu returned to Mount Hiko. Once there, he said to the Elder Gyokuren, "I plan to return to China and reach India. Therefore, I will be absent for a long time. You must practice every year without cease and follow the course of the three peregrinations I have initiated in the days of old. Although there are three periods of austerities, none is more important than summer. In spring and autumn I used to concentrate on ritual practice; in the summer peregrination, however, I focused mainly on the introspection on Principle, and this is why this practice is referred to as the hanaku [Flower offering] peregrination: while maintaining a pure and clear state of mind, lotus petals are offered for the sake of the three treasures of self- nature. Those who transmit and maintain the purpose of these practices must know that my affection for them will remain effective even though I am absent; and should they keep their heart- minds focused on Kongōzaka, they indubitably will feel a numinous response." Ozunu then carved a statue he placed in the cave, saying, "Should you think of me, pay homage to this statue.

Additionally, I bestow on you my personal creel [oi] as a symbol of trust in Buddhist Teachings.

Transmit it generation after generation, and never allow it to be lost." It was then the seventh day of the second month of Wadō 5. Moreover, Ozunu dispatched the demons Zendō and Myōdō to

Toyama in the Hita District of Bungo Province, telling them, "If you stay here together, your sons and grandsons will be like leaves and branches and will be more prosperous with every year that passes.

After a hundred years elapse, a great Avatar will appear and protect your descendants." Upon finishing speaking, he flew off to the west. By the eighteenth of the first month in the second year of the Ninna reign of Emperor Kōkō, the great Kami Hachiman manifested his spirit at Ōbaru in Hita. It is said that Zendō and Myōdō's descendants are still in Ōbaru today. Ozunu lived in India for a long time. He then returned to China and climbed Mount Wutai to pay homage to Monju. Monju asked

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mountain-mandalas-9781474249003/ © Allan G. Grapard (2016) Mountain Mandalas Shugendo in Kyushu Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC him, "I wish to venture forth to Japan to guide living beings. Does any mountain compare to this one?" Ozunu answered, "Yes, there is. In the district of Saki in Bungo Province, in the western part of that country there is Mount Ryōju, an overwhelmingly wonderful area of this country that is not inferior to Mount Wutai or Mount Omei [in China]. Should you travel there I would like to assist and protect you." Monju said, "You go there first and wait for my advent." Ozunu acquiesced; he then soared away into the sky and flew to that mountain, where he opened a cave and waited for Monju.

One night the white dog raised by Ozunu would not quit barking; as Ozunu left the cave to enquire, he witnessed Monju's arrival. He then built a temple, which he named Gabi-san Monjusenji. This happened in the twelfth year of Emperor Saga's reign. Even though Mount Hiko's temples were built by Chan-Zheng, who carried earth in baskets while Ninniku piled up the earth, they saw a period of decline and lay waste for a long time. Between the beginning of the Taihō era and the summer of the Keiun era, En no Ubasoku [Ozunu] was opening new paths one step at a time, and returned

[from China] to Mount Hiko, even though the distance was more than a thousand leagues, and he spent much energy restoring the temples.

By Hōren's time there was a nine-storied pagoda and the practitioners numbered three thousand.

This development was all due to Hōren's skills in healing the country and rescuing people. Hōren's surname was Usa; he trained in austerities at Ogura Hill in the district of Usa, mastered the arts of medicine, and was skilled in curing various diseases. Ōnamuchi-no-mikoto and Sukunabiko-no- mikoto governed heaven, earth, and the four directions and, out of compassion for mundane beings and animals, taught methods for curing illness. In ancient times Emperor Shen-nung tasted and selected a hundred medicinal herbs, which he used to heal the poor. These divine heroes showed their compassion for living beings. The breeze of fame thus fanned out to the four directions, and

Hōren's good reputation came to be known far away. Emperor Monmu learned of it and in the ninth month of the third year of the Taihō era he issued an order granting Hōren forty chō of land in Buzen

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Province as a reward for his medical skills. Hōren not only distributed medicines to cure sickness, however; he also donated his fortune to look after the poor. Nonetheless, he still did not feel satisfied with what he had accomplished, and he wished to seek the wish-fulfilling crystal that might enable him to provide alms and relieve the plight of the poor. One night a voice rising in the air told him, "A wish-fulfilling crystal is hidden in a cave on Mount Hiko; although a kami protects and treasures it, it can be gained if you seek hard enough." Hōren heard this and felt great rapture. He immediately went there and looked around. One of the mountain's caves is Tamon Cave, whose protective Kami is an Avatar of Bishamonten, well-known in the four directions for granting good fortune, hence the name of the cave. This cave is located where the mountain and the rocks are serene, and where the trees’ branches droop elegantly; a stream flows around in a curve of the valley, keeping its banks moist. Hōren thought that this rocky cave must hide the precious crystal; thus, he set up a discipline schedule and entered into mystic concentration, reciting the Diamond

Sutra to express his sincere request to the Avatars of the Three Sites and the Great kami Hachiman.

This site was then named Wisdom Cave. In the first year of the Taihō era the Great kami [Hachiman] went to China and returned after three years elapsed. He scaled Ogura Hill and told the deity who owned that site, the Lord of the Polar Star, "I wish to move and live here. Might I share this space with you and be of benefit to living beings?" The Lord of the Polar Star agreed and said, "There is a mountain located to the west, called Hiko. On that mountain there reside kami known as the Avatars of the Three Sites, who have buried a crystal within a rocky cave. A myriad Diamond Youths protect this crystal. Go search for it, and come back to give alms to the poor." The Great Kami nodded and went to Mount Kawara, where he conversed with its Myōjin. That kami said, "Mount Hiko is located south from here. I have long known that there is a crystal hidden in one of its rocky caves. A

Buddhist teacher has been dwelling in that cave for a long time, diligently engaging in practice and devotions. Go there to search for it." The Great kami at once transformed himself into an old man

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mountain-mandalas-9781474249003/ © Allan G. Grapard (2016) Mountain Mandalas Shugendo in Kyushu Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC and went to Wisdom Cave. Hōren knew this elder was a kami but nonetheless asked, "Where are you from?" The kami answered, "I am an old man from these parts. I have come here to become your disciple. Moreover, I have a request." Hōren said, "What is it?" The old man said, "When you obtain the crystal, I wish you would bestow it on me. I have no other expectation." Hōren then acquiesced. The old man rejoiced and served Hōren just as [Rin-]tō Dannō served the Immortals in total self-abnegation. Hōren made much progress and, not unlike the imperial prince who had been able to make donations, he pledged to save people and accumulate great merits. He diligently practiced for years without suffering from physical or mental exhaustion. Before twelve years elapsed a divine dragon grasping the crystal emerged from the rock and presented it to Hōren, who then spread his sleeves with his two hands and, deliberate and self-composed, finally took possession of it. The name Tamaya [Crystal Cave] is derived from that event. A clear spring of water gushes forth from the spot where the dragon appeared. No amount of rain can cause it to overflow, and no drought can cause it to dry up. In summer it remains extremely cold; in winter, it remains quite tepid. Sprinkling this water on one's body can eliminate disease; drinking it extends one's longevity. Should the world be about to suffer unusual changes, this water becomes turbid. After

Hōren acquired the crystal he composed a Japanese- style poem in honor of the source of water:

“Do supplicate the crystal [wish fulfilling gem] dwelling pond, [for] it is the mark of Mount Hiko’s providence [tsukushi] in Kyushu [Tsukushi].”

Kōben shōnin [Myō-e] of Togano-o was a man of superior talent and intelligence. Hearing of the miraculous virtue of this sacred cave, [...] he composed the following poem:

“By graceful Mount Hiko’s sacred pond, I bend over and see my purified mind.” At a point when he was about to fall sleep, Kōben had a dream-like experience in which the Avatars appeared and recited the following poem:

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“Should you sit by the pond on Mount Hiko’s high peak your mind shall be purified.”

The priest Ankaku's title-name was Shikijō but he was also known as Ryōyū and was a shrine-monk of the Kibitsu shrine of Harima Province. He was a disciple of Yōsai, of the Kenninji temple, and his father was from the Kaya house in Satsuma Province, and a brother of the prefectural governor. In the third year of Nin’an, when he sailed across the sea and stayed in a Ch’an [Zen] monastery in

China, Ankaku happened to run into Tai-ching at the Zhong-ling monastery. Ankaku spoke to Tai- ching and said, "I have left my native country for ten years by now, for I made the vow to commit to memory the entire Buddhist Canon, and I have been engaged in readings and recitations without resting, day or night. Whenever I forget, I kowtow in front of the Buddha, hoping for a hidden omen.

By now I have memorized half the Canon." Tai-ching praised him, saying, "Your will must be strong and firm, for you have been able to reach this point without ever giving up." When Ankaku returned to Japan he stopped by the Munakata Shrine in Chikuzen Province, and then drew spring water from

Crystal Cave on Mount Hiko in order to fill his ink stone. He personally copied the Canon for over forty years, until he reached more than seventy years of age. He completed his task on the sixteenth day of the twelfth month of the first year of the Shōgen era; his copy of the Canon can still be seen today in the Storehouse of the Munakata Shrine. This feat was accomplished with the assistance of the spring's miraculous virtue.

Once he had acquired the crystal, Hōren conceived the following thought, "I now have in my possession, thanks to the Kami, an object difficult to obtain. I shall repay the divine favor by first going up to the Upper Sanctuary to express my gratitude. Secondly, I shall go to Usa to thank the

Great kami.” As he had walked about twenty chō away from the temple he approached a steep slope about three-chō-long. Kneeling down on that slope there was an old man who begged for the precious crystal, but Hōren was so attached to it that he would not meet his need. The old man said,

"A monk is forbidden to lie, and must firmly adhere to discipline. Why do you fail to observe our past

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Master Hōren gave the resplendent crystal to the great Kami who became protector of the north entrance to the imperial palace. Although India and Japan are different, the principle is the same.

This numinous [Crystal] cave can be entered by senior yamabushi only; the rest of the yamabushi must stay outside and that is why the depth of the sacred spring is not known. In ancient times someone reported the following, "Even if there is no water, it is sacred because it hides a dragon in its depths. Should there be only a little water, it is still sacred because of the dragon. What then should be said if it is deep? It being sacred within the sacred, why should one be chagrined that it might not be [as deep as] Lake Anavatapta?" The foregoing is but one drop in the history of this divine spring.

In the ninth month of the fourth year of the Yōrō era the two provinces of Hyūga and Ōsumi were in chaos. The court requested that rites be performed in Usa, as a consequence of which the uprisings were quelled. An imperial order subsequently promoted the prefectural governor Uto-no-kami and others in Buzen Province to the rank of general, and ordered the Usa shrine's sacerdotal officiant

Karashima Katsuhazume to stand guard and decorate portable shrines, and furthermore promoted the august Kami to the rank of protective Kami. At that time the Avatars of the Three Peaks of

Mount Hiko, along with Hōren, Ninmon, Kegon, Kakuman, Tainō and others, devised celestial tactics, and the officials and soldiers' prowess and strength were like the wind bending down grass: the rebels collapsed like smashed watermelons. The corpses of the defeated rebels were strewn all over the east, west, south, and north, like so many eggs crushed under Mount Tai. Order returned to the two provinces and the people lived in peace and tranquility. After the rebels had been vanquished,

Hōren practiced solar visualization at Mount Takabaru. Purple clouds and radiant light arose from the ridge and covered the Island's governor's mansion, glowing like candles over the mountains and

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mountain-mandalas-9781474249003/ © Allan G. Grapard (2016) Mountain Mandalas Shugendo in Kyushu Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC plains. Villagers and farmers of the area reported the event to the governor and to the court, and an imperial order summoned Hōren to the capital. The place where the imperial envoy came to announce the order was named Kōbaru, and a structure was erected to let the envoy take a bath; this place is named Yunosako today. Hōren went to the mountains with the official envoy, who informed him that the emperor granted him the title of Grand Master. The edict said, "Hōren shamon whole-heartedly engages in mystic attainment and dwells on the Buddhist Teachings’ path; excelling in medicinal skills, he has cured people and prevented their suffering. Such virtuous people must be rewarded. Thus, in the sixth month of the fifth year of the Yōrō era, the emperor grants the surname Usa to those among his kin who hold the third rank and above." Hōren bid farewell and returned to the mountain where he used to live, and became ever more diligent in his practice.

In the first year of the Jinki era the Great kami Hachiman uttered an oracle, "In the past the provinces of Hyūga and Ōsumi were in chaos. The fighting caused many to die or be wounded, and I feel compassion for them. I hereby express my desire that a ritual assembly of Release of Living

Beings be performed in order to exalt the spirits of these dead." A sacerdotal official submitted the oracle to the court, and the emperor gave an order to sponsor the ritual assembly. In the middle of the fall of that year sacred palanquins were removed from the main shrine and carried to Wama

Beach on the fourteenth and fifteenth days. The following day, Hōren and his four companions, various shrine-monks, and community members chanted the Outflow chapter of the Saishōōkyō, and released shellfish into the sea. The Hachiman ritual assembly of Release of Living Beings originated in those circumstances. In the first month of the second year [of the same era], again in accordance with an oracle on the part of Hachiman, the emperor issued an order to move the

Koyamada Shrine and erect a temple on the east side of the Hishigata Shrine and to the west of the hamlet of Hiashi. A statue of Miroku was placed therein, and the temple was named Mirokuji (also known as Jingūji), and Hōren was appointed to its abbacy. Hōren also built a temple near the

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Kokubunji of Yamamoto County in Kōge district, and he placed in it an image of Kokuzō Bosatsu, hence the name of the temple. This statue is in the Kokubunji today. Ninmon, Kegon, Kakuman, and

Tainō together took charge of the temples in Rokugō [the Kunisaki Peninsula], and installed there statues for the protection of the country. On the twenty-third day of the seventh month of the first year of the Tenpyō-Shōhō era the government granted yearly assignments of one monk to Mirokuji and one to Mount Hiko. On the nineteenth day of the fifth month of the eighth year of the Hōki era the Great kami revealed in an oracle that he would take Hōren as his master, and he shaved his head and left his family to receive the ordination. In the middle of the Enryaku era under the reign of

Emperor Kanmu, an imperial mandate to build the Takanosu Kannon in the Yamamoto county of

Buzen Province was issued. The imperial order named Hōren as its founder. There is a sacred stone located to the east of the temple; it is said that the Great kami Hachiman descended onto it and paid daily homage to Hōren. Hōren was several hundred years old in the tenth year of the Kōnin era, but his natural energy and good health still enabled him to endure austerities. He never tired of going back and forth the many leagues between Usa and Mount Hiko. One day, as he arrived at the

Sanctuary of the Three Avatars, a large goshawk flew over and dropped a feather before leaving. As

Hōren picked it up to inspect it he saw that it was inscribed with a message instructing that the traditional graphs for writing the name Hiko should be changed. Hōren thought this an exceedingly auspicious sign, but he did not dare divulge it to anyone. That same year, an imperial order summoned him to the capital. The emperor highly praised his skills in ritual performance, invited him to the inner palace, and issued the following edict, "I have often heard that Hōren is a most talented person in this country, an immortal of Japan. Therefore, the orthography of the mountain and the shrine where he dwells shall be changed, and the temple is hereby renamed Ryōzenji." The emperor then granted Hōren a gold brocade robe, and in order to ensure constant economic support he granted boundaries of seven leagues in each direction to mark the territory of the sacred

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Hōren returned to the mountain he devoted himself to erect the Main Shrine, the Associate Shrines, various Buddha Halls, the Sutra Repository, and the Bell Tower. The Twelve Shrines symbolize the twelve generations of the Kami of Heaven and Earth, and the forty-nine caves stand for the Tosotsu heavens. Three thousand people dwell on the mountain and live in eight hundred temples. It is reported that Hōren was an avatar of Miroku, and that Hachiman established the Mirokuji temple and invited him to be its abbot.

What is transmitted from generation to generation cannot be wrong. Today, however, scholars tell us of decline and prosperity in the history of Mount Hiko, and regard Hōren [not as its founder, but] as its restorer. As far as Shugendō is concerned, Ozunu was the first patriarch, Gyokuren was the second patriarch, Hōren was the third patriarch, and Raren was the fourth. There subsequently appeared a certain Zōkei, in the eleventh generation after Ozunu and one of Hōren's talented three thousand disciples. There is a Zōkei Sanctuary on the mountain, and from this we may infer that

Zōkei was no common man. Furthermore, it is said that this mountain's most important festivity, the

Matsu-e ritual festivity, originated with him. Every year in the midst of spring, from the eleventh to the fourteenth day, food is offered at this Zōkei Sanctuary. At such time, a sacred bird flies overhead.

One of its wings is white like snow. If the country is at peace, it pecks the food; otherwise, it flies away at once. This omen has been proved to be true.

After it was discovered that old manuscripts had been damaged by insects, people who

share a common purpose completed the document above.

Genki 3 [1572], 3rd month, eleventh day.

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Rokugō Kaizan Ninmon Daibosatsu Hongi

“The Principal Record of the Great Bodhisattva Ninmon, Founder of the Rokugō Cult Center” (19th century)

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This Land of Yamato is an auspicious land born of the august union of the kami of Heaven Izanagi and Izanami, who were descended from Kuni-no- tokotachi-no-mikoto, first of the seven generations of the kami of Heaven. This union took place upon the Floating Bridge of Heaven. In the process of giving birth to the rulers of the land, these kami begot four other kami—(Ōhirume-no-mikoto,

Ōnamuchi-no-mikoto, Tsukiyomi-no-mikoto, Hiruko-no-mikoto, and Susanoo-no-mikoto. The Great kami Amaterasu is the first of the five generations of kami of Earth; enshrined in this Land of Japan, she invested Oshihomimi-no-mikoto with the Three Sacred Regalia, proclaiming,

'These are the precious emblems of sovereignty under Heaven. Place them not in a separate abode, but reside with them.'

The fifth generation of these kami of Earth was Ugaya-fukiaezu-no-mikoto, whose son was Emperor

Jinmu, first in the lineage of sovereigns. During the reign of Emperor Chūai, fourteenth generation in the unbroken lineage of humane sovereigns, the existence of an abundant land west of Japan was revealed in an oracle to the emperor. The sovereign set out for this land but passed away while campaigning, whereupon his consort Jingū, fifteenth generation of humane sovereigns, issued the following proclamation to her minister Takeshiuchi:

'Sankan is a rich land bequeathed to the late emperor by the kami, but it is an enemy to us. Woman though I be, I shall rally the kami of Heaven and Earth and subjugate that land.'

Moved by this imperial intention, the minister did not respond for a time; then he respectfully submitted the following:

'Since that land is far away and since half the year has already passed, a time when the seas are difficult to fathom, we must decide without delay on the time and place by divination, and then

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Thereupon, while the construction of an imperial residence was under way at Toyoura in Nagato province, an assembly of the kami of Heaven and Earth, both great and small, was held. They submitted their support as follows,

'This is a suitable location for the council of war and for the preparation of the fleet.'

The empress was exceedingly pleased and, although she was a woman, her heart was filled with valor. She then issued a decree to the Bureau of Worship, whereupon a day and a direction were divined. She was presented with a suit of armor upon completion of the preparations. When she appeared, her armor refurbished and helmet cord fastened, she stood seven shaku tall, and her body of silver-complexioned beauty was beheld; her beauty radiated upon all, as befits the ruler of the nation. The departure for battle was resplendent; the courtiers in her entourage, even the ladies, accompanied her. The Takiguchi sentries wore their weapons and guarded the imperial palanquin both front and behind. The imperial forces teemed about her like swirling clouds. When the empress entered the imperial residence, the Eight Hundred Myriad kami convened and were received in audience by the empress. Among those present were the venerable kami of Sumiyoshi, skilled in strategy. An imperial decree was issued, commanding that these kami be entrusted with the task of devising the strategy for the forthcoming expedition. Soon an announcement was made in return:

'The plan of the Sumiyoshi kami is to send a fang-shih to the palace of the Dragon King in order to borrow the two magic pearls that control the ebb and flow of the tides. Thus may we proceed to that country and subjugate it without bathing our blades in blood. Furthermore, our guide upon the seas will be a certain Azumi-no-Isora who resides in Shikanoshima in Chikuzen. (This is the venerable kami Furō, whose shrine is in Chikugo Province.) This kami is a most knowledgeable being. Let him

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When the empress proclaimed in this way, all responded approvingly and the kami was accordingly summoned to the palace. But there was then a consultation in the council over the matter.

'Since Isora has left the human realm and no longer consorts with men, the wish of the empress is difficult to fulfill. What shall be done?'

Then a certain kami proposed the following recommendation:

'Because the kami Isora is in constant sorrow, he sleeps on the bed of the sea. Thus, barnacles have come to cover his face and his countenance is disfigured. He is ashamed to be seen and so he does not venture forth.'

Another suggested:

'Be that as it may, the kami Isora surely has a fondness for music. We must decorate the dragon and phoenix barges, erect a dancing platform on the beach at Toyura, and attire the dancing maidens stylishly. When the music plays and the maidens' sleeves of silk gauze and brocade flutter in the breeze, then the kami will certainly appear.'

The empress then decreed, 'Let these preparations be made.' Thus when the dances had begun and were at their midpoint, the kami Isora, overcome by feelings and oblivious of himself, gave in to his desires and came to join the maidens in their dance. At this time the imperial request was made known to him, and he respectfully answered:

'A desire is growing within me as I look upon your countenance and admire your graceful deportment. If you fulfill my desire, I will borrow and present to you the two pearls that control the tides.'

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'What is your desire?'

'I have conceived thoughts of love for you and harbor a desire that you grant me your affection.'

The empress replied:

'Your desire would be a simple matter to fulfill, but in my womb I shelter an imperial prince. I dread to perform what is both an encumbrance and a pollution.' At that moment the imperial prince within her womb spoke forth, declaring:

'The conquest of the enemy land is for the sake of the late emperor, and subjugating that land will bring honor to my reign. Grant him his desire, for it causes me no discomfort. This is not a personal affair; it is for the good of my reign.'

The younger sister of the imperial consort, Shikanoshima Daimyōjin (enshrined in Chikuzen) was chosen as the fang-shih, and the kami Isora was appointed as her attendant. Upon their arrival at the palace of the Dragon King, the imperial request was delivered:

'We are about to cross over to the land of Sankan to conquer it. We would like to borrow the two pearls, the pearl of the flood tide and the pearl of the ebb tide. We carry in our womb an imperial prince. When he is born, we will make the daughter of the Dragon King his bride.'

With this promise the empress obtained the two precious pearls and proceeded to Sankan, which she subjugated to her will. Upon returning from the conquest, she gave birth in Chikuzen. Thus came into existence Emperor Ōjin, the sixteenth generation of sovereigns. Then, in accordance with the contract that had been made earlier, the dragon princess was welcomed and installed as consort.

Four imperial princes and princesses issued from the dragon princess' womb. Imperial Prince

Hayabusa Wake became Emperor Nintoku, seventeenth generation of humane sovereigns; he is now

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(According to one tradition they numbered twenty-six.) The reign of Consort Jingū lasted sixty-nine years, and she lived to the age of a hundred years. On the 15th day of the Fourth Month of Jingū, she passed away and was buried in the imperial tomb at Misaki no Tatanami. Her spirit was reborn in the capital of Ch'en in China and received the name Seibo Ōhirume. When this spirit later came to

Japan, it was enshrined in the two provinces of Hyūga and Buzen. The reign of Emperor Ōjin lasted forty-one years; he lived to the age of 111 years. On the 15th day of the Second Month of Ōjin 41, the emperor passed away and was buried at the Shrine of Akira (this shrine is located on the site of the palace of Homuda in Kawachi province). His spirit was also reborn in the capital of Ch'en in

China, where it revealed that its name was Hachiman.

The coming of this spirit to Japan was based on the vow to protect the successive emperors. The spirit is enshrined in the two provinces of Hyūga and Buzen. However, from the beginning of the

Taihō era it has resided at leisure upon Mount Ogura in Usa. From the beginning of the Taika era on, this spirit began the development of the Rokugō Mountain Conglomerate; from the beginning of the

Tenpyō era on, it resided at Ryōzenji on Mount Omoto. By the middle of the Hōki era, the incarnation of this spirit took the tonsure and received the title of Ninmon Daibosatsu; he is the

Daibosatsu who founded the Rokugō Conglomerate. Furthermore, the four imperial princes and princesses born from the womb of the dragon princess manifested themselves in Usa during the

Yōrō era and received the names of Wakamiya, Wakahime, Ure, and Kure. These are the protective kami who destroyed the Hayato barbarians of Hyūga upon their insurrection. They are the Avatars of the Four Shrines.

The Genealogy of Hachiman's Conception

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Nittenshi entered the mouth of ohirume and thus impregnated her: Father: Nittenshi

Mother: ohirume

Their August Offspring: Hachiman. (The Mother is the reincarnation of the spirit of Consort JingË.

Offspring is the reincarnation of the spirit of Emperor ojin.)

The Three Shrines of Usa

The August

1. The Shrine of the Daibosatsu, wherein Hachiman resides, was established in

WadØ 5. 2. The Shrine of the Great Divine Princess, wherein Seibo ohirume resides, was established in TempyØ 5. 3. The Shrine of the Great Warrior Princess, wherein Consort JingË resides, was established in KØnin 14.

Origin in China and Coming to Japan

About one hundred and eighty generations after the Three Kings and Five Emperors, Emperor Wu of the Ch'en ruled in China. His posthumous name was Pa hsien, his personal name was Hsing kuo, and his family name was Ch'en. He had been originally a feudal lord of Liang; succeeding to the Liang, he ascended the throne in the first year of the Yung-ting era, thus founding the Ch'en dynasty.

The spirit of Consort JingË (who had been the fifteenth generation of humane sovereigns in Japan) was reborn as the daughter of Emperor Wu of the Ch'en in the first year of the Chung Ta t'ung era of the Liang, 278 years after her death. Her name was Seibo ohirume; in other words, she was the mother of Hachiman. She conceived at the age of seven while still a child. The court ministers were stunned, and the emperor questioned the child, saying,

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'To conceive while still in childhood is mysterious. Whose seed to you carry?'

The princess replied:

'With no man have I lain. Only, in a dream, the radiance of Nittenshi entered my mouth and the light of the sun permeated my breast. From that day forth my body and mind have known no peace. Thus have I conceived a child.'

The emperor, together with his ministers, exclaimed in surprise at such a supernatural event and summoned an astrologer, commanding him,

'Tell us what you make of this.' The astrologer replied respectfully: 'He whom the princess has conceived is an imperial prince. However, he is not to be a sovereign of this realm. In the east there is a land known as Great Japan. He will be the sovereign of that land. ohirume served as his mother in the reincarnation of Nittenshi.'

Since the words of the princess were in no way at variance with this statement, the emperor at once erected a separate residence to which his daughter was moved and there treated with great respect.

The days and the months passed, and finally the last day of the maturation of the last moon arrived.

While an exotic fragrance filled the room, purple clouds trailed across the sky and eight white banners descended from Heaven. Soon thereafter the umbilical cord was cut. Thus the imperial prince was born, bringing the emperor boundless pleasure. Day by day the child grew in his favor.

From commoner to minister, all the people in the land rejoiced, and thus a year passed by. When the prince entered the first month of his second year, the ministers queried him, saying:

'Have we reached this time [of imposition of the name] so soon?' The imperial prince replied, 'My name is Hachiman.' All concurred with this. Marveling all the while, they held him in greater

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Liang—which corresponds to the 243rd year after the death of Emperor ojin, sixteenth generation of humane sovereigns—the daughter of the sovereign of Ch'en conceived a child while in her seventh year. This child was the reincarnation of the spirit of Emperor ojin. Its name was Hachiman. Having founded the twenty-eight temples of the RokugØ center, he received the precepts and entered the priesthood. His Buddhist title was Ninmon Daibosatsu.

Principal Events of the August Life

The birth.

The birth took place in the first year of the Ch'eng-sheng era of the Liang in China, thus corresponding to the 13th year of the reign of Emperor Kimmei, thirtieth generation of humane sovereigns in Japan. The coming to Japan.

This coming took place in the first year of the Shao-t'ai era of the Liang in China, thus corresponding to the 16th year of the reign of Emperor Kimmei.

The creation of the RokugØ Conglomerate took place when Hachiman was ninety-seven years old. A total of more than seventy years was required to complete the creation of the center; this period lasted from Taika 4 in the reign of Emperor KØtoku (thirty seventh generation of humane sovereigns) until YØrØ 2 in the reign of Empress GenshØ (forty fourth generation of humane sovereigns). The ordination took place when Hachiman was 226 years old. On the 18th day of the

Fifth Month in HØki 8 during the reign of Emperor KØnin (forty-ninth generation of humane sovereigns), HØren was summoned to serve as Master of Ordination.

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Hachiman passed away when he was more than 230 years old. On the 26th day of the Tenth Month in Enryaku 2, during the reign of Emperor Kammu (fiftieth generation of humane sovereigns), he passed into the Pure Land of the Buddha without achieving nirvåˆa, in the KakyØ Cavern on Mount

Omoto.

His Journey to Japan

In the first year of the Shao t'ai era in China, when Hachiman was four years old, the emperor himself bestowed upon him the Three Sacred Regalia—a pearl scepter, a silver scepter, and a seal— together with the eight banners. He then placed mother and child into a dugout. There was an oracle that the emperor related:

'You do not belong to the realm of men. Wheresoever this dugout may drift and go ashore, there will be your domain.'

The parting brought tears to the eyes of even the emperor. Among the genuine sorrows of separation from loved ones it is the parting of parent from child that most fills the heart with poignancy. The court officials tried to conceal their grief but their sleeves grew heavy with unchecked tears. The mood was full of sorrow. Although but a child, the princess repressed her grief and bade farewell in a manner befitting a filial daughter; the infant prince also took leave in a seemly manner. At these praiseworthy utterances the ladies of the court wept and a myriad sleeves were wrung as one by one they bade farewell and took a doleful leave.

When the princess had herself closed the door of the dugout, they embarked upon countless leagues of billowing, azure sea. Miraculously, a divine wind suddenly arose and instantly wafted them onto the beach of Kamiso in ChØshi, in osumi province in Great Japan. Hearing the sound of wings, those

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Mother and child lamented, 'How have we come to be so far from our native place?' While they were sleeping, a monkey came and stole the prince's seal and then, holding it in its paws, frolicked in the treetops. When the princess bemoaned this loss, the prince went to the base of the tree, picked up a pebble, and began to toss it from his left hand to his right. Being an imitative animal, the monkey passed the prince's seal from its left paw to its right.

While so doing it accidentally dropped the seal and the prince was able to retrieve it, once again possessing all of the Three Sacred Regalia. At this time one corner of the seal was chipped. (The

Three Sacred Regalia are now housed in the Treasure Hall.) Then the people of the village gathered around mother and son; to show their hospitality, the lord of the manor took them under his protection and built a temporary house for them.

The Sacred Stone

Next there occurred a strange event. A stone spontaneously sprang forth from the ground at a place a little more than two chØ from the northeast corner of that Hall. Its height was about three shaku and its breadth was two shaku. The villagers were dumbfounded as they noticed that it bore the following inscription:

In time of old on the Mount of the Numinous Eagle He expounded the Lotus Sutra; Now residing in the Main Shrine, He manifests Himself as the Daibosatsu.

This verse was clearly inscribed. The people of the village kept this a close secret and constructed a

Four hundred and four years after this event, at the beginning of ChØshØ 1 in the reign of Emperor

Sutoku (seventy-fifth generation of humane sovereigns), a person observed this stone. He reported this to the emperor, upon whose decree a shrine was erected. This is revered as the Shrine of the

Stone Hachiman at osumi Ichinomiya.

Once, during his sixth year, the prince was performing his devotions before the stone that had sprung forth, and after the completion of his vows, he was possessed by a supernatural power and flew into the emptiness of the sky, riding upon a dragon horse. Not a province did he miss, nor a place did he fail to see. At the time of these rounds of the provinces in the four directions, in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of Emperor Kimmei (thirtieth generation of humane sovereigns), there was an elder who worked as a blacksmith in the vicinity of Iwashimizu near

Rendaiji at the foot of Mount Maki in Buzen province. It happened that an omen of a strange nature manifested itself in a form with one body and eight heads. Hearing of this, people went to witness it themselves, but of the five who went three died, and of ten who went five died. The people were therefore filled with terror and none would venture to see it. When the Elder oga no Higi went and beheld it, there was no trace of men. A golden goshawk was perched on top of a grove of trees.

When Higi the Elder saw this he performed devotions, reverently inquiring,

'Who is it that manifests this metamorphosis? Is this an action of the kami?'

He repeated his devotions, whereupon the goshawk suddenly was changed into a golden dove.

When Higi the Elder saw this divine transformation, he understood it to be an indication from a kami that would profit mankind. He therefore practiced with sincerity and diligence the austerity of abstinence from the five cereals for a period of three years. Then, on the occasion of his renewal of

'If you are a kami, reveal yourself to me!'

Whereupon the form of a child appeared on top of a bamboo leaf and proclaimed:

'I first descended from Heaven in an imperial residence in China. I take as my symbol the eight streams of white banners, becoming the kami of the Source of the Sun. I am entrusted with the direction of all living beings. With the intention of serving these beings, I present myself in this form as manifestation of the Buddha Shakamuni. I am Emperor Homuda, Hirohata Hachiman, sixteenth generation of humane sovereigns of this land of Hinomoto. My name is Gokoku- reigen-iriki-jinzË- daijizai-Ø-bosatsu.'

This manifestation of Hachiman occurred in the 29th year of the reign of Emperor Kimmei (thirtieth generation of humane sovereigns), but not until the 10th day of the Second Month of the 31st year of the same reign was he first worshiped by oga no Higi the Elder, who performed devotions of great earnestness.

Heavenly Radiance

In the same year of this reign a miracle occurred on Mount Maki. A golden radiance appeared each morning in the eastern part of the sky. When provincial officials went to investigate the matter, they found there an elder who tended the sacred pond of Usa in Nonaka, in the district of Shimoge; this elder was three hundred years old. In answer to their questions, the elder replied,

'To the east in Usa lives oga no Higi the Elder. You should question him.'

The officials went to ask Higi the Elder about the occurrence of the miraculous radiance. He answered in reply:

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'I have lived in this place for five hundred years, yet I do not know the fundamental cause of this radiance. To the east on Hisashi Shore lives oga no Hichi the Elder. You might ask him.'

Then the officials went and questioned Hichi the Elder about this occurrence, and he replied clearly:

'To the south is Mount Maki. Upon this mountain lives a man called Hachiman. He has now appeared as a kami in order to have mercy upon all living beings for the ages to come. That must be his extraordinary radiance.'

When the officials followed the elder's instructions and ascended the mountain to investigate, they found three large stones there. A large goshawk was perched on top of one of the stones and emitted a golden radiance. The officials paid reverence to it and then hurried back to the provincial office, which informed the emperor of these events. The emperor then proclaimed:

'Was it because the dragon-horse resided on that mountain that it was called Mount Maki? Now that a kami has manifested itself there, what should it be called? Let it be called Mount Moto.'

According to the letter of the imperial command the scribes recorded the new imperial name as

Mount Omoto. Because this is a manifestation in stone that thus exhibits its imperial nature, its formal title is Avatar of the Stone

Substance. Beside the Upper Shrine is the Well of Mitsu; its miraculous water is full and clear, and is known as the Fragrant Water of the Alms Bowl. Even when the rain falls, it does not increase; even when the sun shines, it does not decrease. Truly this is the non-increasing/non-decreasing water of

Wisdom, a wonder from ancient times to the present. Not a single leaf ever falls into this spring; neither in frost nor in snow does it freeze. Truly it is strange, supernatural water! According to The

Account of the Peregrination, the width of the Bowl is six sun and its depth four sun. The six great practitioners mention these miraculous waters that protect the nation in the three ages of the

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Correct Law, of the Imitation of the Law, and of the Decline of the Law.

Here it was that oga no Higi erected a temple in the Namue Grove southeast of Usa in accordance with his vow. He called it Yakushi ShØonji and enshrined in this sacred place statues that he had carved himself of Yakushi nyorai and his two attendants NikkØ bosatsu and GakkØ bosatsu. Further at the base of Mount Maki there is an extraordinary cave known as Mount Nakatsuo. He erected a temple there and named it Kannonji; it is a storehouse of miraculous events in the time of

Hachiman. Just as in ancient times the minister Takeshiuchi had entered the recesses of the mountains in Mino province never to emerge again, this is the sacred place where oga no Higi the

Elder entered the cave, never to emerge. This is the place where Higi the Elder passed away.

Mortification of the Flesh

In truth, the years of Hachiman's ascetic practices were long and his meritorious deeds were many.

One of the most remarkable of his austerities and ascetic practices took place at Kuchi-no-dai, a scenic cliff at the foot of Mount Maki, southeast of Nakatsuo. On account of the completion of

Hachiman's ascetic practices, men called this place Mount Aburatori. It is also called Mount ShØshin.

Every three years casks of oil in the amount of seven koku and five to are taken to this place for the practice of mortification of the flesh by fire—a reenactment of his vow to protect the successive emperors as a manifestation of his desire to save all living beings.

Truly the golden aphorism that likens the compassion of the Buddha for all living things to that of parents for their children is not without significance. Even in the age of the Buddha, Yaku-Ø bosatsu performed the austerity of mortification of the flesh by fire. In our own age, during the reign of the

Liang in China, P'u- ts'ang and P'u-hsien performed this fire austerity on Mount Tiantai. These are reverently commemorated as practices by one that benefit all.

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The Protection of the State

When Hachiman attained his fortieth year, three avatars in the guise of mortals came to him and said: 'Our names are TainØ, Kakuman, and Kegon. In accordance with our aspiration to perform Buddhist ascetic practices, we wish to join you and perform these practices with you. We have come here now for this reason.'

In accordance with the profundity of Hachiman's spirit they then joined him as companion practitioners, as had been the intention of the three avatars when they manifested themselves. The months and years of their lengthy and unremitting practice numbered more than seventy. During that time they made pilgrimages to many places and provinces, and they built temples for the subjugation of foreign countries bent on conquest.

Hachiman declared,

'As a kami enshrined in this auspicious site, I shall ward off and destroy Mongol invasions.'

As they were searching for an appropriate location they came upon the broad and pure pine grove at Hakata Bay in Chikuzen province. Since this was a superior environment for the dissemination of the teachings of the kami and the buddhas, they buried there a box symbolizing the Triple Science

(of Discipline, Concentration, and Wisdom), and marked the site by planting a pine tree.

(Construction was begun on this site more than two hundred years later. This is the present

Hakozaki Hachiman Shrine.) In his ninety-seventh year Hachiman declared to his companions:

'The subjugation of foreign countries is for the protection of the successive emperors and for the peace and tranquility of Japan which shall be coeval with Heaven and Earth. In keeping with this pledge I intend to establish temples in all regions where the Buddha's law is promulgated. What do

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When they heard this, his three companions respectfully answered: 'This is indeed an appropriate time!'

The Lotus in the Mountain

This was in Taika 4 during the reign of Emperor KØtoku, thirty-seventh generation of humane sovereigns. The district of Kunisaki in the provinces of Buzen and Bungo consists of six counties

[RokugØ]. Here the companions took the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra as a model in establishing twenty- eight temples. Such was the origin of the foundation of the Twenty-Eight

Temples of RokugØ. In accordance with the three sections of the sutra, the temples were divided into three groups: the head, the center, and the base. There are eight base temples, ten center temples, and ten head temples. (Altogether twenty-eight temples.) The sub-temples of these head temples number more than one hundred, and the total number of representations of the buddhas is based on the number of words in the Lotus Sutra. Having conceived the wish to enshrine these

69,380 august representations in the sacred space of the twenty-eight temples, ninety-nine sacred caverns, and more than one hundred sub-temples,

Hachiman and his three companions made their spirits as one and founded these temples one by one. When a day and a direction had been determined by divination, carpenters, stonemasons, statue-carvers, and painters joined them and created statues of the buddhas. Upon the cliffs

Hachiman and his three companions portrayed the seedletters and the mantras. That is, they themselves carved the sacred statues of the Buddhas of the Two Mandalas and drew Siddhaμ representations of the buddhas. The light of the Buddha radiated fully at that time and like grass in the wind their will conformed to it.

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Visit to China

In the meantime, Hachiman was guided by the Buddha's will. Days and years elapsed, but still the work on the sacred precincts was not half finished. Yet Hachiman abruptly resolved to go to China. In

TaihØ 1 during the reign of Emperor Mommu (forty-second generation of humane sovereigns),

Hachiman received the full transmission of the teachings bequeathed by Chih-i to his disciples on

Mount Tiantai. He learned the Triple Science of Discipline, Contemplation, and Wisdom, and mastered the profound doctrines of the Tiantai lineage. Having received the depth-interpretation of the Lotus Sutra, he returned home to Japan in the third year of the same era. Arriving at Mount Ogura, Hachiman addressed the

Lord of the Polar Star, saying,

'I intend to move to this mountain to relieve all living things with you. Are you agreeable to this?'

The Lord of the Polar Star consented, and then instructed him as follows:

'There is a mountain called Mount Hiko west of here. On that mountain is a kami who has buried a crystal within a rocky cavern. By going there and returning with this wish-fulfilling crystal in your possession, you shall minister to all living beings.'

Upon this, Hachiman repaired to Mount Kawara and conversed with its kami, who gave him these instructions:

'Mount Hiko is located south of this mountain and the crystal is hidden within its rocky caverns. I have known this for a long time. Living in that cavern, an extraordinary priest has long been searching for the Law. Become his disciple and seek the crystal.'

Immediately transforming himself into an old mountain-man, Hachiman arrived at the Wisdom Cave

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'Where are you from? ' Hachiman answered:

'I am an old man of this mountain and have come here to become your disciple. I have one request to make of you.'

HØren replied, 'Let your wish be known.' The old man then said, 'When you obtain the precious crystal, please give it to me. HØren gave his assent. The old man rejoiced and served HØren for three years, just as RintØ DannØ served the

Immortal in total self-abnegation in his quest for the Law. By his single-minded concentration and his mental and physical efforts, HØren had accumulated great merits through ascetic practices. Before thirty years had elapsed a divine dragon emerged from the rock, clutching the crystal in its claws, and presented it to HØren. Spreading the left sleeve of his garment in front of him, HØren bore the crystal aloft, finally in possession of it. However, not wanting to part with it, he did not comply with

Hachiman's earlier request. The old man pleaded, saying,

'Without actually giving the gem to me, simply acknowledge in words that you grant it to me.'

Unable to remain silent, HØren then said, 'I grant this crystal to you. It is now yours.' As this utterance was made, the crystal flew of itself into the old man's hand. Shouting,

'My wish has been fulfilled!' the old man ran away dancing for joy and hurled the crystal into the air.

From the place where it landed a crystal-clear spring of radiant water gushed forth. For this reason the site is known as Gyoku-i-zan KØmyØji. Distracted, HØren searched everywhere, but the crystal

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The old man abruptly ascended into the sky and HØren flew up in pursuit. The old man went up to the summit of Mount Inoyama in the village of Isayama in the district of Shimo, and raising his voice, he howled at the top of his lungs. This scream was heard as far as Mount Ishizuchi in Iyo province.

Then the old man transformed himself into a golden goshawk and, accompanied by a yellow dog, flew back to the top of the rock on Mount Inoyama. There, using human speech, he said:

'I am Hachiman himself. In ancient times, having received the Three Sacred Regalia as emblem of human sovereignty, I governed myriads of people in peace. Now, having acquired this precious crystal, I intend to protect the imperial lineage. That is why I would like you to really give me that crystal.'

At this point HØren decided to grant the crystal in conciliation. Thus the rock is known as the

Conciliation Stone. The avatars of the goshawk and of the dog were transformed into stone statues that remain on the summit of Mount Inoyama. Having secured the crystal, Hachiman returned to

Mount Ogura and informed the Lord of the Polar Star that his wish had been fulfilled. Thenceforth he remained with that lord while continuing to erect temples. In Keiun 3 HØren came from Mount

Hiko and joined Hachiman to become his companion in ascetic practices. Hachiman was now accompanied by Kegon, TainØ, Kakuman, and HØren. While these five companions devoted their energies to erecting temples, a shrine dedicated to Hachiman was built in Usa in accordance with an imperial edict issued in WadØ 5 during the reign of Empress Gemmei (forty-third generation of humane sovereigns). From then on this shrine has been known as Ichi no Goten. In YØrØ 2 during

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The Hayato Rebellion

In YØrØ 3 Hayato tribes in the provinces of osumi and HyËga built seven fortifications in Yatsura, Kuwabara, Shikamu, Kamino, Soono, Ishishiro, and Himeshiro. In order to conquer Japan the Hayato formed an alliance with the Mongols from a foreign land and fomented a rebellion in these two provinces. As Hachiman's mother lamented this state of affairs, a copper halberd descended from heaven, and she decided to accept this heavenly gift. Likewise the empress received an oracle from various buddhas and kami in a divinely inspired dream:

'If it were not for the supernatural powers of Hachiman obtained by his ascetic practices on the

RokugØ mountains of the Kunisaki district of Toyo province, you would not be able to subjugate the foreign brigands and the Hayato tribes.'

Thereupon an imperial messenger was sent to the shrine of Hachiman. As Hachiman renewed his vow to the Heavenly and Earthly kami in order to honor the imperial command, the kami of the four shrines manifested themselves in the land of Usa. These are the Great Avatars of the Four Shrines

(Wakamiya, Wakahime, Ure, and Kure). Placing these four kami at the head of a military procession, the governor of Buzen province, Uno no Obito no Ohito, a man of the sixth rank, led the rest of the government's army. They took the portable shrines of the avatars of the Four Shrines to the provinces of HyËga and osumi, and set the army on the march. As Hachiman, together with his four companions Kegon, HØren, TainØ, and Kakuman, performed the esoteric rituals dedicated to the

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Five Great Ones on the RokugØ mountains, one thousand lanterns were hung from the palace of the Dragon King as a token of his protection. In proportion to the protection bestowed on them by the various buddhas and kami, their ascetic powers grew even greater. Because of such supernatural omens this site was named the Five Caverns of the One Thousand Lanterns. While the dazzling radiance of the thousand lanterns bathed the whole firmament in light, furious waves heaved up, lashing against heaven. Although the Mongol fleet numbered more than ten-thousand ships, both the foreign brigands and the Hayato tribes were crushed to pieces and perished in no time as Hachiman brandished the Heaven-granted halberd throughout the four quarters, using his supernatural powers, the protection granted him by the buddhas and kami, and the protection given him by his mother's supreme devotion. The ships of the seven demons were seen adrift in the chaotic waves. When the pirate ships capsized, each and everyone of the foreign enemies perished.

(The rebellion lasted from the 3rd to the 4th year of YØrØ.)

The government's army returned from battles in the provinces, guarding the portable shrines of the

Four Avatars. The heads of the foreign rebels were buried in a remote pine grove at Usa and the place was named KyØshi-haka. Following the subjugation of the Hayato rebels, peace and tranquillity were restored to the people and to the empire. Then the four kami were returned to their original residences. However, statues were carved in the likeness of the avatars for the benefit of all generations to come. These are worshipped as the

Avatars of the Four Shrines. Having fulfilled his vow, Hachiman decided to dedicate a sacred image of

FudØ myØ-Ø, primary support for his contemplative practices, to the emperor. He painted it with his own brush and asked MyØken, the ascetic leader of Mount Iwadate, to be his messenger in charge of the scroll and scriptures. When MyØken reached Harima province and looked out to sea, he came

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'For the benefit of all ages to come, the scroll itself should be kept on Mount RokugØ.'

This is why the scroll came to be known as The Bandless FudØ; it is kept as one of the sacred treasures of the RokugØ Conglomerate and is enshrined at the Futago Temple. Even today the eight- hour rite and other rituals and ceremonies are performed as they used to be in ancient times.

Another imperial decree was issued, proclaiming:

'TheRokugØ mountains in the west contain sacred caves symbolizing the subjugation of foreign countries. Rituals shall be performed there upon imperial decree, for the peaceful maintenance of the country so that it be coeval with Heaven and Earth.'

Thereupon MyØken was appointed to the rank of Master of Discipline. When the report about the seven-headed demon reached the emperor, various court officials held a council and concluded that to bury the head of a foreign enemy in the grounds of the palace would incur pollution. Therefore, in compliance with an imperial order MyØken buried it on a mountain in his own province and firmly sealed the tomb with a boulder. This place is now known as the Iwato Temple on Mount Iwadate. At that time Hachiman carved two statues of FudØ myØ-Ø. He kept the smaller one on his person and enshrined the other in the Great Lecture Hall to be used as the object of the rites performed against foreign enemies. In the Tenth Month of YØrØ 4 an auspicious sign appeared while Master HØren

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Release of Living Beings

In autumn during the Eighth Month of Jinki 1, the Rite of the Release of Living Beings was performed for the first time. Hachiman declared:

'Because I set my mind on governing the world from generation to generation by means of forced conversion and all-embracing compassion, I have taken many lives. In order to bring these spirits to salvation, a ceremony to return living beings to freedom shall be performed. In ancient times, when a military expedition was made to Sankan, my form in a previous existence threw the two pearls controlling the tides into the sea. These pearls smashed seashells and conches to pieces and burned innumerable fish to death. At the same time a horde of barbarians also perished. Now it seems that each and everyone of the Hayato tribes of osumi and HyËga drowned in the ocean. In order to thwart the Mongol invasion, the kami of Heaven and Earth assembled and built an island named

MukØjima in the middle of the sea off osumi province. This island is made of seashells. Countless fish also lost their lives. For their spirits I shall recite the magical formulas from the Outflow Chapter of the Sutra of the King of Supreme Victory so that, released from whatever realm they abide in now, they may be reborn in the realm of the gods. This holy ceremony should be performed before a temporary shrine to be erected on the beach of Wama.'

On the 14th day of the Eighth Month in the autumn of Jinki 1, Hachiman thus entered the temporary

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KokuzØ bosatsu

Nyoirin Kannon

YakuØ Daibosatsu

Yakushi nyorai

Takanosu

Yamamoto

Kunawa

Takayama

HØren

Kegon

Kakuman

TainØ

Each of these Four Great Temples enshrined its own principal statue and performed grand ceremonies that most marvelously evoked the Manifestation of the Pure Land on This Earth. When the silk sleeves of the twenty-five bodhisattvas flutter in the breeze to melodies of the court music

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Ceremony of Penitence for the Six Organs of Perception was held. On the 15th day there was a procession at high tide to the floating shrine. While all the priests of the Four Great Temples chanted

Sanskrit stanzas in unison, various offerings were dedicated to the malignant spirits. The spectacle of these ceremonies was without parallel. Such ceremonies for the Release of Living Beings came to be performed thenceforth in the various provinces of our nation. On the 27th day of the Second Month of Jinki 2, Miroku ZenjØji was built by imperial decree to enshrine a statue of the Buddha of the

Future. A bell two feet three inches tall was cast. This temple is located in the Grove of Hiashi, east of the Hishigata Shrine. (This is Mirokuzen'in of Usa.) HØren was called upon and appointed head of this temple in compliance with the agreement made at the time when Hachiman obtained from him the wish-fulfilling crystal.

Hachiman Enters the Cavern

On the 13th day of the First Month in TempyØ 2, Hachiman moved from Mount Ogura in Usa to

RyØzenji on Mount Omoto. Two statues of Tamon tennØ and Jikoku tennØ were enshrined in the

KakyØ Cavern on this mountain, and secret rituals dedicated to Shakamuni were performed each month. (At that time

Hachiman was 179 years old.) The cavern is a site for ascetic practices, a sacred grotto for the performance of rites for the good of all living beings for all ages to come. It is situated at the crest of the Peak of Immutability, where one leaves the lower world and enters the Buddha's path. The avatar manifested himself in the immutable body of FudØ myØ-Ø, who guards the ten directions,

KakyØ Cavern is located to the south of the Upper Shrine. KakyØ is the name given to the two caverns situated southwest of the Reclining Buddha. Statues of various buddhas and bodhisattvas of the Two Realms are enshrined within. In the deep recesses of the grotto, where the two caverns converge, Hachiman passed away. The cavern is only two-hundred yards long. One cavern is located to the south; its entrance faces the northeast. Sacred water of 'no-increase/no-decrease' flows therein. The other is located to the north, but faces south. It soars loftily and splits into two branches. Standing at their base, one can see as far up as one-hundred-odd feet.

Hachiman Takes Vows

On the 15th day of the Fifth Month in TempyØ 9, some thirteen years after he had founded the

Miroku-zenjØ Pavilion in the Grove of Hiashi, Hachiman invited the Great Venerable Master HØren to the land of Usa. (HØren had become the head of that temple of the 15th day of the Fifth Month in TempyØ 9.) When Hachiman was 226 years old, he became a monk between eight and nine o'clock in the morning of the 18th day of the Fifth Month in HØki 8 during the reign of Emperor KØnin (forty-ninth generation of humane sovereigns). He invited HØren to be his ordination master in order to take the Triple Refuge and to receive the Five Precepts. Hachiman then proclaimed:

'Killing shall henceforth be prohibited and the compassionate release of captive animals shall be practiced. However, when the nation faces great danger, this injunction shall be repealed for the sake of the country. There ought not to be any misgivings about this matter. I am a manifestation of the buddhas of the past and am endowed with the body of the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion.

Once I achieve the rank of buddha my teachings shall be revered as teachings of the scriptures. And what I proclaim under my form as a Shinto kami people shall look upon as oracles. Such is the Truth

Although Shakamuni nyorai is now considered to have transcended this world at the end of his life on earth, he does not exhibit any signs of extinction. The world changes, but the divine does not. In the text of the Lotus Sutra, which everyone should protect, it is said: "The Buddha resides in permanence on the Mount of the Numinous Eagle, yet he also dwells in various other places." This is the basic tenet of the Great Vehicle.'

Thereupon Hachiman invited Master HØren to a peak located some five- hundred yards south of his residence on Mount Maki and, asking him to serve as his master of ordination, took the tonsure and received the ordination. His Buddhist name was Ninmon Daibosatsu. Such was the holy title bestowed upon him at the time of his ordination. This is why the peak is also called Peak of

Ordination. As for the bejewelled ceremonial crown, his divine hair, and the tonsure box that were dedicated to this site, all of them were miraculously transformed into stones and are now preserved, as new as ever. On the slope of the moun tain, one mile southwest of the peak, there is a stone seat for correct meditation. This is the site where Hachiman achieved Complete and Perfect Awakening.

This also became a rock, still to be seen today under the name of Seat of Perfect Awakening. Its diameter is three feet eight inches from west to east and three feet eleven inches from north to south. Its thickness is nine inches, although some people say that it is eleven inches. The depth at the center is unknown.

On the 26th day of the Tenth Month in Enryaku 2 during the reign of Emperor Kammu (fiftieth generation of humane sovereigns), at the age of 232 years (seven years after he had taken the vows), Ninmon Daibosatsu passed away in the KakyØ Cavern on Mount Maki, never to emerge again. Hence the 26th day of the Tenth Month is the commemorative day for Hachiman in the

RokugØ mountains, and ceremonies of gratitude are performed then. The

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Peregrination Route Rediscovered

In TenchØ 2 during the reign of Emperor Junna (fifty third generation of humane sovereigns), forty three years after Ninmon Daibosatsu had passed away, a certain NØgyØ secluded himself in the cavern of Mount Tsuwado (the site of Suigetsuji) and began ascetic practices with the vow of beholding Ninmon Daibosatsu in the corporeal form. He completed these practices in SaikØ 2 during the reign of Emperor Montoku (fifty-fifth generation of humane sovereigns), having accumulated nearly thirty-one years of ascetic exercises.

In days past the peregrination around the mountains of RokugØ and the austerities were performed by the five companions upon completion of the temple complex. Afterward, even though he had become a bodhisattva, Hachiman continued lengthy and arduous practices, firmly establishing the

Conglomerate as a supreme site for the benefit of all living beings. The peregrination circumambulating the mountains has no other purpose. Master

NØgyØ's secular name was Usa, and he was from Buzen province. He was a great ascetic who made the peregrination around the EkØ Peak of RokugØ, and as such embodied the full range of virtues.

Even though Master NØgyØ had accumulated merits and virtues through his practices, such as living for some ten thousand days in the cavern of Suigetsuji on Mount Tsuwado, he was not able to visualize Ninmon Daibosatsu. Therefore he did not know the proper course of the peregrination. But in the depth of the night of the 21st day, as NØgyØ was performing the sixth hour penitence with tears in his eyes, his prostrated body drenched with perspiration, an extraordinary fragrance

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'I am an ascetic who performed austerities on this mountain in the past. You have being doing excellently! Your sins are now extinguished and all obstacles to your awakening are removed. Since the proper time has come for you to behold the divine, I have come to you to reveal the course of the peregrination around the high peaks of RokugØ. In order to correctly perform the austerities in these mountains, you must envision them as a sacred space composed of three realms: Upper,

Middle, and Lower. These realms, each with three subdivisions again, correspond to the Nine Realms of the Pure Land and to the Nine Sections of the Diamond Mandala. The overall structure of the

RokugØ mountains are a natural manifestation of the double three-pronged thunderbolt.

The ascetics who perform austerities in these mountains therefore penetrate the Diamond Mandala.

There are two courses for the peregrination, symbolizing the Diamond Mandala and the Womb

Mandala. One course begins at the Cavern on Mount Ushino and ends at Mount Yokogi. This course passes alongside the sea. In days past, this is where I practiced. The three districts in the east, Yasuki,

Musashi, and Kisaki, represent the left part of the thunderbolt. The three districts in the west,

Yamako, Tashibu, and Kunawa, represent the right part of the thunderbolt. Merging harmoniously, they form the six counties. Those who are born here are destined to be companions and good friends of the Law. Our bond with the Law is firm and the time for achieving release from the cycle of transmigration is at hand. One should await the coming of the Buddha of the Future in this place, ceaselessly chanting the scriptures and absolutely prohibiting killing. Those monks who aspire to leave their footprints here should protect this mountain and perform austerities by making peregrinations to the various sacred sites. I am Hachiman. My Buddhist name is Ninmon Daibosatsu, and I reveal to you the path to Awakening. Preserve it well within you and skillfully transmit the Law to generations to come. I am a manifestation of Amida.'

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Thus completing these injunctions, Hachiman suddenly vanished. Master NØgyØ was ecstatic and exclaimed,

'My wish has been fulfilled, and the hope of all living beings has been realized!'

Then he declared formally:

'This is Amida's sacred mountain, dedicated to the benefit of all living beings, the seashore where

Kannon bosatsu left her traces.'

Tradition has it that Mount RokugØ represents the Nine Realms of the Pure Land. Its eight valleys are an eight petalled lotus blossom representing the Nine Sections of the Diamond Mandala and the eight-petalled lotus at the center of the Womb Mandala. The purpose of building temples by dividing these eight valleys into twenty-eight precincts is to represent the heart-mind of the Wondrous Law of the Lotus Sutra, which consists of twenty-eight chapters in two divisions, and furthermore to represent the Pure World of Dainichi nyorai, whose symbol and image are the lotus blossom. To borrow from the stanzas of Enchin's Renge-zammai,

"These mountains are the permanent residence of the heart-mind of the Marvelous Law,

They are the Lotus Pedestal on which the Buddha rests."

Takizawa Bakin

The Great Etiological Record of Futagoji Temple of the Rokugō Mountain Temples Conglomerate.

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[両子寺大縁起 Futagoji Daiengi, dated 1817]

Translation by Allan Grapard

[I have used the text contained in Terada Gōen, ed., Futagoji Engi (Saeki Press, Oita 1987), pp. 58- 73].

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The Ashibiki Futagoji Temple of the Rokugōzan [Six Districts] Complex is located in the Kunisaki District of Bungo Province. It is said to be the first Tendai temple established in Japan, and that it was founded by the Great Bodhisattva Ninmon. It is reported that in the eighth month of Yōrō 2,viii during the reign of the forty-sixth sacred ruler Genshō, ninety-nine shrines and sacred caves, and twenty-eight temples arranged in three groups corresponding to the three sections of the Lotus Sutra, were completed.

The founder of this temple, the Great Master Ninmon, is held to have been a grandson of the Chinese Emperor Ch'en and, in Japan, a reincarnation of Emperor ōjin, that is, the

Great Bodhisattva Hachiman. Emperor Wu bore the personal name Pa-hsien, and his family name was Ch'en. Originally a feudal lord of the Liang dynasty, his distinguished services in battle earned him a promotion to the post of general, and he eventually ascended the throne under the name Wu. While he was still a lord he had no male heir, but a daughter of his dreamt, when she was only seven years of age, that the sun had penetrated her mouth: she conceived a child forthwith and seven years later bore a son. Because of the many confounding occurrences that surrounded his grandson, the grandfather shunned him and ended up repudiating him.

From then on the child was taken care of by commoners. As a small boy he displayed remarkable ambition, and by the age of four was already four feet tall, thus exceeding the normal height of teenage boys. Brilliant by birth, he displayed a sharp intelligence, and as a matter of habit worshipped the sun. He held the imperial court of Japan in such high respect that he wished to manifest himself in our land, and he stole into the gallows of a merchant ship and after a long travel made landfall at the beach of Uraiso in Chōshi, ōsumi Province, in the eighth month of the 16th year of the reign of Emperor Kinmei. ix Everybody felt suspicion toward the child stranger, however. When asked where he had come from, he declared: "In

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China I was the grandson of Lord Ch'en, and in this country I am a reincarnation of the sixteenth Emperor, Homuda.x My spirit will manifest itself in the provinces of Bungo and Buzen so that it may fulfill its vow to protect the imperial lineage and the peace and tranquility of Japan, and assist in subjugating foreign countries. Due to my profound admiration for the teachings of the Tendai School I was reborn in China, where I was able to master the Triple Science of Discipline, Contemplation and Wisdom without even studying them, and I realized the teachings of the kami and the buddhas. From this point on I wish to be called Yawatamaro because, after all, it is still too early to reveal my true form. There is a mountainous area in the Kunisaki Peninsula in Bungo Province where I shall live in seclusion to await the appropriate moment [to reveal my true form]. This mountainous area shall be called Mount Futago [Twin Peaks], for it symbolizes the teachings of the kami and buddhas alike, of which I shall be the symbol. It is so because Shinto and Buddhism are like twins who share the same womb: although they are distinct when taken separately, one cannot say which was born first. Like a lid hermetically fitting a pot, Shinto and Buddhism are the essential teachings of our land. Should you entertain any doubt concerning this pronouncement, before two cycles of eight springs are completed, something shall occur that will cause you to ponder."

Having thus spoken Hachiman entered the mountains and disappeared. His words gained no credence among the populace. However, in the tenth month of the thirty-first year of Emperor Kinmei's reign (seventeen years had elapsed), a three-year old child from a commoners' family living by Hishigata Pond near Mount Umayado in the Usa district of Bungo Province was suddenly possessed and uttered the following oracle,

"I am Emperor Homuda, Hirohata Yawata [Hachiman], the sixteenth generation of human sovereigns. My divine title is Gokoku-reigen-ishin-daijizai-ō-bosatsu. Though I manifested myself in various lands, I now am in this land and direct you to visit the current emperor's court and request that a shrine be erected for me."

People immediately reported this to the court, and an imperial order to build a shrine was issued. Suddenly eight banners plummeted from the heavens and settled in the eight corners

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Feeling pity for Hōren, Ninmon transformed himself into a golden goshawk and, accompanied by yellow dogs, went up the mountain, where he and Hōren fought over a little bird lying on the grass. Suddenly, Hōren achieved awakening, and the flames of desire burning within him soon died. Realizing that he did not measure up to Ninmon, he decided to grant him the jewel. The stone on which the two sat is now called Conciliation Stone, while the goshawk and two dogs were transformed into massive boulders that can still be seen on Mount Inoyama. Ninmon then told Hōren, "The Lord of the Polar Star's oracle enabled me to make your acquaintance and acquire the jewel. This event must be celebrated in the future on the day of this great vow' s realization."

Upon the establishment of the three groups of temples, a shrine was erected; that is Itai- Myōken, a sub-shrine of the Upper temples. Also as a consequence of these events, the mountain was renamed Polar Star Peak. Ninmon later gained three disciples named Kegon, Kakuman, and Tainō. Together with Hōren, the four became outstanding companion practitioners and did not miss a single day of practice. Their austerities originated in the spring of Taika 4,xiii during the reign of Emperor Kōtoku, and lasted more than seventy years. During that time they established many temples; powerful and wealthy people from various places in Kyushu contributed wood and stone materials, and the temples thus were completed. These temples are located in the six districts of Musashi, Aki, Kunisaki, Imi, Tashibu, and Kunawa. Upon completion these temples were collectively referred to as the Enriki Temples of Rokugō. The temples numbered twenty-eight, so that they would correspond to the number of chapters of the Lotus Sutra, and were divided up in accordance with the three sections of the Lotus Sutra into three groups: the Upper temples (Motoyama),

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Upper temples

(Mountain name, temple name, name of main object of cult)

Mount Ushiro [Kongōji]: Yakushi nyorai

Mount Yoshimine [Reikiji]: Amida nyorai [tathāgata]

Mount Ōori [Hōonji]: Kannon bosatsu [bodhisattva]

Mount Kurakake [Jingūji]

Mount Tsuwado [Suigetsuji]: Shō-Kannon bosatsu

Mount Saiei [Takayamadera]: Yakushi nyorai

Mount Ryōyaku [Chionji]: Yakushi nyorai

Mount Maki [Denjōji]: Amida nyorai

List of sub-temples (thirty-three):

Tsujiono-san Saimeiji, Shōkei-san Ōtanidera, Kawabe Iwaya, Sairen-zan, Batōdera, Itai Myōken, Dainichi Iwaya, Nakatsuo-san Kannonji, Karōzan, Shōkōji, Saishō Iwaya, Kami- Mikado, Naka-Mikado, Shimo-Mikado, Hanatsu Iwaya, Fugen Iwaya, Myōkakuji, Kaiken-zan Raigōji, Renge-zan Fukiji, Seiryūji, Hanai Iwaya, Mondenji, Ryōi-zan Nishiyamadera, Asahi Iwaya, Yūhi Iwaya, Kaizan Midō, Gobutsu Iwaya, Inazumi-san Jionji, Hino-san Gankyōji, Ganmoku-san Aikyōji, Ima-Kumano-san Taizōji, Kōmyōji, Hōshū-bō, Zuikyū-bō, Harai Jizō.

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Middle temples

Mount Ashibiki [Futagoji]: Senju Kannon bosatsu

Naga Iwaya [Tennenji]: Yakushi nyorai

Mount Kongō [Chōanji]: Senju Kannon bosatsu

Mount Karei [Gankyōji]: Kannon bosatsu

Mount Kume [Gokokuji]

Mount Kurotsuchi: Batō Kannon bosatsu

Ko-Iwaya [Mudōji]: Yakushi nyorai

Ō-Iwaya [Ōrekiji]: Senju Kannon bosatsu

Mount Fudaraku [Sentoji]: Senju Kannon bosatsu

Mount Yokogi [Tōkōji]: Yakushi nyorai

List of sub-temples (thirty-two):

Harai Jizō, Uwa-dō Kannon, Bishamon-dō, Jirōmaru-dō, Daiman-bō, Kachimizu Kannon, Fuzokuji, Mine Kannon, Ko-Futago Iwaya, Ryūmon Iwaya, Tamaisan Kōmyōji, Kissui-san Manpukuji, Yamaguchi Jizōdō, Tafuku-in, Akamatsu-san, Ma--- Iwaya, Ushiro no Iwaya, Ishi- dō Iwaya, Harai Iwaya, Kōmyōji, Tōkei-zan Mirokuji, Bishamon Tahō-in, Maruonodera,

Uchisako no midō, Byōdōji, Shingakuji, Ō-Fudō Iwaya, Ko-Fudō Iwaya, Shiritsuke Iwaya, Fugen Iwaya.

Base temples

Mount Kenji [Tōkōji]: Amida nyorai

Mount Ōtake [Jingūji]: Yakushi nyorai

Mount Iwadate [Iwatōji]: Yakushi nyorai

Mount Gabi [Monjusenji]: Monju bosatsu

Mount Ebisu [Reisenji]: Senju Kannon bosatsu

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Mount Ogi [Hōmeiji]: Roku Kannon bosatsu

Mount Ryūge [Jōbutsuji]: Amida nyorai

Mount Sansha [Gyōnyū-ji]: Fudō myōō [vīdya rāja]

Mount Saihō [Seijōkōji]: Enmyō Kannon bosatsu

Mount Kakehi [Seiganji]

List of sub-temples (twenty):

Fugen Iwaya, Mikoshi Iwaya, Ōkyō Iwaya, Sanjūbotoke Iwaya, Tatsumoto Iwaya, Nishiura Iwaya, Chōshi Iwaya, Shishi Iwaya, Bishamon Iwaya, Akako Iwaya, Jōbonji, Ima-Ebisu Iwaya, Yakeo Iwaya, Ganjōjūji, Kokuzōji, Jōdoji, Kongō-zan Hōonji, Kichijōji, Kifukudera, Sugisan Rurikōji.

Some caves bear the same names as some temples; they are the oldest temples in Kyushu, sacred sites unparalleled in history.

In the fall of Yōrō 4,xiv Hayato tribes in the provinces of Ōsumi and Hyūga rebelled against the court and ransacked the land; they stole government property and killed innocent people. Upon an edict from Usa an army was raised, but the Hayato were strong and the imperial army faced difficulties. The court was stunned, and upon deliberation the nobility issued an edict ordering Ninmon to perform rituals for the protection of the state. Thereupon, Ninmon and his disciples secluded themselves in the Cave of Five Sapiences, where they displayed a scroll representing Fudō myōō and venerated him, and performed the esoteric rituals of

Isshitsu Godan.xv As they were officiating at night with fervent devotion, one thousand dragon lanterns flashed across the surface of the sea, and several hundred white doves took off in flight, leaving the beaches and the branches of pine trees. The following day the imperial army vanquished the enemies of the court, and the rebellion was quelled.

Upon receiving the provincial governor's report of success the emperor was exceedingly pleased, and when he heard of the miraculous event that had taken place at the Cave of Five Sapiences, he immediately made the temples of Rokugō recipients of imperial support, and

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Ninmon was granted the title of bodhisattva. The emperor thus learned that the Enriki Temples of Rokugō are a sacred space where the bodhisattva Kannon manifested itself; he also learned that the founder Ninmon was born to a foreign lord as a reincarnation of the great bodhisattva Hachiman, had come to Japan as a child and, in the course of a long period of austerities, had established a course of ritual peregrination in Rokugō and had converted many people; that he had led people out of their ignorance, had unremittingly worked for peace and thus subdued the enemies of the court. This was all due to [Ninmon's] supernatural powers and to the combined virtues of the kami and buddhas of Usa and Rokugō. Thus, the court granted estates in the amount of more than one hundred chō and summoned Ninmon to court with his painting of Fudō myōō and the Lotus Sutra.xvi Ninmon , however, declined because of his advanced age, and sent his disciple Myōken, the ascetic leader of Mount Iwadate, as a substitute.

Myōken presented the scroll and the scripture to the emperor, who was much pleased to lay his august eyes on them; that is why he kept the hanging bands of the painted scroll— which thereafter came to be known as the "Bandless Fudō," one of the treasures of the Rokugō center of cult at Futago Temple at the present time. Myōken was then promoted to the rank of Master of Discipline. Furthermore, because the skulls of foreign enemies could not be buried in sacred grounds belonging to the court, Myōken took them and buried them on a mountain in his own district and firmly sealed the tomb with several layers of boulders. This site is now known as the Iwatōji Temple of Mount Iwadate.

At that time Ninmon carved two statues of Fudō myōō. He kept the smaller one on his person and enshrined the other in the Lecture Hall used for the performance of rituals against foreign enemies. In the tenth month of Yōrō 4,xvii an auspicious sign appeared while Hōren was performing a meditation on solar light on Mount Takabaru. An imperial summons was issued and, in the fifth year of the same era, guided by an envoy, he paid a visit to court at

Heijōkyō,xviii where the title of Great Venerable Master was conferred upon him. In compliance with an imperial decree he then built the Kannonji Temple on Mount Takanosu in

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Buzen Province. He stayed there for seven years—from the establishment of Rokugō until the first year of Jinki.xix During that time, Ninmon and his disciples continued their ascetic peregrinations to the various peaks of the six districts.

In the eighth month of Jinki 1 the Rite of Release of Living Beings was performed for the first time, at the same time as it was in Usa. Thereafter, Hōren moved to Yamamoto (Kokuzō bosatsu enshrined); Kegon moved to Takanosu (Nyoirin Kannon bosatsu enshrined); Kakuman moved to Kunawa (Yakuō and Ninmon daibosatsu enshrined); and Tainō moved to Takayama (Yakushi nyorai enshrined). These four temples’ anchorites performed grand rites dedicated to these deities in such manner that the manifestation of the Pure Land in this world was wondrously evoked. When the voices chanting Sanskrit texts resounded in the air, ceaselessly filling the ears, and as the silk sleeves of twenty-five bodhisattvas fluttered in the breeze to courtly melodies that rang in heaven and shook the earth, the meaning of the aphorism "The Pure Land is not far distant" became most evident.

On the 13th day of the first month of Tenpyō 2,xx at the advanced age of one hundred and seventy-nine years, Hachiman moved from Mount Ogura in Usa to Ryōzenji Temple on Mount Omoto. Statues of Shakamuni, Monju and Fugen, and of Bishamonten and Jikokuten, were then enshrined in the Kakyō Cave on that mountain. The reason why the mountain is called Omoto ["Imperial Grant"] is that the court had allocated more than eight hundred chō-worth of estates to Ninmon in perpetuity, in recognition of his power to subdue the enemies of the court. Thus, when he built Ryōzenji Temple, Ninmon renamed the mountain Omoto to show his gratitude. Kakyō Cave is a site dedicated to the permanent performance of ascetic practices, it is a sacred cave where rites for the benefit of all living beings for all ages to come are performed. It is located to the south of the Upper Shrine. Kakyō Cave is the name given to two grottoes found southwest of the Reclining Buddha [Nebotoke]. Statues of various buddhas and bodhisattvas of the Two Mandalas are enshrined therein. This is where Hachiman passed away. The caves are separated by a mere two chō. One cave faces northeast; sacred water of no-increase/no-decrease flows therein. The other cave faces

On the 15th day of the fifth month of Tenpyō 9,xxi some thirteen years after he had founded the Hall of Meditation at Mirokuji Temple in Usa, Ninmon invited the Great Venerable Master Hōren to Usa in order to take direction of the temple. Several decades later, on the 26th day of the tenth month of Enryaku 2 in the reign of Emperor Kanmu,xxii at the venerable age of two hundred and thirty-two years, the great bodhisattva Ninmon ’s accomplished face and exercised bones still showed signs of vigor but he knew in advance the time of his death and passed away in Kakyō Cave on Mount Maki [Omoto], never to emerge again. Some say that the place where he passed away is the sacred cave of the Sentōji Temple on Mount Fudaraku. There are other theories, but since a long time has passed, no certitude concerning the matter can be gained. In the community of the twenty-eight temples and their seventy-five sub- temples, not one person failed to lament upon learning of his death, and this included the lay followers of villages close and distant, as well as all animals of fur and feather: it was like the nirvāṇa of the Buddha and as though everyone had lost their beloved mother. Commemorative observances of Hachiman thus always take place on the 26th day of every month, as is still the case at present.

The other disciples passed away shortly thereafter. Kegon (a son of Masaki Takatsukasa, a native of Abeno in Yamato Province) passed away in a house in Ochiai domain, in the Shimoge district of Buzen Province. Hōren (a son of Abe Chūnagon, a native of Heijō) passed away in the Takanami town of Hachimatsu in Usa District. Kakuman (a son of a descendant of the Yoshino house, native of Kikuchi in Higo Province) passed away at Kōnoya Valley in Hayami District, Bungo Province. Tainō (his secular name is unknown, but he was a native of Nōtō) passed away in the same place as Kakuman did. Each was more than one hundred and eighty years of age; Hōren was the oldest, and he was no less important than the great bodhisattva Hachiman, with whom he had already established a bond in the course of former lives. Throughout the course of a life in which he deigned to maintain a great longevity, he

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A few decades later, during the Tenchō period in Emperor Junna's reign,xxiii a sage named Nōgyō appeared. Master Nōgyō's secular name was Usa, and he was from Buzen Province. He wished to accomplish the ritual peregrination to the ninety-nine sacred caves as had been done in the past, but no one remembered the proper course to follow. He then secluded himself in the cave of Mount Tsuwado and initiated austerities in the hope of gaining a vision of the great bodhisattva Ninmon in his corporeal form. More than thirty years dedicated to austere exercises elapsed. On the 26th day of the tenth month, Saikō 2 of Emperor Montoku's reign,xxiv an extraordinary fragrance pervaded the cavern and a thousand lights illuminated the mountain. A serene, solemn-faced old monk appeared in the light shining down from above and, hovering above the cave, spoke to Nōgyō,

"I am an anchorite who performed austerities in these mountains in the past and created this temple. For a long time now, you have performed the six-hour penitence rites; you have displayed an ever-growing energy resulting in the strengthening of your intent, and you have accumulated great virtue. Your sins are now extinguished. Time has come for you to witness my true form. There are two routes for the peregrination. One course begins at the cave of Mount Ushiro and ends at Mount Yokogi. This course passes alongside the sea. This is where I practiced in days past. The three eastern districts are Aki, Musashi, and Kunisaki, and the three western districts are Imi, Kunawa, and Tashibu. Those who are born there are de-facto my disciples. In your case especially, our bond is firm, and the time for achieving release from the cycle of transmigration is at hand. You should await the coming of the Buddha of the Future in this place, ceaselessly chant the scriptures, and absolutely prohibit killing. Buddhism shall flourish if people engage in the ritual peregrination. Nevertheless, the saying goes that the prosperous must decay, just as youth must age; hence, should foreign enemies and those who are inimical to Buddhism become active in later generations, our temples may fall in disrepair. I have

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mountain-mandalas-9781474249003/ © Allan G. Grapard (2016) Mountain Mandalas Shugendo in Kyushu Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC built these twenty-eight temples, organized them in three groups, and the mountains are sacred for they represent the royal scripture of the Greater Vehicle of Buddhism. The Futagoji Temple of Mount Ashibiki will ultimately become the head-temple of the Middle group. This is where I secluded myself when I came to Japan long ago, and it is the symbol of the depth of my vow. More than half of the statues kept therein are my work: Amida nyorai in the Lecture Hall, Senju Kannon bosatsu in the sacred cave of Oku-no-in, Fudō myōō in the Goma Hall, and various buddhas and bodhisattvas in other sacred temples and caves. I regret to have no heir; however, the fact that there is no shrine yet dedicated to guardian divinities is something I regret even more. You must build a shrine on the grounds of Futagoji Temple where these divinities will be worshipped as Ryōsho gongen [the Avatars of Twin Peaks]. Ryōsho has the same meaning as Futago [Twins]: Futago refers to Usa and Rokugō, the combined bodies of kami and buddhas. Shinto and Buddhism are like a lid that snuggly fits a pot, and cannot ever be separated. For this reason I have called this mountain Futago, have built there the Futagoji Temple, and have founded the caves in the sub-temples. The reason why there is a Cave of the Newborn at the bottom of the Base temples, and on the mountain of Futago at a peak called Iya [afterbirth], is as follows: in the past, when Empress Jingū conquered Korea, she gave birth to Prince Homuda in the town of Umi in Buzen Province. This place is therefore called Umi [birth], and the names Cave of the Newborn and Iya Peak thus were decided (people of the area call the peak Iyagamine, while afterbirth—iya—is called eya in local parlance). The afterbirth of the prince was enclosed in a box that was buried in the ground, and a pine tree was planted over it. The tree grew in one night and on its trunk there appeared, miraculously engraved, the graphs of Discipline, Meditation, and Wisdom, that is, the Triple Science. This site thus received the name Hakozaki, "Box-Cape," in which the term box refers to the lid-covered pot of Shinto and Buddhism. Therefore, who but Hachiman might be entitled to be the guardian divinity of this box? Dove Peak is the site where, at the moment of the subjugation of enemies in times past, several hundred doves took off in flight to the west, evidencing Hachiman's supernatural assistance. Should you instruct

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your fellow monks of these events and erect a shrine dedicated to the Avatars of the Twin Peaks, Futago Temple shall flourish even if the other temples decay. Do not ever hold these remarks in doubt."

Ninmon ’s figure gradually vanished from sight even as his marvelous voice was still resounding. Master Nōgyō poured tears of ecstasy, which he dared not brush off the sleeves of his dress as he exclaimed, "My vow has been realized, and the hopes of all living beings have been fulfilled!"

He thus expressed his gratitude, at times looking up to the sky and at others bowing down to earth, and he offered various devotions in honor of the apparition. He then descended to Yamato-bō to confer with monks of all three groups of temples, and built a shrine on the grounds of Futagoji Temple, where Usa Hachiman and Ninmon daibosatsu were invoked as Ryōsho gongen [the Avatars of Twin Peaks]. This site still exists today. In the course of the same year the ritual peregrination through the mountains of Rokugō was initiated. Every year, in honor of the deeds of the founder, the abbots of temples and the dai-okkexxv are called on to perform an ascetic peregrination to the 69, 380 statues of the buddhas and kami, in front of which the ascetics pay reverence today. They carry two creels on their backs, one holding a painting of Fudō myōō and the other a painting of the Great Master Ninmon. Since this peregrination entails a wide variety of ritual performances, it shall not be presented here in detail. In this ritual course the ascetics escalate peaks of untold heights and wade across deep and dark valleys. As they perform esoteric rituals in each site, miraculous events always seem to occur. As they approach Deer Peak, real deer do not fail to appear and lead them on their course. There are many other such eerie occurrences. This peregrination is called the mine-iri rite. Among the many sites of cult that are related to the founder and which they visit during that progress, Shukke Peak, "Ordination Peak," located four to five leagues south of Maki Peak, holds the boxes in which Ninmon's coiffed hair, and the razor used to cut his hair at the time of his ordination have been kept, by now all transubstantiated into boulders. However, rare indeed are those who know that location, for it takes incomparable confidence

At the time of the subjugation of the pirate Fuji no Sumitomo, during the Tengyō era,xxvi Futagoji Temple received an imperial edict [commanding it to perform rituals]. According to the custom initiated in the Yōrō era, the Bandless Fudō was worshipped, and the esoteric ritual of Isshitsu Godan was performed. Fuji no Sumitomo was then subdued and the four provinces of the southern sea [Kyushu and its islands] returned to peace.

In Kōan 4,xxvii during the reign of Emperor Go-Uda, Mongols invaded China and Kubhilai

Khan went on to head the Yuan Dynasty.xxviii Their forces grew in number and they appointed several generals,xxix who moved to conquer Korea and then turned toward our land, sent 100, 000 soldiers on 60, 000 ships, which they sailed toward Tsukushi [Kyushu]. Imperial Prince Hisaaki, the Shogun in Kamakura, and the Regent and Protector of Sumō, Hōjō Tokimune, ordered the warlords of Kyushu and the governor-general (tandai) of Tsukushi to raise an army to meet them and, hearing of these preparations and feeling ever more inclined to meet the barbarians with force, the court ordered that offerings be made to shrines and temples, and that rituals be performed for the subjugation of foreign enemies. Because of the precedent that had been set in the Tengyō era, the Rokugō temples were immediately ordered by the Rokuhara Offices to perform esoteric rituals. Even though these events occurred in the midst of the period of degeneration of the Buddha's teachings, all the monks of Rokugō assembled and performed the Isshitsu Godan ritual with the Bandless Fudō myōō set above the central platform; the monks chanted incantations in unison; the smoke of the ritual fires ascended to Heaven in such manner one thought that clouds had covered the high peak of Takanosu; the echo of the wish-fulfilling jewel coursed through the ground, sounding like the waters generated by the divine dragons. Eventually, the marvelous efficacy of the divinities emerged from the strict performance of night-and-day rituals, and the august assistance of the divinities manifested itself concretely: a kami windxxx stormed through the western sea, so that the enemies were unable to land. The sixty thousand ships broke up against the rocks and drifted apart in the raging storm, while one hundred thousand soldiers

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Perhaps due to the fact that the esoteric rituals of subjugation of foreign enemies were performed three times, and that the Bandless Fudō was displayed twice at court, there has been some confusion in old documents, in which the Yōrō disturbance is treated as though it had been a case of Mongolian invasion. The Mongols are descendants of the Northern

Barbarians; the Han Dynasty records refer to them as Kyōdoxxxi or Zen'u;xxxii the T'ang Dynasty records call them Tokkutsu,xxxiii while the Sung Dynasty records refer to them as Kittan.xxxiv Our own nation calls them Mōko. (However, as the official histories have no record of a Mongol invasion in the Yōrō era, it is clear that the word Mongol was unheard of at that time, and this mistake should be rectified).xxxv

After these events the world knew peace. The radiance of Buddhist teachings was sharper than ever, and even though the warlords did not display great faith, the prosperity of the Rokugō temples exceeded that seen at the time of their establishment. However, at the end of the Muromachi era, when Ōtomo Sōrin was Protector of Kyushu, various temples of Rokugō were destroyed in the course of several battles. In the second year of Bunroku,xxxvi [Toyotomi]

Hideyoshi sent an expedition to Korea, and the Protector of Bungo Province, Ōtomo

Yoshimune, lost all his estates in the fifth year of Bunrokuxxxvii because of crimes he had committed on the battlefield. Owing to the behavior of these Ōtomo warlords, the wealth of Rokugō dwindled, the temples lost their traditional economic support, and many fell in disrepair to the point that almost nothing remained and that Mount Omoto was but an empty

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Nagaoka Shikibe, and Otomune Uzaemon. Thus, under the aegis of the Ōtomo, Sugiwara, and

Hosokawa houses, Rokugō was still regarded as a cultic system, and in Kanbun 3,xxxix the warlord announced that the Rokugō temples would be put under the tutelage and protection of Tō-Eizan.xl Thus, the light of Buddhist teachings generated by the founder was not extinguished, and one cannot but remember his prophetic words delivered to Nōgyō, to the effect that Futagoji Temple would remain even as all other temples would decay, although such words offered but little solace in the face of deepening sorrow.

Every cloud has a silver lining, however, and during the Enpō era,xli the abbot Junkei, through years of hardship, managed to restore several of the temples. Moreover, he established records of lay followers and donors, and gathered various historical records. His contribution is impressive. However, this virtuous Junkei also discovered that the establishment of Rokugō preceded by eighty years that of Mount Hiei, and he took this to mean that the Rokugō temples had not, originally, been established by the Tendai school. It is true, as we read in the old documents, that one of Ninmon's companion practitioners,

Tainō, had resided at the Takayama Temple on Mount Saiei,xlii a temple of the Upper Group and dedicated to Yakushi nyorai, and that the greatness of Rokugō is not inferior to that of Mount Hiei. However, the sole fact that the mountain was called Mount Hiei of the West should not lead one to conclude that Tendai had nothing to do with the establishment of the Rokugō temples; as a consequence, the question of whether Mount Saiei or Mount Hiei came first is moot.

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The shrine dedicated to the Avatars of Twin Peaks stands at the base of Polar Star Peak, north of the main temple. Also to the north of the Futagoji Temple, there is a stone bridge, two feet long, that is said to have been built by the anchorite Ontoku, who had served Ninmon. In the front of this bridge is a boulder called Pillow Stone, a boulder Ontoku may have used used for a pillow, or which may be his transubstantiated pillow. Below this bridge stands the Horafuki Stone, where the peregrinating anchorites blow their conch shells. Goma Hall is a secret hall built by the founder, and the smoke of sacred fire has not ceased ever since the Yōrō era, that is, for the past 1, 097 years. During the ninth month every year, all the monks of the Rokugō temples assemble there to perform rites for peace and tranquility of the country, for clarifying the Buddhist teachings, for the prosperity of the estates, for the fertility of the five cereals, and for the welfare of all. Furthermore, the Shūshōe ritual assembly [of the new year] has been performed ever since the Kōan era, and the Hōjōe ritual assembly of release of living beings has been performed ever since the days of old in the Yōrō era.

The Bandless Fudō myōō and the Avatars of Twin Peaks symbolize the supernatural power of the subjugation of foreign enemies and the protection of the imperial lineage. They protect the stability of the world, and thus must be worshipped. Such is the space where the followers of Buddha engage in beseeching him. The Solar Buddha illuminates this aromatic land of unremitting beauty and purity. Ascetic practices allow one to realize the truth of the non-twoness of absolute and relative factors, and to attest to the unity of three thousand worlds in a single moment of thought. What is found here must be transmitted without cease among future generations.

Having perused various records and etiological narratives concerning these temples, I leave the present work to posterity so that there would be no mistake: the foregoing is based on an analysis of old documents and nothing else. Should this pamphlet become a paradigm for the [Futagoji] temple, then my words' purpose will be satisfied.

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Takizawa Bakin.

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Endnotes

i The transliteration of Japanese place-names is notoriously difficult and quite an exciting adventure. Kyushu and Hokkaidō, however, beat all records for unexpected readings. I have attempted to give the proper readings on the basis of three place-name dictionaries, but was unable to find all readings.

In this document I have opted to translate gun as district, mura as township, and chō as village. ii The titles of objects of cult are left in Japanese. Nyorai refers to a Tathāgata; butsu, to a Buddha; myōō, to a king of sapience (vīīya-rāja); bosatsu, to a bodhisattva; tenbu, to a deva; tendō, to a "Heavenly Youth," dōji, to the two "Adamantine Youths" accompanying Fudō myōō; and gongen, to an avatar. iii One chō equals 60 ken, approximately 109 m. The overall course of pilgrimage would thus amount to 2,467 chō, or approximately 269 km. iv Some distances between sites are not noted in the original, which means that the overall distance offered earlier may not be adequate. v It is unclear what value was given to one ri in northern Kyushu at the time. The

Tokugawa government attempted to standardize the ri and make it equivalent to 36 chō, but it failed: regional variations show as few as 40 and as many as 72 chō for one ri. To convert the distances noted above, I have used the official Tokugawa measure of 36 chō for one ri. Geo-positioning systems (GPS) are the only thing that may solve this issue. vi Reading is conjectural. vii 983-85 c.e.

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viii 719 C.E. ix 555 C.E. x Homuda Wake-no-mikoto, who became "Emperor" Ōjin. xi A reference to the meaning of the two graphs read Hachiman: "eight banners." xii A reference to Tamaya, the "Jewel Cave" of Mount Hiko. The other records mentioned in this study speak of Hachiman in the guise of a gray-haired elder, of a young boy, or of a bodhisattva. Bakin here equates Hachiman, the gray-haired elder, and Ninmon. xiii 649 C.E. xiv 721 C.E. xv “Five ritual platforms in one room” indicates rituals dedicated to the five kings of sapience, godai myōō. xvi One chō equals approximately 5580m2. xvii 720 C. E. xviii Nara. xix 724. C.E. xx 730 C.E. xxi 737 C.E. xxii 783 C.E. xxiii 823-33 C.E. xxiv 855 C.E.

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xxv The fourth rank in Shugendō. xxvi 935-946 C.E. xxvii 1281 C.E. xxviii Kubhilai Khan, 1215-1294. xxix Bakin may be confused; here he is talking about the second invasion, by which time

Korea had already been conquered. The generals in question number five, but Bakin offers only “four [by name] and others”. The four in question are Hanbuntora (Han Wen-hu),

Ashikai (E Ci-hai, which may also be Atahai and sounds more like a Mongolian name), Kin To

(Xin Dou), and Kō Takyu (Hong Tu-qiu). xxx Kamikaze. xxxi Xiong-nu. xxxii Dan-yu. xxxiii Tu-jue: Turks. xxxiv Xie-dan. xxxv Bakin interjects his personal note into the record. xxxvi 1592 C.E. xxxvii 1594 C.E. xxxviii 1600 C.E. xxxix 1664 C.E. xl The Tendai headquarters in Edo, referred to as Eastern Mount Hiei.

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xli 1673-81 C.E. xlii Literally, "Western Mount Hiei." Some people in Kunisaki believed that it was created prior to the establishment of the Enryakuji Temple on Mount Hiei in Kyoto, an obvious fallacy portraying a sense of superiority of Kyushu over the Kansai area.

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