Yesterday I happened to explore the north-west corner of Kyoto, in which are located three World Heritage Sites, all of which are Buddhist temples in one form or another. The Golden Pavilion is world famous for its exquisite beauty and … Read the rest
Category: Syncretism (Page 15 of 17)
Shogunate hometown
I found myself recently in the small town of Ashikaga in Tochigi Prefecture. The name is famous in Japanese history as being the family name of the Muromachi shoguns, and sure enough this is where they came … Read the rest
What is it about rock temples? Some of the most stunning spiritual sites are those that perch on cliffsides in China and Burma. Tohoku too boasts the wonderful Yamadera. And on my recent World Heritage trip to the Deep … Read the rest
Tiny Mt Kinkei is a sacred mount and a World Heritage Site. Yet it’s only 96 meters tall and barely noticeable on the Hiraizumi skyline. So why is it so special?
In The Sacred and the Profane, Mircea … Read the rest
In recent days an observant reader may have noticed that I’ve posted entries on Shiretoko in Hokkaido, Shirakawa Sanchi in Aomori and now Hiraizumi also in Tohoku. What do they have in common?
The answer is that they are … Read the rest
On my visits to Buddhist temples, I’ve sometimes noticed round mirrors on the altars and wondered whether this was the influence of syncretic shin-butsu (Shinto-Buddhism). However, thanks to Green Shinto friend and polymath John Hanagan, I’ve now been able … Read the rest
Walking down the Kamogawa river the other day in Kyoto, I passed a wayside Jizo shrine (see above). Nothing very unusual – you see them all over the place. Jizo has to be the most popular deity in Japan, … Read the rest