{"id":29233,"date":"2017-10-13T08:00:30","date_gmt":"2017-10-12T23:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=29233"},"modified":"2020-07-22T00:20:36","modified_gmt":"2020-07-21T15:20:36","slug":"oita-rokugo-manzan-kunisaki-peninsula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/oita-rokugo-manzan-kunisaki-peninsula\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating 1300 Years of History of Rokugo Manzan at Kunisaki Peninsula"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kunisaki Peninsula (\u56fd\u6771\u534a\u5cf6)\u00a0<\/strong>is a beautiful\u00a0rural\u00a0area centred around Mount Futago<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0northern<\/strong>\u00a0Oita\u00a0Prefecture. <\/strong>Here, a\u00a01300 history of\u00a0<\/strong>Buddhism and Shintoism<\/strong>\u00a0and mountain worship\u00a0<\/strong>moulded\u00a0Kunisaki Peninsula <\/strong>into\u00a0an ancient training place for those seeking spiritual enlightenment. The combination of these beliefs have created a local culture, unique to the area, known as Rokugo Manzan.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Kunisaki<\/a>

Rich Culture of Kunisaki peninsula<\/p><\/div>\n

Throughout\u00a0Kunisaki Peninsula,\u00a0<\/strong>twisting roads, winding through walls-of-trees, lead to the various sacred sites of the area. Two of the largest, and most prominent temples here\u00a0are\u00a0Monjusen-ji Temple<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Futago-ji Temple<\/a>, <\/strong>which are within a 50 minute drive of one another.\u00a0To commemorate the 1300 years of history<\/strong> of Rokugo Manzan<\/strong> I visited\u00a0both of these temples, along with a hidden view point of Mount Futago,<\/strong>\u00a0less than an hour’s drive north of Monjusen-ji.<\/p>\n

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What is “Rokugo Manzan” Exactly?<\/h2>\n

Rokugo Manzen<\/strong> (\u516d\u90f7\u6e80\u5c71) translates to\u00a0“Six\u00a0Districts, Full of Mountains”<\/strong>, which originates from the six areas that Kunisaki Peninsula was divided into many moons ago. The founder of<\/strong> \u00a0Rokugo Manzan<\/b>\u00a0was Ninmon Bosatsu, <\/strong>who founded\u00a068 temples here. All\u00a0of which are known as “Rokugo Manzan Temples”.<\/strong> At Rokugo Manzan Temples, you will often find stone statues\u00a0of deities<\/strong>, buddhas<\/strong> and various other holy\u00a0figures<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Stone

Stone Statues at Futago-ji Temple<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Statues

Statues at Monsen-ji Temple<\/p><\/div>\n

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Futago-ji\u00a0Temple\uff08\u4e21\u5b50\u5bfa\uff09<\/h2>\n

As the name may suggest,\u00a0Futago-ji Temple<\/strong>\u00a0is located in the heart of Mount Futago!\u00a0<\/strong>It was founded by Ninmon Bosatsu,\u00a0<\/strong>almost exactly 1300 years ago – \u00a0in 718. In its history, it has served as the main temple<\/strong> for the Rokugo Manzan culture with its\u00a0\u00a0three buildings: the\u00a0Gomado Hall, the Inner Hall<\/strong> and the Great Hall.\u00a0<\/strong>However, it is not possible to reach these buildings without first passing through one of the symbols of Futago-ji – the two\u00a0Deva King statues<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(Nio)<\/strong> which guard the temple’s entrance.<\/p>\n

\"Futago-ji<\/a><\/p>\n

After passing through the N<\/strong>io<\/b>, and the admission area, the\u00a0first building that you will encounter is the Gomado Hall<\/strong>, which is\u00a0\u00a0immediately to your right. Within this building\u00a0are various relics of Rokugo Manzan culture, including a statue of Ninmon Bosatsu himself.<\/p>\n

\"Futago-ji

Gomado Hall<\/p><\/div>\n

Next is the\u00a0Great Hall <\/strong>which\u00a0is located just behind the\u00a0Gomado Hall<\/strong>.\u00a0In here\u00a0is\u00a0Amida Buddha,<\/strong> believed to be the\u00a0deity of the “Pure Land”. Walking back towards the Gomado Hall and then heading up hill on the right, you will find a river, various torii<\/strong> (gates), statues, toro<\/strong> (lanterns) and of course the signature red colour which is synonymous with Shintoism.<\/p>\n

\"Futago-ji<\/p>\n

\"Futago-ji<\/p>\n

\"Futago-ji<\/p>\n

Continuing on the main path, under the stone torii and up the stairs is the\u00a0Inner Hall<\/strong>. The mossy surrounding of the Inner Hall matches its ancient history perfectly!\u00a0Within this building is a statue of the Goddess of Mercy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Futago-ji<\/a>

The Inner Hall<\/p><\/div>\n

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Monjusen-ji Temple\uff08\u6587\u6b8a\u4ed9\u5bfa\uff09<\/h2>\n

Monjusen-ji Temple<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>is dedicated to the “Mother of Wisdom”,\u00a0Monju Bodhisattva.\u00a0<\/strong>Its exact origins are not 100 percent certain, but the temple is believed to have been\u00a0founded in 648. <\/strong>The temple building is accessed via two flights of stone stairs, and sits amongst the towering trees of an ancient forest.<\/p>\n

\"Monjusen-ji

Entrance to Monjusen-ji<\/p><\/div>\n

At Monjusen-ji you are able to try Japanese calligraphy<\/strong> (costs 1,000 yen) by tracing 30-minutes worth of kanji<\/strong> (Japanese characters) to\u00a0complete a heart sutra<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0known as Hannya\u00a0Shinkyo <\/strong>(\u822c\u82e5\u5fc3\u7d93). <\/span>You can also try shojin ryori<\/strong> (buddhist cuisine<\/a>) for 1,200 yen and enjoy\u00a0shukubo<\/strong> (temple lodging)\u00a0for 12,000 yen.<\/p>\n

Despite not understanding most of the kanji (or being able to write it under normal circumstances particularly well!) I completed the heart sutra without too much difficulty! Even if you have never written Chinese or Japanese characters before, it’s still easy to\u00a0do.<\/strong> You just need to trace the kanji characters across the paper from top to bottom, right to left, and then sign and date it with your wish for the future.<\/p>\n

\"My<\/a>

My Completed Heart Sutra<\/p><\/div>\n

Once you have finished the calligraphy<\/strong>, you will be invited to meditate\u00a0<\/strong>with one of the Monks at the temple. Don’t worry, this is a time to relax! All you need to do is release your thoughts by\u00a0focusing on your breathing, whilst the mediation is recited.<\/p>\n

After the meditation, you will leave your written heart sutra as an offering to the deities. In exchange, you will take aware the original paper that you traced-over, as well as a lucky charm (mine is shown below).\u00a0For me, the whole experience took around 50 minutes and I found it to be extremely therapeutic.\u00a0It was one of my last activities of the day, and it really helped to calm my mind and focus on the here-and-now!<\/p>\n

\"A

A Lucky Charm – To Ward Off Evil Spirits<\/p><\/div>\n

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View Point Mt. Fudou\uff08\u4e0d\u52d5\u5c71\uff09<\/h2>\n

Last but not least is Mount Fudou View Point,<\/strong>\u00a0this panoramic-spot is simply a\u00a010 minute drive from the foot of the mountain,\u00a0and another 10 minutes walk to the top. It is an easy way to gain birds-eye views of \u00a0Kunisaki Peninsula<\/strong>\u00a0without too much\u00a0sweat!<\/p>\n

The parking area of the view point is accessed via a quiet uphill single-track road, and you don’t need any special\u00a0equipment reach the peak. At the walk-entrance,\u00a0there are bamboo sticks to support you if you need, I would recommend taking one or two\u00a0because they \u00a0give a bit of extra support!<\/p>\n

\"Mount<\/p>\n

The ascent is quick and well-trodden – I saw a child doing it in flip-flops! But I would still air on-the-side of caution by recommending that you at least\u00a0wear trainers for it! You’ll reach the\u00a0peak\u00a0fairly quickly but make sure to take your time when you get there! Breathe-in the fresh air and enjoy the tranquility of this mountain view<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

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\"Mount<\/a><\/p>\n

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Links<\/h2>\n

Discover the history and highlights of the\u00a0Kunisaki Peninsula <\/strong>by \u00a0<\/strong>contacting\u00a0k-kunisaki@oct-net.ne.jp.\u00a0To learn more about\u00a0Monjusen Temple,<\/strong> visit the website<\/a>\u00a0or head to the temple’s information page at Go! Kunisaki here. You can find more information about\u00a0Futago-ji<\/strong>\u00a0on\u00a0the Go! Kunaski website here,<\/p>\n

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Access<\/h2>\n

Admission to\u00a0Futago-ji<\/strong> costs 300 yen, and admission to\u00a0Monjusen Temple<\/strong>\u00a0is free.<\/p>\n

Access to and from the areas within Kunisaki Peninsula<\/strong> is quite difficult by public transport!<\/strong>\u00a0Taxi tours are available from Oita Airport but these cost in the region of 10,000 yen+.\u00a0The cheapest and most convenient way to get around is with a rental car.<\/strong>\u00a0Within the Oita<\/strong> area, rental cars from companies such as Budget Rent a Car<\/a><\/em>\u00a0start at around 5,000 yen per day for the smallest class.\u00a0There is ample parking available at all locations within this article!<\/p>\n

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Sponsored by Tourism Oita<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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