It's a Walk to Gotokuji Temple

It is a bit of a walk to reach Gotokuji Buddhist Temple from the train station. And if you are like me, you might end up at the wrong gate. This is the East Gate and it is normally closed. 

But if you go the right way, you will find these komainu guarding the drive up to the temple.

 And if you are really lucky, you will visit the temple in the spring and as you enter through the open gate see the gorgous sakura trees blooming. 

The large bell which is something most Buddhist temples in Japan have.

The main incense burner where you can light incense, waft it over you with your hands as you offer your prayers. 

Lovely lantern and sakura tree. Also tents were being put up for an event so I was not able to get to part of the temple grounds. 

This is the Butsuden Hall. The Buddhism practiced at Gotokuji is the Buzan School of Shingon Buddhism.

There were no markers as to what deity this is, but it's possible that it is Marishi-ten because of the three heads and many arms. Also the deity appears to be meditating, which is why samurai would worship Marishi-ten. They practiced meditation in their worship in hopes they could transcend desire for victory or defeat, freeing themselves from grasping their own mortality. This kami is near the maneki neko shrine which established by daimyo, samurai and Tairo of the Tokugawa shoganate Ii Naosuke, which could also explain why Marishi-ten would be here. Tokugawa Ieyasu also was a worshiper of Marishi-ten. 

Usually Jizo statues at Buddhist temples are in groups, but here there was only one. What was interesting about this one is that there are stones placed around it. This is most likely a Jizo for unborn and very young children who have passed away. Because the souls of the children go to a place where they must make stacks of stones. But demons knock them down every night so the parents of the children stack stones in real life in hopes it helps their lost children.

The gate leading to a temple that I will write about in a post soon. It is the reason why a lot of tourists come to Gotokuji.  

I remember so much from my visit here ten years ago. Including seeing this old well and pump. 

The Hondo building from a distance since they were doing work setting up for an event there. 

I did get a peak at a store house on the property. 

And of course I was able to walk around one of the main features of the temple grounds. The pagoda. 

Since I took photos of all the zodiac animal carvings last time, I didn't take as many photos this time. My post from ten years ago is here if you want to see them http://blukats.blogspot.com/2011/04/pagoda-at-gotokuji.html