Kyooji and Hongyoji Temples in Yanaka

 On my way back to the train station I stopped at a couple more temples. The first one was Kyooji which has this impressive gate. So why are the guys on the right looking at it closely? Because it also has bullet holes from the Battle of Ueno, which was part of the Boshin or Japanese Revolution.

Kyooji is another Nichiren Buddhist Temple. There are more Nichiren sect temples in Yanaka than any others. 

Kyooji was established in 1655 and has some lovely buildings. 

Also overhead are impressive roof tiles. It's always worth it to look up at these older buildings. 

Next to Kyooji was Hongyoji Buddhist Temple. From what I can find, it was established in this location in 1709. 

Besides some impressive carvings it is known for having three stones with haiku carved on them. By the poets Taneda Santoka and Kobayashi Issa. Unfortunately I did not get a photo of them.

 Hongyoji is also known for it's sakura trees.

 

Even out on the street, the sakura were beautiful. It was a lovely way to end my visit to Yanaka.

Next up, probably a post about food. Because food in Japan is worth blogging about.

Walking Through Yanaka Ginza

After taking a look at a few of the shrines in Yanaka, I came back to the main street to see what was there. Which was cats.

And some older buildings on side streets. 

And more cats.

I didn't plan it but it was a day when stores put their wares out on the street and lots of people came to shop. 

It was nice. There was a real community feeling with so many people shopping and visiting. I didn't take photos of the groups of people sitting outside places to eat, having a good time, talking and laughing. There was a lot of that.

Because the shopping area in Yanaka is called Yanaka Ginza. Now they don't have expensive stores like Ginza, but it's the idea of having a main area for shopping where everyone can go to. 

And there were a lot of people there. And cats on buildings.

Cat hanko or stamps. 

Pick a place, there's probably a cat on the sign. 

Cat tail shaped donuts at Yana tail? Along with an advert for Nankozaka NecoJitaya, a stew and wine bar that serves food with cat decorations.

Even kanji cats. 

How about a maneki neko with a taiyaki?

Now this looked interesting. A crooked case with neko taiyaki. Or would that be nekoyaki? Except I'm not sure about that one with the hot dog. 

I had to take a look inside where they were baking up kitties. These taiyaki molds are actually special just for this business. Which is called Maneki-ya.

Yes, there were a lot of cat things in Yanaka Ginza. 

For all these cats, I did not see one single live cat. 

I did see a dog 

or three. Maybe why no live cats? The crowds of people would be another reason. But it was okay. I mostly came to see the sakura and to take a look in the area. What was nice was seeing the community.

And that was my visit to Yanaka. Except there are a couple more temples I will be sharing.

So with all that cat stuff, did I buy anything? Of course I did. And I ate it.

Nekoyaki from Maneki-ya. And these were delicious! I enjoyed the matcha with anko beans and the custard version. If you like taiyaki and are in Yanaka, I definitely recommend stopping there.

Sorin-ji Buddhist Temple in Yanaka

Across the street from Chomyo-ji Buddhist Temple is Sorin-ji Buddhist Temple. 

 It is said that it was originally built in what is now Shizuoka City in Shizuoka Prefecture. It was moved to Edo between 1579 and 1592 and then to the current location in Yanaka in 1701. This gate, I think, was made not that long ago.

 And as it was at Chomyoji, Sorin-ji also has a beautiful sakura tree.

Along with a old bell which I did take a look at.

 Cast in 1754 by Fujiwara no Sadahisa who had a foundry in Edo for a short time. He made five bells but only two still exist. This one is bronze.

As for the temple, it is part of the Nichiren Buddhist Sect. 

 I noticed a number of carved wooden pieces. I would guess they are from older versions of the temple.

Along with a few roof tiles. Unfortunately I do not know the story behind these. 

And one last look up to that sakura tree. But it's not the last of Yanaka for this blog.

Return to Yanaka and a Visit to Chomyoji Temple

It was almost two years ago when I first visited the Yanaka Cemetery. In March this year I came back to it. 

It's a really popular place for sakura viewing. However I wanted to see a bit of Yanaka this time. 

So I ducked out and onto one of the main roads down to Yanaka. I wasn't missing out on sakura viewing with even more gorgeous trees along the way. 

Yanaka is well known for having many shrines and temples. I turned down a street and came upon this impressive gate. 

And something even more impressive when I looked through the gate. 

In fact, all thoughts of looking around the Chomyoji Buddhist Temple, 長明寺, flew out of my mind. It seems others were just as distracted. 

 Sure there was a vintage bell and a number of buildings and more there. But this tree took my breath away.

 Add to it's beauty with glimpses of a daytime crescent moon.

 And looking up was definitely a zen moment.

More from Yanaka in my next post.