son of soy » temple

Hosen-in Temple, Ohara

Rick — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 08:23:59 +0000

Hosen-in Temple, Ohara

Rick — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 08:22:20 +0000

Hosen-in Temple, Ohara

Rick — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 08:21:45 +0000

Hosen-in Garden, Ohara

Rick — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 08:20:34 +0000

Sanmon Gate at Nanzenji

Rick — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 07:12:29 +0000

A great thing about having guests is seeing the Kyoto sights with them. When my brother Andrew and his son visited last week, I saw the upper floor of Sanmon gate at Nanzenji for the first time. The gate was built in 1628. In all the years since then, how many people have hit their head on that beam?

Hitawari-sai Firewalk 4

Rick — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 08:47:21 +0000

A woman walks a path cleared through the burning wood and hot coals.

Hitawari-sai Firewalk 3

Rick — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 08:46:26 +0000

Spectators, many of whom will later become participants, watch the ceremony from above.

Summer Festivals: Hiwatari-sai Firewalk 2

Rick — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 08:45:07 +0000

Hot coals from a burning pile of cypress will be spread into a field and form the path for the fire walk.

Hiwatari-sai Firewalk 1

Rick Elizaga — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 08:44:02 +0000

The Hiwatari-sai ceremony at Tanukidani no Ofudo-san temple (on July 28) is best explained elsewhere, but I will answer your, um, burning question, Did you walk on the fire? Yes, I did! But it wasn’t fire, or coals, just a path of blackened earth where the fire had once been, with the flames still burning on either side. It was very smoky, but the ground had cooled enough that it was more comfortable than walking on hot beach sand.

toufukuji moss garden

Rick Elizaga — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 18:04:02 +0000

Moss garden at Toufukuji temple.