My Spiritual Pilgrimage in Japan
(Originally wrote the below for my caption on IG but it had the GALL to tell me it was too many words so I added even more words and photos and turned it into a blog post. Excuse some repeats if you’ve read both)
I’m two days in from my trip to Japan and I’m still thinking about the Japanese free jazz concert I went to where Masayo Koketsu recited the bodhisattva Amoghapāśa’s mantra of light to attain revelation over sultry piano and percussion before launching into saxophone improvisation. Is this the Japanese equivalent of a Christian rock band? I’m not sure, but I think it was divine intervention since one day previous I was admiring the statue of Kokuuzo Bosasu in Todai-Ji (IG photo 1 and 2). His name means “boundless space treasury” which reflects that his wisdom is so great that it must be infinite and is prayed to in part for excellence on tests and education. They say if you recite his mantra 10000 times you will gain understanding of all the teachings in the buddhist canon. He sits to the left of a giant statue of the Buddha Vairocana, The Great Illuminator, a cosmic and primordial buddha that is sometimes interpreted as the spiritual blueprint of which all buddhas are made and return to (reminds me of the Tao). I took a photo of this vast edifice but the scale just doesn’t do it justice, just go see it for yourself! I donated 2000 yen to write my name on a roof tile that will get added to the temple as part of a restoration process. I left a piece of myself behind and this tactile exchange of self represents the metaphysical exchange where I took a little from Japan and gave a little of myself and to me that’s what traveling for is all about.
But I saw LOTS of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Heavenly Kings, and Divine Generals as I obsessively sought out temples to visit while I traveled Japan. None impressed me more than the Great Buddha of Kamakura (IG photo 3) which I accidentally stumbled into on my pilgrimage to find the resting place of legendary film director Akira Kurosawa whose grave is a modest tribute to such a legendary force in both eastern and western film.
I felt almost like I was trespassing on sacred ground, I wasn’t though since it is a publicly accessible site behind a buddhist temple…not trying to incur any spiritual wrath here. I paid my respects and left. On my way to the site I saw directions to a “buddha” statue so me and my friend Evan who had joined me that day took upon ourselves to explore.
After walking for about 20 minutes we came upon Kōtoku-in, over which which the magnificent Great Buddha presided. It sits completely outdoors like a meditative giant, 5 feet shorter than the Vairocana buddha I saw at Todai-Ji but the picturesque backdrop really makes it feel more epic in scale. The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a representation of Amitābha, who after many achievements over countless lives attained buddha hood and decided to create a separate realm which remained pure and free of the corruptive forces that exist in our realms. If you call upon him at your death you can be reborn into his pure land where you will live in peace and be able to attain enlightenment much easier. It seems to me like a precursor to our Western concept of Heaven, but then again those ideas are littered throughout the whole of human history.
But if we’re talking about Buddhist temples, Kiyomizu-dera (IG photo 4) is one of the most impressive sights in Kyoto. One night we were at a rooftop bar having highballs and I noticed this radiant beam of light penetrating the darkness out of the mountains and the next night I was out there with my friends seeking it out. It houses a statue of the Buddhist deities Daikokuten and Kannon, who bring wealth and save humans from difficulties respectively. Daikokuten is what’s known as a syncretic deity. His roots are in the buddhist representation of the hindu god Shiva, which has been mixed with the Japanese shinto god Ōkuninushi creating a whole new entity that is worshipped throughout temples to this day.
Kannon is also an important deity in Japanese buddhism and I saw representations of him the most. Usually with many arms and a different tool in each hand. He is a deity of compassion and the aspect at Kiyomizu-dera specifically is prayed to for prevention of suffering. Below him sits the Otowa Waterfall. Here they have ladles where you can wash your hands and drink pristine mountain water in an effort to make your wishes come true. I took a deep drink of the water here and continued to navigate the impressive temple.
Buddhism is not the only way to gain favor in Japan though since it is an import from India via China and Korea. There are also Shinto shrines devoted to native Japanese gods and spirits. Again in Kyoto I climbed Mt Inari by way of the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine devoted to Inari Okami, the god of (IG photo 5), at first with a staggering amount of tourists but then as I climbed further up the mountain they were less and less and I got to enjoy the assortment of Fox spirit statues and local desserts made by the residents in a more relaxed environment. Here I bought what a monk described as sacred sake only found on that mountain. Throughout the hike there are almost 10000 Torii gates, which traditionally represent the gateway from the mundane to the sacred. So you can say that as I passed under each one, the intensity and potency of the sake was only enhanced. Alas it would never make it back to the States, as me and my friends who did not participate in my thousandfold blessings shared it in a Ryokan not two days later. Yet in sharing the sake I think we all have charged our spiritual meters to max, at least that’s what I’d like to think.
Later in Osaka I visited Sumiyoshi Taisha which enshrines the gods of the sea and sailing. There is a spot behind the main shrines where it is said that the empress Jingu encountered the spirits first and decided to build the shrine. On that spot is an altar of small pebbles most of which are unmarked but some of them have one of these: “five” 五, “large” 大, or “power” 力. If you find all three you receive the five blessings of the spirits: health, wisdom, wealth, happiness, and longevity (IG photo 6). I almost left without collecting the pebbles, but damnit must one not do everything in their power to live a good life? I still have the pebbles in the decorative pouch in my room, choosing to keep them instead of leaving them tied up at the altar as is customary.
Of course no survey of Japanese iconography is complete without the macdaddy of them all GODZILLA and although he had no offering box I still venerated at his altar (IG photo 7). Godzilla traditionally represents the nuclear devastation the US wrought on WWII but I think it has turned into a symbol reminding us of the futility of our everyday lives compared to the titanic march of nature and time. At least that’s my reading of the latest movie Shin Godzilla, but with over 38 films in the canon it’s hard to pin him down to just one reading. There is no doubt that he is a cultural force in Tokyo though, as his grim face towers over one of the main avenues in the Shinjuku district. The first time I saw him there we were visiting an old expat high school friend. I asked him if we could visit the giant head and he said he wasn’t sure and he had never heard of people doing that so we left without trying. I found at that you could in fact go up there but we left Tokyo soon after. On our itinerary, however, we had one last night there before we traveled back to the states just for these kinds of last minute missions. I made it my goal to go up to that hotel and witness the statue for myself. Of course my tenacity was rewarded with the sight before you. A full scale representation of Godzilla from from Godzilla vs Mothra (1992) and also at the height which he would be in real life. Perhaps this was the shrine I treasured the most of the whole trip.
To wrap this up, this a photo sharing service or something right, I have so many photos of the beautiful cherry blossoms that were in full bloom for our whole trip but I like this one (IG photo 8 ) from the zen Buddhist temple, Tenryu-ji, in Arashiyama which was the city where I saw people dressed the most in traditional clothing. The temple had an exquisitely maintained garden which I’m told has been preserved almost in its original state for centuries. The temple also houses this intimidating depiction of Bodhidharma who is known as the buddhist monk to begin teaching zen buddhism to the Shaolin Monks at the Shaolin Temple in China, creating a direct connection to the origins of Shaolin Kung-Fu. Since Zen Buddhism came to Japan via China, he is also revered at this temple. Another interesting legend states that he once sat and stared at a wall for 9 years in seated meditation. One version of the story states that after all that time his legs atrophied and became useless, hence Daruma dolls which are modeled after him have no legs.
Obviously the totality of Japan’s religious and spiritual identity cannot be summed up in one trip, nor perhaps even in a lifetime of trips, and drawing any conclusions about it is like visiting a couple different states here in the US and forming a national opinion based on them. Yet there are similarities and patterns I can see. Compassion, enlightenment, meditation (mindfulness), respect and honor are all highly valued at the various shrines and and temples I visited whether couched in the forms of deities, spirits, emperors or buddhas.