![\"\"](\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/4177212055_939bed6495_z.jpg\")
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January is a wonderful month to make a trip to Miyajima. Whether you\u2019re heading out early in the month for the year\u2019s first \u2018hatsumoude\u2019 visit to the island\u2019s World Heritage Itsukushima Shrine, or stopping by mid-month for the shrine\u2019s Tondo festival, make sure not to miss out on another of Miyajima\u2019s best spots. <\/span><\/p>\n Daisho-in belongs to Japan\u2019s Shingon school of Buddhism, an esoteric sect sharing certain core features with the Buddhism of Tibet. According to tradition, the temple was founded in 806 by a famous wandering monk named Kukai, often referred to by his posthumous name Kobo-Daishi. After a 100-day ritual atop the island\u2019s central peak of Mt. Misen, he established the temple and continued on his journeys.<\/span><\/p>\n For centuries, the monks of Daisho-in were responsible for many of Miyajima\u2019s most iconic festivals, including the New Year\u2019s festival of Chinkasai. After the Meiji Restoration of 1868, returning full control of the Japanese state to the Emperor, Buddhism and Shinto were forcibly separated and Daisho-in\u2019s relationship to Itsukushima Shrine was forever altered.<\/span><\/p>\n In 2006 Daisho-in celebrated its 1200th year since foundation, with a visit from the Dalai Lama and attendant monks, who gifted the temple with a beautiful sand mandala that can be seen in the \u2018Kannon-do\u201d hall.<\/span><\/p>\n Daishoin is often overlooked by travelers simply because it\u2019s somewhat out of the way. In fact, the temple\u2019s buildings are visible from the ferry on the approach from the mainland, and it\u2019s only a little further on than the Shrine itself, but after winding their way through the shopping arcade and visiting Itsukushima, many people turn around and start back toward the Thousand Mat Hall or the ferry terminal. <\/span> Entering the main precincts, you\u2019ll find an information desk and souvenir shop on your left. Admission to Daisho-in is free. Best to stop here and pick up an English language map of the temple, if you didn\u2019t already find one back at the terminal. If you\u2019re collecting \u2018goshuin\u2019 stamps to commemorate your trips to various shrines and temples, this is the place. <\/span><\/p>\n There is a lot to see and explore here, so take your time and be sure to poke around any place that isn\u2019t clearly off-limits. Some highlights include the \u2018tainaimeguri\u2019 dark walk beneath the Kannon-do, which is a fun way to begin your tour of the temple and also confers a ritual rebirth, if you\u2019re in need of spiritual rejuvenation. Inside that building, you\u2019ll find the aforementioned sand mandala as well as the statue of the Eleven-faced Kannon, probably made in Nara around the year 700. Out front, a statue of the Archangel Michael marks Miyajima\u2019s sister-city relationship with France\u2019s Mont Saint Michel.<\/span><\/p>\n Elsewhere around Daishoin, must-sees include the image of Namikiri Fudo-myoo, implacable foe of ignorance and evil, and the thousand smaller images of him ranged along the walls of the Chokugan-do hall. In the Maniden Hall, you can make your greetings to the Three Awesome Deities of Misen, worshiped here from time immemorial. \u00a0Continuing deeper into Daisho-in\u2019s grounds, the statue of Kukai in the Daishi-do Hall is said to grant one wish made sincerely, while a slow stroll through the dim recesses of the Henjokutsu cave will confer all the benefits of the famed 88-Temple pilgrimage route around Shikoku.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s more to find, and every traveler will leave with his or her own favorite encounters and impressions. So leave time on your next trip to Miyajima for a walk up the hill to this wonderful temple. Happy travels!<\/span><\/p>\n 739-0524 Hiroshima-ken, Hatsukaichi-shi, Miyajimach\u014d, 210 ( map link<\/a> ) By KimonBerlin (https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/kimon\/4177212055\/) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" January is a wonderful month to make a trip to Miyajima. Whether you\u2019re heading out early in the month for the year\u2019s first \u2018hatsumoude\u2019 visit to the island\u2019s World Heritage Itsukushima Shrine, or stopping by mid-month for the shrine\u2019s Tondo festival, make sure not to miss out on another of Miyajima\u2019s best spots. Daisho-in Temple: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2696,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65,49,104,82],"tags":[69,52,197],"class_list":["post-2695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-hiroshima-2","category-temples-shrines","category-travel","tag-event","tag-hiroshima-prefecture-2","tag-miyajima"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2695"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50841,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2695\/revisions\/50841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Daisho-in Temple: A Quick Overview<\/h3>\n
Main Features of Daisho-in<\/span><\/h3>\n
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\n<\/span>Make the effort to head up the hill, though, and you\u2019ll find yourself amply rewarded. First, just past the grim guardian statues flanking the temple\u2019s Niomon Gate, you have a choice to head straight up the stairs, turning prayer wheels as you climb, or turn left to wind your way up along a path lined with statues of the Buddha\u2019s disciples. Daisho-in\u2019s head priest has included some whimsical statues to appeal to children, so if you\u2019re visiting with little ones they may prefer this second route. Before you enter the upper gate, though, don\u2019t forget to stop at the temple\u2019s belfry. Unlike at some other temples, visitors are welcome to swing the wooden striker and sound the bell. <\/span><\/p>\nDaisho-in Temple<\/h3>\n
\nwww.galilei.ne.jp\/daisyoin<\/a>
\n0829-44-0111<\/p>\n