Day 3, Kamakura: Hasedera, Daibutsu, part 2

Submitted by green on Tue, 05/04/2010 - 01:47

After we were sitting in the restaurant the weather worsened. The light rain that started about the time we entered the restaurant became stronger.

The closest building was Kyozo Sutra Archive

Kyozo Sutra Archive
These are rotating bookracks called rinzo. Important Buddhist sutras are kept there. By rotating the rinzo it is said you get the same merit as reading all the sutras.

Kyozo Sutra Archive
Sutras in rinzo.

Garden near Kyozo Sutra Archive

Garden near Kyozo Sutra Archive

Garden near Kyozo Sutra Archive
Small garden near the archive that we can photograph from under the roof.

Daikoku-do Hall
Also nearby was Daidoku-do hall. In it the image of Daidokuten is held. Daidokuten is one of Seven Japanese Gods of fortune. He is considered to be God of Wealth (namely harvest) or household (namely kitchen).

The one at the back is a replica of ancient one made in 1412 and the original is stored in the Homotsu-kan museum.

Daikokuten
Recognized by his wide face and he often has a golden mallet and is sitting/standing on bales of rice.

Daidoku-do hall п╦ п║п╟п╨я┐я─п╟
Daikoku-do hall from outside.

IMG_6325
Statue near observation platform.

Kaikoan Restaurant from observation platform
Since the rain was still going on and we did not want to lose a lot of time, we continued on with our exploration and went to the observation platform from which you can see Kamakura and the sea. To the right is Kaikoan restaurant. The "bushes" in front are in fact tops of pretty high bamboo trees.

View from Hasedera observation deck
Panoram of the view.

In the sky big black birds that turned to be local eagles are flying. Lighting conditions do not make it possible to take any nice pictures, though.

п▓п╦п╢ п╫п╟ п п╟п╪п╟п╨я┐я─я┐
Kamakura from observation platform.

Sakura in front of Kannon-do
Nice sakura tree with a lone girl under it.

IMG_1524
Tiny wooden statue standing near some billboard. About matchbox in size.

Prospect road entrance
Stairs further uphill. A sign nearby said this was the Prospect Road entrance.

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Windy stairs up the hill, on the right side there were a lot of stone figures between greens and flowers. I suspect this is another cemetery.

IMG_6333
One of the stone figures.

Bamboo grove
View at the bamboo grove near Kyozo Sutra archive. Some Japanese person is eating covered from rain by the roof.

flower

flower
Flowers on the sides of the path.  Looked very beautiful with raid drops.

IMG_6339
Another shot at the rows of figures.

п▓п╦п╢ п╫п╟ п п╟п╪п╟п╨я┐я─я┐
As we go higher we see more of Kamakura. As we go up voices of eagles are becoming more and more loud.

Smaller Kannon statue
Small statue of Kannon on the way. You can see small "extra" heads on top of the "main" one.

п▓п╣я─я┘п╫я▐я▐ я┌п╬я┤п╨п╟ п╡ п╔п╟я│п╣п╢п╣я─п╣, я│ п©п╟пЁп╬п╢п╨п╬п╧ п╦ п╬п╠п╥п╬я─п╫п╬п╧ п©п╩п╬я┴п╟п╢п╨п╬п╧
Almost at the very top.

п▓п╦п╢ п╫п╟ п п╟п╪п╟п╨я┐я─я┐ я│ п╬п╠п╥п╬я─п╫п╬п╧ п©п╩п╬я┴п╟п╢п╨п╦ п╡ п╔п╟я│п╣п╢п╣я─п╣
Kamakura and a beach from up top.

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Pagoda at the other side of the top platform.

IMG_6352
The way back goes by a different stair and has a dead-end section looking like an old cemetery too.

lantern
Small lantern at the entrance to the dead-end section.

Jizo statues
Going down the stairs we see a small square with a lot of figures.

IMG_6355
More statues going up the hill.

Jizo statues
Finally got down to the platform we saw from above. It looks like all statues here are of Jizo.

Jizo statues

Jizo statues

Jizo statues
Plenty of different sizes and shapes.

Jizo statues

Jizo Bosatsu
This one is in his more commonly seen aspect, with the robe (kesa) of a monk, a halo over his head, carrying the six-ringed staff and the hoshunotama (wish-fulfilling jewel).

Jizo statues
A row of really old Jizo statues.

Jizo statues

After that we continued our way down to the lower garden.

Pond near the entrance

Pond near the entrance
Bamboo water pipes at the pond in the lower garden.

flowers
More flowers.

We turned to the section of the garden we have not been to yet.

Nagomi Jizo

Nagomi Jizo
The sign says this is Nagomi Jizo.

waterfall
Bigger waterfall.

IMG_1554
Some statue near another gate.

Torii gate at the Benten-kutsu entrance
Finally we arrived to Benten-kutsu cave with Torii gates before it.

In the cave there are statues of Benzaiten (Shinto goddess of sea, also of feminine beauty and wealth), the only female among Seven Lucky Gods of Japan) and some minor gods.

IMG_6429
This place is at the right once you enter the cave.

First room has a lot of figures carved on the walls. Sign says it is of Benzaiten and 16 children. The cave is pretty poorly lit so I was using my tripod and exposures of tens of seconds.

Statues in Benten-kutsu

Daikokuten in Benten-kutsu
I think I can recognize this as Daidokuten now. Same familiar mallet and standing on bales of rice.

Statues in Benten-kutsu

Statues in Benten-kutsu

small pond in Benten-kutsu
Looks like a pool inside. A lot of coins are there ;)

Statues in Benten-kutsu

Statues in Benten-kutsu

Statues in Benten-kutsu

Benzaiten statue in Benten-kutsu
Benzaiten herself.

Tunnel entrance in Benten-kutsu
The first room ends with a very low tunnel.

First tunnel in Benten-kutsu

The tunnel leads us to a room where there is one separate statue stands

Hall inside of Benten-kutsu

Benzaiten statue in Benten-kutsu
Not sure who she is.

Second tunnel in Benten-kutsu
Another tunnel.

Hundreds of tiny statues in Benten kutsu
Eventually we get into two large rooms with some statues and filled with a lot of yellow small figures of Benzanten. Unfortunately don't know what is the significance.

Hundreds of tiny statues in Benten kutsu

Hundreds of tiny statues in Benten kutsu

One of tiny statue in Benten-kutsu
The small figures are everywhere, even on the walls.

This is really all for the cave.

Fudo-myoo
Near the entrance to the cave there is this Fudo-myoo (Immovable Wisdom King). He is one of the best known Five Wisdom Kings. His role is to aid all beings by showing them the teachings of the Buddha, leading them into self-control.

That was the last thing we saw at Hasedera (later on it turned out we forgot to visit Benten-do Hall too, that holds a small statue of Benzaiten with eight arms, but as we passed by it really looked like a small pavillion with people writing sutras in there).

As it turned out much-much later, the next day there was a flower festival in Hasedera, but we did not attend.

So finished our visit there we went searching for the Great Buddha statue.

п═п╦п╨я┬п╟ я┐ Hasedera
Rickshaw waiting for clients at the exit of Hasedera. Somehow I thought they were only common in China and India.

Statue of Arlekin?
A statue of Aelekin in mechanical piano shop.

Small square surrounded by homes in Kamakura
Just some small square we passed by.

Tickets to see Great Buddha Statue
Finally found the Buddha temple. Tickets are 200 yen each which is kind of a rip-off, as there is not much to see besides the Buddha himself.

Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu)

Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu)

Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu)

Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu)

Great Buddha from the back

Great Buddha from a side
The statue is indeed quite big. 43.8 ft (13.35 m) high it was made of bronze in 1252 and placed inside of a large temple hall. However the temple buildings were destroyed multiple times by tsunamis and typhoons in 14 and 15 centuries so since 1495 the statue was standing in the open-air. This is second-tallest bronze statue of Buddha in Japan. In Japan it is called Daibutsu or Great Buddha.

The Buddha is hollow inside and you can visit it for additional fee of 20 yen.

Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu)

Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu)
By the time we looked around of Buddha not only it was raining, but it became pretty cold as well so we decided that was enough for the day and headed back to Hase station .

п╗п╦п©я▀ п╫п╟ я┌я─п╟п╪п╡п╟п╧п╫п╬п╪ п©п╣я─п╣п╣п╥п╢п╣
Intersection of a road with Enoden train line at Hase station. No idea why the pikes, could it be some risky people tried to drive on the train tracks in the past?

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Group of school boys in the train to Tokyo.

In the evening we decided to eat at Yakiniku place. There was one near our hotel masqueraded as "Korean BBQ", even though in Japanese the sign said Yakiniku.

п║п╟п╩п╟я┌
Salad.

п п╬я─п╣п╧я│п╨п╦п╣ п╪п╟я─п╦п╫п╬п╡п╟п╫я▀п╣ п╬п╡п╬я┴п╦
Korean pickles set.

п║п╡п╦п╫п╦п╫п╟ п╢п╩я▐ я▐п╨п╦п╫п╦п╨я┐
Pork belly.

п■п╡п╟ п╡п╦п╢п╟ я│п╡п╦п╫п╦п╫я▀ п╢п╩я▐ я▐п╨п╦п╫п╦п╨я┐
Pork loin.

п⌠п╬п╡я▐п╢п╦п╫п╟ п╢п╩я▐ я▐п╨п╦п╫п╦п╨я┐
Beef.

п÷я─п╦пЁп╬я┌п╬п╡п╩п╣п╫п╦п╣ п╞п╨п╦п╫п╦п╨я┐

п÷я─п╦пЁп╬я┌п╬п╡п╩п╣п╫п╦п╣ п╞п╨п╦п╫п╦п╨я┐
Frying Yakiniku.

This concludes our third day in Japan.

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