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Published: July 28th 2018
Hello my fellow travellers!
This morning we left Shōkichi behind in Kakegawa while me, Junko, Anzu, Takae and Vivian piled into the car to go to nearby Fukuroi to meet up with Yasuyo and Hideyuki. Yasuyo is a really good friend of Junko and Hideyuki, her husband, is the mayor of Fukuroi. I imagine that I could ask for no better guide of Fukuroi and I anticipate that this day will be quite spectacular!
As we arrive we are greeted heartily at the driveway by Yasuyo who leads us into the house where I shake hands with her husband. He won't be coming with us for tour of Fukuroi as he's busy, I guess the work of a mayor is never done. Like Shōkichi they live in a beautiful, yet humble house, akin to the others in the city. Being a politician here doesn't seem to be about aggrandising yourself as it is in many other parts of the world.
Before we left I was invited to sit down with Hideyuki and they opened up a go board, I was a bit surprised as I thought we were leaving soon but I welcomed an opportunity to learn go
properly. However, it turned out to only be a photo op, not an actual game being played. While posing for the photos we ate some sweets and drank some tea. It was nice, but would have been even better if we actually had that game of go.
After the photo op we return to the car to begin our tour of Fukuroi, I knew nothing of this city at all so I really had no idea of what to expect, no idea what there would be on offer for the day. As the car pulled up to the first destination I learned that this was
Hattasan Son'ei-ji, a large Buddhist temple built in 725 under orders from Emperor Shomu and which is dedicated to
Shō-Kannon Bosatsu whom is believed to ward of bad luck. Several famous ruling families have been staunch followers of this temple during it's history such as Imagawa, Toyotomi and Tokugawa.
We left Vivan in the car before we crossed a small bridge and then proceeded to pass through the
Kuromon, the black gate, after which we had to ascended a long and steep flight of stairs. On the way up to the main temple
we passed many beautiful smaller halls such as
Benzaiten-dō, dedicated to
Benzaiten whom is a Japanese Buddhist goddess whom originated from the Hindu goddess Saraswati. With the blending of Buddhism and Shintoism
Benzaiten is also considered to be a
kami and there goes by the name
Ichikishima. Within Tendai Buddhism specifically
Benzaiten is also considered to be the essence of the
kami Ugajin. We also passed a hall known as
Takoyakushi-dō which as far as I could tell is dedicated to some kind of octopus Buddha of healing. I have to admit that I didn't quite manage to wrap my head around that one so I might be off.
As we reached the top of the stairs
Hattasan Son'ei-ji came before us in all it's glory, it's a really beautiful temple and well worth a visit, especially during the cherry blossom as it has some 700 cherry trees. We started by performing the
temizu, the cleaning ritual, at the
Temizuya before we explored the grounds of the temple. Around the temple are also several small shrines dedicated to the
kami of
shintō. One that was noticable with it's vermilion
torii was
Futaba Jinja.
While we were having a
look around the temple grounds we were approached by the
jūshoku, head priest, of
Hattasan Son'ei-ji. He greeted us all very heartily and it seems that Yasuyo had arranged for us to speak to him in private in a part of the temple not open to the public, travelling with the wife of the mayor certainly has it's advantages.
He lead us down some stairs and then into a different part of the temple where there were no other people around, it felt really special to enter a part of the temple that is otherwise of limits. As we came inside he led us to a small room where we sat down by a table that was placed on the tatami mats. We were first brought some tea and sweets which we indulged in while we had some nice conversations blending Japanese, English and even some Swedish as I taught the
jūshoku some Swedish words. After a while we were brought some
onigiri, the delicious rice balls that I'm getting addicted to here. There was also some egg boiled in coffee, as I don't like coffee that one didn't fall well on my palette though but I tried it
at least.
After we had finished our meal we went into the beautiful garden where the
jūshoku and Anzu watched the fish swim in the pond and then brought out an
onigiri and feed to them. It was a very beautiful and serene scene and after a little while I joined them, feeding the fish and just relaxing in the moment. After yet a little while Junko and Yasuyo also joined us and we took a few photos together and I introduced them to a bit of Swedish culture with our excessive bear hugs between people that we like.
The time spent here at
Hattasan Son'ei-ji is one that I will always carry in my heart, being able to sit down in quiet with the
jūshoku and philosophise while sharing a cup of tea with people that are deer to me. This, to me, is the true Japan. There were no tourists here and I didn't feel like I was part and parcel of some package tour designed to cater to a foreigner but rather that I was, for a few precious moments, a part of this special place.
As our visit came to a close the
jūshoku escorted us back to the
Kuromon where we said our thanks and goodbyes, he was a really nice man and I enjoyed his company a lot today. I hope that my travels will someday take me back this path that I may sit down and converse with him again, hopefully this time in fluent Japanese.
When we returned to the car we began by giving Vivian some water and treats as she'd been a good girl and waited for us for a long time without complaints.
From
Hattasan Son'ei-ji we drove up to our second destination for the day, a farm consisting of several greenhouses where they grow the famous Shizuoka Crown Melon. As we pulled up the owner greeted us all heartily and of course he knew Yasuyo since before. He was a nice gentleman and he took us on a tour of the entire complex and explained in detail how the very advanced and technical cultivation is performed. The criteria to be called a Crown Melon is extremely hard and each and every melon is carefully examined not only by the producer but also by qualified controllers. Crown Melons from Shizuoka can sell for hundreds
of dollars each and are, as the name implies, favored by royal houses around the world.
After the tour was done we were invited in to sample the melons and they were truly delicious, easily the best melon I ever ate, and as a parting gift we were given three full melons, again, travelling with the wife of the mayor has it's perks.
Our last stop of the day was at the temple
Kasuisai which is one of the largest temples in the region and which was established in 1394 but rebuilt and renamed by Tokugawa Ieyasu when he became lord of
Hamamatsu-jō after he defeated the Imagawa together with the Takeda in 1570. Tokugawa Ieyasu had a great deal of gratitude towards
Kasuisai since it's 11th abbot, Senrin Tōzen, saved his life twice, first when he was held as a hostage by the Imagawa and then again during the confusion of a battle. It's rumoured that Tokugawa Ieyasu even hid in a cave located at the
Okuno-In, the inner temple, but we didn't go there. The connection between this temple and the Tokugawa is quite evident from the Tokugawa
mon, emblem, which is everywhere here.
Later,
when Senrin Tōzen was invited to a banquet by Tokugawa Ieyasu, then lord of
Hamamatsu-jō, Senrin Tōzen fell asleep which could be considered quite an insult, but Tokugawa Ieyasu just gently said
kasui, sleep is allowed, and that is how this temple got it's unique name.
Kasuisai also identifies itself as
Akiha Sōhonden, the head centre of
Akiha worship.
Akiha is the god of warding of fires in Japan and has been venerated in Japan for 1,300 years.
Kasuisai has a rivalry with another temple regarding which one that is actually housing the true body of
Akiha. I only learned about that part after I left the temple so I didn't visit the part of the temple associated with
Akiha.
The biggest reason for us to come here today though wasn't the historical significance of this temple, but rather for their enormous collection of
hina, a gorgeous doll that represents the emperor and empress as well as their guards and their courts. These dolls are very popular in Japan and every year large festivals known as
Hinamatsuri are held in March during which time they are displayed. Especially young girls hosts parties with their friends featuring these dolls
while they eat special foods. These dolls can be very expensive to buy and sometimes go as heirlooms within families for generations. I believe there were a total of 1.200
hina here,
Before we came to the hall where the hall where the
hina are kept we first passed a beautiful
Jizō-dō, a hall dedicated to
Jizō, the Bodhisattva that protects children and travellers. After the
Jizō-dō we came upon the beautiful
Sanmon, the mountain gate, which is guarded by the
niō, the two benevolent kings which are said two have protected the historical Buddha. They are often found guarding the entrances to Buddhist temples and they strike a fearsome image. They are always presented in a pair, one with an open mouth,
Misshaku Kongō who is usually called
Agyō, and one with closed mouth,
Naraen Kongō who is usually called
Ungyō. They represent the
a and
n syllables in the Japanese language and thereby represent the beginning and the end, birth and death.
The
hina are located inside a stunning hall called
Zuiryūkaku which boasts gorgeous
fusuma, the painted sliding doors, which depicts flowers during the four different seasons. I was also surprised to find out that
this temple is famous for it's temple toilet, known as
Daitōsu, which boasts a statue of
Ususama Myōō who is the guardian of bathrooms in Japan and who has the power to purify the unclean. The statue of him here is the tallest in all of Japan.
After we had seen the beautiful
hina and the marvellous arts in the treasury room
Hōmotsukan we were allowed to see a great artwork depicting the death of Buddha and the lamentation of his disciples, an old and invaluable peace of art and we were allowed to walk around inside the temple since we were together with Yasuyo. They also showed us where the
zazen, the seated zen, is performed. It's a zen training where you have to face yourself, staying perfectly still and seated during meditation while learning about yourself and overcoming your desires.
We were even allowed inside the
Hattō, the dharma hall, there are very few of these halls left in Japan and inside there we were allowed to pray before the
shumidan, the main altar, and the statue of
Kannon, the goddess of mercy. This is a part of the temple where you are usually not allowed
to go, it was a very powerful and spiritual moment that I treasure greatly, I expect that I would never have been permitted to enter this part of the temple if I hadn't travelled together with Yasuyo. There were no one but us in this part of the temple, not even the monks. After our proper prayer we took a few photos and I also took a look at the beautiful
ihai, memorial tablets, that are housed in here.
After our prayer we left the temple through what seemed to be some form of reception and gift shop and we stayed there for a while and talked to some of the monks which was very interesting. I've really enjoyed my time here at
Kasuisai immensely.
With our visit coming to an end we performed a late
temizu at the Temizuya before we left through the
Sōmon, the main gate of the temple. Once we were outside of the temple we all shared in some delicious sweets that Yasuyo had brought with her and we also took Vivian for a short walk before we said our goodbyes to Yasuyo. I'm really grateful to her for the opportunity to come
here to
Kasuisan and to
Hattasan Son'ei-ji, to be able do so in a more intimate fashion than I could ever do as a tourist has been a truly amazing experience that I will always treasure.
We then returned to Kakegawa and to Shōkichi's home where we briefly left Anzu and Vivian while Junko drove me and Takae to Kakegawa to visit the castle
Kakegawa-jō before it became to dark. As we arrived Junko remained in the car and allowed me and Takae to go up to the castle by ourselves. It was closed but it was still nice to see it and the view from it's location up on the hill was very nice. Like most castles in Japan it's a reconstruction but it's a beautiful one and I liked it a lot, I hope to be able to go inside at some other time.
At least I could get a look from the outside at some of the beautiful structures here such as the
Ninomaru Goten, the old palace area, and the
Taiko Yagura, great drum tower. It was nice to walk around alone with Takae for a while as well. I hope we'll be able
to have more moments together like this.
With that though we said our goodbyes to Kakegawa, for this time, and returned to Shōkichi's home where we collected Anzu and Vivian before we returned to Junko's home in Shizuoka and ate a lovely evening meal together. Today has been a really packed and wonderful day and I'm very thankful for it, I especially enjoyed my time at
Hattasan Son'ei-ji which I will always carry in my heart.
Tomorrow Junko will show us a beautiful waterfall near Fujinomiya and we'll also go and have a closer look at
Fujisan which will be amazing!
Until tomorrow I wish you all peace and happy travels!
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alex waring
Alexander Waring
An Intimate Experience
What a lovely, intimate experience. It seems you were able to go beyond what the usual tourist does and sees, very special. I love the feeding of the onigiri to the fish, and the Swedish bear hugs :D