Daishoin, the center of Buddhism on the sacred island of Miyajima (Photo-essay)

As befits an island considered sacred by the Japanese, Miyajima is home to a number of Buddhist temples as well as Shinto shrines.  Among these is Daishoin, the head temple of the Shingon Buddhist sect founded by the legendary Kobo Daishi which, in those centuries up until the Meiji Restoration (in 1868) where there were greater ties between Buddhism and Shinto, was in charge of all of the rituals at Itsukushima shrine.   

Still the center of Buddhism on the island, Daishoin's main temple complex is situated at the base of Mount Misen.  I'd like to return to Miyajima at some point in the future and hike up the trail leading to the mountain's summit, whose route passes by some others of Daishoin's buildings, including one where a holy fire has been said to have been burning for 1,200 years.  

The two days that my mother and I were on Miyajima were too hot to attempt to do so though, and too hazy for me to even want to take the cable car up the mountain.  Instead, I was happy enough to devote time and what already involved quite a bit of energy and effort to exploring the sprawling main temple complex that's home to several interesting buildings and hundreds of statues that visually ranged from the awe-inspiring to amusingly kitschy! 

 

It's all too common to encounter intimidating looking flights of 

stone steps like these when visiting temples or shrines in Japan!

 

Happily, the nature path we took from Jukeiso 

allowed us to bypass many of those steps! ;b

 

The Kannon-do is home to (expectedly) statues of Kannon, and 

(less expectedly) Tibetan mandalas and images of the Dalai Lama

  

There's beauty to be found in the Kannon-do's exterior too ;b

 

Puppet Ponyo's small size provides some perspective

as to the size of this large temple complex

 

Ema abound in the vicinity of the Ichigan Daishi, to whom those 

who pray for only one wish are said to have it granted by Kobo Daishi

 

In the upper floor of Daishoin's tallest building, 

the Maniden prayer hall, can be found 

1,000 statuettes of the Buddha of Infinite Light

 

Sounds of chanting led me to and into the dimly lit 

Henjyokutsu Cave which I would not have been surprised 

to find was a columbarium but actually isn't!