Enjoji — Attraction in Kyoto

Enjoji Temple in Takagamiine is located right across the street from Koetsuji Temple. This temple belongs to Nichiren sect of Buddhism and it was established by priest Nitto in 1630 after seeing appearance of Myoken Bosatsu in his revelatory dream. The temple opened itself as a spiritual place to enshrine Myoken Bosatsu in another name called Hokushin 北辰尊星玄武神 ( guardian of north in a form of north star according to the deification of Taoism originated in China ). This is one of 12 temples enshrining Iwato Myoken. Back in Heian Period there once was a place called Reiganji Temple in this place. The temple was built for the protection of north area of capital by enshrining a statue of Myoken Bosatsu. The original purpose of building this temple was reconstruction of a part of Reiganji in Heian Period ( running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō ).

There is a stone cave built in a shape of tumulas on the ground of this temple. Iwato Myoken-gu shrine is built In this stone cave. The statue of Myoken Bosatsu is enshrined in this shrine. The statue holds a sword on right hand and snake on the other hand. Above its head is North Star ( big dipper ). the statue stands about 6 foot in height.

The belief of Myoken worshipping is based on the constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy. According to the concept of Myoken belief, the north star and the big dipper of Hokuto are the deity which controls the fortune of entire creation of earth.

Another interesting feature of the temple is a deity which cures hemorrhoid called 秋山自雲 Shuzanji-un directly named from a name of a person. This name Shuzanji-un is a Buddhist name. He suffered hemorrhoid since he was 38 and tried many different remedies for its cure, but unfortunately his condition kept failing to improve. He passed away at age of 45 after so much struggle in search of cure for hemorrhoid. Shuzanji-un left such words before he died " If I ever see people suffering from hemorrhoid chanting a prayer, I will be the one to save their lives ". After his passing one of his friend who was affected by hemorrhoid visited his grave to chant a prayer. He was miraculously cured from the desease. Later on the rumor spread out in town and they started placing deity of hemorrhoid in other places. You will find this grave with a large tumb stone next to the cemetary.

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This is a peaceful temple just a short walk from Genko-an. The grounds are beautiful, with a small pond and a picturesque bridge adding to the charm. Photography isn't allowed past the gate, which actually made the visit feel even more serene as we simply took it all in.

We also stopped by for a goshuin, and while the "No English" sign at the office worried me a tad, the experience ended up being very smooth. The lady at the desk was kind, and with a bit of effort in Japanese I was able to request two stamps and pay without any issues. It felt welcoming despite the initial hesitation, and the goshuin itself was beautifully done - well...

Japanese history viewpoint. I visit to see the gardens and trees. Beautiful momiji. Photography is disallowed...