While there are many famous shrines and temples in Kyoto, there are also some that are just not well known and are wonderful. This time we will introduce a temple called Tanukidanisan Fudoin located in the Ichijyoji area. (Photography is not allowed inside the main hall, so please visit the site to see the powerful Buddhist statues!)
Tanukidanisan Fudoin(http://www.tanukidani.com/en/) is a temple dedicated to a Buddha named Tanuki Fudō Myō’ō. Perhaps because it is enshrined in a place called Tanuki Dani （Raccoon Valley）, it is not just any Fudō Myō’ō, but is called Tanuki Fudō Myō’ō. For this reason, the precincts of the temple are also covered with statues of raccoon dogs. Such a temple full of raccoon dogs is rare in Japan.
Since Fudō Myō’ō is a Buddha who is blessed with the power to purge bad things, his main benefits are to ward off bad luck and heal illnesses such as cancer.
To get to this temple, it is a 20-minute walk from Ichijo-ji station. Since it is a 10-minute walk up a steep hill to reach the temple entrance, elderly visitors and those with children may want to take a cab to the entrance. 
First of all, many raccoon dogs of various sizes greet you at the entrance. The blithe face makes me smile. Please enjoy the expressions of these raccoon dogs, which look the same but are completely different from each other. The moss-covered rocks and statues create a nice atmosphere. 
It is a temple, but the entrance to the temple is through the torii gate of the shrine. (This is because the shrine is inside the temple.) You may want to bow before entering and exiting.
From here, visitors ascend a long flight of stairs. There are 250 steps! It is so difficult to climb all of them that even in the coldest season, you may feel a little sweaty. Climb while taking small breaks.
After managing to climb the stairs, one can see the main hall of the temple, which was built in the kakezukuri style (a type of architecture built to cling to steep cliffs and mountain slopes), just like Kiyomizu-dera Temple.
The main hall is so stunning that it blows away the bitterness I felt while climbing the stairs.
Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the hall, so there are no pictures, but you can see the statue of Fudō Myō’ō enshrined in the cave. The presence of the Buddha in the cave gives the visitor a completely different sense of power from that of the Buddha in an ordinary hall. Please greet us quietly. The cave can be entered only during the special visitation period.
There is a space on the stage of the main hall from which one can view the city. After you finish praying inside the main hall, enjoy the sense of accomplishment of having worked hard to climb the 250 steps and look out over the city and the mountains of Kyoto.
You may also draw a raccoon dog omikuji for your memory. Inside the raccoon dog is a piece of paper with a fortune written on it. Unfortunately, the content is written in Japanese, but it will be a memorial. Perhaps because they are made by hand, each face is slightly different, so the key is to firmly select a raccoon with a face you think you will like.
Concierge Service
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Yumemi[ Sharing Kyoto Staff ] |
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