Jodoji 浄土時

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On Sunday September 7 we took the bus out to Jodoji, about a 15 minute ride from Ono station.

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The temple was built in 1192 by the priest Chogen, who also worked to rebuild Todaiji in Nara.

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The grounds were beautiful and serene. We were two of about 7 visitors on a hot and sunny afternoon.

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The side of one of the temple buildings, above.

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Joe in front of one of the buildings, me near the lotus pond.

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An image repository at the temple.

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Below are the sculptures visible through the door of the white structure (above). There were many images stored in this hall in varying states of preservation.

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Additional buildings at the temple.

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The Shinto shrine on the temple grounds.

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Behind the central temple grounds is a forrested hill with a walking path. We started up the path and were quickly rewarded with a view of the grounds and the mountains beyond.

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The path meandered through the woods with small stone images placed about every 50 to 100 feet. Each pair of images represented a Buddhist deity and a monk.

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We followed the path for about 15 minutes, until I spotted a very large spider (with fangs!) sitting on a bamboo leaf. Suddenly it seemed like a better idea to walk the entire path in wintertime.

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An area along the path with a larger group of images. There were benches nearby.

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Back at the main image hall. The central sculpture is of Amida Buddha, the Buddha of the Western Paradise, flanked by Kannon (Bodhisattva of mercy) and Seishi (Bodhisattva of wisdom). The images were supposedly sculpted by the artist Kaikei during the Kamakura period (1185-1333), and along with the building, are National Treasures. The central sculpture is about 20 feet tall and is carved from wood and covered in gold. Photos are not allowed inside of the temple, but I purchased the photo set that they sell. Below I am standing in front of the hall that houses the sculptures, and holding the photo of them.

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