Part 2 of our trip to Fukuoka!!
Fukuoka has many many Shrines and Temples and here are just a few! Watch till the end to see the giant wooden Buddha!
Gokoku Shrine
This is a shrine founded for the safety and well-being of Japan and is situated in a leafy area near Ohori Park and Fukuoka Castle ruins. It is dedicated to the spirits of war dead since Meiji Restoration. At the entrance of the approach is a large shrine gate of 13 meters in height, which is the largest in Japan among the ones made of raw wood. This shrine is also said to give the blessing of well-being for families and traffic safety.
Sumiyoshi Shrine
This shrine is dedicated to the gods of Sokotsutsuo-no-kami, Nakatsutsuo-no-kami and Uwatsutsuo-no-kami and it was officially designated in ancient time as one of the high ranked shrines. It was once admired as the greatest shrine of Chikuzen area (northern part of the present Fukuoka prefecture). It was worshipped as a tutelary shrine of navigation. The gods were also worshipped as gods of Japanese poem (waka) and ancient famous poet Sogi visited this shrine to pay respect to the god. The straight shaped roof of the main hall of this shrine is one of the specific features of ancient architectural style, very contrastive to the later Buddhist style. The main hall is designated as a national treasure and the copper axe and sword of the shrine are designated as important cultural properties of the prefecture.
Tocho-ji Temple
This head temple of Shingon Buddhism Kyushu sect is given the special name Nangakuzan. It is dedicated to a famous monk called Kobo-Daishi (Kukai). According to tradition, Kobo-daishi set up this temple when he came back from China and prayed for the eastward dissemination of Tantric Buddhism. This is one of the oldest temples in Japan that Kobo-Daishi set up.
The Great Buddha of Fukuoka
The carving of the statue started in 1988 and it took 4 years to finish. The statue is 10.8 meters in height and 30 tons in weight. This is the largest statue of a seated Buddha among the ones in Japan. The ring of light behind the Buddha stands 16.1 meters in height and is carved with numerous images of Buddha.
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