Categories
Traditional

Gon, the Jisonin Temple Dog

This last weekend we headed to the mountains, as far from Tokyo as we could. We left the train at Kudoyama and wandered calmly until we arrived to the temple of Jisonin. At the entrance of the temple there was a kind monk that was talking slowly on the phone, like he had all the time in the world.

Jisonin temple

When he finished talking on the phone he approached us and started telling us stories about the temple feeling really proud. We found him to be really photogenic and started taking pictures as he talked.

Jisonin temple

“Do you see that grave on the corner?”, the monk said. “Yes, it’s the grave of a dog, isn’t it?”, we answered. “His name was Gon, he lived with us for almost twenty years and he died in 2002. We named him “Gon” because when he was a puppy he got really excited when he heard the sound of the gong in the mornings.”

Gon, Jisonin temple dog

“It looks like the Hachiko statue, but smaller”, I remarked mumbling while I continued taking pictures. The monk raised his voice a little and said: “Our dog, Gon, is the real deal, not like Hachiko. Gon accompanied the pilgrims every day to the mountains until the Daimon gate. He was a guide to strangers along a 20km route every day and came back before the sunset. Gon was a faithful dog, obedient, hardworking and intelligent. On the other hand, Hachiko was a lazy, stupid and useless dog, the only thing he did was to wait in Shibuya for years. Moreover, something that the Richard Gere movie doesn’t tell is that Hachiko was shitting all over the Shibuya station entrance all the time. The people didn’t like Hachiko, they complained that there was a flea-bitten dog next to the train station and they had to avoid dog shits every morning”. Yes, he said the word “shit” several times after finishing his explanation and we all started all laughing, the monk included.

Jisonin Temple

“Did you understand? Our dog Gon is much cooler that Hachiko! Don’t let people in Tokyo fool you”.

Jisonin Temple

Jisonin Temple
This photo of me and the monk was taken by Ikusuki.

Categories
Traditional

Kyudo exhibition in Kyoto

Kyudo (弓道: “the way of the bow”), on of the most ancient Japanese martial arts, searches for spiritual development through archery. The way of holding the bow and all the steps to follow when shooting are very strict and many years of strict training are required to be able to dominate them. Yabusame uses some of the archery techniques of kyudo but is a totally different kind of art.


Video recoreded by Vincent in an kyudo exhibition in Kyoto

Categories
Traditional

The Seven Gods of Fortune – 七福神

The Seven Gods of Fortune (七福神 – Shichifukujin) are a group of very popular gods in Japan. But just one of them, Ebisu, actually originated from the Land of the Rising Sun. Daikokuten, Bishamonten and Benzaiten are native to India; and Hotei, Jurojin and Fukurokuju from China. All of them come from Taoist and Shintoist beliefs.

Ebisu
Ebisu is a god of good luck and also of fishermen. He’s usually represented with a fish on his left hand and a fishing rod on his right hand, although the latter may vary. The Japanese, fish lovers, usually favor Ebisu as god of fortune over the others.


Ebisu

Pic of an Hotei at the entrance of a sushi restaurant.

At the end of the 19th century, “Japan Beer” (company that ended up being called Sapporo afterwards) started selling a beer called Yebisu (ancient form of Ebisu, the Y is not pronounced) in honour of the god of fortune Ebisu. At that moment, “Japan Beer” had most of its factories on the South-West side of Tokyo and decided to build a train station called Ebisu to enhance their distribution system. Today, the Ebisu station is the next one right after Shibuya on the Yamanote line.


Yebisu

Yebisu beer logo.

Ebisu, apart from being the god of fishermen, has also become the god of shopkeepers and farmers, whom normally have an Ebisu figurine in the kitchen beside one of Daikokuten.

Daikokuten
God native to India that was adapted to the Japanese tradition in order to help enhance wealth, business, agriculture and, more specifically, food making! It is the god that brings food to the family. Its figure is usually represented on top of two rice bags and with a lucky mallet on his right hand.



On the right-hand side there are two Daikokuten.

Benzaiten
She’s the only female among the Seven Gods of Fortune. She’s the patron of music and fine arts in general. All temples in honor of Benzaiten are usually close to the sea (in Enoshima there are a couple of them) and the figurines representing the goddess normally show a very beautiful woman playing a biwa beside one or several white snakes. As the legend goes, goddess Benzaiten can transform into a snake. Many Japanese people believe that if a white snake appears in your dreams, it’s a sign of good luck.

Hotei
He’s the god of happiness according to Chinese beliefs. Plump and smiley, with a bag full of stuff to give to the poor.



Fukurokuju
God of wisdom and longevity. Near Fukurokuju figures there’s usually a tortoise.

Jurojin
God of longevity originated from China. He’s the oldest of the gods of fortune. His statues normally have a long beard and a parchment with all the death dates of all live creatures written.

Bishamonten
God of war, of warriors, he has the power to heal. He normally wears an armor and holds a sword in his right hand.



Figurines of the seven gods of fortune. Can you tell them apart?