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The Iwayadō Hall (岩屋堂) by candlelight in the foothills of Mount Tengura (天狗倉山) in Owase, Mie Prefecture, with a range of stone images of Kannon Bodhisattva (観音菩薩) dating to the 17th century or so, all based more or less on the main images of the temples on the Western Pilgrimage Circuit

Image from a May 2022 post by the Owase Tourism Association (尾鷲観光物産協会) via their official twitter account (see source)

#三重県 #mie prefecture #mie #尾鷲市 #owase #岩屋堂 #iwayado #西国三十三所 #buddhist art #観音菩薩 #観音 #kannon #avalokitesvara #石仏

The Grotto Hall Files

Several entries from the journal I kept during my days living in southern Mie Prefecture regarding the Iwayadō Hall (岩屋堂) in the foothills of Mount Tengura (天狗倉山) in Owase, Mie Prefecture

[Image from Owase’s official twitter account (c.f. source below)]

September 3, 1995

Today I was up in the area around 天狗倉山 [Mount Tengura], and I finally found the elusive 岩屋堂 [Iwayadō Hall], luckily enough. The entrance is small, and one walks up an old stone stepway ducking to avoid the branches of trees. The path widens a bit, and skirts the mountain, and is on the steep side here and there, but it’s a pleasant atmosphere overall. Following the forested path and passing stones on the curving walkway, finally one arrives at the 岩屋堂 [Iwayadō Hall], which true to its name is based around and under a huge rock. At one side is a small graveyard, including a grave to a 平家 [Heike] person (?). On the other side are some unusual miniature shrines, including one to 大海龍王白蛇明神 [Dragon King of the Great Sea, White Snake Shining Deity].

But the main attraction was the collection of stone statues under the rock, most of whom were 観音菩薩 [Kannon Bodhisattva] and made sometime towards the end of the Kamakura Period [correction: the main image enshrined & hidden dates to this time (1185-1333) but the smaller stone images visible probably date considerably later to the 1600′s or so]. They’re based upon the 33ヶ所 of 観音 [the Western Pilgrimage Circuit of Thirty-three Kannon Temples], and pilgrims would stop here on their way to the first stop in the pilgrimage, down south in the 熊野 [Kumano] region. Also some more recent ones, 地蔵菩薩 [Jizō Bodhisattva] for the souls of the victims of the big tsunami that hit this area in the Edo Period [1707 to be exact].

You could almost feel the worship of countless folks, the history of Buddhism as it spread among everyday people---which, considering I was sweaty & exhausted from the trek, I’m surprised I felt anything.

September 8, 1995

Today at the language lesson with [a friend], I got some good information about last Sunday’s 岩屋堂 [Iwayadō Hall]. For instance, the 白蛇明神 [White Snake Shining Deity]: she wasn’t sure, but often snakes are worshipped as 神 [deities], and especially unusual or large ones are regarded as a good sign. Such snakes or the like are worshipped for the usual kind of thing like prosperity of the household or such. Eggs are the offering. A related sort of folk custom: if you find a discarded snakeskin, put it in your wallet and your money will increase.

On the way is a rock shaped like a turtle staring down people on the path, and some people can’t proceed under this stern (stony?) glare. To be able to pass is a signal that you’re pure. I didn’t even notice, so either I’m really cool or maybe just selectively oblivious.

The graveyard could indeed be the final resting place of Heike refugees, she confirmed.

Inside the main place with the 石仏 [stone statues of Buddhist deities] is a stone called the おもかるいし = 重軽石 [heavy/light stone]. Think of a question in your life, ask it, and try to lift the stone. If you can lift it easily, the answer is yes; if it’s so heavy you can’t lift it, the answer is no. She doesn’t usually go in for such old tales wholesale, but this one’s really mysterious, according to her. For instance. her younger sister asked the rock whether getting married was the right idea a short time before the actual wedding. Pretty risky question, kind of awkward if the stone had turned heavy. Luckily it was light as a feather.

She knows the place pretty well, because there’s a 命日 [anniversary rite] there every 18th day of the month from around 10:00 AM or so, where goma ceremonies and such are performed. Her neighborhood machi is especially associated in some way.

November 18, 1995

I woke up a bit early and met [my friend’s mother], and we went up to the 岩屋堂 [Iwayadō Hall] together with a friend of hers. [my friend] was busy, and her grandmother had a cold, so they couldn’t make it.

The monk, a smallish guy with a slow & deliberate manner of speech, comes from 新宮 [Shingū] every 18th of the month to perform this 護摩 [goma fire rite] ceremony. On the 護摩木 [goma kindling stick] was written the more elaborate “kanman” 梵字 [Sanskrit syllable] for 不動明王 [Fudō Myōō], not too unexpectedly.

Chanted during the ceremony was the opening stuff, the 般若心經 [Heart Sutra], the 觀音經 [Kannon Sutra], and the धारणी [dhāraṇī] of 不動明王, 観音菩薩, 地蔵菩薩, & 薬師如来 [Fudō Myōō, Kannon Bodhisattva, Jizō Bodhisattva, and Yakushi Buddha]. They chant all of this super fast and then without taking a breath cycle back to the beginning over and over again, making it rather hard to follow along. Here at the 岩屋堂 [Iwayadō Hall] are the 33 観音 [Kannon] and the tsunami 地蔵 [Jizō] so chanting them made sense, but I was a bit fuzzy about the inclusion of the other two. Afterwards, when I asked about this, statues of them were pointed out to me--their non-standard iconography had stumped me, apparently: 不動 [Fudō] with a weird abstract face & 薬師 [Yakushi] with a hood and looking like a normal guy rather than a Buddha.

During the ceremony, a lady waved the food offerings over the 護摩 [goma] fire, very much as if sending them up to 不動 [Fudō] (presumably?) in remarkably Vedic style right here in Japan 1995. Afterwards these offerings were divided up among the participants as お下がり= o-sagari, leftovers from the 神さん [deities]--they have the same habit as the old man at 有久寺 [Arikuji Temple] of referring to any holy being by this term.

Also we were treated to おにぎり[rice balls] and なます [daikon radish & carrot salad], quite good at that, which is referred to as お接待 =o-settai or お志し = o-kokorozashi, food given to pilgrims for their support. Which reminds [my friend’s mother] of customs in Shikoku, she mentioned.

Retrospectively now in March 2021 and in conclusion, many thanks to my friend of the time for putting up with my odd topics of discussion and for going out of her way to arrange for my participation in her neighborhood’s monthly rites with my unaccountable interest in mind, and to my friend’s mother and the other ladies of Asahi-machi for allowing me to tag along and treating me to exemplary pilgrim’s fare on a pleasant & informative Saturday morning.

The Iwayadō Hall (岩屋堂) by candlelight in the foothills of Mount Tengura (天狗倉山) in Owase, Mie Prefecture: The thirty-three Kannon Bodhisattva of the Western Pilgrimage Circuit on the left, the Shingon founder Kūkai a.k.a Kōbō Daishi in an open rectangular shrine on the right (among a few others)

A photo accompanying a nifty vicarious walking tour on Owase’s official twitter account (c.f. source below)

#三重県 #mie #mie prefecture #尾鷲市 #owase #岩屋堂 #iwayado #熊野古道 #kumano kodo #觀音菩薩 #觀音 #西国三十三所 #弘法大師 #kobo daishi #空海 #kukai #石仏 #crazyfoxarchives

A range of various iconographical versions of Kannon Bodhisattva (観音菩薩) roughly corresponding to those of the Thirty-three Temple Western Pilgrimage Circuit in the Iwayadō Hall (岩屋堂) in the foothills of Mount Tengura (天狗倉山) in Owase, Mie Prefecture along what was once the old Kumano roadway to the first pilgrimage temple to the south, i.e. Seigantoji Temple (青岸渡寺) in the town of Nachi Katsura (那智勝浦町)

(Photo taken September 3, 1995)

#三重県 #mie #mie prefecture #尾鷲市 #owase #岩屋堂 #iwayado #観音菩薩 #観音 #kannon #西国三十三所 #熊野古道 #kumano kodo #石仏 #crazyfoxarchives

A stylized example of Batō Kannon (馬頭觀音) in the Iwayadō Hall (岩屋堂) in the foothills of Mount Tengura (天狗倉山) in Owase, Mie Prefecture

*please note that the manji (svastika) symbol is an ancient South Asian, hence Buddhist symbol of felicity and has no political connotations in this context

(Photo taken September 3, 1995)