I had read that there were some shrines and temples around the area, but I had no idea we would find a temple as big as Kokawa-dera. I've been to a lot of amazing shrines and temples in my visits to Japan, but it's always the most fun to find ones that are a little out of the way of the bigger and more famous cities, like Kyoto and Nara. The crowds tend to be a lot thinner and you can take advantage of the more peaceful surroundings.
The picture above is of the central gate. Kokawa-dera is more like a complex rather than just one temple. There are old-looking buildings everywhere, and I don't know enough about Buddhism to explain what each one is for.
The woodcarving on these buildings is ancient and intricate. Above is a carving of a dragon (??) on the central gate. I wish I had taken more pictures of the woodwork, which is mind-blowing.
Above is the main temple surrounded by gardens and stone lamps. It's hard to get a sense of how big it is from the picture, but it's pretty huge.
By far the best part of our visit was when I got to see this beautiful woman perform a traditional Shinto dance. Kokawa-dera is a Buddhist temple, but there's also a Shinto shrine on the grounds. The Shinto priest saw me walking around and offered to let me watch this dance. I didn't catch all of the Japanese, but I think the purpose of the dance is to purify those who witness it. She moved around in very slow, sweeping movements while holding what looked like an olive branch, but I'm sure it wasn't. Her kimono added to the sweeping motion...it was really special (sorry, my writing skills are waning on this rainy Monday afternoon).
And finally, an inoushishi, or wild boar. This was a baby one. The sign on the cage is his name: "Ururin." To be such dangerous animals, the babies sure are cute.
The picture above is of the central gate. Kokawa-dera is more like a complex rather than just one temple. There are old-looking buildings everywhere, and I don't know enough about Buddhism to explain what each one is for.
The woodcarving on these buildings is ancient and intricate. Above is a carving of a dragon (??) on the central gate. I wish I had taken more pictures of the woodwork, which is mind-blowing.
Above is the main temple surrounded by gardens and stone lamps. It's hard to get a sense of how big it is from the picture, but it's pretty huge.
By far the best part of our visit was when I got to see this beautiful woman perform a traditional Shinto dance. Kokawa-dera is a Buddhist temple, but there's also a Shinto shrine on the grounds. The Shinto priest saw me walking around and offered to let me watch this dance. I didn't catch all of the Japanese, but I think the purpose of the dance is to purify those who witness it. She moved around in very slow, sweeping movements while holding what looked like an olive branch, but I'm sure it wasn't. Her kimono added to the sweeping motion...it was really special (sorry, my writing skills are waning on this rainy Monday afternoon).
And finally, an inoushishi, or wild boar. This was a baby one. The sign on the cage is his name: "Ururin." To be such dangerous animals, the babies sure are cute.
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