Zenjibu-ji, Buddhist temple in Nankoku, Japan
Zenjibu-ji is a Buddhist temple in Nankoku, on the island of Shikoku, and serves as the 32nd stop on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage. It sits on a forested hill said to resemble an eight-petaled lotus, with the main hall and a pagoda arranged along a wooded path.
Emperor Shōmu ordered the temple built to protect the priest Gyōki during a sea voyage, giving the site a connection to maritime safety from the start. Later, Kūkai, the founder of Shingon Buddhism, gave the temple its current name and added it to the pilgrimage route.
The temple houses a Kannon statue that fishermen once prayed to before heading out to sea. Votive offerings left by worshippers over the years give the site a devotional feeling that is still noticeable today.
The temple is best visited as part of the pilgrimage route, and sturdy footwear is recommended since the path runs through hilly, forested ground. Going early in the day gives you more time before the trail between stops gets busy with other walkers.
Kūkai named the hill after Mount Potalaka, a place that appears in Buddhist texts as the home of the Bodhisattva of compassion. He also gave the temple the secondary name Gumonji-in after a meditation in which he called upon Akasagarbha, the Bodhisattva associated with memory and wisdom.
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