Author Chas
The strong history of spirituality and religion in Kunisaki has made it an incredible spot for those who want disconnect from the busy city. While nature and food are gate ways to having new experiences, the practice of Buddhism provides a firm opportunity to put the technology and extra baggage down. Meditation and Sutra emphasize the participant emptying their mind of all thoughts. It is understandable that it is impossible to completely empty the mind on the first try, but it is still very healthy to relax all of the senses and balance them out again. There are no cell phones, computer monitors, or e-mails from work to check. It just comes down to you, your thoughts, and how you can empty your mind of them.
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Kunisaki Peninsula is on the Northeastern portion of Kyushu Island, and is greatly known for its strong history of Shintoism and Buddhism. Kunisaki Peninsula used to be divided into six separate areas, which provided room for numerous temples and shrines to be built. This rich spiritual history has allowed Kunisaki to become reminiscent of another great tourist destination of Japan, Kyoto. However, Kunisaki allows you to have access to the best of both worlds, rural tranquility and powerful tourist attractions to visit. The peninsula provides incredible destinations such as the Usa Shrine. An establishment to practice Shintoism, it has been standing for hundreds of years and has become a prominent shrine within the practice. If you are visiting the town of Kunisaki, Jishu Shrine or the Sakurahachiman Shrine are two of many incredibly picturesque places to stop and pay your respects to their deities. For those that want to experience both practices, Kodo-ji temple is a great spot to stop if you are visiting the town of Kunisaki. Even though they are within a close proximity of each other, both will provide different opportunities to experience Japanese culture.
Author Heaven
Under the influence of the policy of National Seclusion in Edo Period, foreign trade was confided to Nagasaki in Kyusyu. Kunisaki Peninsula is very near to Nagasaki, as a result, new forms and theories of Buddhism were introduced to Kunisaki directly instead of through the capital city or any other big cities to it in Japan.
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Buddhism flourished in Japan from Heian Period and in combination with native Shito beliefs, they dominated the religious and philosophical lives of the nobility as well as the common people. Kunisaki Peninsula is a place where the local religious atmosphere was deeply affected by various kinds of Buddhism reached Japan. So next time when you walk in the streets of Kunisaki, please don’t be surprised at the sight that next to a Shinto shrine stands a Buddhism temple.That’s just normal for a place have a long religious history like Kunisaki.
Today in Kunisaki Peninsula the ancient culture of syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism is called Rokugou-manzan. In Japanese, roku means six and gou means village; Rokugou refers to the six villages gathered in the mount Futago and other mountains in ancient time. Manzan indicates the group of shrines and temples. Very peculiar religious culture of mountain worship called Rokugou-manzan has been flourished in this region. 2018 will be its 1300th year foundation since this culture was originated.
In Kodo-ji, we experienced the Buddhism meditation, mainly by the breath meditation. Under the help of the Buddhist monk, we tried to slow down the frequency of our breath to achieve a stage of emptiness. According to Buddhist theory, through the meditative development of serenity, one is able to weaken the obscuring hindrances and bring the mind to a collected, pliant and still state. This quality of mind then supports the development of insight and wisdom. It was quite a special experience to do the meditation in Kodo-ji.