Let's Make a Peaceful Little Pilgrimage (Patreon)

My visit to Shakuson-ji/釈尊寺 (724 AD)

First, let me tell you the legend of the "Cloth-Pulling Kannon" (Nunobiki Kannon), or at least one version of it.

Once upon a time, there lived a nasty, greedy old woman who just made life miserable for everyone who knew her. Well, one day, she was doing her laundry when a cow (Spoiler: it's the Bodhisattva Kannon in disguise) suddenly appeared on the bank of the river. Somehow it managed to get its horns caught up in a long length of cloth and started to walk away.

The woman -- now nasty, greedy, AND furious -- chased the cow. But the cow sped up, staying just ahead of her, pulling the cloth, the old woman scrambling behind. Together they traveled across fields and over mountains, until finally they arrived at a temple called Zenkōji/善光寺.

Aha! the old woman thought, she had finally caught the darned thing, but the animal slipped inside the Golden Hall and disappeared.

It's getting dark now. The old lady is utterly exhausted and decides to spend the night in the main hall of the temple.

A little later, the Buddha visits her in a dream. They have a moment. The old woman realizes how awful she's been and regrets her past actions. She decides to change and live a better life, which she does, eventually being welcomed into paradise.

The parable being: Unexpected events or invitations from another can lead you to a better place.

The day: After poking around on Google maps and finding the absolutely stunning Shakuson Temple, it was the place I most wanted to visit when we went to Karuizawa back in March. It's literally built into the side of a cliff.

But I was really worried about the weather and the climb.

[from below]

Turned out it was perfect. Cold, some snow on the ground, but nothing harrowing. It actually made the whole day all the more beautiful. Also, there were almost no other visitors. I did meet an old man who told me sometimes buses come with tourists and a young boy who told me he likes to come and run the hike up the mountain to train for his basketball club.

The only odd thing that happened was that Richard and I separated. He was recording bubbling brooks and birds and melting snow and I was soaking up all the nature and hidden away statues. There were at least three times I totally thought someone was coming up behind me on the path and I moved aside to let them pass. Waited, turned. But no one. The place was so dreamy and ethereal that in my imagination I pretended they were pilgrims from days of old, still making the trek to the top.

[from above]

Don't forget to grab yourself a walking stick. You'll thank me later.

(Side note: We didn't use walking sticks.)

So we made the hike very slowly because there were so many things to see.

And by many things to see...

This sign says there are numerous wooden and stone Buddhist statues place along the path by believers, watching over the safety of those who are also making the climb.

The climb and some statues.

Watching. Making sure you don't twist your ankle and tumble down the hill.

Catching some binaural sounds. I'm not sure if I've shared them here or not. I'll check and if not, put them up later in the week.

At the top, to your left is a newer (but still old) temple where you can get your goshuin stamp. I rang the bell (the sign told me to!) and literally woke up the person living there (it was noon!). I felt bad, but we had a good laugh.

To your right is the valley below.

To get to the red main temple you have to pass through this tunnel.

Duck your head!

Here's another carved into stone super old shrine.

Then the pièce de résistance!

Here's the cow. Such a pleasant expression.

Here you're standing on the balcony looking back where you came. I have such mixed feelings about things like this sign. Out in the weather for hundreds of years, it's in terrible shape. But experiencing it here and not in some museum really hits you in a deeper way.

Here you're looking into the shrine itself. Notice the rock ceiling.

I just read a different version of the cloth-pulling Kannon (from a photo of a sign I took there) and it says there was a devote old man who was led away by the cow instead. After the long journey, the cow turned into a golden light and disappeared by a rock. Suddenly a beautiful Kannon statue was standing in front of him.

The old man was overwhelmed with surprise, sadness, and exhaustion. There he stood in reverence. Eventually he noticed the cloth was stuck on top of a precarious cliff. He placed his hands together and prayed and after some time both he and the cloth turned to stone. Part of the cliff today is supposed to resemble a white cloth (I missed that).

The end.

Richard and I learned the hard way (and separately) that those walking sticks we didn't borrow, they are for the trip back DOWN the mountain. Up is fine. But returning was slightly treacherous because of uneven and unstable footing and steep steps. Later we laughed when we realized the whole way down our mantra was, Don't fall down. Don't twist an ankle. Don't slip.

But we made it! Those darling little statues must have absolutely been watching out for us. And the shadowy walkers. Them, too.

Okay, I'll leave you with another photo that includes both a Kannon statue and the cliff temple.

So if you're ever in Nagano Prefecture, Komoro City, I recommend this spot. It's a bit out of the way, but I think definitely worth it. My favorite kind of shrine or temple are old ones with a rich history, ancient art and relics, and very few visitors. This one fit all those bills.

[History is long and bad stuff happens. The original temple (Zenkō-ji) was attacked and destroyed, rebuilt, burned down, and rebuilt again. The Shakuson-ji temple is said to be over 1300 years old.]

XO, everyone stay safe and well, sending peaceful mountain and valley vibes.

t

P.S. The address is: 2250 Okubo, Komoro-shi, Nagano. It's a 10-minute walk from Komoro Station.