 Most viewed - Ikegami Honmonji Temple 池上本門寺 |
Way to Ikegami Honmonji Temple. Belonging to the Nichiren Sect, this is one of Tokyo's major temples.353 views
|
|
Soshido Main Hall, Ikegami Honmonji. The original Main Hall was burned during an bombing raid in April 1945. 大堂（祖師堂）282 views
|
|
See the baby buddha's hands pointing to Heaven. Sweet tea is poured over a statue of a baby buddha. According to legend, sweet rain (or perfumed water) fell when the Buddha was born.277 views
|
|
Hanamatsuri, Buddha's birthday on April 8. A small statue of the baby Buddha is in a miniature temple called Hanami-do (花御堂). This is Ikegami Honmonji temple in Tokyo.258 views
|
|
Map of temple grounds. There are both traditional and modern buildings.251 views
|
|
Statue of Rikidozan (1924-1963) at his grave at Ikegami Honmonji temple, Tokyo. He was a sumo wrestler until 1950 before becoming a pro wrestler.232 views
|
|
Niomon Gate 仁王門（三門）195 views
|
|
Hoto means "Treasure Tower." A beautiful building. Ikegami Honmonji, Tokyo 宝塔190 views
|
|
Inside Soshido Hall, view of left side. 大堂（祖師堂）189 views
|
|
Ikegami Station platform on the Tokyu Ikegami Line189 views
|
|
The hall was reconstructed in 1964 financed by donations from all over Japan. It is a ferro-concrete structure. 大堂（祖師堂）182 views
|
|
大堂（祖師堂）171 views
|
|
Ikegami Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line which starts in Gotanda.171 views
|
|
Incense burner151 views
|
|
Soshido Hall altar 大堂（祖師堂）148 views
|
|
Inside Soshido Hall, view of right side. 大堂（祖師堂）148 views
|
|
Poster for the temple's spring festival which includes Hanamatsuri.147 views
|
|
Statue of Rikidozan who was famous for his "karate chop" during the 1950s and early '60s. This famous postwar "Japanese hero" was actually Korean.138 views
|
|
Side view of Soshido Hall. 大堂131 views
|
|
Five-story Pagoda and cherry blossoms. 五重塔131 views
|
|
Setsubun bean throwing at Ikegami Honmonji temple, Tokyo.131 viewsThey threw a lot of beans for about 10 min. Interesting that they did not say, "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" We caught a good haul of lucky beans.
|
|
White elephant for Hanamatsuri128 views
|
|
Rikidozan's gravestone126 views
|
|
Matsumoto Iyo to throw beans for setsubun at Ikegami Honmonji temple, Tokyo.125 views
|
|
Priests procession heading for Ikegami Honmonji's main worship hall on Setsubun day, Feb. 3.124 views
|
|
Setsubun at Ikegami Honmonji temple, Tokyo.121 views
|
|
Hanamatsuri, Buddha's birthday. When the Buddha was born, he walked seven steps and said, "I am my own Lord through Heaven and Earth," and pointed one hand to Heaven and the other to Earth. 120 views
|
|
Rikidozan's grave, the temple's most famous grave.120 views
|
|
Boy priest sweeping at Ikegami Honmonji, Tokyo.118 views
|
|
People line up to pour sweet tea over the baby buddha. 大堂117 views
|
|
Back of Soshido Main Hall116 views
|
|
Five-story Pagoda was another structure which escaped war damage. 五重塔115 views
|
|
Rikidozan's grave111 views
|
|
Sign pointing the way to wrestler Rikidozan's grave.110 views
|
|
Roof of Soshido Main Hall 大堂108 views
|
|
Five-story Pagoda built in 1607, Tokyo's oldest pagoda. 五重塔102 views
|
|
Behind the pagoda are many graves.102 views
|
|
Doors of Soshido Main Hall 大堂99 views
|
|
Tea ceremony99 views
|
|
Altar in Kyozo 経蔵97 views
|
|
Marker for the temple.97 views
|
|
Graves near Hoto tower96 views
|
|
Hoto tower built on the site where Nichiren was cremated. 宝塔95 views
|
|
Hanamatsuri parade94 views
|
|
宝塔91 views
|
|
五重塔90 views
|
|
90 views
|
|
90 views
|
|
Nitchodo Hall 日朝堂90 views
|
|
Car for Hanamatsuri90 views
|
|
Hanamatsuri Parade on April 8, Buddha's birthday.89 views
|
|
Hanamatsuri Parade on April 8, Buddha's birthday.89 views
|
|
Ikegami Honmonji, Tokyo88 views
|
|
87 views
|
|
Hanamatsuri Parade on April 8, Buddha's birthday.87 views
|
|
Honden Hall 本殿86 views
|
|
Gate to Honden86 views
|
|
Spring festival site with food and entertainment.86 views
|
|
Built in 1828 and made of wood. It is the only tower of its kind in Japan placed outdoors. 宝塔86 views
|
|
Hoto tower 宝塔84 views
|
|
White elephant is usually present during Hanamatsuri. On the day before the Buddha's mother Queen Maya gave birth, she dreamed that a white elephant entered her womb.84 views
|
|
Kyozo houses Buddhist scriptures. 経蔵83 views
|
|
Bell tower 鐘楼堂83 views
|
|
Treasure House 霊宝殿81 views
|
|
Hoto tower 宝塔81 views
|
|
Honden and temple office on right. 本殿、客殿寺務所80 views
|
|
Hanamatsuri Parade on April 8, Buddha's birthday.78 views
|
|
Ikegami Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line45 views
|
|
In front of Ikegami Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line, follow this road for a short walk to Ikegami Honmonji temple.41 views
|
|
39 views
|
|
On Feb. 3, Ikegami Honmonji holds the annual Setsubun ceremony and bean throwing.39 views
|
|
Press cameramen behind us on their own platform to record the event.39 views
|
|
38 views
|
|
38 views
|
|
Matsumoto Iyo's place.37 views
|
|
At 3 pm, the bean throwers appeared and took their positions after attending a ceremony inside the temple.37 views
|
|
The bean throwers included minor celebrities, former pro wrestlers, and men and women born in the Year of the Monkey.37 views
|
|
My lucky beans. The beans are in little plastic bags with a paper bottom.37 views
|
|
36 views
|
|
36 views
|
|
Before the bean throwing, a few taiko drummer friends performed at 1 pm for 20 min. on the bean-throwing platform in front of the temple's Hondo main hall.36 views
|
|
Taiko drum performance in early April in front of the temple.36 views
|
|
Ogre (oni) appear in a procession.36 views
|
|
Incense burner36 views
|
|
Former yokozuna Akebono was also supposed to throw beans, but he had to be hospitalized for a swollen right leg. Too bad. 36 views
|
|
In front of the station.36 views
|
|
Somon Gate, the first gate you pass through to enter the temple and one of the few structures which were not destroyed during World War II. 総門35 views
|
|
Stone steps to the temple amid cherry blossoms. 此経難持坂35 views
|
|
35 views
|
|
35 views
|
|
35 views
|
|
35 views
|
|
Pretty cold day, but it was sunny with little wind.35 views
|
|
35 views
|
|
Crowd starts to gather for the bean throwing.35 views
|
|
Bringing out large baskets of beans.35 views
|
|
Statue of Nichiren 日蓮聖人像34 views
|
|
34 views
|
|
34 views
|
|
Prayers inside the pagoda.34 views
|
|
34 views
|
|
34 views
|
|
Beating a drum-like instrument.34 views
|
|
34 views
|
|
34 views
|
|
The bean throwing was going to start at 3 pm. We stood in front of the platform at 2:15 pm. They sectioned off this area for kids (and elderly).34 views
|
|
That's the temple's official mascot (Kozo-kun). 34 views
|
|
Because of the temple's Rikidozan connection, there were a number of pro wrestlers as well. (No sumo wrestlers.)34 views
|
|
Crowd goes home after setsubun.34 views
|
|
33 views
|
|
33 views
|
|
33 views
|
|
Taiko drummer33 views
|
|
Setsubun ceremonies on Feb. 3 start at 1 pm. Bean throwing (mamemaki) at 3 pm.33 views
|
|
They entered the temple and held a service at 2 pm. 33 views
|
|
They will throw beans on both the left and right sides of the platform.33 views
|
|
33 views
|
|
They threw a lot of beans. I think just about everyone was able to catch beans.33 views
|
|
Ikegami Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line33 views
|
|
33 views
|
|
33 views
|
|
A spring ceremony is held in early April.32 views
|
|
32 views
|
|
Everyone paraded to the temple and entered the temple for prayers, then dispersed. The lantern parade lasted from 6 pm till about 11 pm or so.32 views
|
|
Prayers in the main worship hall.32 views
|
|
32 views
|
|
31 views
|
|
About 20 min. later, the place got full.31 views
|
|
In front were two minor "idol" singers and a red oni. It was nice that they posted the names of the celebrities, but I didn't know any of them except one...31 views
|
|
The beans included a square piece of caramel candy. The paper says "Lucky beans," "Setsubun," the name of the temple, and an ad for a local business.31 views
|
|
On Oct. 12, the annual Oeshiki Festival (お会式) was held at Ikegami Honmonji temple. It commemorates the anniversary of Nichiren's death. He died here in 1282.31 views
|
|
Following the firemen's standards are musicians. The drummers are the most prominent. They beat handheld, fan-shaped taiko drums (called uchiwa daiko). Amazing how loud these little flat drums can be.31 views
|
|
31 views
|
|
Ikegami Honmonji taiko drummers.31 views
|
|
31 views
|
|
31 views
|
|
31 views
|
|
31 views
|
|
Interacting with the crowd. They love foreigners and babies in the crowd. They let them beat their drum.31 views
|
|
31 views
|
|
31 views
|
|
31 views
|
|
31 views
|
|
30 views
|
|
Since most of Japan's big festivals are Shinto, it's nice to see a large-scale Buddhist festival.30 views
|
|
30 views
|
|
Each group is led by firemen's standards (matoi) which are poles with streamers. These were originally used by firemen's units in the Edo Period as their banner. Now used at festivals and for ceremonial purposes only.30 views
|
|
30 views
|
|
30 views
|
|
Maybe about 300,000 spectators lined the streets from the train station to the temple.30 views
|
|
30 views
|
|
30 views
|
|
The festival's main event is an evening lantern parade (called Mando) of thousands of Nichiren believers from all over Japan. They come in groups according to their respective temple or district.29 views
|
|
At the end of each group is a flowery (cherry blossoms) lantern float (called mando). It's a lantern pagoda with flowery streamers.29 views
|
|
Marching priests.29 views
|
|
29 views
|
|
29 views
|
|
Path to the temple.28 views
|
|
|
|
|
|
