Fieldwork Tour and Sumo Trip

OK, this post has been way too long in the making. I was going to post it on monday but I got sick and lost my train of thought.

So, on Saturday one of the professors brought some students on a tour of some important religious sites in Nagasaki, with a lot of history behind them.

Our first stop was the shrine of the 26 martyrs. 26 Christians who were caught from around Japan were crucified here by Hideyoshi on a hill overlooking the city.

Afterwards, we visited Honren temple, a simple but beautiful temple built in the 17th century, on the former site of a church.

After that, it was time to head to Fukusaiji

Met this cutie on the way

The giant Kanon statue of Fukusaiji is visible from far away

Fukusaiji was once one of the largest temple complexes in Japan, but was completely destroyed in the atomic bombing. Rather than being rebuilt in its original form, it was rebuilt in the shape of Kanon riding a giant turtle, dedicated to the victims of the attack.

Outside the temple

A giant mokugyo (wooden fish) inside the temple

Pond in the temple garden

Next stop was Shofukuji, a gorgeous old temple. Not to be confused with Sofukuji, the Chinese temple I had previously visited.

The main gate

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A small Buddhist altar. The manji is an old Buddhist symbol, completely unrelated to nazism

The main Buddha hall

Amazing view of downtown Nagasaki from Shofukuji

On the way to our next destination, we ran into a troupe of actors in full costume. They were very nice, and let us take pictures.

The man on the far right spoke excellent English, too

Our next stop was Matsunomori Shrine, the same place I had my Oharai earlier. I managed to get a couple pictures of things I missed last visit.

The main building

One of the shrine's sacred trees, probably over 700 years old

The shrine's other sacred tree, likely well over 1000

Some curious cats hanging out around a nearby house

We also visited Suwa Shrine, but I didn't take any pictures there. I got a fair amount last time I was there, and by this time I was rather tired, so after making a donation and saying a prayer I stopped for a rest.

There were a few more Buddhist temples left in the journey, below are some of the stand-out pics.

These fearsome looking statues are meant to ward off evil spirits

They are images of Vajrapani, who protected the Buddha during his travels

That Sunday was spent in Fukuoka, watching a sumo tournament. Sumo is both a sport and a Shinto ceremony, with many of the pre-match routines having religious significance. This was a very long tournament with many matches, and a lot of the world's best wrestlers were there, including all three currently active Yokozuna.

Note the roof hanging over the ring is one of a Shinto shrine building

Kakuryu, one of the three active Yokozuna (the highest rank in sumo.) The white rope he's wearing marks him as such. (It isn't worn during matches)

Hakuho, another Yokozuna

Harumafuji, also a Yokozuna

The wrestler who's back is to our side is Oosuna-Arashi, the first Egyptian ever to compete in the sport