“We heard that Kanno-ji Temple on Mt. Kabuto is packed with people today (^^)/” — thanks to a tip from Director Kodama of “Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi Dental & Oral Surgery”, we went to check it out!
The parking lot was full, and the bus stop was packed with people too (^^)/
That’s right — today is the day, just once a year, only on May 18, when you can see this↓
This was the day (^^)/
It is one of the Buddhist statues at Kanno-ji Temple on Mt. Kabuto, designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1950.
It is a hidden Buddhist image carved by Kobo Daishi 1,192 years ago (^^)/
The Kannon on the far right is also called Yuzu Kannon, and is said to help people with money when they need it (^^)/
Come to think of it, we once visited the waterfall where Kobo Daishi is said to have trained for 33 days before carving this statue.
More details here↓
On weekday afternoons it usually feels like you have the place to yourself, but today there was a steady stream of visitors.
There were also lots of people lined up at the temple office to receive goshuin stamp books and amulets!
A wonderful flute performance was offered, and many people gathered for it! The sound felt light and uplifting (^^)/
On this day, we were able to enter the main hall and encounter many Buddhist statues that have endured through the ages (^^)/
Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside,
so please take a look at the Yuzu Kannon inside this amulet instead.
Here is the location on the map↓
The address is 25-1 Kabutoyama-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture.
