GW2024 D9 Buddhism on Kunisaki peninsula

Route: Nakayamaga - Futagoji - Usa 
Bicycle: 62 km
Train: 65 km
Total ascent: 1491 m
Average speed: 12.2 km/h
Riding time: 5:05 h
Weather: warm and sunny later cloudy, 25 C

For what will be the last day of cycling in Kyushu (because tomorrow it will rain all day) I went to Kunisaki peninsula. Apparently it is famous for its special Buddhist temples. Not that I actually understand anything about Buddhist temples, but who knew that there were large stone carvings of Buddha in Japan?

The way up to these carvings was over a staircase that seemed to be stones thrown at random, but at least there was a handrail to hang on.

Since they burned some old grass there were light fit swathes creating a suggestive atmosphere.

The next stop was Makiodo temple. Which was a bit underwhelming for me, but that is probably only testimony to my total lack of knowledge about buddhist statues. 

Further into the peninsula was Fukiji temple. If I remember correctly this was the temple that enshrines the same god / figure  ??? as the Byodoin in Uji and the temple in Hiraizumi. Two rather famous temples. But I forgot what it actually is that connects these three. To me it seemed a rather normal temple. 

From here it was up and up. I had seen a restaurant indicated on the shores of a dammed lake and had called to check if they were really open. They were. Run by two elderly ladies (a bit younger though than the ones yesterday) selling mainly soba dishes, which are great while cycling anyway. After this test the probably steepest section of the ride started, up and up on to the volcano (which doesn’t seem to be active, but very volcano shaped). The last temple I visited is inside the caldera of the volcano, which means that after all the ascent there is a descent to get into the caldera. It seemed to be quite some work to cycle all this up again, but it turned out to be easier than anticipated. 

Cycling up here I came through some very noisy bamboo forests. It was again quite windy today and with the bamboo swaying with the wind they actually get quite noisy.

After I had made it out of the caldera it was one long downhill to Usa. Originally I had planned to visit also USA shrine, a very famous shrine for the Hachimangu shrines… but it was getting too late. So something for the next visit in the region. Apparently the temples in Kunisaki peninsula somehow are connected to Regis Hachimangu shrine. If I understood correctly the idea is that Shinto and Buddhism did mix specially well in Kunisaki peninsula, because someone decided, that the deity enshrined in a Hachimangu shrine was a devout Buddhist. 

I however am neither a devote Buddhist nor Shintoist but do adhere to the “religion” of soaking in an onsen, which I did not too far from the station in a small supersento that seemed to be visited only by the local elderly ladies who seemed to know each other and were chatting away incessantly. It was an onsen with 3 outdoor pools  one properly cold, one refreshingly non-warm, non-cold and one warm. The tepid pool, when I first came out, was full of gossiping old ladies.