Visiting Kobo Daishi at Sojiji Temple, Tokyo

Adachi City in the northeastern part of Tokyo is a residential, working class neighbourhood.
Apart from a few parks and a kid friendly petting zoo, there is not much to see or do thus keeping
it well off the beaten tourist track.
However,  its relative anonymity is exactly what made it so appealing to me.  That plus the presence of Sojiji, a temple associated with my favourite Buddhist saint, Kobo Daishi in the Nishiarai district made Adachi a must-visit place for me. 

There are a number of options to go to Nishiarai Station one of which is the Tobu Line which has themed trains wrapped with colourful characters from the Crayon Shinchan manga series.  I travelled after rush hour so there was hardly anyone on the train when I got on. 

Nishiarai Station is about forty minutes out of downtown Tokyo.  It is the transfer point to the local Tobu Daishi Line which goes all the way to Sojiji. 

A two car local train whisks commuters from  Nishiarai Station to Daishimae station where Sojiji is nearest to.  It was just one stop or 4 minutes away --  if I could read or speak Japanese well, I would have ventured there on foot. 

Daishimae station was a few hundred meters away from one of the side gates of the temple.  On this hot summer day, I tried as hard as I could to stay under the shade of the trees lining the path.

The first thing that greeted me were these kiosks selling cold drinks and yakisoba cooked to order.  While the smell of fried noodles and meat wafted so appetisingly, I could not imagine eating hot food in this warm weather. 

Further in to the temple grounds were stalls selling potted herbs and flowering plants.
Sojiji is a famous for viewing flowers during different seasons -- there are sakura trees, wisteria and peonies.
A Flower Festival is held annually when the temples' hundreds of peony plants are in full bloom.

Amidst the riot of colorful blooms I spied our local gumamela which are also grown and are very popular in Japan. 

The largest structure in the temple grounds is the Dai-hondo or the main hall of Sojiji.  

Sojiji is an important temple of the Shingon sect of Buddhism founded by  Kobo Daishi.  

This temple was established by the saint himself when he visited this area in the ninth century.

Inside the Dai-hondo is this magnificent gold altar where the statue of Kannon Bosatsu is enshrined and venerated. 

Kobo Daishi himself carved this statue which protected the people from a plague at that time.  

Today, Sojiji is regarded as one of  three temples in Tokyo where you can come and pray for protection from evil and bad luck.   All of us can certainly use that kind of protection. 

A wide veranda goes around the Dai-Hondo giving the visitor a bird's eye view of a small pond ringed with trees. Can you see the large lotus plants rising above the water?   Lotus is a flower associated with purity and detachment in Buddhism. 

A stone bridge crosses the pond -- it is an idyllic place for a solitary stroll.

There is a small shrine to the Budhhist Goddess Benzaiten who is associated with music and the arts.  This lovely setting seems like a perfect place for her shrine. 

A little further on is this statue of Kobo Daishi dressed as a henro or pilgrim, complete with walking stick and wide brimmed hat.
I am reminded of  Santiago or St. James who is also depicted in many instances as a peregrino
or itinerant pilgrim.  

Both Santiago and Kobo Daishi have centuries old pilgrimages dedicated to them -- the
Camino de Santiago in Spain and the Hachijuhakkasho-meguri or the 88 Temple pilgrimage in the Japanese island of Shikoku. 

Because of his importance to Sojiji, there is a small replica of Kobo Daishi's eternal resting place
or the Okunoin tucked away in a quiet corner of the temple grounds.  The original Okunoin is in the sacred mountain of Koyasan, in the Kansai region. 

A three story wooden pagoda is called the Sankodo and was built in the 1800s.
Previously one could go in and climb the stairs where small statues of Buddha were on each step.  However, it now seems to be closed to the public.
The stall selling vintage kimonos and accessories is not an everyday thing -- apparently the temple hosts a small flea market on select Sundays. 

Such an important temple like Sojiji definitely comes with its own Shinto shrine.  Buddhism and Shinto co-exist many times, side by side.  This inari shrine with the guardian foxes is in one side of the temple grounds. 

I spent quite a bit of time just sitting quietly in front of this small pond.  Beyond it you can see a part of the main entrance or the Sanmon Gate which was unfortunately under repair when I visited. 

Despite the hot and humid day, I spent all morning enjoying the pleasures of Sojiji, in the company
of (I like to think) Kobo Daishi himself.

While it was hard to say good bye,  I am sure we will meet again.