The Gargoyle News #32, Feb. 1, 2002

Happy Valentines Day! Remember, you can send gargoyle postcards in advance, so you can start preparing them now for delivery on Valentines Day! I've added a Valentine's version of the Dolce Mio (My Sweet) card, at http://stonecarver.com/postcard.html

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My wife just returned from a trip to the Philippines. On her way to Honolulu, she had an 8 hour layover at Narita International Airport in Japan. We went on-line to look for something interesting she could do, and hit the jackpot with the discovery of the Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. This huge complex, founded in the year 940 A.D., is just a half hour from the airport. We found the Temple website,  and saw that it was a beautiful place with many unusual buildings and sculptures, and a large park. You can see some of the sculpture in the Naritasan Gallery section of that site. We sent an e-mail to inquire about the possibility of visiting, and were put in touch with Mr. Masao Saito, the chief of the English volunteers. He was very gracious, and sent us information on train schedules. He met my wife at the Rest House across from the Temple, where they had a cup of Japanese green tea. He then took her on a personal guided tour. In the main hall of the Temple stands a statue of Fudo-myoo god (the God of Fire) carved by the great monk, Kobo-daishi, in the year 810 A.D., and it was moved to Naritasan in 940. Fudo-myoo, one of the popular Buddhist deities, is fierce-looking with a sword and a rope in his hands and a wreath of flames rising behind him. The sword cuts away hindrances of passion and false knowledge, and the rope is used to draw beings closer to Enlightenment. To demons he is terror, but to the faithful he is the remover of anxieties, banisher of evil and savior from oppression. Unfortunately, it was too dark for my wife to take a good photo of this sculpture, but we do have two other photos for you to see at http://stonecarver.com/gargoyles/naritasan.html The upper photo shows an strong and expressive grotesque creature. This is one of ten demon gods that support a giant octagonal rotating prayer wheel. Before entering the Temple, you start with a ritual cleansing of the body by washing your hands and mouth at a font guarded by a dragon. The second photo on my page shows Mr. Saito performing the ritual just described. Next you go up the steps and then cleanse your spirit by tossing small pieces of incense and allowing the smoke come to you. The daily Goma rite is celebrated at 3 o'clock sharp every day in the Great Main Hall. During this service you can give your important belongings to be blessed by the priest. This is the most important of all Temple services. In another building, the Buddha Hall, there is a service to bless and protect people during the dangerous ages of their lives. For men these dangerous ages are 25, 42 and 60. For women the dangerous ages are 19 and 33. Upon finishing her tour, my wife walked back along Omote-sando street to the train station to go to the airport. This busy shopping street is a beautiful and very clean, with many stores and food shops. She did a little shopping there, and tasted some of the delicacies. I'm sure you'll agree that her visit to Naritasan was a lot more exciting that sitting in the airport waiting room for eight hours! I hope to get a get a good photo to show you of Fudo-myoo together with more information about Naritasan in time for the next newsletter. In the mean time, have a warm and shady Groundhog Day and make your plans for Valentines Day!