A small lion was looking at me quizzically in the narrow space of the large lantern standing in Myoho-ji Temple

According to a little research, the temple was originally a branch temple of Enyu-ji, a nearby temple, so I imagined it to be a slightly smaller temple, but I was wrong. Myoho-ji Temple in Horinouchi, which I visited for the first time, was a large temple. The Nio-mon gate and the main hall are much larger than those of Enyu-ji Temple in Himonya. It was no wonder, then, that this temple was one of the head temples of Nichiren Shoshu, a sect of Buddhism with a long history.

Passing through the gate where statues of Kongorikishi, said to have been donated by the fourth shogun, Tokugawa Ietsuna, are enshrined, visitors will see a large incense burner in front of the Soshido hall, with large bronze evergreen lanterns standing on either side. A lion sits in a small space under the graceful curves, looking at me with a troubled expression on its face. Perhaps it was annoyed at my taking only pictures and not approaching the Soshido.

There are other interesting things in the precincts in front of Soshido, including these everlasting night lanterns. On the left side of the temple is the Gakudo, where votive ema (votive picture tablet) is displayed. It is interesting to see the huge ema under the roof, and the copper kamado (an oven made of copper) at the end of the Gakudo is also intriguing. Turning to the right, there stands a unique gate built in 1878 with a strong Japanese-Western blend. Looking at such things carefully, it is difficult to approach Soshido.

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