In the west of Kyoto, north of the tourist scrum that is Arashiyama in autumn is one of the city's most underrated temples.
Otagi Nenbutsu-ji clings to a hillside; it is not a large temple but it is peopled with some 1,200 stone statues of rakan, disciples of the Buddha.
There are the calm, expected faces.
And the exuberant, unexpected ones.
A few hold children.
At least one has a dog in its arms while another holds a sake bottle and a third brandishes a tennis racquet. Some distance away is a statue wearing boxing gloves - the sporting disciples of the Buddha.
If you go, see if you can find them.
Rough and ready.
Flower child.
Some statues look like someone you'd like to have a drink with.
They'd laugh at your jokes, I think...
...and listen to whatever you had to say...
...under the autumn trees.
1 comment:
I will indeed and with a dozen Asahi in tow :).
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