The Temple to Emma-O was built in the very place where legends said the monk Yama transformed into the Judge of Meido, Emma-O. A twisted willow tree grew with one hundred and seven branches, the numbers of days spent by Yama meditating in his pursue of enlightenment, before he was killed by bandits. [1] It was once the site of an Emperor's funeral. [2]
Surroundings[]
The temple stood in the mouth of a steep valley, surrounded by forests, with a stream running through it and emptying into a shallow lake, the Heaven's Mirror. The castle Kyuden Kurogane-Hana was built around the shrine. [3]
Notable Locations[]
- The Temple Walls: the thick stone walls, painted and lacquered black to resemble the wood of ebony, formed a great centralized courtyard. Usually, temple designs added two gateways to allow for a flow of positive energy. The second was omitted for this temple, however; once one had passed through the gates of death, only the weight of karma could provide another way back. [2]
- The Shrine to Emma-O: was built around the sacred willow where legend said the monk Yama became the Fortune of Death. A representation of the entrance to Meido was completed with a statue of Emma-O. [2]
- The Gardens of Meido: the south-east corner of the complex contained a rock garden,
a sea of raked sand beds and mounds, standing rocks, and pebble-sewn pathways, depicting the landscape of Meido. [2]
- The Lecture Hall: contained living quarters for the monks. [2]
- The Library: adjacent to the Lecture Hall, contained records of the castle's history, family genealogies for the daimyo's line, and a vast array of theological and philosophical texts. [2]
- The So-Do: a hall dedicated to sitting meditation. It also had a hidden entrance to the catacombs. [4]
- The Catacombs and Secret Exit Chamber: urns and ashes of many samurai rested there, including one Emperor. A subterranean network of tunnels and passages connected it to the castle, and another gateway opened to a tunnle which emerged into to Seto no Mori in a hidden grove near Heaven's Mirror Lake. [4]
References
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