Amulet From Kouganji Temple (2011-05-20)
KL received two amulets (one for me) from his secretary to guard us against danger and illness. What a nice gesture, and no doubt brought on by the current radiation threat.
A little bit about the amulet:
- An amulet (omamori) is a charm you get from a temple or shrine to protect the wearer against evil or danger.
- Our amulet is from Kouganji temple, the landmark temple in Sugamo, a suburb known to cater for the older generation.
- Almost all temples have their sacred object of devotion which can be a statue or a scroll etc. In Kouganji, it is a Buddha statue which is not open for public viewing. However its image is printed on Japanese craft paper. It is said that one can make a wish on it and drink it with water to cure diseases.
- The most famous feature in Kouganji as well as Sugamo is however
the Goddess of Mercy statue known as Araikannon.
Many believe that washing and wiping the statue brings them good
luck. My friend and I visited Sugamo many years ago (before I
started this blog) and we saw a line of about 50 people or so waiting
their turn to wash the statue!
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