Eisyoji
This temple appeared with the name of Manpuku-ji in a famous novel, Yoakemae (Before Dawn) written by Toson Shimazaki , a prestigious international novelist. It is the family temple of the Shimazaki’s and Toson’s tomb is located here.
In this temple, on new year’s eve, “Hitting the bell to ring out the old year” is conducted at the Bell Hall. In its shojin vegetarian cuisine, steamed turnip containing rice cake instead of white fish served in winter is famous. You can also eat Goheimochi rice dumplings, a specialty of the region.
Shukubo (temple stay)
The guest rooms consist of two sections, two four and half tatami mat spaces. The baths and lavatories are located outside and are shared. Yukata robes are provided. There are no towels, but they can be lent to those who want one. Although air conditioning is not provided, it is not very hot as it is located at a high altitude. On the contrary, heaters are provided in the winter.
The room I stayed faces a garden. It was in June, the rainy season, and I was able to see white and pink lotus blossoms. I saw blossoms that had withered as time passed and buds gradually bloom and blossom in the next morning. I felt relaxed seeing this garden in the rain.
Dinner (shojin vegetarian cuisine)
I ate shojin vegetarian cuisine. They served really tasty dishes: Fried yuba (tofu skin) with lily root, gingko nuts and Jew’s ear inside, steamed lotus ball with kuzu, sesame tofu, boiled haricots and asparagus seasoned with sesame.
The ingredients were fresh and cooked with care. The pickled food was not too acidic and tasted light, and the pickles were not too salty. It seems that each dish was filled with gentleness. That was my impression. They were plentiful and I felt really full.
Zazen
At night, I received instruction on zazen . After we learned the zazen forms to some extent, we had a chat. The head priest liked chatting and he told us about his young days when he had traveled around, how sightseeing is in Magome, things about the shukubo , stories about his four children, etc. People will have good time talking with him.
I heard that he had talked for four hours through an interpreter with a group of French guests. He said he limited the number of guests to one or two parties so that he would have time to talk. So, it seems that the shukubo is always busy with people like this.
Other
The Kanon Hall contains an image of Amitabha made in the Fujiwara Period (from 894 to 1185) and an image of Seikanonzo (a Kanon saint) made by Enku.
A five-minute walk takes you to Magome, where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the inn town. The shukubo location is convenient for sightseeing as well. Although they do not serve sake , the priest said, “It is all right to bring even a barrel of sake .” People traveling alone are also welcome.
