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By Patricia Belyea
KYOTO JP On my last morning in Kyoto, I slipped out of our downtown hotel and headed for Teramachi Street. In just ten minutes, I reached the gate of Kōdō Gyōgan-ji Temple, the 19th stop on the famous Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage.
I wandered through the deserted temple grounds. The only other person there was a monk at the goshuin reception desk, meticulously adding brushstrokes of calligraphy to papers bearing the temple’s stamp.
In front of the main hall, an incense burner was embossed with the characters for Kōdō—meaning “temple of skin.”
According to legend, a hunter once killed a female deer carrying a fawn. Overcome with remorse, he became a Buddhist monk and wore the deer’s skin over his robe as a symbol of his penance.
Nearby a tall stone monument bore an etching of the hunter, Gyoen Shonin.
The Seven Gods of Fortune stood ready to send me on my way with wishes of good luck and prosperity.
The well-known gang, from left to right, includes Ebisu (god of fishing), Daikoku (god of wealth), Bishamonten (god of war), Benzaiten (goddess of music), Fukurokuju (god of longevity), Jurōjin (god of wisdom), and Hotei (god of contentment).
The bell tower, built in 1804, stood quietly amid the stillness. Nearby, Jizo statues — dedicated to children who had passed away before their parents — joined the silence.
Oversized flower pots filled with muddy water lined the walkways. In November, the remnants of the lotus plants gave no hint of the sacred pink blossoms that transform the temple grounds in summer.
When I stepped onto the temple's portico, I found a rabbit tea bowl among an assortment of household wares. I purchased the bowl for myself, interrupting the monk to hand him 2,000¥. Without a word, he carefully wrapped my purchase in newspaper.
Joyously I began my journey home — after 52 days in Japan — first back to the hotel and onward to Kansai Airport. I carried with me sweet memories and my prized ceramic treasure.
ABOUT US: Okan Arts, a petite family business, is co-owned by mother-daughter duo Patricia Belyea and Victoria Stone. Patricia and Victoria sell Japanese textiles online, host creative quilting experiences, and lead quilting & textile tours to Japan.
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