Rokudo Chinnoh-ji (六道珍皇寺) temple famous for its Mukaegane (迎え鐘, greeting bell to welcome returning spirits of ancestors during the Obon season), is said to be a gate to the land of deceased people.

Rokudo (六道) means six status of human soul after death, namely, Jigoku (地獄, hell), Gaki (餓鬼, hunger), Chikusho (畜生, animal), Shura (修羅, anger), Ningenkai (人間界, human), and Tendo (天道, upper existence), hence, the name of the temple is already very unique.

In addition, among many other mysterious legends of this temple, the most interesting one can be the deep connection with Mr. Onono Takamura (小野篁), a bureaucrat in the Heian (平安) period, who was said to be an assistant to Enma (閻魔, the king of the hell).

He is said to be a talented bureaucrat and had supernatural power. People say: through the “Meido gayoi no Ido (冥途通いの井戸, a well connects this world to the other world) in the temple, he frequently traveled between this world and the other, as an officer of the hell.

Aside from this, there are many interesting stories about Takamura, since he was such an attractive two-faced person. Every year from August 7 to 10, the hidden treasure of the statue of Takamura is disclosed to the public. Please visit the temple in YUMEYAKATA kimono to see the mysterious figure of Takamura.

Akane Kibune
Kyoto Certification 1st Grade

Access:
5 mins. on foot from Kiyomizumichi, Kyoto city bus

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