Rokugō Manzan


Rokugō Manzan refers to both a group of [Buddhist Buddhist temples in Japan|temples in Japan|temples] and a unique religious culture on the Kunisaki Peninsula surrounding Mount Futago in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. The Rokugō Manzan culture is said to be the birthplace of the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhist elements.
WWW millennium-roman.jp/rokug...YT 六郷満山開山1300年国

Terminology

Rokugō refers to the six districts of the Kunisaki Peninsula which existed at the time Rokugō Manzan was formed, the districts being Kinawa, Tasome, Aki, Musashi, Kunisaki, and Imi.
Manzan is a term used to describe a collection of temples.
When combined, the term Rokugō Manzan is used to describe both the collection of Tendai sect temples on the Kunisaki Peninsula and the unique religious culture which was born in this region.

History

According to the legend, Ninmon, a legendary bodhisattva who is thought to be the incarnation of the deity Hachiman, traveled to the mountains of Kunisaki to practice Buddhism. It is said that during the Nara period in the year 718, Ninmon established 28 temples and created 69,000 Buddhist statues. The establishment of these temples by Ninmon is said to be the origin of the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism in Japan.
Although this story is legendary, the mountain valleys of the Kunisaki Peninsula and the Rokugō Manzan temples, along with the nearby Usa Jingū, are widely believed to be the birthplace of shinbutsu-shūgō. The Rokugō Manzan religious culture has a history of more than 1,300 years with several of the Kunisaki Peninsula's Tendai sect temples being similarly old. How exactly the Rokugō Manzan temples were actually established remains mostly unknown due to a lack of records from the time.
Usa Jingū, located at the base of the Kunisaki Peninsula, played a major role in the origin of shinbutsu-shūgō and has strong historical connections to the Rokugō Manzan temples. It is said to have been the earliest example of jingū-ji, or "mixed shrine-temple complex" with the former Miroku-ji having been built on the grounds of Usa Jingū to form Usa Hachimangu-ji.
Shinbutsu-shūgō eventually spread throughout Japan and was prominent until the policies of shinbutsu bunri（神仏分離) were put into effect after the Meiji Restoration. These policies enforced a separation of Shinto and Buddhism, and Miroku-ji along with most Buddhist elements at Usa Jingū were destroyed or removed in accordance. However, many of the influences of shinbutsu-shūgō can still be seen in the many Rokugō Manzan temples.

Temples

The most central of the Rokugō Manzan temples is Futago-ji - a temple which, dating back to the Heian period, is the oldest wooden building in Kyushu.