The power of the five elements
NOVEMBER 20, 2016APRIL 6, 2018 / JANN
On October 29th, 2016 I made a pilgrimage of sorts from Kyoto to Sohonzan Zentsu-ji
Temple on Shikoku. Through serendipity I had discovered that this Temple was where
Kukai (posthumously named Kobo Daishi), the founder of Esoteric Shingon Buddhism in
Japan, was born and grew up. The five elements of earth, fire, water, wind and void are an
essential part of the teachings and practices of Shingon buddhism. As Zentsu-ji Temple
has been identified as one of the top three temples associated with Kobo Daishi (the
others being the Koyosan complex and Toji Temple, both on Honshu, both of which I have
visited) I decided that catching three trains each way was worth the effort. It was an
effort very well rewarded.
My trek from the Zentsuji train station found me approaching the main thoroughfare to
the Temple from a side street. You can imagine my surprise and delight when I turned the
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corner and saw a five element stupa (gorinto) perched above a canopy in the main street.
Previously I had principally seen them as grave-markers in cemeteries. For example
numerous gorinto can be found in Koyosan where Kobo Daishi has been laid to rest.
My journey to Zentsu-ji, and an important discovery I made there, was only made
possible through the timely translation of two posters by Lesley Kehoe in Melbourne.
Lesley owns and runs an internationally recognised Japanese fine art gallery
(http://www.kehoe.com.au) that represents a dazzling array of artists. I came to know
her through the insightful commentaries and essays she writes for her exhibitions and
through the seemingly innate connection to the forces of nature that her artists capture in
their creations. My sincere thanks goes to Lesley for her interest in, and assistance with,
my exploration of the elements in Japan.
I spent several hours at the Temple and the small mountain to its west. Even then there
were many aspects of the Temple grounds and surrounds that I ran out of time to see. It is
a place that I will definitely return to. The next time I will combine it with a trip to
Konpira Shrine (aka Kotohira-gu) which is one train stop away. The shrine is famous for
the nearly 1,400 steps that leads to the inner shrine and the spectacular views. I’m keen to
learn more about its role in safe seafaring and the intertwined history between Shugendo,
Shingon and Shinto at the site.
Getting back to Zentsuji, a series of images follow from Kentsu-ji Temple and the closest
mountain. The five elements are expressed in many ways – by gorinto, the five-story
pagoda, the five colours and of course the pilgrim’s staffs. I was fascinated to see how
many ways the elements were represented.
Pilgrim’s staffs with the five elements (earth, water, fire, wind and void) written in
Sanscrit around the top of the staff. The dragon water spouts in the background are also
strongly related to the elements. I have written more about the pilgrim’s staff in my post
‘Returning to the elements (http://wp.me/p7sEGm-5K)‘.
The five storied pagoda has been destroyed by fire twice. The current version was
completed in 1902. The five stories represent the five elements, as do the five colours in
the banners. These are explained later in the post.
Statue of Kobo Daishi, with accompanying gorinto, at Kanchi-in. This sub-Temple is
located in-between the eastern and western sections of Zentsu-ji Temple. Kobo Daishi is
reported to have built the Sub-temple (not pictured here) in 807. A mini-pigrimage can be
found at Kanch-in where soil from the 88 Temples on the Shikoku Pilgrimage have been
transplanted beneath 88 statues.
Incense burner, pilgrims and five coloured banner – Main Temple, Western Temple
grounds, Zentsu-ji.
The gorinto in the foreground of this image were like a fence around the remnants of a
sacred tree. The statue in front of the main Temple shows Kobo Daishi as a young man,
holding a gorinto in his hands. The five coloured banner also represents the elements,
amongst other things.
The building with the large gorinto looks like it was constructed relatively recently. From
what I can work out, the structure contains images of Kobo Daishi. Text on an image of
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the building refers to ‘two accompanying eternity’. I hesitate to say this, as I have much to
learn about Shingon Buddhism, the phrase however may be related to the idea to Kobo
Daishi accompanies each person on their pilgrimage around Shikoku. And beyond it
seems.
When I ventured into the carpark on the western side of Zentsu-ji Temple I found this
large map of two walks for pilgrims up and around the nearby mountain. I did both.
Every 50 metres or so on the trail to the top of the mountain there were signs saying either
‘Beware of fire’ (this one) or Wildfire prevention. The distance to the top of the summit
was also recorded. Fire prevention is a major concern in Japan, as touched on in my post
‘Beware of fire’ (http://wp.me/p7sEGm-2R). I was a little surprised though at the
frequency of the signs.
Three stone statues were found at the top of the mountain, although they didn’t look like
the images on the big map (I was expecting wooden structures, akin to shrines). To the left
is Fudo Myoo, to the right a sacred rock, and in the middle a multi-armed deity I am still
confirming the identity of (Kongoyasha Myoo perhaps?). The pink cosmos were flowering
everywhere I travelled in October, creating beautiful patches of delicate colour. They
certainly brightened up what was a grey day on Shikoku.
The walk around the base of the mountain had groups of statues at close intervals and
three maps of different sections of the Shikoku pilgrimage. The deity represented here is
Fudo Myoo, sometimes called a fire god. With so many different numbered statues I
thought that I was walking the Shikoku mini-pilgrimage route. Especially with the maps.
As mentioned earlier, it turns out that the mini-pilgrimage was in the Temple grounds. If
anyone can tell me what this larger circuit represents I’d appreciate it. I can provide a
closer image of the map with the Japanese explanation if that helps!
My last stop was at the Temple shop where there was a wide selection of items to
purchase. I was instinctively drawn to a small multi-coloured badge that appeared to be
related to the five elements. Having bought a badge, and taken a photo of the poster that
described it, I made my way back to Kyoto. By the next day Lesley had translated the
image for me. What a gift.
This is the poster that was posted above some small coloured metal amulets/charms at
Zentsu-ji Templee. From the colours, imagery and kanji I had a strong feeling that the
charm was related to the five elements. Google Translate wasn’t able to assist, so I turned
to Lesley Kehoe who is an expert in speaking and reading Japanese. Her translation,
reproduced below in italics, was a watershed moment. To see the five elements referred to
explicitly in this way, and to be associated with five colours and five shapes, was
wonderful.
Reading right to left: each line top to bottom
Limited Edition Product 500 Yen
Omamori from Zentsuji Temple.
The power of the 5 elements [ Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Void (Sky) ] and [ shiki ]
(Lesley notes that the character for shiki usually means knowledge, discriminating).
[Shiki] is the internal power that each one of us has.
With the joining of this charm and ‘shiki’, many things can be realized/ fulfilled.
[Earth] Yellow. Square (the colour of profit) – Business prosperity. Project success. Financial
success.
[Water] White. Circle (the colour of safety) – Convalescence from illness. Physical (of the body)
health. Traffic safety.
[Fire] Red. Triangle (the colour of respect and affection) – Couples harmony. Birth of desired
child. Successful birth. Fulfilling match/successful match.
[Wind] Blue. Half Moon (the colour of subjugation/conquest) – Avoiding calamity and good
fortune. Avoiding misfortune and good luck.
[Void] Green. The Sacred Pearl (the colour of wisdom) – Passing entrance exams. Success in
academic work.
Top left hand side: The Power of the Five Elements.
To complete the story, the final image is where my journey to Zentsu-ji Temple on
Shikoku started – the appealing poster that I found and photographed at Daihoon-ji
Temple in Kyoto. It was the gorinto images that attracted me initially. With Lesley’s
assistance the poster expanded my understanding and appreciation of the elements in
Japan.
The poster that started it all, at Daihoon-ji Temple in Kyoto. Lesley Kehoe translated the
poster for me, in doing so having to grapple with specific terms in Buddhism that are not
in general use. The complex translation includes references to meeting Buddha,
meditation, baptism and pilgrimages – including on Shikoku. It also included the word
‘Sohonzan’ which means General Head Temple When I combined Sohonzan and
Sohonzan , which means General Head Temple. When I combined Sohonzan and
Shikoku in a Google search, Zentsu-ji Temple came up. The rest is history. (On reflection
the temple I visited in Shikoku is not explicitly mentioned on the poster. Lots of stuff was
happening when I read Lesley’s translation! From what I can gather now it is advertising
the Kyoto Jusan Butsu 13 Temple pilgrimage, with each of the temples having a different
main deity. This makes the fact that I ended up in the place that I was meant to be even
more remarkable).
In August 2017 I was very excited to find this diagram of a gorinto in the book “The
Symbolism of the Stupa‘ written by Adrian Snodgrass (1985). Snodgrass is an expert on
Shingon Buddhism. A six element mudra is shown here in the mid triangle-shaped
section of the gorinto. Also known as the ‘Fist of Wisdom’ the mudra equates to the
Diamond World Mandala. This diagram shows the elements both in the fingers (mudra)
and in the gorinto itself – which represents the body in this example. The links to the
cakras (also known as chakras) in the body is of particular interest to me. Elsewhere in his
classic book Snodgrass writes that the sixth element, consciousness, is present by
implication in the stupa form.
There is another five element framework that has much power and has played an
influential role in Japanese culture – the five Chinese elements of water, wood, fire, earth
and metal. You can read more about it in my blog ‘wood generates fire
(http://wp.me/p7sEGm-4x).’ As the comments on this post capture, the Obaku Zen sect
use the colours of the five Chinese elements for the prayers bags that visitors offer to
Buddha. Their head temple Manpuku-ji is in Obaku, which is near Kyoto. My 2016 visit
there led me in a totally unexpected direction in my exploration of the elements. I have
written about this and more in my post on Zen and the five elements
(https://wp.me/p7sEGm-aU). Unlike Shingon Buddhism, to an external observer the
elements are more subtly embedded in Zen teachings, practice and imagery.
Buddhism, fire, five elements, gorinto, Mountains, Shinto
ENERGY
JAPAN
, FIRE
, FIVE ELEMENTS
, GODAI
, KOBO DAISHI
, SHINGON BUDDHISM
, GORINTO
,
7 thoughts on “The power of the five elements”
1. John Dougill
NOVEMBER 20, 2016 AT 11:13 PM
I saw the same explanations at the Obaku Zen temple of Manpuku-ji near Uji, so
Chinese Zen and Shingon are clearly joined in elemental force.
REPLY
Jann
NOVEMBER 20, 2016 AT 11:23 PM
That’s great to hear John. Do you have a photo or other material evidence? All
leads are appreciated. I’ve been to the Temple twice and seen the five elemental
colours there, but no explanations that were obvious.
REPLY
John Dougill
NOVEMBER 20, 2016 AT 11:28 PM
Yes, indeed I do. Sending by email…
Jann
NOVEMBER 20, 2016 AT 11:31 PM
Thanks John. Much appreciated.
Jann
NOVEMBER 21, 2016 AT 7:02 PM
Thanks very much for sending the photos from Manpuku-ji Temple John. They
were very helpful. It turns out that the five elements used as a framework at this
Temple are the five Chinese elements/phases – water, wood (tree), fire, earth and
metal. So there are three elements in common with Zentsu-ji Temple – earth, water
and fire. I had a hunch that Obaku Zen might use the five Chinese elements given
the sect came to Japan from China in the 1600s. It’s great to have that confirmed.
REPLY
2. rhinophile
NOVEMBER 21, 2016 AT 7:50 AM
There is a real sense of excitement and discovery in this post, Jann. It must be thrilling
to make connections like this.
REPLY
Jann
NOVEMBER 21, 2016 AT 7:59 AM
It was very exciting. I’m pleased that came through. The journey would be very
different if I could read Japanese. Not better or worse, just different. As I’m unable
to read kanji my research will continue to rely on friends who are happy to
translate for me. Lesley Kehoe and Eoghan Bolster have been really helpful in this
regard. As I move into more reference based research I will pay a translator to
enlighten me on more substantive material.
REPLY
3. drasahershoff
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
JANUARY 17, 2019 AT 4:59 AM
Thanks for the wonderful article! Remember however, the five Chinese “elements” are
not elements at all.. an old (intentional) mistranslation that stuck. They are phases,
stages or steps, something very different in meaning and function than the concept of
elements in the Indo-European tradition.
REPLY
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