Jacelyn Yap
A friend who currently lives in Ishikawa, Japan, brought me to one of her favourite local spots — Natadera, a temple that embraces and worships nature. The temple structures integrate with the surrounding nature, especially the rock formations, where the caves are used as temple halls. On the outside, the caves of the Kigan Yusenkyo Rock Formations resemble a smiling face. Fresh seasonal flowers float in a water basin, a floral display known as “hanachozu”. The water basin is for visitors to cleanse themselves before prayer. As we toured the temple grounds, I spotted little gaps along the paths to accommodate the old trees in the way. A tiny monkey figure sits at one such gap, as if it is hard at work constructing the hand rail. After a long walk, we arrived at the main hall of Natadera Temple, which leads into Iwaya Tainai Kuguri, a naturally formed rock cave where the Eleven-faced Thousand-armed Kannon is enshrined.
Unlike the quiet and tranquil Natadera, Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto was swamped with tourists and locals throughout the expansive temple grounds. The main hall stood out beautifully against the surrounding forestry.
Other than large temples like Natadera and Kiyomizu-dera, many of the smaller shrines and temples coexist with natural beauty. Despite visiting numerous shrines and temples across Japan, I’m still touched by the beauty and personality of each one, including the Oyama Jinja and the shrines on Mt. Utatsu like Atago Jinja.
Kigan Yusenkyo Rock Formations
Hanachozu
Busy Working
Natadera Main Hall
Kiyomizu-dera
Atago Jinja
Shrine on Mt. Utatsu
Oyama Jinja
Additional Reading:
https://www.explorekomatsu.com/news/a-local-treasure-natadera-temple
https://www.kiyomizudera.or.jp/en
Jacelyn (she/her) is a self-taught visual artist who ditched engineering to make art because of a comic she read. Her artworks and photography have been published by the Commonwealth Foundation’s adda, Chestnut Review, The Lumiere Review, and more. She can be found at https://jacelyn.myportfolio.com/ and on IG @jacelyn.makes.stuff.
Photos by Jacelyn Yap
