Butsumoku-ji Temple

If a temple was guided by an ox, it is Butsumoku-ji in the Mima basin of Uwajima. It is Temple No. 42 of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, with the mountain name Ikkazan and the sub-temple name Birushana-in. A Shingon temple of the Omuro school, its principal image is Dainichi Nyorai. Temple tradition says Kukai founded it in 807, and a legend tells how an old man leading an ox guided him and he rode on the ox's back. For that reason the temple has long been worshipped as a protector of cattle, horses and other livestock.

According to the temple's origin story, Kukai carved Dainichi Nyorai from a large camphor tree and made it the principal image. In the Kamakura period it flourished as the family temple of the Iyo Saionji clan. The present main hall was built in 1728 by Date Muraakira, and on the festival day of April 19 each year the statue of the master Kobo Daishi is displayed to the public. This statue has been found to date from 1315.

The highlight of the grounds is the thatched bell tower. Said to have been rebuilt in the Genroku era (1688-1704), its thatched roof gives the temple the simple look of a Shikoku pilgrimage site. Also lined up are the mountain gate, main hall, Daishi hall, Fudo hall, Prince Shotoku hall, livestock hall, Zangi-do, memorial hall and guest hall. In the past it was the custom to visit after rice planting, receive a protective charm for cattle and horses and paste it on a pillar of the stable. In recent years many people also come to pray for and memorialize pets, and breeders of Uwajima bullfighting cattle come to pray.

Among cultural properties, the wooden seated Dainichi Nyorai and the wooden seated Kobo Daishi are designated by Ehime Prefecture, and the Butsumoku-ji documents by Uwajima City. The nationally designated historic site Iyo Henro Michi (the Myoseki-ji route) is also listed among the temple's cultural properties. It is also No. 4 (Daikokuten) on the Nanyo Seven Lucky Gods Pilgrimage, and a "cucumber-warding prayer ceremony" is held on the midsummer Day of the Ox each July. The inner sanctuary is the Miokuri Daishi at the Sogeian on Hanaga Pass.

Walking the grounds takes about 30 minutes. Enter through the mountain gate and proceed to the main hall and then the Daishi hall, stopping at the thatched bell tower and the livestock hall along the way to get the feel of this temple. The previous temple, No. 41 Ryuko-ji, is about 3 km away, and the next, No. 43 Myoseki-ji, is about 11 km, which lets you sense the distances between pilgrimage stops.

Nearby, Uwajima Castle (about 10 km) is the closest listed attraction. Combining the town of Uwajima with Mima, where people and cattle once lived close together, gives depth to a trip through southern Ehime.