Miyajima's Impressive Rakan Statues

Seeing the island with fresh eyes - 2

Larry Knipfing Feb 13, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>Late November is the perfect time of the year if you want to capture these stunning colors</p>

<p>How impressive is this? The rays of the sun picking out this one special disciple</p>

<p>The statues line the path up the hill to the main temple buildings</p>

<p>These momiji maple leaves combine with the statues to create beautiful art</p>

<p>Many of them look old and tired, as if they have experienced more than a lifetime of hardships</p>

<p>I am sure that this disciple was very strong</p>

<p>A few of the statues lining the path</p>

<p>A disciple being cared for and enjoying it immensely</p>

<p>It's easy to see that NOTHING bothers this happy soul</p>

If you love Buddhist statues, you're going to love Miyajima. Head straight for Daisho-in Temple, and be prepared to spend half a day. There are hundreds of statues here, mainly two types. There are cute small jizo statues that I will introduce in my next photo story, and there is also a collection of 500 rakan statues. They deeply impressed me. Why? Each statue represents a Buddhist monk who was an actual disciple of Shaka (Buddha). Look at their faces carefully. Each one is totally unique. In them, we can see every conceivable human trait and emotion: wisdom, pain, happiness, fulfillment, frustration, intelligence, and pride. I think there was also one who is blind, but I'm not absolutely sure about that one. See if you can find him when you visit..

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Find out more about Daishoin Temple.

Miyajima Island Series

Larry Knipfing @larry.knipfing

Born on Long Island, New York in 1958, I have spent the last 30 years of my life living in Japan, and enjoying every minute of it! I especially love photography, and Japan is definitely one of the most beautiful places in the world to photograph! My other love is fiction writing and I have pub...