moss covered statue of Fudo Myoo at Hozenji temple, Namba, Osaka, japan

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Tucked away not far from Dotombori Bridge, 法善寺 (Hozenji), a small temple built in 1637, pays homage to Fudo Myoo, one of the five Myoo, or Wisdom Kings. The fierce kings are the guardians of Buddhism and, more specifically, the Five Wisdom Buddhas. No coins are tossed in offering at Hozenji as they are at other Japanese temples. Instead, worshippers make their supplications and then splash some water on the statue of the deity (often called Mizukakefudo) that is the heart of this temple. Due to the frequent dousings, the statue is now blanketed by a soft, green carpet of moss. It is said that originally only visitors who had not brought an offering would splash the statue with water, but this eventually became the common practice.

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Size: 3456px × 4608px
Location: Hozenji, Namba, Osaka, Japan
Photo credit: © John Steele / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: asia, buddhism, buddhist, east, fudo, fudo-san, greenmoss, hozenji, japan, japanese, moss, myoo, namba, osaka, religion, temple