Michizane Sugawara once said, “To go to Kanzeon-ji is just to listen to the sound of the bell.” That sound is right here.
It’s appropriate that the oldest temple bell in Japan, originating from the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla, is in Dazaifu. This bell is only rung twice a year-- once during New Year's Eve, and again at Jinkoshiki, the Grand Procession of Sugawara Michizane. When the group carrying the mikoshi passes Kanzeonji, the bell is rung, and the sound of it is said to reach Michizane.
As Kanzeonji played a central role as a temple that governed the Buddhist world in Kyushu, there’s much more to see besides the bells. There is a magnificent Buddha statue that was donated to this temple, with an interesting story behind it.
This Buddhist statue, like many others, is carved of wood from camphor trees. While it’s a material in large surplus, that’s not the only reason it was used. Do you remember the camphor trees at Dazaifu Tenmangu? Do you remember the serenity and divinity you could feel there? Buddhist statues are objects of worship, so it’s only fitting to use camphor to symbolize the serenity and divinity of the forest guardians.
Someone once said, “If you focus on the ‘asset’ of cultural assets, you might forget the ‘culture’ part.” Cultural assets hold so much meaning that is invisible to the eye; they hold the stories of people.
※Note- there are times when the temple bells are not on display.
Let’s talk about the envoy.
The dispatch of Japanese missions to Imperial China lasted from 600 to 894 C.E, which just so happens to coincide with our story’s timeline. Japan was trying to solidify its nation's foundation by learning and adopting advanced culture from China. The mission of the envoy was not to increase trade, nor to collect artwork. Rather than objects, they were searching for ideas. For example, they learned about the grid layout for urban planning and brought that knowledge to be used back to Japan.
In addition to Japanese missions to China, some Chinese decided for themselves to bring their culture to Japan. The Chinese monk Jianzhen was one of those people. When he arrived in Dazaifu, he went to Kaidan-in to help propagate Chinese Buddhism in Japan. He was the first to become a full-fledged monk at that temple. I wonder what that was like? I bet we can imagine the scene by taking a peek at Kaidan-in now. It was from here that many monks got their start and spread the Buddhist teachings throughout Japan.
