一心寺

Isshin-​ji is also known as the «The common people’s temple».
It is a beautiful Buddhist temple built in 1185 which have 13 life-​sized statues of Amida Buddha called Okotsubutsu. These statues are made of the ashes of deceased followers of this temple. For each statue the ashes of 200.000 people are needed, and they accumulate these over roughly ten years. So currently the ashes of 2.5 million people resides within these thirteen statues.
The visitors of the temple are through this way both paying respect to both Buddha and their ancestors at the same time.
The statues looks like they are made of stone, so without the information of them being of ashes this temple would seem just like any other. That being said, it is a beautiful temple and temple ground, so if you are not drawn in by the odd statues, the temple is still well worth a visit!

«How large the building is!» I was astonished at the building and wondered whether it was a temple or not. At the entrance two large stone figures stood. The entrance is called Niou mon or San mon. The two figures are Kongo Rikishi (a Deva king who is a guardian of the Buddha). They have such frightening faces that I hesitated to enter the temple.
The precincts of the temple are very spacious. There are many gravestones including the ones of famous persons along to the main hall.
I prayed for my female cousin in a charnel. She passed away in the United States at the age of 45. Sudden death. A few days ago she suffered from a heavy head ach. So she drove to a hospital to consult the brain doctor and took medical checkup. The doctor said to her, «There is no problem. Probably you have some trouble in your ears. So please go to see an otorhinology.» She died suddenly at the restroom in her house.
I was very shocked to hear that from my mother and cried out.
Her bones are not buried in this temple. But I thought of her and bought a candle and incense stick to console her soul. There were a lot of candles and incense sticks that many people stood for their cherished deceased persons.
A Buddhist memorial service was carried out into the main hall of a Buddhist temple. Women in a mourning dress sat in front of the Buddhist image, and had the priest recite a sutra in remembrance of the deceased.
I felt calm and lonely for my familiar cousin.