White Cloud Mountain/Hakuun-san Torii Kannon - July 16, 2020

A friend invited me to do the White Cloud Mountain hike with her today and I jumped at the chance to check it out.

The whole mountain is unique. The structures were built by Yataro Hiranuma. It all started when his mother, on her death bed, requested he build a statue to her favorite Buddhist goddess, Kannon. As you will soon see, he more than granted her wish. The entire mountain "complex" was privately funded by Yataro and is not associated with a buddhist sect. Construction occurred from 1940-1970.

At the base of the mountain is the Hondo, the Main Hall of the Kannon temple. Kannon is the buddhist goddess of Mercy.

We started the hike up the mountain and the next stop was Niomon Gate:

On either side of the gate are the guardian gods

We continued up the path to Heiwa Kannon. "Heiwa Kannon" translates to "peace Kannon", and a statue of Kannon rests at the top.

The view from the platform included a breeze which was a welcome break from the heat.

We could see the buildings we would eventually reach by the end of our adventure.

We could also see the local town in the valley.

Wild lillies were growing along the paths making a nice distraction along the steeper sections.

As we walked up to the next site we got a really good luck at the Guze Dai Kannon statues. But I am getting ahead of myself...more on them later...

Genjo Sanzo Tower was our next stop and it quickly became my favorite building on the mountain. It was so unique.

At the entrance is a statue of Genjo Sanzo. He was a Chinese Buddhist monk who lived in the 7th century and completed a 17 year long pilgrimage to India.

It was such an interesting tower to photograph! There was so much to see from various different angles all around it.

The Guze Dai Kannon kept popping into view.

After exploring the tower we continued along the road until we came upon this structure. According to the Google Translate app this is the Nakyodo, but I have learned not to trust Google Translate so please keep that in mind. I once ordered a pork dish according to Google Translate's interpretation of a menu item. Imagine my disappointment when I received an omelet instead!

Finally, we reached the Guze Dai Kannon Statues (translation "Salvation of the World"). On the weekends you can climb up the inside of the center statue and check out the view.

I was really entertained by these lions circling the columns at the base.

From here we could look back at the places we had been.

After a break for lunch we headed back down the mountain via a different route. We passed the bell tower...

...and this quaint little resting area made from a tree with many of its original branches still attached.

"Oh WOW!" was all I could say at the Gyokkamon slowly came into view. It is a Chinese style gate and it is spectacular.

I couldn't help looking back after we passed it.

After short walk further we arrived back at the car. It really is impressive to think this was all one man's vision. I hope to come back in the fall when the leaves are changing to get a different perspective.