- 2020.10.13
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Iwamoto Temple and its eccentric ceiling
Temple no. 37 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, Iwamoto Temple is famous for its unique ceiling which mixes Asian and Western culture.
The ceiling was fitted with 575 paintings collected from around Japan when the main hall was rebuilt in 1978.
The paintings are so various that you can see Buddhist paintings along with famous people's portraits such as Marilyn Monroe's! Animals, landscapes and plants are also represented.
In the early Meiji period, the temple was abandoned because of the separation of Buddhism and Shintoism, but afterwards, the images of the gods were enshrined together in the hall in 1890.
If you visit Iwamoto Temple someday, don't forget to pick up one of the zodiac-themed omikuji (fortune papers)!
The ceiling was fitted with 575 paintings collected from around Japan when the main hall was rebuilt in 1978.
The paintings are so various that you can see Buddhist paintings along with famous people's portraits such as Marilyn Monroe's! Animals, landscapes and plants are also represented.
In the early Meiji period, the temple was abandoned because of the separation of Buddhism and Shintoism, but afterwards, the images of the gods were enshrined together in the hall in 1890.
If you visit Iwamoto Temple someday, don't forget to pick up one of the zodiac-themed omikuji (fortune papers)!
