The Fujishiro shrine, the place relates to the name Suzuki and Minakata Kumagusu

The Fujishiro shrine is located in Kainan city, Wakayama.
It is very old shrine and on the route of the pilgrimage to the holy place Kumano.
It is one of the Kujuku (99) Ouji shrines (which founded on route of the pilgrimage to Kumano by mountain priests), and it is a high ranked one among the Kujuku Ouji.
Many Emperors and noblemen have visited the shrine on the pilgrimage to Kumano.

There is an another place that made the shrine popular today.
The Suzuki Yashiki (the residence of Suzuki) is it.
The place is in the precincts of Fujishiro shrine.
According to legend, the place was the origin of the family name Suzuki, which scattered all over Japan.
You can meet people who have name Suzuki everywhere in Japan.
The residence was for Fujishiro-Suzuki clan, the clan of the priest of Fujishiro shrine.
Since ancient times, priests from Fujishiro-Suzuki clan spread their belief of the holy place Kumano, and as their belief spread to all over Japan, people who influenced by them started using the name Suzuki for themselves.
That's why there are so many Suzuki san in Japan.
Today Suzuki Yashiki is deteriorated and no one is living there.
However still many Suzuki san come to visit the place of their origin from all over Japan.

Also a big old kusunoki (camphor) tree have been enshrined in precincts of Fujishiro shrine.
There was a famous naturalist from Wakayama, Minakata Kumagusu (1867-1941), and his name "Kumagusu" came from the tree.
Kuma means bear, and Gusu means kusunoki.
Kusunoki trees have been worshiped in Japan, and there was a custom to name baby the name which relating kusunoki tree.
Kusunoki trees live long and prosper, so I guess you see why people have named their babies kusunoki.

I am not a particular fan of Suzuki san, but a fan of Minakata Kumagusu.
So when I visited the shrine and saw the big old kusunoki tree, I was deeply affected.

The temple for mothers, Jison-in

The Jison-in temple is located in Kudoyama, Wakayama.
The temple is on the pilgrimage route to Mt. Koya, the sacred place for Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism.
The temple was founded in 816 by Kukai (the founder of the Shingon sect).

According to legend, when the mother of Kukai came a long way to Mt. Koya to meet her son, she couldn't enter Mt. Koya.
In that times, women couldn't enter religious sacred places like Mt. Koya for the "Nyonin-kinsei (No women admitted)" rule.
Even a mother of the founder couldn't enter the mountain.

So she stayed Jison-in.
Kukai visited his mother at the temple 9 times in a month from Mt. Koya, so the area around the temple was named "Kudo-yama (the mountain of 9 times)".
They met there.
In addition, while she stayed the temple she worshiped Miroku Bosatsu (a Buddhist saint).
The word "Jison" of the temple's name is another word for the Miroku Bosatsu.
The temple is also called "Nyonin-Koya (Mt. Koya for women)" because of the mother of Kukai have spent her religious life and met his son Kukai at the temple.
While the ages women couldn't visit Mt. Koya, they have visited Jison-in instead.

Even though women can enter Mt. Koya as well as men today, still Jison-in is worshiped by women as a temple of mothers.
As the mother of Kukai came a long way to visit his son with her great motherly affection, many women visit Jison-in to worship Miroku Bosatsu and the mother of Kukai.

Inside the temple there are so many women's breast shaped models.
You may feel it a little funny.
However, the models have been dedicated by mothers to wish their abundant produce of milk.
If you have a chance to visit the temple, please don't forget that you are in a sacred place for women.