Godaido Island Temple

Godaido is a Buddhist wooden worship hall located on a small island named Godaidojima, just next to Matsushima Pier in Miyagi Prefecture. The worship hall was founded by Jikaku Daishi in 807 and was  later reconstructed by lord Date Masamune in 1609.

This temple is the oldest Momoyama-style architecture in the Tohoku region and has been designated as an important cultural asset. The ceiling within this hall is decorated with the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. The statues of the five great Myoo (Daseifudomyoo, Tohogozanze, Seihodaiitoku, Nanpokundari, and Hoppokongoyasha) or five wisdom kings of Buddhism are enshrined in this temple and are put on public display only once every 33 years. It last opened in 2006, so we have to wait another 20+ years to view the statues.

The red lacquered Sukashibashi. Careful and don't slip between the planks!

A lone omikuji

I wonder how this temple fare in the aftermath of Friday's earthquake? But if I learn anything about Japan's history, the Japanese would not dwell much on it and just dust themselves up and start rebuilding their lives again. And that's the spirit!

I found a photo showing the temple still standing, so check out Meshikui3's photo here.