Negoro-ji, the 82nd temple
Negoro-ji (根香寺) is the 82nd temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage (Henro) in Takamatsu. This temple is not to be confused with another famous Negoro-ji in Wakayama.
Negoro-ji is nestled on Mt. Aomine in the Goshikidai highlands, overlooking Takamatsu. In practical terms this means that there are lots of steps to climb up and down.
My Sydney doctor would be proud of me, as I struggled up and down. According to her, walking on flat ground is a virtual waste of time. You have to get the cardiovascular system working, and there is nothing better than stairs.
My doctor would be amazed at Etsuko, my young guide, who literally galloped up and down in her ladies’ shoes.
Negoro-ji is also wonderful for being nestled in dense forest, in my view an undoubted source of calm for our crazy world. It offers serene mountain views and a deep sense of tradition, with routes connecting it to nearby Temple 81, Shiromineji.
Negoroji used to be a gigantic temple with spacious grounds. Kobo Daishi noticed the presence of the Gochi Nyorai ( the Five Wisdom Buddhas) on the five peaks of Goshikidai, designated the temple as a place for esoteric Buddhist practice, and built a temple which he named Kezoin on Aomine.
The legend of the temple is as follows: a long time ago, there lived on Mt. Aomine a terrible monster, the Ushioni (Bull Demon), which ate people. The villagers asked Yamada Kurando Takakiyo, a master archer, to kill it. However, no matter how many times Takakiyo went into the mountains, the Ushioni did not appear, so Takakiyo prayed to the principal image of Negoroji for twenty-one days.
On the last day, the Ushioni appeared and the archer hit him with an arrow in the mouth. He chased the fleeing Ushioni and found it dead in Jogafuchi, about two kilometers to the west. Takakiyo cut the horns off of the Ushioni and dedicated them to the temple. The horns are still preserved there. Images of the Ushioni are popular as amulets to ward off evil.