Saifukuji- Uonuma

We went to Yuzawa and stopped at Uonuma to see Saifukuji, a buddhist temple that is a prefectural treasure. The reason we were interested in seeing it was because they currently have the Niigata version intro playing on Sazae San. On it they show this gorgeous ceiling that we were not familiar with. The ceiling was created by master artist, Ishikawa Uncho. It was commissioned to honor the priests of the temple. It was completed in 1857. I have no pictures of the ceiling because of course no photo's are allowed to prevent damage to the work. The ceiling consists of a wood carving, painted and flows down onto the walls to include wooden lintels and plaster work.
Tomo was mesmerized. A story of Dogen-zenji unfolds in which he travels to China in pursuit of his buddhist education. While walking he has a close encounter with an aggressive tiger. Dogen-zenji is saved by his walking stick which transformed itself into a dragon- his guardian. The scene also consists of 7 hidden animals so you can image how it captured the imagination of a 5 year old boy. He asked me to recite the story a dozen times and quietly had his head tilted, mouth open entranced by this magical work. I took a number of pics of the temple and grounds which remind me what a wonderful, soul immersing place a temple can be. Not just for adults but also for children who can walk around and are naturally intune with the spiritual. The lintels and plaster works also told stories that were equally facinating and symbolically thought provoking.