Chuzenji -
The Living Tree

Since the over-decorated mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu in Nikko has become a magnet for mass-tourism, one tends to forget that there as a Nikko long before the remains of the wily shogun were interred here. That original Nikko is of a much higher order than just a showy grave of a potentate. It was Nikko's natural bounty, its great forests and hoary mountains, with the conical volcano Mt. Nantai (2,484-m.) as the centerpiece that served as a point of attraction for religious ascetics...

One of those religious practitioners was a Buddhist priest, who is known to posterity as St. Shodo (735-817). Shodo was a native of this wild frontier province. After finishing his formal training in one of the monasteries in the east, Shodo came to Nikko to practice austerities. That first visit has been adorned in later legend.

For example, when Shodo arrived at the border of Nikko, at the River Daiya that is now spanned by the famous red-lacquered Sacred Bridge, he was unable to cross the wild stream. On his prayer for help, a dreadful being wearing a string of skulls and carrying two snakes appeared. This was the water god, Jinja Daio. He tossed the snakes toward the priest and they formed a bridge across the chasm, allowing him to cross into sacred territory.

In the real world, Shodo went on to found Rinnoji, the large Tendai temple that forms the first stop on the tourist track through Nikko. Rinnoji's main edifice is the Sanbutsudo, the Three Buddha Hall, that was named after the three colossal Buddha statues installed on its altar. It is unusual that one can actually enter the chancel and stand on the low stone floor at the feet of Amida and Kannon.

However, the glittering gilt statues date from 1621, a time that Buddhist sculpture was passed its peak. They do not create a spark. Moreover, however spacious the Three Buddha Hall may be, it is no match for the noisy crowds - one quickly wants to get out again.

Mt. Nantai

To Kannon's Paradise
Fortunately, Nikko does possess a beautiful statue dating from Shodo's time, one that is even ascribed to him. To see it, you have to make your way up to Lake Chuzenji. After boarding the bus opposite Rinnoji, a long hairpin road leads up into the mountains. If you are lucky, the drive takes about 40 minutes, but this ideal schedule is frequently spoiled by the traffic jams. The bus drops you off at a parking lot near the famous Kegon Falls.

Walk in the opposite direction, to the lake that is dramatically situated at the foot of Mt. Nantai. It was created when the valley was blocked by a lava flow from the now dormant volcano. Proceed along the lake in the direction away from the mountain. Ignore the modern hotels, coffee shops and pensions, whose owners stand in the doorways looking desperately for customers, and soon you will reach the unassuming temple of Chuzenji.

Unassuming, because the original temple was destroyed by a landslide early this century; it used to stand at the other shore at the foot of the mountain. Its founding dates back to 784, and is associated with Shodo's first ascent of Mt. Nantai.

It was not easy for Shodo to reach Nantai's peak; earlier efforts had been doomed because of heavy snow. Now, finally, after a terrible climb over the steep and raw volcanic mountainside, Shodo could plant his feet on the top of Mt. Nantai. Looking down from the mountain at the lake below him, he saw the figure of the Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, reflected in the still waters.

Chuzenji

The Goddess in the Lake
This vision was no coincidence, for Shodo considered Nikko as the land of Kannon. He scrutinized the landscape for representations of the Goddess. The mountain was for him a symbol of her Paradise, Pokalaka, a designation that still lives on in the original name of Nantai: Futara . Climbing the mountain was thus a symbolic visit to the paradise of the Kannon, and when he reached his destination, he saw the form of the Goddess hovering above the lake.

In order to preserve his vision for posterity, after his descent he carved the Kannon from a living tree. This is the image you will see now, the Tachiki (Standing Tree) Kannon Bosatsu. It is a Thousand-Armed Kannon image, more than five meters high. In awe, you look at the gentle face. There are no jostling crowds here; you can study the statue at ease.

The image is strangely primitive, like a statue in an early medieval cathedral. One of those thousand arms will surely save us, too. The hatchet marks are still visible at the base of the statue that was carved from a living trunk. It is like seeing the fingerprints of Shodo. Shodo stayed four years in Chuzenji, until he was called away to high clerical position elsewhere.

However, his soul is still here, in the Thousand-Armed Kannon, lingering at the lake's shore, in the paradise of the Goddess.

The Lake