Sculpted images of the cosmic buddha Dainichi Nyorai (大日如来) flanked by Sonshō Butchō (尊勝仏頂) on the left and Kongōsatta (金剛薩埵) on the right enshrined in the Great Dharma Transmission Hall of Negoroji Temple (根来寺) in Iwade, Wakayama Prefecture, with Sonshō Butchō dating to 1405 and the other two to 1387

The Oku no In Mausoleum (奥の院) of the monk Kakuban (覚鑁), founder of Shingi Shingon (新義真言宗), on the grounds of Negoroji Temple (根来寺) in Iwade, Wakayama Prefecture,

A pamphlet from Negoroji Temple (根来寺) in Iwade, Wakayama Prefecture, established gradually during the 12th and 13th centuries as a center of Shingi Shingon (新義真言宗), i.e. Shingon with a Pure Land spin

Stone monuments and statues of Jizō Bodhisattva (地蔵菩薩) on a roadside corner near Negoroji Temple (根来寺) in Iwade (岩出町), Wakayama Prefecture (Photo taken in June 1996)

Statue of Fudō Myōō (不動明王) with offerings of canned coffee & a cup of beer (?) on the grounds of Negoroji Temple (根来寺) in Iwade (岩出町), Wakayama Prefecture

Negoroji (根香寺) is temple 82 of the Shikoku Pilgrimage. It’s located deep in the hills of Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture. The principal image (deity) of this temple is Senju Kannon (千手観世音菩薩), the Bodhisattva of Compassion with a thousand hands.

I visited this temple back in 2007 with a Nikon D80, but strangely almost all the photos I took turned out poorly—blurry, dark, or just off. These two are the only shots I’d even consider sharing. It’s humbling to realize that my current iPhone 14 Pro Max now produces better results than a DSLR I once treasured. Cameras have come a long way.

These images show part of the forested temple grounds with traditional wooden structures set against rich greenery. Even in these less-than-ideal images, there’s a mystique to the moss-covered path and stone guardians that mark this sacred place.