In Kyoto, in the small streets near Kiyomizudera you may find some small shrines and temples. One of those temples is the small Yasaka Koshindo Temple, dedicated to Koshin-san (Shomen kongo, the blue warrior, a Buddhist guardian) and to the monkey Kukurizaru. They represent the Koshin-do folk faith. Koshin-san is said to help all those who try really and with all their effort to be good persons. he is also said to punish those who are bad or commit bad actions. Kukurizaru, the monkey, is said to help all those who want to overcome desires, granting a wish for each desire you can control.
Kukurizaru
In many places at the temple hang color balls representing Kukurizaru, a monkey with bound feet and hands. This represents the control of the playful and desire-driven creature we all have inside. The folk faith says that to have a wish granted, you must sacrifice one desire. If you put your desire inside one of the color balls that represent the monkey Kukurizaru, Koshin will help you to make that desire vanish and because desires are what keep wishes from coming true, your wish will be granted and you will also become a better person. It is also said that when you feel a desire coming you must put your hands together and recite the Buddhist sutra: "On deiba yakisya banta banta kakakaka sowaka". Kukurizaru and Koshin-san will hear and will come to help you. There are old traditions and beliefs regarding monkeys in Japan. Monkeys are considered kind spirits protecting us and our homes from evil spirits and harmful intentions. The three monkeys in the attitude of "not hearing, not seeing, not talking" are a part of the Koshin faith.
References
- E. OhnukiTierney, Monkey as Mirror Symbolic Transformations in Japanese History & Ritual, Princeton University Press, 1992, ISBN 978-0691028460
- Emi Kitagawa, Information Leaflet for Yasaka Koshindo temple, Kyoto Saga University of Arts, Department of Tourism Design
- Kyoto Prefectural Government Tourism and Convention Office, Three Monkeys Shrine (Yasaka Koshindo Shrine), Kyoto
