Sunday 21 August 2011

Kukai

Our local Ramen (noodles in soup) restaurant is called 'Kukai'.

Kūkai (空海), also known posthumously as Kōbō-Daishi (弘法大師 The Grand Master Who Propagated the Buddhist Teaching?), 774–835, was a Japanese monkcivil servantscholarpoet, and artist, founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism

Shuzenji claims a link to Kobo Daishi (in fact, many places in Japan do).   Local legend has it that Saint Kobo and his disciple founded Shuzenji temple in 807 AD traveling around Japan. While Kobo Daishi stayed only temporarily, his disciple Korin Taitoku stayed and built up a small Shingon temple called Fukuchizan Shuzen Bannnanzenji; the origin of present day Shuzenji temple.   There is a also legend that Kobo-Daishi, pounded on a rock with his Buddhist walking stick, called a 'tokko,' to bring forth the hot spring water, for which Shuzenji onsen is famous.


Anyway the ramen at Kukai is very good.

You might ask, "how should I order at a Buddhist noodle shop?".


The answer, of course, is  "make me one with everything"


One with everything.


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