Onomichi, pt. 2

This gargoyle used to adorn the roof of the Senko temple when it was first erected in the 9th century.
The observant among you may note that these Buddhist sculptures seem more Indian than Japanese. Buddhism started in India and spread to Southeast Asian countries such as China and Japan. Japan is mostly associated with its own version of Buddhism called Zen Buddhism. However -- as this temple shows -- there are a lot of temples that harken back to the original roots of Siddhartha "Buddha" Gautama.

The monk who founded the Senko temple in Onomichi.















An interesting note about Onomichi: This city was featured in the highly-acclaimed 1953 Japanese movie, Tokyo Story. Sight and Sound magazine has listed Tokyo Story regularly in its list of 10 greatest films of all time. Halliwell's Film Guide lists Tokyo Story at the VERY top of its list of the best 1000 films ever made. Time magazine also listed it in its list of All-time 100 movies.