Rengein Tanjoji Okunoin temple (hereinafter called “Okunoin”, 蓮華院誕生寺　奥之院) is located in Tamana City (玉名市), the northern part of Kumamoto Prefecture. There are many things to see, such as the biggest bell in Japan, five-storied pagoda, the observatory, nice walking paths with seasonal flowers and Goma ritual hall, etc.

Unique thing about Okunoin is that you can see Goma (or Homa) fire ritual closely. You can see the ritual at some sects of Buddhism, such as at Shingon sect, Tendai sect and Tibetan Buddhism. Originally, Goma fire ritual is not supposed to be in the public eyes because it is esoteric Buddhism. However, to raise awareness of their practice, one monk of Okunoin offered me to take photos closely. I will write about the details of Goma fire ritual in the next article.

Okunoin itself is a very nice place to walk around. I heard that Okunoin was designed under the concept of “a temple like a park where you can visit anytime”. Hope you will enjoy this article and visit them sometime soon!