Chapter 29: Defiled Temple

Kinzawa Temple’s scenery had this same quiet style, with its own special charm, giving it a zen garden feel.

Most of the wooden structures in the temple’s separate courtyards were hidden among maple leaves and pine tree shades. This simple old temple, combined with the peaceful landscape like a painting, made people feel happy and free, full of life.

Fang Jing pulled on his backpack strap and walked slowly toward the direction of Kinzawa Temple.

This ancient temple was placed among tall mountain forests. The temple gate was also built on moss-covered rocks. This gate was not big, very thin, with double-layered roofs. But it gave Fang Jing a very familiar feeling. It was probably a wooden gate built in the style of the Tang and Song dynasties.

In front of the gate was a line of stone steps, maybe swept every day, with no dust on them.

Just as Fang Jing was about to go up the steps, he saw a person carrying a wooden bucket coming down.

It was a sturdy-built uncle, with stubble all over his mouth, a cloth wrapped around his head, and a cigarette in his mouth.

But this was not important. What was important was that Fang Jing saw he was wearing blue clothes like a monk’s, coming down the steps slowly and carefree.

“Are you a guest who wants to enter the temple to worship? Sorry, it’s time for prayers now. Kinzawa Temple does not receive outsiders.”

Does not receive outsiders?

I thought this was a standard tourist spot where you could buy a ticket to enter and look around?

“No, I am not here to visit.”

Fang Jing had to tell the truth. “I was asked by someone to come find the head priest, Mr. Enshoen.”

The head priest of Kinzawa Temple had the surname “En.” Fang Jing thought he should be an old monk in his seventies or eighties, the old man that Elder Jinno mentioned… He showed a very sincere attitude about visiting such an elder.

“You mean the old man Jinno from Kitsuwa City, the owner of Kyogado antique shop?”

The uncle held the cigarette butt in his mouth and looked him up and down with doubt.

“What is your relationship with that old man?”

“No, actually, the person who really sent me was another man. His name is Yuasa Junichi.”

Seeing the uncle’s suspicious look, Fang Jing knew there was a chance. He directly gave Uncle Yuasa’s name.

“Yuasa Junichi, you mean Yuasa Junichi!”

The uncle’s eyes widened, as if he heard an unbelievable name.

“Before he died… he told me to come to Kinzawa Temple, and he gave me this prayer beads.”

He also took out his trump card, the prayer beads Uncle Yuasa left in the time capsule, and handed them to this uncle.

“You said he died, how could…”

The uncle with the head wrap took the prayer beads in his hand.

“…Indeed, these are my prayer beads.”

He slightly raised his head and laughed bitterly. “It seems he still couldn’t get through that hurdle after all!”

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Uncle Enshoen was the head priest of Kinzawa Temple. In this country, temples formed unique styles because of differences in sects, politics, and environments since ancient times.

For example, at Kinzawa Temple where Uncle Enshoen was, the previous head priest was his father’s generation. According to him, his family had inherited this temple for dozens of generations since the Edo period. That is to say, the head priest of Kinzawa Temple was completely hereditary.

“Saying it’s a temple, it’s actually part of the family business…”

Uncle Enshoen laughed somewhat sadly.

“When I was young, I didn’t want to be this head priest. I wanted to go to a big city to make a name for myself. Thinking about it now, I was a bit naive.”

“I see…”

Fang Jing could only respond slowly. He could see that this uncle was feeling a bit dark after hearing about his friend’s death.

“Speaking of Yuasa, when I first met him, that guy was a lively young man. I never thought he would go so soon…”

Uncle Enshoen put his hands together slightly and said a Buddhist prayer.

“By the way, how was he before he died? The environment in Kitsuwa City is much more bustling than this broken place of ours. If I had known, I should have found a chance to go there to have another drink with him and catch up.”

“Uncle Yuasa was a good person. His complexion was good before. Every day when I went out, he would greet me.”

Fang Jing wasn’t actually close to Yuasa, so at this time he just said what the person wanted to hear.

“He died of a heart attack. Because it came too fast, the doctors couldn’t save him. But he probably didn’t suffer!”

Hearing Fang Jing say this, Uncle Enshoen sighed and said nothing. He lowered his head and muttered “that’s good,” “that’s not bad either.”

Fang Jing didn’t bother him. Hearing about an old friend’s death, his mood was understandable.

He tilted his head, was silent for a while, then raised his eyes and said seriously to Fang Jing, “I know your purpose. It’s probably under the direction of Yuasa and Elder Jinno. But about the matter of the Defiled Temple on Mount Sagiri, I can’t directly get involved. According to the agreement between my ancestors and Elder Jinno, I won’t go up the mountain to get something for you. But to be honest… I don’t know much about the details either.”

“No! You’re too serious… No need for such trouble. Actually, I just need a guide.”

“That’s no problem at all.”

Uncle Enshoen laughed bitterly and said, “I don’t want to lie to you, but about that mountain and Yuasa’s matters, I really don’t know much. What I know is only bits and pieces, maybe even less than you… In the past when he came here, I just hosted him for two days and found someone to take him into the mountain. As for the situation in the mountain, I didn’t ask a word according to the agreement, and Yuasa didn’t tell me either. He told me… it’s best to know nothing, that way you stay safe.”

“If Uncle Yuasa said that, he probably had his reasons.”

Fang Jing also sighed. He guessed Yuasa did this to protect the En family of Kinzawa Temple.

“By the way, what exactly is the so-called agreement with Elder Jinno?”

“Haha… Elder Jinno’s situation is even more mysterious than Yuasa’s. I only know he was my grandfather’s friend. Before my grandfather died, he told me that if Elder Jinno sent someone over, I should treat that person well.”

Uncle Enshoen paused. “Also, he told me not to ask about anything else.”

“I understand.”

Fang Jing thought for a moment and nodded. He continued, “Then can I go up Sagirimiyama now?”

“Better not go today. It’s already this late. If you go up the mountain, you might miss the right time.”

The uncle shook his head. “That mountain is very special… In the past, the mountain people were very respectful of Mount Sagiri. They believed the mountain lord doesn’t like outsiders entering at night. If you go into the mountain now, you probably won’t reach the Defiled Temple even by late night, and it’s easy to get into danger.”

“Danger?”

“Yes! You might encounter mountain accidents, or possibly ‘Kami-kakushi’.”

Uncle Enshoen showed a serious expression and said righteously, “I believe you know some of the situation, so I won’t say more here. Yuasa must have told you the key points.”

“Yeah! I know about that.”

He said this, but in his heart he thought differently.

Elder Jinno, Uncle Yuasa, and this Uncle Enshoen, they really all maintained this sense of mystery. They kept tight-lipped about important clues.

“However… at the time it was rushed, and there are still some things I don’t understand. So I hope you can explain them to me.”

Fang Jing said frankly, “If it’s inconvenient for you to say, you don’t have to answer. It’s just that these matters are mostly confusing to me.”

“Haha, I’m about the same as you.”

The two looked at each other with understanding and laughed at the same time.

“Uncle Enshoen, first let me ask one thing. What exactly is the so-called ‘Defiled Temple’?”

“Defiled Temple?!”

Uncle Enshoen stroked the beard on his chin, thought a little, and then slowly responded.

“This is actually a derogatory term. Actually, that Defiled Temple was built by the burakumin. It’s a very small training dojo. You have probably heard of the burakumin, right? In the past, there were several discriminated tribes here. The sect they believed in was probably of the Hongan-ji line. I don’t know if they had a principal image. Actually, after so long, and built in Sagirimiyama, by modern times that place had long been abandoned.”

Fang Jing finally understood. Simply put, it was a training dojo where ancient burakumin gathered. It should belong to the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism in this country. But because it wasn’t a regular Buddhist temple, people discriminated against it and degraded it as “Defiled Temple.”

As for “burakumin,” they were actually the low-class people of old Japan, the outcast class and discriminated tribal people. The so-called burakumin—among them were kawaramono (those who killed animals and cleaned filth for a living), shukke (wandering entertainers who didn’t produce), and villages where outcasts called “eta” gathered…