9.Jiunzan Fukujuji Temple

Encountering oneself with a quiet mind
in a beautiful garden setting

　Quite close to JR Kumasaki Station is Fukujuji Temple, a temple standing on a gentle slope with distant views. Constructed in 2015, the temple building is still new, and has a contemporary feel together with expansive scenery. Yet, it has a long history, originally being built in 1531 by a vassal in the Otomo Clan. Although it is a very old temple with a history of some 500 years, the records for the last 100 years before the time the Inaba Clan entered Usuki Domain have been lost. That 100-year blank is also a valuable page of the temple’s history as it encountered a period of war. Fukujuji Temple is synonymous with its garden. Spreading out in front of the main temple is a meticulously maintained karesansui (dry) garden, presenting a Zen temple-like universe of wabi-sabi. Most visitors enjoy this landscape, so zazen meditation sessions used to be held here every month before the COVID-19 pandemic. Nowadays you can try a zazen meditation session if you book beforehand. The trees and shrubs, the landscaping rocks, and the rake patterns in the gravel create a uniquely subtle and profound beauty. Engaging your mind with this releases you from the stresses of daily life, and your mind seems to become lighter.