Kokura｜The Nama-shin Tower and the Horse-headed Guanyin Legend in Katsuyama Park

There is a tower of the horse god at the entrance of Katsuyama Park. The story starts from the Russo-Japanese War. From the spring of 1904, Japan and Russia launched a fierce battle for the Korean Empire and the three northeastern provinces. It is said that more than 100,000 horses were killed in the war. Tsubone Kinichi, a resident of Kokura who participated in the Russo-Japanese War, spent five years raising funds to build this tower of the horse god. Next to it, Acala, Tathagata Buddha, and Manjusri Bodhisattva are lined up in a row. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is enshrined in a small temple. The gods are protecting the people of Kokura in a corner of the park. People will bring small candies to offer in front of the Buddha statue. When visiting, crows fly to take the candies. Perhaps it is also the gods blessing all lives? It is worth mentioning that there is a rare statue of Horse-Headed Guanyin next to it. Different from the general Guanyin with kind eyes, this one has a horse head on its head and has angry and solemn eyes. In Japanese Esoteric Buddhism, Horse-Headed Guanyin is also known as Hayagriva. According to the Shingon sect, the Six Guanyins refer to the Holy Guanyin who saves the hungry ghosts, the Thousand-Armed Guanyin who saves the hells, the Horse-Headed Guanyin who saves the animals, the Eleven-Faced Guanyin who saves the Asuras, the Cundi Guanyin who saves the humans, and the Ruyi-Wheel Guanyin who saves the heavens. Therefore, in order to save the horses, the Horse-Headed Guanyin is enshrined here. The Horse-Headed Guanyin can also subdue ghosts and demons, eliminate karma, epidemics, and evil curses and dharma. If you visit Katsuyama Park, you may want to take a look at the Horse-Headed Guanyin and the different development trajectories of Buddhism during its spread in Japan. 📍Address: 1-2 Jonai, Kokurakita Ward, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 803-0813 Japan 🚗Walk for ten minutes from Kokura Station towards Kokura Castle. #MarchGoodPlaces2025