Word 096
South of the Ikoma mountain range stands Mount Shigi, home to Chogosonshi-ji Temple, cradled in its hillside at an elevation of 437 meters — a mountain of faith since ancient times. More than 1,400 years ago, Prince Shotoku is said to have prayed for victory here on his way to subdue Mononobe no Moriya.
At that moment, the guardian deity Bishamonten is said to have appeared far above in the sky, granting him the secret to certain victory. According to legend, it happened in the Year of the Tiger, on the Day of the Tiger, at the Hour of the Tiger — a brief moment just before dawn.
Perhaps the prince arrived at this mountain for that one, unrepeatable meeting alone. Ever since, Mount Shigi has remained a sacred place bound to Bishamonten by the tiger's tie, welcoming countless visitors across fourteen centuries.
In life, there are times we think,
"If only I had met a certain person, thing, or place sooner —
wouldn't my life have turned out better?"
But we meet at exactly the timing we are meant to.
There is meaning, too, in the order in which we meet.
Even if we had met in what we imagined to be the ideal order, the outcome would often turn out different from what we expected.
Let us be grateful for the order in which we have met — and for the bonds that came from it.
Looking up at the great papier-mâché tiger set before the temple gate, visitors, too, quietly recall the people and things they have encountered along the way of their own lives.