Odd god

This beautiful Zen temple is in Takaoka, about a 25 local train ride from Toyama.  Here's the basic details:

Zuiryuji Temple (瑞龍寺, Zuiryūji) is a Soto Zen Buddhist temple in Takaoka, recognized by the Japanese government as a national treasure. The temple was completed circa 1659 to mourn the death of the retired local lord, Maeda Toshinaga. His mausoleum is situated approximately one kilometer to the east from the temple.

Zuiryuji has a symmetric layout with corridors connecting its buildings in a manner typical of Soto Zen monasteries. The temple is comprised of various buildings, including its imposing Sanmon Gate that meets visitors on their way through the temple's inner grounds. 

As you can see, it was a very snowy day on this visit, and that can interfere with the clarity of photos...

One of the most interesting aspects of the complex is that they are very proud of their old statue of a toilet deity: 

A rather unique deity worshiped at the temple is Ususama Myo-o, a guardian of Buddhism. A large statue of Ususama Myo-o stands in the Hatto Hall, while a smaller one stands at the entrance to the public washroom. Ususama Myo-o is regarded as the guardian of the washroom and is accredited powers to purify and prevent diseases. 

The statue above is a replica of the real, old statue, which is in another part of the complex, and while you can photograph the replica, not so the original.  (Which, by the way, is not as brightly coloured as the replica.)  

While in the room with the real statue, I was a little surprised to see a Japanese man, perhaps in his 50's or 60's, saying a prayer to it.   

Now, the Japanese make prayers at Shinto shrines (and Buddhist temples) or all kinds, and I find it one of the more charming things about the country.   Much has been written about whether this should count as spirituality, or mere superstition.  (After all, it's said that most Japanese will say they don't believe in God, and are "non-religious", but see no contradiction in continuing to offer prayers and buy "good luck" charms at their shrines and temples.)   

So, while it is clear that the Japanese don't worry much about the objective reality of the figure they are praying to (or, in the case of Shinto, how a place became "holy" in the first place), it was still a bit surprising to see a deity as unusual as that one, devoted to toilets, receiving devotion.  

I have to continue later...