MIYAJIMA: This is the first major temple on the way up Mt. Misen. In it a pot that is reputed to have been boiling steadily ever since the monk Kobo Daishi (774-835) used it to boil his dinner: sort of a variation on the "eternal flame" theme. Note the supply of firewood on the left. He is reputed to have invented the classic Japanese rice paddle, so such paddles are sold throughout the island as souvenirs. May 18, 1998