Photos of Bryophytes in Japan

I visited the Shimpukuji Temple in Okazaki, Japan this past weekend and took some photos of the bryophytes on the temple grounds. This temple was established in the late 6th century. A man on a pilgrimage devoted to Budda saw an incarnation of Budda emerge from the pond in front of him. It was deemed a miracle and word reached a member of the royalty responsible for Buddhism propagation. (They even had people in charge of the media spin back then.) Thus the Shimpukuji temple was built. The water from the sacred fountain is famous for its medicinal effects especially for persons with eye diseases.

This is the sacred fountain with a large number of liverworts and mosses in the splash zone around the water.

There are more photos below the fold. I just couldn't stop taking pictures of all the great bryophytes!

This entire hillside next to the path was covered in mosses!