Washibara Hachimangu in Autumn

 

Washibara Hachimangu Shrine is located at the base of the mountain that has Tsuwano Castle on top.

It was established in the 13th Century by the warrior ancestor of the Yoshimi Clan who moved to what is now the Tsuwano area and established this branch of the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine of Kamakura.

In 1387 the third head of the family moved it to its current location.

A Yabusame training ground was built at this time and it remains the only original Yabusame grounds in all of Japan. Yabusame takes place here on the first Sunday in April and can be viewed in this earlier post.

During the Yabusame festival the shrine grounds are filled with blooming cherry trees, but in the Autumn, the combination of Maple and Ginko trees make for a splendid sight.

There are numerous secondary shrines in the grounds, the most interesting being a branch of Awashima Shrine.

The head Awashima Shrine in Wakayama is famous for its collection of dolls that have been left at the shrine, and many Jaoanese find it quite eery.

The Awashima Shrine here at Washibara Hachimangu also has quite a collection of traditional dolls that have been left.

The Washibara Hachimangu was established at the same time as the first castle on top of the mountain, and when the castle was attacked in 1554 the shrine and all the other temples and shrines in the immediate vicinity were burned down.

In 1568, Yoshimi Masayori rebuilt the shrine. The current thatched tower gate dates from this time.

In 1711 Kamei Tsunechika did major renovations, and the current main hall dates from this time.

The Tower Gate, Worship Hall, and Main Hall are all National Important Cultural Properties and are fine examples of late Muromachi Period shrine architecture. They are all currently undergoing refurbishment.

Between the tower gate and the worship hall is a small pond with a kiyosaibashi bridge across it.

Outside of the yabusame festival in April, the shrine gets very few visitors as it is somewhat out of town, but well worth a visit in the autumn.

These last seven photos were taken on a later visit to the shrine....

The previous post in this series on Tsuwano was on the Yabusame here.