Takakura Arahito Shrine

 

All decked out for matsuri, The Takakura Arahito Shrine seems to be the main shrine of Oi on the Yamaguchi coast near Hagi.

Just before reaching the banners and steps leading up to the big shrine, I syopped in at a little shrine.

It had a couple of banners flying, but only had a few small roadside-style shrines, and no buildings.

There was no sign and I could find out nothing about the kami enshrined here or any history.

Same goes for the main shrine, Takakura Arahito Shrine.

Arahito literally means "wild man". Arahitogami refers to a kami that is or was a human.

Aragami means a "wild" or "turbulent" or "rough" kami, often equated with Susano as storm deity.

Kami are generally considered to have a dual aspect, a rough, violent side, and a gentle side.

The shrine is obviously important, and it's unusual to see quite so many banners.

There is a good chance that most local people have no idea who the kami is.

I once stopped at a matsuri in a local shrine in the mountains of Hiroshima, and even the priest didn't know the name of the kami.

Still, not knowing bugs me, and I will keep my eyes open in the future for any reference to arahito...

The previous post was on the walk along the coast to here from Koshigahama.

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Ruriji Temple & the Cheerful Hunter

 

This section of the Iwami Kannon Pilgrimage is very exciting for me as it is through country that I have never been before, even though it is not too far from my home.

Ruriji is  temple 14 on the pilgrimage, and I reached it at the end of my 8th day.

It is a Soto sect Zen temple with a Shaka Nyorai as its honzon.

With a bell tower gate, small treasure hall, and plentiful fresh offerings at the Mizuko Jizo, it is obviously an active temple, but I can find absolutely nothing about its history.

The sun was getting low, but my accommodations for the night were just a short walk away.

In the middle of nowhere is a noodle restaurant. The name has changed since I was there. It is now called Countryside Cafe Cheerful Hunter.

At the time, my wife was working for an NPO related to rural revitalization, and so had networked with other similar NPO's in the region, and so had been here.

Takahashi Imada and his wife are  the proprietors. He is a hunter and so wild boar features heavily on the menu, along with other wild, mountain delicacies.

He gave me a plate of wild boar meat, a cup of amazake made by his wife, and a bed in an empty house on the property for the grand price of 2,000 yen. Their noodle restaurant is usually full, and he also offers hunting trips and minpaku-style accommodations nowadays, and yes! he was cheerful.

The previous post was on the afternoon leg of my walk.

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A Walk from Koshigahama to Nagato-Oi

 

Late March, and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom on the Sea of Japan coast in Yamaguchi.

This was day 30 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage, and the for the next few days there would not be any pilgrimage temples to visit, but the route is along a spectacular section of coastline where the road is literally right next to the sea.

Koshigahama is home to a pretty large fishing port, but fish is not the only product harvested from the sea.

As well as squid hanging up to dry, there was a lot of wakame, a species of kelp, and widely eaten in Japan.

Spring is the primary harvesting season in Japan.

Looking up the coast at my route. The high mountain in the distance is Mount Takayama near Susa. I expect to be there in about 3 days.

have no idea what these tiny fishes are that are being dried.

Not a big fan of small, bony fishes, though I must admit i used to enjoy whitebait back in Cornwall.

I suspect this guy doesn't care less which kind of fish he gets to eat....

If its not cloudy or windy, then the sea here is usually clear and turquoise blue.

The train line from Masuda to Hagi also hugs the coast and so these views can be enjoyed from a slow train....

Oshima is the biggest of the islands visible most days. In good weather, Mishima, much further offshore, can be glimpsed in the far distance.

For the next few kilometers there are no houses or settlements until Oi.

The previous post was on the scenic Itsukushima Shrine on Myojin Pond in Koshigahama.

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Over the Mountains to the Sea Again

 

Leaving Kubokawa and temple 37 Iwamotoji, the route carries on south towards temple 38, a long way a away down at the tip of Shikoku, Cape Ashizuri.

It is December 1st, the twentieth day of my walk along the famous Shikoku Pilgrimage, and it's cool and damp with the clouds clinging to the forested mountain slopes and the rain intermittent.

It's not a day for dawdling and exploring.... I pass some small shrines but do not check them out...

Much of the way is narrow roads with little or no traffic, and a few times, tunnels replace what would have been passes in earlier times...

After the tunnel, it is pretty much downhill all the way...

The rain picks up a little..... I have now crossed over from Shimanto to Kuroshio.

By the time I reach the coast at a place called Saga, it gets windier too...

I take a break in a seaside park and cook up some oatmeal....

The park shelter is not enough to keep the rain and wind out, so I use my umbrella as a windshield...

The tiny stove I have runs on the little paraffin blocks used in restaurants..... with the tiny kettle they only weigh a few ounces, but I can make tea, coffee, soup, oatmeal, instant noodles, pretty much anywhere....

I carry on down the blustery coast....

I had heard there was a free place to stay not far away and I hope I can find it....

The previous post in this series on the space between the temples on the Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage was on the Kominka Cafe near to Iwamotoji Temple.

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