From Kasubuchi to Hamahara Bridge

 

I start day 4 of my walk up the Gonokawa River to its source from the same place I ended dsy 3, the defunct Kasubuchi Station.

Not sure of the protocol for naming riverbanks left or right...... but I am sticking to thye right bank as I walk upstream.

At the end of day 3 I was walking directly north, and now early on day 4 I am heading directly south. The river has done a serious horseshoe at Kasubuchi.

The old railway bridge in the photo above has now been dismantled..... The former Sanko Line ran the length of the river from the mouth at Gotsu to Miyoshi in the mountains of Hiroshima..... part of the reason for this walk is to see what changes the loss of the railway has wrought. I miss it.... it was a truly beautiful ride...

As always, no matter where you go in Japan, roadside altars.....

Just up ahead, the first new bridge of the day, the Hamahara Ohashi...

Hamahara, on the opposite bank, was the terminal of the Sanko Line railway until the 1970s, running upriver from Gotsu. From Miyoshi the line ran downriver as far as Kuchiba. The section I will be walking today and tomorrow was not built until the 1970's and then the whole line closed about 50 years later.

It's April 1st, 2022, and the cherry blossoms are already in bloom....

Not sure which species this one is.....

The Hamahara Bridge was built in 1975, and is a double arch construction.

The previous post was on the walk up to Kasubuchi.

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Through the Mountain Forest to Gakuenji

 

Day 41, and I cross Izumo and head into the small range of mountains that form the western section of the Shimane Peninsula.

Gakuenji, the next temple on the Chugoku Pilgrimage, lies on the other side, and a trail crosses over and connects with other trails in the mountains that are part of the Chugoku Nature Trail.

When I walked the Izumo Kannon Pilgrimage, I used this same trail but in the opposite direction.

This post shows one of the mildly gruesome sights I encountered on that walk...

After climbing for a while, an opening gives views back down onto the Izumo Plain and the landmark Izumo Dome, one of the biggest wooden buildings in the world.

It's nice to be walking alone through the forest..... no bears here, but plenty of deer..... In all the times I have walked the trails in these mountains, I have yet to meet another human....

The numerous little statues along the way indicate that this was once a well-travelled route....

After reaching the pass and a cross trail heading along to Izumo Taisha, the trail descends...

Gakuenji is not too far down the other side....

The previous post was on Kandoji Temple just to the south of Izumo...

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Ayuchaya Hiranoya & Ayu no Yado Tsutaya

 

After visiting the delightful 1200 Rakan at Otagi Nembutsuji Temple I descended the narrow mountain road and came into the area known as Saga Toriimoto, an absolutely delightful area of old thatched buildings at the top end of Arashiyama.

The area is an historic preservation area, but in this post I will concentrate on just two buildings, both of them eateries with long traditions.

The top one, just above the vermillion torii, and therefore the first one I visited first is Ayuchaya Hiranoya.

It was still a couple of hours till opening time, but it was open, and I could peer inside....

Said to have been in business for 400 years, it was originally a teahouse and an ayu (sweetfish) wholesaler. The road is the route to Atago Shrine a very popular pilgrimage site and the torii is the first torii marking the route.

Ofuda left by pilgrims are plastered over the woodwork....

The ayu were caught up in the mountains, and "rested" in fresh water barrels overnight, and then carried into the restaurants of Kyoto the next morning. Nowadays the ayu are served directly to customers. I believe it is like a small trout.

The current proprietress is the 15th generation.

Nearby, just below the torii, is Ayu no Yado Tsutaya.

It is also about 400 years old.

Tsutaya has a similar history to Hironaya, starting out as a teahouse and then serving meals, especially ayu.

In 1989 the guest rooms were refurbished by leading designers and craftsmen.

I believe that advance bookings are necessary.

But even if you are not eating or drinking there, the walk up from Arashiyama rewards the visitor with  remarkable historical scenery.

The previous post in this series on Arashiyama was on portraits of the unique rakan statues at Otagi Nembutsuji Temple a little up the hill from here...

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Kando-ji Temple 23 Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage

 

Kandoji, is a fairly small and nondescript temple in the south of Izumo City. As well as being temple 23 on the Chugoku Kannon pilgrimage, it is also temple number 5 on the much older Izumo Kannon Pilgrimage. The post from my earlier visit is here.

Though now quite modest, it was in ancient times very large and powerful and is said to have had a strong relationship with Izumo Taisha, but I know that in 15th and 16th centuries Gakuenji Temple oversaw Izumo Taisha. It is said that it was the foremost temple in the San-in region.

Said to have been founded in 781 by Socho. Amazingly, it is claimed that Saicho, the founder of Hiezan and the Tendai sect and a contemporary of Kobo Daishi, was the second abbot of the temple, and that Kobo Daishi himself was the third.

Another claim is that Kobo Daishi wrote the Iroha while here and a copy in his handwriting is owned by the temple. The Iroha was a poem for memorizing the kana syllabary that Kobo Daishi is said to have created. It can be thought of as a Japanese version of the Alphabet Song in English. Not too long ago I posted on another temple claiming to be where he wrote the Iroha, Dogakuji Temple in Tokushima. Historians are of the opinion that the Iroha was composed hundreds of years after the time of Kobo Daishi.

The temple converted to the Jodo sect. It has an Amida as its honzon, said to have been carved by Gyoki. The 11-faced Kannon in the Kannon Hall is a secret Buddha.

The previous post in this series on day 40 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the nearby Umaki Fudoson, one of the top 3 Fudo's in Japan.

If you would like to subscribe by email, just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published or made public. I post new content almost every day, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the most recent posts.