Kurihara Bridge over the Gonokawa River

 

Kurihara Bridge is the 13th bridge across the Gonokawa River from the rivermouth in Gotsu on the Sea of Japan.

It is the seond of many that fall within the boundaries of Misato, a large collection of villages and mountains grouped together as a municipality in the mountainous interior of Shimane.

I was here on day 3 of my walk from the mouth of the river to the source. It is about 40-45 kilometers from the start.

The bridge opened in 1976.

It is a simple, two arch type of bridge.

The previous post in this series on my walk up the Gonokawa was on the short stretch between Onbara and here.

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Esaki Itsukushima Shrine

 

The fishing village of Esaki os at the head of a long, narrow inlet, and so has been a sheltered harbour since time immemorial and was one of the Kitamaebune ports in the Edo period.

The local shrine is an Itsukushima Shrine, though before Meiji it was a Benten Shrine.

Benzaiten, the Hindu goddess connected to water, introduced into Japan through Buddhism, and one of the Seven Luck Gods, was equated with Ichikishimahime, one of the Munakata goddesses and the main kami of Itsukushima Shrines.

The shrine is said to have been founded before the 17th century, though I would think as the port boomed in the Edo Period it would have been well-supported by those seeking marine safety.

At the bottom of the stairs leading up to the main shrine is a substantial Miho Shrine as well as several smaller shrines..

The Miho Shrine is a branch of the main Miho Shrine in Mihonoseki and enshrines Kotoshironushi, equated with Ebisu, and famous as a kami for fishermen.

The previous post was on the unique hexagonal hall of the Saidoji Temple on the other side of the bay.

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Namba Hatch

 

Namba Hatch is a uniquely-shaped building on the south bank of the Dotonbori River in Namba, Osaka.

It is a kind of concert hall and music venue, though not an auditorium with fixed seats.

Rock, Jazz, Blues, Hip-Hop and other contemporary styles are put on and the venue can hold less than 2,000 standing, much less sitting.

Several boat tours leave from the river landing here....

The octagonal main structure is quite striking. Namba Hatch was designed by Yasui Architecture & Engineering.

The only other building of theirs that I have knowingly covered was also in Osaka, the Kantelle Ogimachi Square

The previous post in this series on Osaka was on the nearby OCAT, the Osaka City Air Terminal.

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Saidoji Rokkakudo

 

Seemingly floating in Esaki Bay, Saidoji Temple has a distinctive hexagonal hall.

The origin dates back to the early part of the 15th Century and a wealthy family by the name of Nabeyama who had an ony daughter named Okiku. They had hoped to marry her off but she fell in love with a servant named Shichigoro.

When she became pregnant by him, her parents drove him away, and in her sorrow, she threw herself into the sea.

Her parents searched for her for three days and three nights, to no avail, however they did pull up in a et from the sea a Jizo statue holding a child. They took this to be a reincarnation of their daughter and enshrined it on the tiny island.

Seven years later, Shichigoro returned in the guise of a monk and converted the shrine into a temple.

In the 17th Century when the Mori had control of the area they rebuilt the temple with a hexagonal hall. This was to protect the building against the powerful stormy winds. At the same time, they planted a Black Pine, which still grows today.

I have seen other hexagonal buildings in temples around Japan, but the signboard here claims that this one os one of only two in existence, so I suspect they are talking about some aspect of its construction.

The dragon carving was quite nice....

A Boke Fuji Kannon for protection against senility..... an increasingly common Kannon statue in Japan....

The previous post was on the walk to Esaki from Susa.

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Shoyoen Garden at Dogakuji Temple

 

Dogakuji Temple in Tokushima on Shikoku is the temple where Kobo Daishi studied as a young child. It is the 2nd of the 20 extra temples on the famous Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage, but also the 11th temple of the Shikoku Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage, which is why I visited it.

Behind the main buildings is a small pond garden named Shoyoen.

It is thought to have been built in the late Muromachi Period, the mid to late 16th century.

It features a lot of rock, native Awa Bluestone.

Some of the rock is not brought in and positioned, but original to the site.

Noticeable are the bridges, each composed of a single, very thin slab of stone.

It is said that the great 20th century garden designer and scholar Mori Shigemori liked his garden and spent a lot of time here....

The final three photos are from a small garden between two of the buildings.

The previous post was a large one on Dogakuji Temple itself.

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