Honishibashi Residence & Gardens

 

Momen Kaido, Cotton Road, is a small historic district of Hirata that was once a bustling merchant area trading in cotton.

One of the oldest remaining houses is the Honishibashi Residence, the oldest part of which was built in 1750

The earthern-floored entrance foyer has a nice example of the local folk art, Isshiki Kazari.

As well as serving as the home and business premises, the Daimyo would stay here sometimes and so the inner parlour was used as his official reception room.

The gardens were constructed in the early Meiji Period.

The Sou no Niwa, pictured above, is located to the east of the inner parlour. There is a small tea room that alsolook out onto it.

The main garden, the Gyo no Niwa, is located to the west of the inner parlour.

Not surprisingly, it is an Izumo-style garden. The large stone is said to have been a gift from local fishermen after the Ishibashi family paid for the construction of a tunnel that greatly aided the fishermen

I visited in June and so caught the last of the azalea blossoms...

The previous post in this series on the delights of Matsu and Izumo focused on the views from Matsue's tallest building.

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Across Three Rivers

 

Coming out of the low hills separating the Ou Plain from the Nogi Plain, I head east-southeast towards the next pilgrimage temple, Unjuji.

The main river I have to cross is the Iinashi, but closer to Unjuji I will cross two smaller rivers, the Yoshida, and then the Hakuta. All three drain into the Nakaumi Lagoon.

The main river, Iinashi, has large embankments...

Daisen, the highest mountain in the Chugoku Region, is clearly visible. Hopefully I will be able to reach the temple high on its slopes sometime tomorrow.

Roadside altars are ubiquitous in Japan....

I was very surprised to come across the "Izumo-ori Thatched-roof Exchange Building.

The pleasantness of the surprise was enhanced when I discovered it was free to enter.

It is a kind of rest area selling local veggies, but the interior was lovely with the dark wood floor and traditional hearth.

I didn't notice it, but there was an observation platform on the property that overlooked the rice paddies where migrating swans stop...

I guess I was a little too early in the year for them....

The previous post was on a couple of small shrines in the hills....

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Iyadaniji Temple 71 Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage

 

Iyadaniji, temple 71 on the pilgrimage, is located on the slope of Mount Yatani in Kagawa.

The Niomon is at 138m elevation, and the main hall is at 221 m; between them are 540 steps.

Iyadaniji is yet another of the pilgrimage temples said to be founded by Gyoki.

It is said that as a young child, Kobo Daishi studied in a cave here.

When he returned from China in 807, he carved a Senju Kannon and numerous other statues and changed the name to Iyadaniji.

Under the patronage of the local clan, the Kagawa of Amagiri Castle, by the 16th century Iyadaniji grew to include 6 temples in three distinct precincts.

However, in the late 16th century a fire destroyed everything but the central precinct.

In 1600, the temple was restored under the patronage of the Kyogoku Clan of Marugame.

Made in the 17th century, the following statue is considered very rare in Japan. Standing almost 6 meters tall, it is the Vajra Fist Bodhisattva, and I have never heard of it before, but then I am just a beginner when it comes to the multitude of deities in Japanese Buddhism.

The 108 steps leading to.....

The Daishi Hall.

Inside the Daishi Hall, at the rear, is the okunoin, the cave where Kobo Daishi is said to have spent time. I regret not exploring Iyadaniji so much, as I was tired and in a hurry..... a mistake I think...

The pagoda is a Tahoto, common at Shingon temples, and sometimes found at Tendai temples.

The current main hall dates to 1848...

There are so many other halls and statues that are not included in this post...... the temple is well worth the amount of climbing that is needed....

Visitors are also rewarded with great views over the surrounding countryside

Above is the Water Cave, the water source for the temple...

Below is the Amida Triad, carved into the cliff, with Amida flanked by Kannon and Seishi.

The previous temple on the pilgrimage was temple 70, Motoyamaji.

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Suta Shrine & Iwasaki Shrine

 

While crossing a hilly section between the Ou Plain and the Inashi River Valley, I stopped in at a couple of small shrines.

The first, Suta Shrine, was mentioned in the Izumo Fudoki as a fertility shrine and was also listed in the Engi Shiki.

However, during the Edo Period it became associated with Inari worship, and that is the kami listed now as the main kami.

The secondary kami is Kanayamahiko, a kami of metals and mining, and was brought here in 1911 during the shrine consolidation program when a nearby shrine, Suda Hei Shrine, was transferred here. It too was a shrine mentioned in the Izumo Fudoki. Another shrine, Iu no Mori Shrine, was merged with Suta Shrine in 1874. That kami is Yatsukamizuomizu, a water kami, grandfather of Okuninushi and great, great, grandson of Susano.

A little further and I came to Iwasaki Shrine.

It is actually not much more than a small honden inside a structure to protect it from the weather.

There is no kami listed for the shrine although it was known as Gion-sha locally as it had been effective against plague earlier. Behind the small honden is a large rock and it is quite probable that this was the original objectb of worship.

Right next to the entrance to the shrine is a shrine to Toshitokujin. On the map, I had passed near  quite a few of these on this walk. It seems that Higashi Izumo was a centre of Toshitokujin worship, an Onmyodo deity.

The previous post in this series on day 44 of my Chugoku Pilgrimage was on the walk across the Ou Plain.

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 last ten posts.