The Storks of Toyooka

 

Oriental White Storks, konotori in Japanese, used to be widespread around Japan. The last one died in Toyooka in 1971.

It seems the primary cause of their extirpation was the huge amount of chemicals used in modern Japanese agriculture.

A captive breeding program was started in Toyooka in the 1960s but without success. Russia donated three pairs of storks, and in 1989, the first chick was born, with more chicks born in successive years.

To enable the storks to survive in the wild the area began a program of helping local farmers to reduce the amount of chemicals used and to allow their paddies to remain flooded for longer so that the natural food of the storks could proliferate.

They also erected artificial poles with platforms on to replace the natural nesting sites of the storks on top of mature pine trees, all of which had long since been cut down. Finally in 2005 storks were released into the wild and have been successfully breeding since then.

Images of storks abound around the Toyooka, and its possible to see storks in the wild while driving, but on the opposite side of the river to Kinosaki Onsen is the Hachigoro Toshima Wetlands, a nature preserve where the helpful staff will let you use telescopes and binoculars to see storks in the wild, and even have livecams on some of the nests. (first 4 photos)

Closer to Toyoka City is the Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork where you can see wild storks as well as captive breeding program and a museum dedicated to the stork and the story of Toyooka's reintroduction. (last 4 photos)

The previous post on things to see and do in the Toyooka area was on the Benzaiten Shrine near the Toshima Wetlands.

Views from Fukuoka Mount Atago

 

Mount Atago, in the southern part of Fukuoka City, is only 68 meters high, so it would be a hill in English.

It was named Mount Arago after an Atago Shrine was established here in the Edo Period by the local daimyo.

However it is the only high point in the area and so offers nice views over the city and surrounding area, especially at night.

The most obvious landmark is the New Fukuoka Tower just across the river.

There are also nice views to the south over the Itoshima area and to the SE down the coast towards Karatsu.

The previous post was on the Atago Shrine on top of the mountain.

Wae Fishing Harbour

 

March 21st, 2021, though technically the Spring Equinox, a winter storm had just passed through so the sea was choppier than usual, but the skies mostly blue.

This was the fifth leg of my deep exploration of the Sea of Japan coast, trying to visit every cove and inlet possible, starting at the mouth of the Gonokawa River in Gotsu and heading east.

I started the day at Isotake station my first stop was the sacred cave of Shizunoiwa and now passed a rocky headland.

Looking back down the coast in the distance was Isotake and its harbour, site of another myth.

I believe these are Japanese cormorants, sometimes known as Temminck's Cormorant, and native to East Asian coasts. They are the species that have been domesticated to fish for Ayu in rivers in the tradition known as ukai.

The Sea of Japan Coast is really quite spectacular. There are some nice spots on the Pacific side I'm sure, but that is where all the industry and population is, so........

Up ahead is Wae Harbour. I would have called it Oda Port, as downtown  Oda City is just a short distance inland, but officially it is Wae,

To teach it I have to cross the mouth of the Shizuma River. My guess is this is the biggest river I have had to cross since starting.

The Wae fishing harbour is also probably the biggest fishing harbour I have encountered since starting.

Lots of powerful lamps on many of the boats as squid fishing is one of the main catches.....

Around a small headland and another fishing harbour, the much smaller one at Toriicho.

Omori Floral

Up in the mountains not far from here is the Iwami Ginzan World Heritage Site, and the village of Omori is a large part of it.

Pretty much just one long street in the narrow valley below the mine, Omori is where the samurai, bureaucrats, and merchants lived.

Before it was made a World Heritage site the town was already a Preservation District and so is mostly made up of Edo Period architecture and had the unsightly power poles removed.

All these photos were take on a one kilometer walk down the main street of the town on a May 5th.

While some of the flowers are planted in planters, pots,or in the ground, many others are cut flowers displayed in sections of bamboo tied to drainpipes.

Torigoe Kannondo & Yamate Yakushido Temples 82 & 11 Sasaguri Pilgrimage

 

The first 6 photos are from Torigoe Kannon-do, the 82nd temple on the 88 temple Sasaguri Pilgrimage.

The honzon is a Thousand-armed Kannon that was carved by a local priest in 1940. The original honzon is the stone carving to the left of the main image above that possibly came from Negoroji, the 82nd temple on Shikoku.

Like all the other temples on this pilgrimage, there were a huge amount of statues, and it was uninhabited, maintained by local people.

The last 4 photos are of the nearby Yamate Yakushi-do temple, number 11.

It is also unmanned and with a lot of statuary.

Its honzon is, as the name implies, a Yakushi Nyorai. This little temple is connected to the Fuji family who were village headmen of Yamate and were influential in setting up the Sasaguri Pilgrimage.

It is located right next to Chikuzen Yamate station and so was a perfect point to end the days pilgrimage and head back into Hakata for the night.

On this first day we had visited a grand total of 22 of the 88 temples as well as several other temples not on the pilgrimage. I have no idea how many statues we had seen, but I would not be surprised if it was more than a thousand.

The previous post was on Temple 43 Akashiji.

Washio Atago Shrine

 

Washio Atago Shrine sits atop a 68 meter  tall hill overlooking Fukuoka City.

It is considered one of the top 3 of the 900 Atago shrines in Japan, with the other two being the head shrine overlooking Kyoto and the one in Tokyo

Originally called Mount Washio, according to legend a shrine, Washio Shrine, was established here in 72 AD enshrining Izanagi and Amenoshihomimi, the oldest of Amaterasu's five sons. These are the two main kami of Hikosan, the major Shugendo site in northern Kyushu, and one theory is that the kami were moved to Hikosan from here.

Since the 10th century the shrine was under the jurisdiction of a shugendo Tendai temple, Torin-ji, and in fact for a while after a period of warfare only the temple building remained.

In 1634 the new daimyo of the domain established Atago Daigongen at the site and a Shingon temple. He had successfully prayed at the shugendo site atop Mount Atago in Kyoto and brought the kami Izanami and Homusubi from there.

In 1901 the Washio Shrine and Atago Shrine were merged and the temples removed. The Buddhist statue shintai, a Shogun Jizo, was moved to what is now Kannonji Temple a little lower down the hillside.

Within the grounds is an Uga Shrine enshrining Susano, Yamato Takeru, and Ugatama, and as well as the Kannonji Temple there is also a Jizoson shrine.

There is an Inari shrine and I will cover that in the next post.

It is a very popular shrine especially during cherry blossom season when I visited as it has 2,000 cherry trees.

It also has great views over Fukuoka City.

The previous post was on the Kannonji Temple just below.