Haibara Samurai Residence

 

The former Haibara Samurai Residence is located in Takahashi, the castle town in the mountains of central Okayama, on the Takahashi River.

It is on a road of former samurai residences at the north of the town, near the base of the mountain on top of which sits Bitchi Matsuyama Castle, known as the highest castle in Japan.

At 430 meters above sea level, it is one of the few castles remaining in Japan with an original tenshu, or keep, and the only mountaintop castle with an original keep.

The former Haibara Residence was built about 170 years ago at the end of the Edo Period.

Unusual for a samurai residence, it was built in what is known as sukiya-style, normally associated with temples and teahouses.

Numerous artifacts including furniture and some armour are on display.

The gardens have also been kept in their original form.

There is a joint entry ticket to this house and the slightly more impressive Orii House next door which I will post about next.

Takahashi is a little off the main tourist routes, but is well worth a visit. While it is not a Preservation District, it has plenty of traditional architecture as well as the amazing castle, some lovely temples, and just outside town a great modern art museum.

On this visit, my second to Takahashi, I was on day 6 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage.

The previous post was on nearby Raikyuji Temple which was used as a home by the daimyo and has an amazing garden by Kobori Enshu.

Eifukuji Temple 57 Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage

 

Temple 56 is quite a small temple with Amida as its honzon. As well as the Daishi-do there is also a Konpira-do and a Yakushi-do.

Eifukuji is the 4th of a cluster of 6 pilgrimage temples in the area of Imabari, Ehime.

It is located at the base of a small mountain to the south of the city, though it used to be located on top of the mountain with views over the city.

The most noticeable thing for me when I visited at the start of my 35th day walking the pilgrimage was the Enbutsu-do, a strikingly modern building that towers over the temple compound.

Designed by architect Zai Shirakawa, it features very thick walls with angled window openings that allow for some privacy but also allow plenty of light to enter.

It is said that Kobo Daishi performed a ritual on the mountaintop in the early 9th century for peace at sea and afterwards Amida appeared and so he built a temple.

In 859 another monk was travelling from Kyushu to Kyoto with the divided spirit of Hachiman to found Iwashimizu Hachimangu. He thought the mountain here looked like the one where Iwashimizu was to be built and so founded a Hachiman Shrine alongside the temple. Both functioned as the same site.

Until 1868, that is,  when the government separated Buddhas and Kami and the temple was relocated to its current location at the foot of the hill. The shrine still stands on top.

There are some fine carvings, and I was surprised to see a Ta no Kami statue (below). The cart in the first photo was left by a 15 year-old crippled pilgrim whose leg was healed at the temple.

The previous temple was temple 56 Taisanji.

Pine Gardens of the Takatori Mansion

 

Takatori Koreyoshi (1850-1927) is described as a coal baron as he ran the successfil Kishima coal mine.

In 1904 he built a big residence near the beach in Karatsu. It was enlarged in early Showa.

Externally and internally the mansion combines elements of both Japanese and Western architectural styles and features.

Karatsu City bought the property and opened it to the public. In 1998 it was registered as an Important Cultural Property.

I didn't pay the entry fee to tour the interior, but photos I'v since seen look interesting. I did however wander the rather extensive grounds.

The dominant planting was pine trees and was fairly open.

However there does appear to be a courtyard garden in the middle of the main buildings, and another garden hidden away by fences that seems to have a small pond.

I suspect that viewed from inside the buikdings the gardens would be quite appealing.

The previous post in thise series exploring Karatsu was on the nearby Uzumemon no Yakata samurai-style building.

Meriken Park Kobe

 

Meriken Park is a waterfront park in Kobe that is a major tourist attraction because of the many tourist sites in the vicinity. The BE KOBE logo is apparently what is known as an Instagrammable spot. This was taken quite a few years ago and when I was there last year people were lining up to have their photos taken there.

The harbour around Meriken ark is home to numerous cruises around the bay as well as a cruise ship terminal and a spot for various big visiting ships.

Meriken was the Japanese pronunciation for America back in the Meiji Era when Kobe was one of the main sites of foreign settlement. The Oriental Hotel with its distinctive curved architecture is one of the landmarks.

In front of the Oriental Hotel are a couple of wedding halls, one all glass and reflective pools of water, the other with an overhead lattice that is prime for the kind of photos I like to take.

Long term readers of this blog will have seen different pics of this piece of architecture before....

Perhaps the most iconic sight at Meriken Park is the Kobe Port Tower.

For some time it has been undergoing renovations, but I believe it is once again open to the public.

Another of the architectural marvels that intrigues me at Meriken Park is the Maritime Museum, but I will save that for the next post as I went inside and explored.

This visit was on the 4th day of my walk along the Kinki Fudo Myo Pilgrimage, and after reaching Kobe I spent the rest of the day exploring as a tourist...

The previous post was on Sorakuen Garden.

Uzumemon no Yakata Karatsu

 

While walking in central Karatsu I came across Uzememon no Yakata and as it had free entry went inside.

It is a type of community centre for local people to have classes in various traditional Japanese arts and crafts.

Subjects such as Tea Ceremony, Ikebana, various types of music and dance and also Noh theatre.

The building is built in the style of a fairly high-ranking samurai residence.

It is not actually a reconstruction or rebuilding of an actual building that existed though.

Most visitors think it is though.

There is a minimal style garden around the building with Black Pine and Maples.

I visited on day 73 of my first walk around Kyushu. The previous post was on the huge floats of the Karatsu Kunchi Festival.