Ono Tenmangu Shrine

 

Ono is a small agricultural settlement in the mountains between Takeo Onsen and Arita in Saga. The larger area is called Yamauchi, and it is now part of Takeo.

Walking between Kurokami Shrine and the next temple on my pilgrimage the tall banners indicated that some kind of matsuri was about to take place.

Ono Tenmangu is an unremarkable, fairly standard village shrine. There was no signboard and no-one around so I could get no further information.

Other than a single pair of komainu and a pair of lanterns there were no other decorations.

There were two separate Inari shrines.

As a Tenmangu the main enshrined deity would be Tenjin, the deified form of Sugawara Michizane.

It is unknown whether the shrine was established as a Tenmangu or an ujigami shrine that later adopted Tenjin.

The previous post in this series was on Kurokami Shrine.

Wakamiya Hachimangu & Chosokabe Motochika

 

The southern approach to Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine in Nagahama, Kochi is through a long narrow ark, Chinjunomri.

Some way along the path you pass a huge statue of the samurai warlord Motochika Chosokabe, a hero to many in Shikoku.

For any of you who have walked the Shikoku pilgrimage, you will be well aware of Chosokabe as he destroyed a large number of the pilgrimage temples in his "unification" of Shikoku.

In 1560, as a young man under his warlord father, he took part in his first battle to attack nearby Nagahama Castle. On the eve of battle he camped in the grounds of Wakamiya Shrine and spent the night praying for victory.

Just north of here at the base of the mountain where Nagahama Castle stood is Sekkeiji Temple, the family temple of Motochika, and next door is Hata Shrine enshrining Motochika. His grave is also here.

After succeeding his father, Motochika spent ten years winning control over all of Tosa province.

He then spent 15 years taking over almost the whole of Shikoku but was finally undone by Hideyoshi.

The shrine was established in 1185 to protect the area which was land belonging to the Rokujo Wakamiya Hachimangu established in Kyoto by Monamoto Yoritomo, the first Kamakura Shogun.

It was established as a branch of Iwashimizu Hachimangu, the shrine south of Kyoto that two-thirds of all Hachiman shrines trace their origin to.

Hachiman had been adopted by the Minamoto as their tutelary deity and so was very popular among samurai.

After Chosokabe's military success following prayers here, this shrine became particularly renowned for prayers for victory.

The architecture here is unique, and said to have been designed by Chosokabe himself.

When seen in plan view is is said to resemble a dragonfly, considered a victorious and auspicious insect for samurai.

There are numerous secondary shrines within the grounds including a Tenjin Shrine which they list as enshrining Amenomikumari, a female kami connected to estuaries and irrigation. They mention also Sugawara Michizane.

There is also a Kojin Shrine, a Misa Shrine, a Sanja Shrine, and a Hayatosha.

The previous post in this series exploring things seen and encountered between the temples on the Shikoku Ohenro pilgrimage was the nearby museum to Ryoma Sakamoto.

Kurokami Shrine

 

I came down Mount Kurokami along a walking trail and as it got closer to the base passed though an old, Hizen-style torii, indicating this was the route used to reach the shrine at the peak.

There was another, slightly smaller torii where the trail emerged from the trees into the countryside. According to the sign it was built in the late 18th century.

Not far away I reached the entrance to Kurokami Shrine. Technically this is Lower Kurokami Shrine, and the one on top of the mountain the Upper Kurokami Shrine.

The approach to the shrine passes over a small bridge. This was the ancient and traditional way of purifying before entering shrine space. passing over running water. If you look at many of the oldest shrines they all have this feature.

There were lots of people in suits and kimonos milling around, and several priests.

A Shinto wedding had just taken place. Shinto weddings are one of the many "traditions" that were either invented in the modern period or moved to within shrines in the modern period. Christian weddings have a much longer history in Japan than Shinto weddings.

The shrine is said to have been founded in ancient times, but the shrine history recognizes the huge impact Kumano Shugendo had on the shrine, including listing the Buddhas connected to it.

The upper shrine enshrines Izanami as well as Hayatama and Kotosaka. The secondary shrine at the top of the mountain is a Hakusan Shrine enshrining Izanagi.

Secondary shrines here at the lower shrine include a Tenjin, Taga, and a Konpira.

At the peak of its power, Kurokami had 50 branch  shrines. It was popular with samurai during the Warring States period and a yabusame event is held here once a year.

There is also a secondary shrine to Amaterasu, though I am certain that is very much a modern addition, as is the Ise-style architecture.

The previous post was on the giant cliff carving of Fudo high up on the mountain.

A Brief Guide to Arita

 

If you have any interest in Japanese ceramics then Arita in Saga would be great to visit. If your interest is in Japanese porcelain then Arita is a must-visit.

In the area around Arita are numerous kilns, some still operating and some closed down.

Just outside town is the Arita porcelain park, a theme park with a German theme and an amazing replica of a Baroque German palace. It used to have exhibitions of historical ceramics but those have closed.

In the southern part of the town, near Arita station, is the large Kyushu Ceramics Museum which covers a lot of topics but is heavy on local porcelain. In the middle of town the Arita Ceramics Museum is much smaller but well worth a visit. To the north of the town next to the historic quarry where Japanese porcelain originated is yet another museum.

The main street of the town is lined with shops selling local porcelain, some more gallery-like and pricey, but many featuring "bargain bin" warehouses.

The whole, long street is a preservation district of traditional architecture, though as it almost all dates from the late 19th century following a major fire, there is a lot of western influence in the architecture.

As usual for me, I try to visit as many of the local shrines as I can, and in Arita the most popular is the Tozan Shrine featuring porcelain komainu and torii. You will also see Ebisu statues along the local roads as Hizen, the former name for Nagasaki and Saga prefectures, the Ebisu cult was very popular.

There are no particularly interesting temples in the town, though one does have some nice nio.

In the upper part of the town there are lots of working kilns and the  back streets have walls made out of recycled kiln bricks.

Kami Arita Station is at this end of town. The previous post on day 70 of my walk around Kyushu was on .a couple of local shrines.