From Kiyotakiji to Shoryuji

 

I spent the night in the tsuyado, the free room offered by some temples for walking pilgrims, at temple number 35 Kiyotakiji, so was up before sunrise and on my way on day 18 of my walk along the Shikoku Pilgrimage.

The route towards temple 36, Shoryuji, was pretty much directly south towards the coast and about 15k away. First I had to cross the Hage River, a tributary of the Niyodo River.

To reach the coast the road passes over a line of hills. Just before the pass, at around 100 meters above sea level, is a small park. As well as toilets it has a nice seated shelter..... exactly the kind of place that a walking henro keeps their eyes open for....

Dropping down into a town called Usa. I knew of the Usa in Oita on Kyushu, home to the head Hachiman shrine, but hadn't heard of this one before.

As usual, I pass by numerous small, local shrines, and one has a most unusual torii.

It is made of steel, seemingly stainless, yet dark. I have seen bronze torii, torii sheathed in copper, and some large steel torii, but none like this...

I reach the Pacific coast and pass by the fishing harbour with expansive views back along the Kochi coastline.

Shoryuji is on the Yokonami Peninsula a long narrow peninsula across a long narrow inlet. Before the 640 meter long Usaohashi bridge was built in 1973 pilgrims would have had to cross by ferry, one of the many sections on the pilgrimage route that ferries were needed.

The beaches on the tip of the peninsula seemed to be a popular holiday spot.

The previous post in this series was on temple 35, Kiyotakiji.

Shikinoue Suspension Bridge over the Yoshino River

 

The Shikinoue Suspension Bridge is a small pedestrian bridge across the Yoshino River near Ikeda, where the  river turns west towards the coast after passing through the famous Koboke Gorge and then the Iya Valley.

My hotel was on the clifftop above the bridge on the south bank of theriver and I had spent the day visiting a couple of temples on the steep mountainside on the north bank.

I dropped down to the river near the Ikeda Dam,built in 1974 and then headed upstream towards the bridge.

The bridge was built at the same time as the dam and is kind of cool as the floor of the crossing is steel grills so you can see the reservoir/river below.

The bridge seems to be little used.

I had walked upstream on the north bank of the river for the past 4 days on the Shikoku Fudo Pilgrimage, and from here I would be  returning down the river on the south bank.

The bridge is 195 meters long, with 160 meters between the two 18 meters high towers. It was a glorious mid December day in 2016.

The previous post was on Mitsugonji Temple.

Wakanoura Bay of Poetry

 

Wakanoura, which roughly could be translated as  Poetry Bay, is in the southern part of what is now Wakayama City.

Where the Wada River and Waka River enter the sea a long sandbar has created a wide area of tidal mud flats that have been the inspiration for millennia of poets.

Poems set in the area were included in the ancient Manyoshu and subsequent major collections of verse, and Emperor Shomu ( 701-756 ) issued an imperial edict to protect the area in perpetuity.

Modern development has encroached significantly on the views now available, but there are enough sites of interest to make it an area worth a half-day visit.

The closest train station is Kiimidera (photo 3 above), in front of a major temple with a giant Kannon statues. It is a major tourist site and the second temple of the Saigoku pilgrimage, and if you are visiting it, it is not too far to walk to the Wakanoura area.

The place to head to is Imoseyama, a small island connected by a bridge. (photo 1 above)

On the island is the Kankai Kaku Pavillion (photo 4 above), originally built in the Edo period, it  was destroyed by a typhoon and replaced by a concrete replica. This has now been demolished and is being replaced with a wooden replica.

Also nearby is a small two-storey agoda, the remains of Kaizen-in Temple. It was renovated in 1653 by Tokugawa Yorinobu as a memorial to his deceased mother. To reach Imoseyama you cross the Sandankyo bridge, said to be the oldest stone bridge in Wakayama,  built by Yorinobu.

There are several shrines in the area. Shiogama Shrine ( photos 8 and 9 above) is located in a small cave and is very popular for visitors seeking safe childbirth and fertility although originally the kami here were connected to the sea and especially salt production which was important in this area. In front of the shrine is the Furobashi Bridge, built in the Edo period. )photo 12 below)

Nearby is Tamatsushima Shrine, (photo above)which as the name suggests stands on what was an island in former times. Numerous kami are enshrined here but the most notable is Princess Sotoori. Sources differ on her chronology but she seems to have been a particularly beautiful imperial princess of the 5th century.

Deified as one of the Three Gods of Waka Poetry, after appearing in a dream to Emperor Koko in the 9th century reciting a poem about Wakanoura. The shrine has an important collection of ancient manuscripts and is visited by those seeking literary and academic success.

The sandbar in the bay is a popular summer beach spot, and the area around Wakanoura has several small fishing harbors still operating.

Not far away are two major shrines on the mountainside with great views over the Wakanoura area.

Wakaoura Tenmangu Shrine ( photo above), and Kishu Toshogu Shrine are both well worth a visit and feature colorful and detailed architecture.

Also nearby is the Yosuien garden, (photo below) and Minato Goten Palace.

Kakaji Betsugu Hachiman Shrine

 

Kakaji is a town on the north side of the Kunisaki peninsula, and the Hachiman Shrine is te main shrine of the town.

The approach to the shrine crosses a stone-arched bridge across the Takeda River.

Built in the mid 19th century, this type of bridge was rare in the area.

The shrine is set in a forest of pines, and its main feature is an impressive two-storey gate.

One of the komainu guarding the approach is unusual in that it is standing upon a turtle. I can't remember having seen that before.

The main gate has numerous relief carvings.

Many sources suggest the gate may have been built in the late Edo period, but the late 19th century is more likely.

The gate houses two Zuijin, Shinto guardians.

They are unusual in that they are carved out of stone, not wood. I have seen other stone zuijin in the Kunisaki area, but not elsewhere.

The shrine was established in the early 8th century, before the  Hachiman cult spread to the Kinki region with its connection to the founding of Todaiji.

It is one of 5 "betsugu" of Usa Hachimangu. Bestsugu is often translated as "branch", but the relationship is stronger and more direct than that. Maybe "annex" would be more accurate.

As a Hachiman shrine it is now considered to enshrine Ojin, his mother Jingu, and a consort.

The three Munakata "sisters" are also enshrined here.

I visited at the end of my second day walking around the Kunisaki area following the old Kunisaki pilgrimage trail while starting the Kyushu Fudo pilgrimage. The previous post was on my walk from Oreki Temle to Kakaji.