Showing posts with label kinkifudo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kinkifudo. Show all posts

Sunday, February 16, 2025

Ikuta Shrine Sannomiya

 


Ikuta Shrine is the most important shrine in Sannomiya, part of Kobe in Hyogo. It was the third-ranked shrine in the province, the sannomiya, which is why the area around it took that name.


My room for the night was nearby so I passed through the grounds on my way there.


A "shinto" wedding was taking place. As I have mentioned before, Shinto Weddings are a very modern thing and not at all traditional.


Christian weddings have a much older history in Japan than Shinto weddings. The first shinto wedding was in 1904 for the Crown Prince. It was modelled on royal weddings of Europe and especially the UK.


Later a few elites had Shinto weddings and before the war it became popular with salarymen and army officers who chose it because it was modern and untraditional. Ikuta Shrine is known to have performed shinto weddings in the prewar years.


In 1945 it was suddenly made traditional and has gained in popularity since then.


According to myth, Ikuta Shrine was established by Empress Jingu when her ship was becalmed here.


She was told by the kami Wakahirume that she wished to stay here, so Jingu set up the shrine. Wakhirume is considered to be either  a younger sister of Amaterasu, although sometimes she is thought of as a daughter of Amaterasu or even Amaterasu as a girl.


Over the centuries numerous other shrines have been made inside the grounds, including Sumiyoshi, Hachiman, Suwa, Hiyoshi, Inari, and a Sai shrine. As is evident in the final photo, Ikuta Shrine is one of the increasing number of shrines "specializing" in matchmaking.


This visit was at the end of my third day walking the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage. The previous post was on one of the Inari shrines at Ikuta.




Saturday, December 21, 2024

Inari Shrine at Ikuta Jinja

 


Ikuta Shrine is a major shrine in Kobe. It was the third ranked shrine of the province and hence the area around it is now called Sannomiya.


In the NE corner of the grounds, near the east gate is a small Inari Shrine.


What struck me was the concrete wall alongside the torii tunnel.


Ikuta shrine claims an ancient history back to Empress Jingu, but I can find no info on this Inari Shrine.


The newness of the shrine suggests to me it was rebuilt when the neighbouring apartment block was constructed.


This visit was at the end of my third day walking the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage.


Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Kobe Maritime Museum & Kawasaki Good Time World

 


The most interesting piece of architecture in Kobe, to my mind at least, is the Kobe Maritime Museum located on the waterfront in Meriken Park.


It was opened in 1987 to mark the 120th anniversary of the opening of the port to foreign trade.


The vast majority of the displays are models, though some of them are quite large in scale.


However, I am guessing that the museum never made much money, so in 2007 a large part of the structure was turned into the Kawasaki Good Times World.


Outside Japan Kawasaki is probably best known for motorbikes, but it is a major industrial concern with its fingers in many pies.


Trains, helicopters, industrial robotics, and ships are among the many other products.


The museum has lots of simulators and other hands-on exhibits for kids of all ages....


This was the one and only time I went in, though I photograph the building whenever I pass through Kobe. I was here on Day 3 of my walk along the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage. The previous post was on Meriken Park.


Monday, September 2, 2024

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.



Thursday, July 4, 2024

Sorakuen Garden Kobe

 


As far as I can tell, Kobe only really has one Japanese garden of note, the Sorakuen.


Constructed during the end of the 19th century and the begining of the 20th, it was originally the mansion and garden of a wealthy businessman, Kodera, but was given to the city.in 1941.


The mansion and its buildings were all destroyed in a bombing raid in 1945, except the brick stable building which was built in 1907.


In 1963 the Former Hassan House was moved here from its original site in the  Kitano area.


Designed by Alexander Hansell, who also designed several other Western style residences in the Kitano district, it was built in 1902.


Unfortunately, it is rarely open to the public. The gas lamps in front are among the oldest in Japan.


Another structure moved into the garden is the Funaykata, the two-storey superstructure of a river barge built at the end of the 17th century and used for parties by the Himeji lord.


The hull has long since been lost, but it is registered as an Important Cultural Property.


The garden covers almost 20,000 sq meters and is primarily a pond-stroll type garden.


One of the best times to visit is in late April and early May when the azaleas are in bloom.


An unusual feature is the grove of cycads, not palms, but looking very similar.  There is also a huge camphor tree that has been here since long before the mansion and garden were constructed.


There is a modern reconstruction of a traditional teahouse, and looking out over the garden is a large, modern wedding and banquet facility called the Sorakuen which features a pricey  restaurant and cafe

The previous post in this series on my walk along the Kinki Fudo Myo Pilgrimage was on Nishinomiya Ebisu Shrine.