Kusano Juku Hita Kaido Post Town

 

Kusano, a little east of Kurume, was in the Edo period a post town on the main road known as the Hita Kaido, sometimes the Bungo Kaido. This is the former Kage family residence, built in 1780, the oldest building now in Kusano.

This second photo shows just how deep their property was compared to the frontage.

The road runs along the edge of the Mino mountain range. Most settlements were snuggled against the bottom of mountains, hence their names as "yamanobe"

This old house of a less wealthy family is now a cafe and gallery.

As with the whole length of the Hita Kaido, there were numerous Ebisu statues.

The local history museum is housed in the former bank, a western-style building painted pale blue like the nearby culture centre.

Susanoo Shrine Kusano

 

Susano Shrine in Kusano near Kurume is sometimes read as Susanoen Shrine.

Kusano was a post town on the Hita Kaido during the Edo period.

The shrine was established at the end of the 12th century and is also known as Gion Shrine which means it is a branch of the famous shrine that is now called Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto.

The architectural style is "Gongen Zukuri", which is a blend of Buddhist and Shinto styles.

The main gate is most impressive, not just in scale but also in the number of carvings adorning it. The other buildings are similarly decorated.

The buildings were rebuilt in the Meiji period, and its not clear if they were painted at any time, but in many ways, the shrine seems more like a Toshogu shrine than the temple across the road that has that reputation.

Sennenji Temple the Nikko of Kyushu

 

Sennenji is a Jodo sect temple located in Kusano, a former post town on the Hita Kaido east of Kurume.

It is said the temple was founded in 1233 and the Amida statues is an Important Cultural property.

It has a nice gate, and the main hall is unusually painted in vermillion, but otherwise not particularly noteworthy.

However, several sources say that it was known as the Nikko of Kyushu, or the Toshogu of Kyushu. The Toshogu in Nikko is the famous shrine/mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and is known for its colorful and intricate carvings.

Supposedly the interior of the main hall here is covered in murals and the ceiling has a fine dragon painting, but I have yet to see a photo from the interior and can find no reports of anyone ever having been inside...

A modern, secondary building did have a small carving on it.....

It is also said that the famous garden designer Kobori Enshu designed the garden, but again there was no way to access it to see.....

Literally across the road is a large shrine which though unpainted, does have a lot of carvings, so maybe that is what the reference is to....