Misaki Shrine Aruki

 

Heading southeast out of old Kurashiki I follow the Kurashiki River towards the next pilgrimage temple on my walk.

In Aruki I stop in at the local village shrine that seems to have a somewhat honorable past.

Said to have been founded in the 12th century by a Moritsuna Sasaki, a retainer of the Minamoto during the Genpei War, he defeated a Taira army nearby in the Battle of Kojima.

The most curious thing here was this ceramic figure on the roof. Does not appear to be an Onigawara, nor a tengu, and my wife has not seen anything like it before. Any info would be appreciated.

In 1611 the shrine was moved to its current location. The primary kami is listed as Onamuchi, a variation of Okuninushi, but the signboard also lists Kibitsuhiko, as well as Ojin and Jingu. There were also multiple secondary shrines in the grounds.

The previous post in this series on day 8 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on Achi Shrine in Kurayoshi.