Uchihara Oji to Shishigasa Pass Kumano Kodo Kiiji Route

Saturday, March 26th, 2016, and I continue north on day 7 of my walk along the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage which at this point still follows the Kumano Kodo, the World Heritage registered pilgrimage routes.

I am following the Kiiji Route of the Kumano Kodo which ran from the imperial capital in Kyoto down to the Kumano Shrines. For the previous two days since I left Tanabe where the Nakahechi Route heads into the mountains The Kiiji route has followed the coast.

Now it heads inland and over the mountains on what was historically considered a difficult part of the route.

Heading north the narrow road passes several monuments to sites of former Oji, the 99 shrines that lay upon the route.

Some are still existant as shrines, and of course there are numerous roadside statues.

The route is pretty well marked and I believe the signage has gotten even more prolific since I walked it 8 years ago.

There are numerous artworks along the way depicting pilgrims, usual high-class, on the route in historical times.

The site of Kutsukake Oji, the 50th Oji, marks a kind of halfway point on the pilgrimage route.

As the road steepens the trail heads off along a section of cobblestone road. Apparently this is the longest section of the old paved route still in existence.

Eventually the trail levels out at Shishigasstoge, the pass at about 350 meters above sea level.

During the Edo Period there was a teahouse for travellers at the pass, and also other teahouses along the way. All have disappeared, mostly the the Meiji Period when trains and modern  roads led to the old paths becoming hardly used.

The plum blossoms were particularly appealing as they were in full bloom at this altitude.

Downhill from here is quite steep but mostly on a narrow asphalt or concrete road.

While not as dramatic as the far more popular Kumano Kodo routes to the south, this section is easily accessible for a shorter walk along the Kumano Kodo without necessitating much planning and expense.

The previous post was on Uchihara Oji Shrine at the start of the climb out of Gobo.

Kyorinbo in Autumn Splendour

 

Thursday November 24th, 2016, day 39 of my walk along the Saigoku Pilgrimage, and I descended from Kannonshoji Temple in the mountains near Omihachiman in Shiga.

I visited Kyorinbo, a famous spot for Fall Colours and as I had come down the mountain I entered the property through the rear entrance.

Kyorinbo is a Tendai Temple, though it doesn't look like a temple.

It is said the temple was founded in 605 by none other than Shotoku Taishi.

A small statue of Kannon said to be carved by him is the honzon of the temple and is enshrined in a small cave in the grounds.

The temple was destroyed during the Warring States Period but was rebuilt in 1585.

The Shoin, Main Gate, and Storehouse all date from the early Edo Period and are thatched.

The Shoin has two gardens, one to the south, and one to the west.

The one to the south is called the Fudaraku Garden. It contains a path that runs to the main hall and also the cave holding the Kannon statue.

It is also the garden where most of the maple trees are planted. It was created in the Muromachi Period (1338 to 1573). 

The garden to the west is attributed to Kobori Enshu and is believed to date from the early Edo Period.

It is a pond garden with a hillside of moss-covered stones.

Kyorinbo has the nickname of Stone Temple.

The Enshu Garden features a "dry waterfall" and the pond contains the classic Crane and Turtle stone arrangements.

The garden can be appreciated any time of the year, but with the Fall colours it becomes ablaze with colour.

For much of the year, the garden is closed but opens on the weekends  and holidays in the Spring and daily during November.

In November the garden is illuminated and open in the evenings.

The temple was abandoned and derelict in the late twentieth century but a monk almost singlehandedly restored it.

The closest train  is Azuchi Station where taxis and rental bicycles can be found.

Another Enshu garden I covered recently was the one at Raikyuji Temple.

Uchihara Oji Shrine

 

Located in Hidaka, a little north of Gobo, for 800 years this was known as Takaie Oji, but was renamed in early Meiji.

It was one of the 100 Oji, shrines along the main pilgrimage route from Kyoto down the coast of Wakayama and then into the Kumano Sanzan shrines.

Shrine records say there was a shrine here in the mid 5th century. I'm not exactly sure when the system of Oji were established, but I am guessing in the Heian Period when the most imperial pilgrimages along this route took place. The primary kami is listed as Amaterasu, with secondary kami listed as Homuda Wake (Ojin), Ichikishimahime, Kagutsuchi, Sugawara Michizane (Tenjin), Kanayamahiko, and  Nintoku.

During the so-called shrine mergers of early 20th century, 30 local shrines were moved here including multiple Benzaiten, Konpira, Tenjin, and Inari shrines as well as many unamed "satogami".

I visited at the start of day 7 of my walk along the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, which in this section follows the old Kumano Kodo Kiiji Route. The previous post was on the nearby Dojoji Temple, a famous and picturesque spot.