Orochi Spectacular

Orochi

Last night we went to Hamada to see the annual Orochi Spectacle. They close off the center crossroads in town and put on regular kagura and end with a unique version of Orochi.

Most versions of Orochi don't show the start of the dance which depicts the second to last daughter being sacrificed to Orochi, the 8-headed serpent.

Then the hero Susano arrives. Usually he is alone but a second hero accompanied him in this version. My guess would be his son Isotakeru who according to one of the versions of the myth came with him from the Korean peninsula.

The parents of Kushinada, the last daughter, are instructed by Susano to prepare vats of sake which are then drugged so as to disable the serpents. In return for saving Kushinada from her fate she is given to Susano as a bride.

Then the Orochi arrives. Originally the dance only had a single dancer dressed as the serpent. Here in Iwami it was developed to include 8 serpents in the dance, though many shrine performances will only have four due to space and kagura group size limitations. What is unique about this performance is fully sixteen serpents take part.

Nachi Cliche

Ranking up there with a bullet train in front of Mount Fuji, a geisha in Gion, a tunnel of torii at Fushimi Inari, and sunset at the floating torii of Miyajima, the pagoda with Nachi Falls behind it is a full fledged Japan photo cliche.....

So here are a few of mine.....

Taken on the first day of my walk along the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, the first few days of which follow the Kumano Kodo....

Earlier that morning I had visited Fudarakusan Temple where monks would set of on suicide boat journeys,..... earlier today I was reading that monks used to jump off from the top of the falls as another way to quickly reach Kannons paradise...

An Oita Shopping Arcade

On my way out of town to walk upriver to Bungo Ono I passed through one of Oita's covered arcades.

This one had a huge model of what I believe is a Portuguese sailing ship. commemorating the city's historical connection with Portuguese trade as well as Christianity.

Arcades are a pleasant way to walk across a city without having to deal with traffic too much

Though during the daytime they can be crowded with pedestrians and bicycles

Shodoshima Pilgrimage Temple 6 Tanoura-an

Early morning on my first day walking the Shodoshima Pilgrimage  and I came down out of the bamboo forest into the upper part of the little, but famous, fishing village of Tanoura.

Tanoura-an is the small buddhist temple for the village, but it is also the shrine. They are quite clear that they didn't separate the two when ordred to by the government in the late 19th Century.

Obviously there was once a huge tree here :). The main deity of the temple is Amida.

In its own little case was a Jizo statue that attracts people from further away than the village as it has a reputation for removing warts.

Kyushu Pilgrimage Day 12 Oita to Bungo Ono

Day 12 was going to be a long day, but I kept my room in Oita and would come back by train so I could walk the day without a heavy pack.

My route was inland following the Ono River as far as Bungo Ono. Along the way there would be numerous shrines, some cliff carvings, 2 pilgrimage temples, and some great views.

The second of the pilgrimage temples has a claim to be the oldest temple in all of Japan......

The weather was great in late February, though a little chilly in the shadows....

Yukie Shrine, Osafune

Coming to the end of my first day walking along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage and after spending a few hours walking down the banks of the Yoshii River in Okayama, I arrived at the village of Osafune.

Yukie Shrine is at the north end of what was a swordmakers village. The kami enshrined is known as the patron of swordsmiths, though I could not find a name. Sometimes Inari has that role.

It is known as a shrine to pray for relief from eyes diseases as the legend says that Takauji Ashikaga prayed here and his eye disease was healed.

Just south of the shrine are workshops where swords are still made and a sword museum, and that is where I headed to end the day.

Samurai carvings at Yasaka Shrine in Oita

Unlike the carvings on the gate at Yusuhara Hachimangu, the carvings on the Yasaka Shrine gate are cruder.

Another big difference is that are they painted quite brightly.

The subject of the carvings is also different..... here they are of samurai.though I have een unable to find out the story that is being depicted.

Dai Sekirinzan

Dai Sekirinzan is at the northernmost point of the main island of Okinawa. It is a karst and geologists believe it to be the oldest part of Okinawa.

Being a karst it has many strange eroded rock formations, and within it are many ancient Okinawan shrines. The place is known as a "Power Spot".

There is also a lot od strange vegetation, notably Banyan trees,

There are trails throughout the park, some leading to viewpoints looking down on Cape Hedo, the tip of Okinawa. It was here that they have some of the sacred white snakes I posted about before.

Ishigaki Sea Salt

Yasaka Shrine, Motomachi, Oita

Located on the hilltop above the stone buddhas of Motomachi and among several old temples is Yasaka Shrine. A branch of the famous Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto.

As a Yasaka Shrine the main kami enshrined is Susano, along with various members of his family.According the the shrine it was founded in the late 8th century.

The wooden komainu in the entrance gate were rather nice, and there were several unidentified small shrines within the grounds, but the most interesting thin was the carvings on the main gate.

Unlike the relief carvings at Yusuhara Hachimangu, these were all painted and somewhat cruder.... that'll be the next post.....

Senpukuji, Kunisaki

Founded in the 14th Century as a training monastery for Zen monks, Senpukuji is located on the west side of the Kunisaki peninsula.

With advance bookings it is possible to take zazen classes nowadays.

One of the halls is thatched and is registered as an Important Cultural property. The Christian warlord Otomo Sorin burned the temple to the ground in his campaign against Buddhism and Shinto.

There was lots of lovely fall colors when I visited in late November