Komainu of Shikoku part 2

The second post on the diverse styles of komainu I encountered in Shikoku while walking the pilgrimage. The first post is here. With bibs as paw warmers, at Temple 16, Kannonji.

Guarding the approach to Kushibuchi Hachman Shrine in Tokushima.

Wrapped in shimenawa at Ikuchi Shrine, Tokushima.

At Ebisu Shrine in Naka, Tokushima. the male will often be depicted with a paw resting on a ball, but here the ball is balanced on the paw.

Its female opposite, often depicted with a cub/pup. The upper jaw seems to be missing which gives it a strange appearance.

Sanja Shrine

Sanja Shrine is right next door to Manpukuji and I came into the shrine from a trail that lead from the temple.
Sanja means " Three kami", and the three enshrined here are Izanagi, Hayatamano, and Kotosakano.

Izanagi is well known but the other two are known only in an alternate version of the myth that has Izanagi visiting his deceased wife Izanami in the underworld, Yomi. When he left Yomi Izanagi swore and oath of divorce from Izanami, he then spat. From the spittle was created Hayatamano who is the main kami of the famous shrine with his name in Kumano.

Also appearing at that time was Kotosakano, full name Yomotsu Kotosakanoo, which means " The man of words of separation of Yomi". I have encountered this triad of kami at other shrines in Izumo and Iwami.

Also enshrined here is Oyamakui, a grandson of Susano through Otoshi, and the main kami of Hie Taisha and Sanno Shinto. There is also an Aragami-sha, pictured above.

This area I am walking through is at the heart of Orochi country, and according to local people following the destruction of Orochi by Susano the people danced a celebration at this spot that later became this shrine.

Yoshida Shoin History Museum

In the grounds of the Shoin Shrine in Hagi, Yamaguchi, is the Yoshida Shoin History Museum.

A series of lifesize tableaux depicts events from his life, including his attempt to leave Japan on Perrys' "Black Ship"

There is no information available in English, and unless you are a die-hard Shoin buff it is probably not worth visiting.

Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage Temple 13 Manpukuji

After leaving Iishi Shrine I headed downstream to a larger valley and then headed further east up another small valley. Manpukuji is in a remote location and is little visited today.

It is yet another temple reputedly founded in 745 by Gyoki, who also carved the main statue of the Thousand Armed, Thousand Eyed Kannon. It is only opened to view once every 33 years. The Nio were quite crude, the kind of "folk" art that I prefer.

More steps up to the bell tower. This used to be a much larger temple complex located higher up the mountainside. It was a Kiganjo, an official prayer temple, for the Mori Clan.

During the Warring States Period, the Amago and Mori fought many battles and during one the temple was burnt down. In the mid 16th Century it was rebuilt at a much smaller scale at the present location.

It is now a Shingon temple.

Pilgrim No More

At 3:30 this afternoon I reached temple 108 of the Kyushu Pilgrimage, the Okuin of Temple 88 Chinkokuji, in Munakata. It has taken me 76 days to walk about 2,200 kilometers and I am bushed, but it has been a wonderful journey that has taken me to most corners of Kyushu. So for now I cease being a pilgrim..... until I start the Chugoku 33 hee hee.

The way home......

Sefa Utaki

Sefa Utaki is a World heritage Site on the southern coast of the main Okinawan Island. It was the most important sacred site for the royal family of the Ryukyus.

There are a series of shrines but no buildings are left. The path up the hillside passes through the verdant sub-tropical forest and by limestone cliffs.

At the highest point is Sanguii, a narrow cleft in the rock that leads to the most important altar. From here you can look down on Kudaka Island, the site where myth says the gods landed bringing grain and where the Okinawan people were created.

It's possible to get to Sefa Utaki by bus, though they are not frequent. It is worth it if only to get out into nature.

Ishigaki Sea Salt

Iishi Shrine

Iishi Shrine is the shrine that Jyufukuji was built as a Jinguji for. It is a very ancient and important shrine being listed in both the Izumo Fudoki and the Engi Shiki. The main kami is Iishitsuhenomikoto, otherwise known as Amenohinatori or Takehiratori.

The white fence behind the shrine surrounds a large rock, the goshintai of the shrine, and it was onto this rock that the kami descended. The rock itself is considered the honden. According to records from ancient Izumo, Takehiratori was the son of Amenohohi who was the first emissary sent by Amaterasu to convince Izumo to cede their land to the Yamato. According to the Yamato version of events in the Kojiki, Amenohohi sided with Okuninushi and did not get back in touch with the High Plain of Heaven, so they sent Takemikazuchi to convince Okuninushi. In the Izumo version however, Amenohohi did sent a message back and his son, Takehiratori descended and arranged the transfer of land, known as Kuniyuzuri.

The Nihon Shoki also says that Takehinatori came with divine treasures that were placed in the Izumo Grand Shrine which suggests that the records of Gakuenji that state Izumo Taisha enshrined Susano originally may have some credence. Both Amenohohi and Takehiratori are considered ancestors of priestly lineage that functioned as head priests of Izumo taisha as well as governors of Izumo.

There is a smaller secondary shrine within the grounds, Takuasha, that enshrines Kibitsuhiko.

What is also unusual about Iishi Shrine is that there are no komainu or shimenawa, in fact no "decoration" at all.

Iwasaki Shrine, Usa.

In November of 2012 I went for a 5 day walk around and over the Kunisaki Peninsula, one of my favorite areas in Japan. I had been wanting to walk an old Shugendo pilgrimage route, but at that time had not yet found a reliable map of the route, however I did know that it started from Usa Jingu and headed east towards the peninsula and that is the route I followed.

Several hours into the walk I was approaching Usa Station and came upon Iwasaki Shrine. There was no information board at the shrine but I have been able to dig up a little info.

It was founded in 723 and the list of main kami is headed by Ojin and Jingu, and yet curiously its not called a hachimangu.

There are a lot of secondary shrines in the grounds, including Kibune, Konpira, Sugawara, Inari, and Izumo.
























When I have finished all the posts on this walk I will post a chronological list, but for now all posts with kunisaki fall will suffice

Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, Temple 12, Jyufukuji

Located in a remote valley, temple 12, Jyufukuji, has no firm date for its founding, though it was a Jinguji so that suggests the Heian Period.

Jinguji were temples built next to shrines, and Jyufukuji was built to administer to Iishi Shrine, which I have not yet been to but intend to. Iishi Shrine is listed in the Izumo Fudoki, so dates back to ancient times and is unusual in that it has no honden, rather behind the shrine is a large rock which functions as the honden.

Originally a Tendai temple, in 1570 the local daimyo, of the Mori clan, converted it to Soto Zen

It is now some distance from the Iishi shrine, so I suspect it was moved to its present location in early Meiji when most jinguji were destroyed or moved.

A night on Teshima

At the end of the first day of my walk across the Aki Nada Islands I crossed the bridge from Kami Kamagari over to Teshima.

Teshima is very small with just one settlement on the opposite side of the island that I reached just as the sun had gone down.

I had a room booked at a small minshuku. When I booked by phone they wanted to make sure I had the right Teshima, as there is a much more famous one further east in the Inland Sea near Naoshima and Shodoshima.

The next morning I took the bridge over to Osaki Shimozima and from its shore could see the whole of Teshima in one view.