Sumiyoshi Shrine, Mitarai

Mitarai, on Osaki Shimojima in the Inland Sea grew into a major seaport in the mid 17th Century. Initially it was a good spot for boats to  wait for favorable winds and tides, but prospered by offering services that the sailors desired.

The Sumiyoshi Shrine on the waterfront dates from this time.

Sumiyoshi shrines are noted for offering protection for those undertaking sea journeys. The original Sumiyoshi shrine is in Hakata which was the main point of embarkation for mainland Asia. The Sumiyoshi shrine established in what is now Osaka, the main port serving the capitals of Yamato, is now considered the head shrine.

The three main kami are the Sumiyoshi "brothers", Sokotsutsuno, Nakatsutsuno, & Uwatsutsuno, who according the the standard mythology were created when Izanagi purified himself after visiting Izanami in Yomi. It is possible they represent the three main starts of the Orion Constellation which were used for navigation. Later Empress Jingu was added,.

Tamatsukuriyu Shrine

The main shrine in Tamatsukuri is the Tamatsukuriyu Shrine. The three main kami are Kushiakarutami, Onamuchi (Okuninushi), & Sukunahikona. The latter two are well known, but this was my first encounter with Kushiakarutami, who was the priest Tamasuri (he who makes the jewels) who enshrined Okuninushi following the ceding of the land to the Yamato, Kuniyuzuri.

Kushiakarutami is also equated with Haakarutama and Amenoakarutama, the first being the kami that gave Susano the jewels he used in his "contest" with Amaterasu, and the second being the kami that produced the jewels that were hung outside the cave that Amaterasu used to hide away in. The common feature of all these kami is the production of "jewels", the comma- shaped stones known as magatama. Tamatsukuri was a center of magatama production and the unusually shaped treasure house of the shrine has many of the objects found in archeological digs in the shrine area.

Nowadays the shrine is most well known for its "wish fulfilling stone" (negai ishi). Nowadays you can buy small stones from the shrine office and hold them against the almost spherical stone and have its power transferred.

There are numerous secondary shrines within the grounds including an Inari, Konpira, Susa, a Tama no Miya, Several other shrines I can find no information about, Kikakashi, Fukutoku, & Sanatama.

Saikokuji, Onomichi

Saikoku-ji is a major temple complex in Onomichi, and along with Senko-ji and Jodo-ji it is one of the three temples that shouldn't be missed among the dozens found along the temple walk.

It is approached up a long slope that ends with the impressive Niomon with its huge straw sandals. Then there are steps to climb up to the temple complex itself on several levels.

According to the founding legend it was founded by Gyoki sometime around 739. Now it is a Shingon temple. The Daishi Hall has some nice Fudo statues inside and out.

The temple burned down, along with Gyokis Honzon, in the early 11th Century, but Emperor Shirakawa ordered it rebuilt in 1081. The main hall and three storey pagoda are both Important Cultural properties.

Inari Shrine at Tamatsukuriyu Shrine

The biggest shrine in Tamatsukuri is Tamatsukuriyu Shrine, and within its grounds is a small Inari Shrine.

Guarded by a pair of fox statues, the fox being the messengers of Inari.

It is fairly common to find beheaded statues with missing heads replaced by a  head-shaped rock. Ive seen that with jizo statues a lot but never before with a fox statue.

Behind the shrine shelves have been made is a small overhang in the rock and several lines of miniature fox statues have been left by worshipers/petitioners.

Iwami Mandala Kannon Pilgrimage Temple 2 Sofukuji

A few of the temples on the Iwami Kannon Pigrimages are likely to be quite large and important, but I expect most to be like this one, Sofukuji, officially temple number 2.

Its a small village temple of the Soto Zen sect located in Ikeda at the base of Mount Sanbe. There was no-one home so I could not get into the main hall and see the main Kannon statue, the honzon.

However you never know what you are going to find, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover this collection of statues which seem to be rakan, the 500 disciples of the Buddha.

One of the intriguing things about the rakan is the diversity of faces and poses. It is said that you can always find a statue that reminds you of someone you know.

Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage Temple 33 Seiganji

The 33rd and final temple on the Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage is Seiganji, located in the north of Tamatsukuri Onsen.

It is a Rinzai Zen temple and the honzon is a Kannon, but it is not the Kannon of the pilgrimage.

It is located in the small Kannon Hall next to the main hall. It was built originally in 1702 and was located in the mountains at a temple called Iwayadera. It was moved here in 1873.

Staffs left by pilgrims who have completed the pilgrimage. I have never seen another walking pilgrim while I walked the pilgrimage, and I suspect most of the staffs were carried by car pilgrims.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable pilgrimage for me. I will post a couple of more posts of shrines I visited on my way from here to the station, and then I will concentrate my posts on my Kyushu pilgrimage.

More Shrine Masks

Continuing with some photos of masks I found in shrines while walking along the Iwami coast this past spring. In a small shrine in a remote fishing cove near Orii were this pair of Ebisu and Daikoku, 2 of the 7 Lucky Gods, and often paired together.

At the Kasuga Shrine in Sufu was this pairing of, I think, Shoki and Oni. These are much older, wooden masks.

At the Itsukushima Shrine in Matsubara another Ebisu-Daikoku pair. They look as if they may have been made out of plaster. I have a small pair made out of plaster at home.

At Ikan Shrine in Shimokou, a demon mask with some variations that I hadnt seen before leading me to believe it is from a mask maker I have not encountered before. The use of curved fangs is unusual and something I had been thinking of incorporating into my own masks.

Finally, at the Hekireki Shrine next to the site of the former Kokubunji, yet another Ebisu- Daikoku pair

Inside Tamatsukuri Public Onsen

A good half of the public onsen in Tamatsukuri is a wedge-shaped concrete structure that in reality serves no purpose at all.

But it looks good, and makes for some nice photographs...... :)

It was designed by Shimane born architect Shin Takamatsu and opened in 1996.

Shrine masks

While walking along the Shimane coast in the spring I stopped in at as many shrines as I could. One of the things I seek out at shrines are masks. many shrines will have masks on display in the main hall  to ward off evil or to attract good fortune. Sometimes they will be regular kagura masks vworn by dancers, but sometimes they will be large and non-functional as masks. This first one was an older, wooden demon mask at Kakihime Shrine in Kushiro near Masuda.

Not far away at the Hachimangu in Tsuda there were a lot of masks on display, the most intriguing being this large demon mask, also wooden and old.

Masks will often come in pairs, the left one is certainly a Karasu Tengu, which would usually be paired with a long-nosed Tengu, but I am not sure if that is what the right hand mask is.

There was also a pair of Tengu in the normal coloring and style.....

And there was a Shoki mask. Shoki, a daoist demon-queller is conflated with Susano in Japan and the two masks are often interchangeble.

Tamatsukuri Public Onsen

Tamatsukuri Onsen is among the oldest in recorded history in Japan. Located on the Tamayu River near Lake Shinji it has numerous ryokan and guest houses as well as many large resort style hotels.

In the river itself are several small pools that can be used for free and the main street also has a free foot bath, but the town had no public onsen until 1996.

The architecvt chosen to design the new public onsen was local boy Shin Takamatsu.

His design is ditinctive and uses one of his trademarks, geometric solids.