Mononobe Shrine

By mid afternoon on the second day of my walk along the Iwami Mandala Kannon Pilgrimage, I came to Mononobe Shrine, the Ichinomiya (highest-ranked shrine) of old Iwami province.

The first time I came here I was struck by the huge Chigi on top of the roof. Originally used to help stabilize thatched roofs, on shrines they are now only decorative, but fulfill a symbolic function. If the ends of the cross pieces are cut vertically, like here, then the kami enshrined is male. Conversely, a horizontal cut means a female kami.

The ema. votive plaques, are not the usual 5-sided shape, but in the shape of a rice scoop. Called sukuu in Japanese, sukuu also means "save" as in salvation. The temizuya is also distinctive, carved out of a massive rock and adorned with carvings.

The main kami enshrined here is Umashimade no mikoto, the ancestor of the Mononobe clan, considered by some to be the precursor to the samurai. Umashimade was made head of the Imperial Guard by the mythical first emperor Jimmu. Umashimade's tomb is on the hillside above the shrine.

For more about why he was here and the fascinating history of the Mononobe, I will save until the next post

Wakasugi Kannon-do

Climbing higher on Mount Wakasugi after Kongochoin, I was surprised to find a newish temple though there was none marked on the map.

It is no longer a temple, being the site of the former Wakasugi Kannon-do. Now it is just an ossuary, a repository for bones.

The Kannon-do must have been quite old as it housed a 12th Century statues that is now in the Kyushu History Museum.

There was a small Fudo-do and lots of statues including yet more Fudo Myo's.

From here the trail heads up to the top of the mountain to the Okunoin where Kukai practised austerities.

There be Dragons!

Dragons are ubiquitous in Japan, often found at both Shinto Shrines and Buddhist temples. Carvings of dragons above the main door can be found at both. This one, with a rather nice eye, is at Saido-ji Temple in Esaki, Shimane.

This one, sculpted in plaster, is an example of kote-e, plaster relief art, and is on the treasure house at Anyo-ji in Omori, part of Iwami Ginzan.

Often associated with water, this fairly modern stone carving is a spigot outside one of the public onsen baths in Yunotsu, Shimane.

This carving is above the entrance to the main hall of Ichibata Yakushi temple in the mountains above Lake Shinji in Shimane.

Bronze dragons as spigots for temizuya, water basins for purification, are also very common. This one is at an Ebisu Shrine on a small island connected to the beach at low tide at Todakohama near Masuda.

Shikoku Pilgrimage Day 10

On the morning of my tenth day walking the Shikoku Pilgrimage I awoke in Kiki to the promise of a fine day as I headed to Hiwasa and the next pilgrimage temple Yakuoji. The main road headed through a long tunnel so I decided to take the longer, but more scenic route on the small,  windy road that headed over the hills.

From the top I could see the distinctive tower of Yakuoji and also the reconstructed castle in the small town.

Before the construction of the new tunnel this would have been the main road down the coast, and there were several small Shinto shrines along the way.

Dropping down into a small bay there were nice views down the rocky coast.

I am guessing this would have been the original pilgrimage route as there were also numerous wayside Buddhist statues, most with fresh offerings placed in front of them.

Hagi Teramachi

Teramachi, literally "temple town", in Hagi is , not surprisingly, home to many Buddhist temples. I will post on some of these later.

It is also home to the old port, a few shrines, and several old buildings protected by Historic Preservation orders.

Few tourists visit the area, but their are sections that have an ambience of an earlier era.

Well worth a few hours stroll if you have the time when visiting Hagi

Kyushu 108 Pilgrimage Temple 89 Kongochoin

Kongochoin is temple number 89 on the Shingon Kyushu Pilgrimage. It is not far from Temple 9, Myooin, just a little bit higher up Mount Wakasugi. Like Myooin it has a lot of Fudo Myo statues that I posted recently.

According to the legend Kobo Daishi visited the mountain in 806 on his return from China.

Apparently it was quite a large temple complex that at its peak had 108 monks residing here.

In 1347 the whole conplex was destroyed during a battle. The current. much smaller buildings date from 1942

The honzon (main enshrined deity) is a seated Dainichi Nyorai, Great Sun Buddha.

There is also a Kannon Hall and an Awashima Shrine.

Manhole Boats

Composed of thousands of islands, it is not surprising that boats feature on some of the local manhole designs. This first one is from Hirado, the island in Nagasaki that was the center for trade with the Europeans especially the Dutch.

Kurahashi, a small island near Kure in Hiroshima, was where some of the early boats were built that transported diplomatic missions from the ancient court in Yamato to China and Korea.

Imari in Saga was where the local porcelain was exported, mostly to Europe.

Innoshima in the Inland Sea was a base for the pirates who controlled the shipping lanes and who eventually became part of the "navy" used by Hideyoshi in his failed invasion of Korea.

Etajima, the island in Hiroshima Bay that is home to the Japanese Naval Academy is reached via a short ferry ride from Hiroshima Port.

More Fudo Myo at Kongochoin

Of all the Fudo statues at Kongochoin I think this pair were my favorites. I think its because of the traces of color and the fact that they were not made by professional sculptors.

Sometimes represented sitting, often found standing, occasionally he strikes and active and aggressive pose.

The man made waterfall for the practise of cold water austerities. Fudo Myo is almost always found at such locations.

Kongochoin was a little higher up Mount Wakasugi than Myo oin, and part of the Kyushu 108 temple pilgrimage as awell as the Sasaguri 88 temple pilgrimage.

Further up the mountain I was to visit a couple more temples. both of which had a Fudo presence.

The Grand Tour Colchester Firstsite

Firstsite is a new and controversial arts center in Colchester designed by Uruguayan architect Rafael Vinoly. Firstsite refers to the fact that it is built on one of the earliest roman settlements in England.

The building is clad in a copper/aluminium alloy and is kept low so as not to intrude upon the skyline.

The building is semicircular in shape and has no foundations so as to protect the archeological remains that may be buried underneath.

The building has not verticals on the exterior and has come in for a lot of criticism. I like it because it offered me plenty of opportunities for the kind of photographic composition I like :)

Fudo Myo at Kongochoin

A little higher up Mount Wakasugi from Myo-oin is Kongochoin, temple 89 on the Kyushu Pilgrimage.

Like Myo-oin there are a lot of Fudo Myo statues here, many quite primitive and therfore in a way more expressive.

There was also a small man-made waterfall for ascetic use and this also had numerous Fudos around it.

I seem to be on a Fudo Myo binge right now but to a certain extent that is just because of the way I am slowly working through my backlog of photos....