Hizen Torii & Other Shrine Details

 

Day 57 of my walk along the Kyushu pilgrimage was largely along the Nagasaki Kaido from saga City to Takeo Onsen. As usual, I tried to stop in at every shrine I passed in the hope of seeing something or learning something interesting. Usually, I would do an individual post for each shrine and do some research on the shrine history, stories behind the kami enshrined etc, but as these posts were never of much interest to many people from now on I will just post highlights. Noticeable in this first shrine is the Hizen style torii. Torii styles tend to be based on other factors than region, but Hizen is unique in this regard.

Offerings of sake and oranges are common at shrines and temples, with oranges being most popular after the new year. Though this was a shrine, the small altar was with a Buddhist statue, something that was outlawed in early Meiji but which is increasingly found nowadays.

Fukumohachimangu is quite a large shrine on a hilltop in Omachi. It became a Hachiman shrine in the 9th century but the earlier shrine is linked to stories of Yamato Takeru and his fight with the Kumaso tribe, one of the two big "tribes" of Kyushu that resisted Yamato control. A series of torii lead from the main road and then up the hill, but only one was in Hizen style.

What Fukumohachimangu had, that most shrines have, was a large sacred tree. In this case it was marked with a shimenawa rope, but many such trees do not have a shimenawa. One way of spotting a shrine from a distance is to see a grove of unusually large trees.....

Kaido shrine lies on the bank of Yaigome Pond, a large reservoir that feeds the rice paddies of the Saga Plain. The torii still retains an influence of Hizen style. Enshrined here are Toyotamahiko, Toyotamahime, and also others including Sugawara Michizane.

The final four photos all were taken at Inanushi Shrine, very close to Fumyozan Koyaji Temple. According to one source, the Hizen style torii which is dismantled and lying next to the approach road was the first Hizen style torii in Saga on the Nagasaki Kaido coming from Nagasaki.

Horse statues in stone are quite rare. Modern ones in bronze or wooden ones undercover are far more common. It was here that I discovered the unusual komainu statues.

There were several Inari shrines in the grounds, including this small stone one, and also tghis larger one housed in a small wooden hall.

Takeo Onsen

 

Takeo Onsen is a hot spring resort in Saga whose symbol is the Romon, Tower gate, that stands at the entrance to the public baths.

The gate is an important cultural property and features on the towns manhole covers.

The gate and the building behind it, the Shinkan, were both built in 1915 by local architect Kingo Tatsuno.

The town is home to numerous hotels and traditional guest houses, but the cheapest was the lodgings at the public baths so that is where I booked a room for the end of my 57th day walking around Kyushu.

Kingo Tatsuno is most famous for designing the original Tokyo Station, now known as Marunouchi Station Building.

I am not a big fan of onsens, but while all the guests were having their dinner I was able to enjoy the almost deserted outdoor bath.

Takeo Onsen is the terminal station for the shortest Shinkansen Line in Japan, the Nagasaki Line. It seems Saga is not keen to have a shinkansen and so from Takeo Onsen to Shin Tosu on the main Kyushu Shinkansen Line you need to transfer to a regular train.

Hizen Komainu

 

Hizen was the name of the province that is now the prefectures of Saga and Nagasaki. The pair of komainu, guardian lion-dogs, in the first three photos are referred to as Hizen style.

They are found in Inanushi Shrine in Koitagata, Saga, close to Fumyozan Koya Temple.

They are almost abstract in design, and not at all sophisticated

.

All the other photos are komainu I encountered at other shrines on the same day as I walked from Saga to Takeo Onsen.

None of them are at all similar in style to the first pair, leading me to think the first pair are not really Hizen style, but rather just locally created by a less than high level mason.

Hizen certainly has its own style of Torii, shrine entrance gate, and to those I turn in my nest post.

Komyoji Temple 102 Kyushu pilgrimage

 

Not too long after leaving temple 61, Koyaji, I came to the second pilgrimage temple of the day, Komyoji.

Quite a small temple, and no one home. It was founded in the Edo period but destroyed in the ant-Buddhist movement of early Meiji, then re-established in 1893.

The honzon is a seated Yakushi, and other than the small Inari shrine on the grounds I know nothing about it,

Takeo Onsen, where I had a room booked, was less than an hour away.....

Fumyozan Koyaji Temple 61 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

Koya Temple near Takeo Onsen in Saga, is said to be named after Koyasan, the base of Shingon Buddhism, as the area is similar in appearance.

It is also said to have been founded by Kobo Daishi himself as he was wandering around north Kyushu after his visit to Tang China.

When I arrived in 2014 there was a construction site right inside the main gate. I believe the garden was being built or refurbished.

Unusually there was an exterior, stone statue of Enma, known as the King of Hell. Usually, he is found inside his own hall.

The honzon of the temple is a Thousand-armed Kannon, apparently said to be the largest in Kyushu, but unfortunately, I didnt enter any of the buildings.

There were several Fudo statues in the grounds, including this rather large one. There is also a Fudo hall with a Fudo statue that is known for answering prayers for financial prosperity.

It seems that the buildings only date back to 2006.

The temple is known for its large collection of rhododendron plants.

The garden is now known for Autumn foliage but there is now a 500 yen entry fee to the garden.

The previous post in the series was of Mizuko Jizo at this temple.

Mizuko Jizo at Fumyozan Koyaji Temple.

 

Though the adjective "unique" is extremely over-used when connected to anything Japanese, in one case it is actually apt. Small Buddhist statues of a child-like figure clad in a red bib and cap are found everywhere.

The red bib and cap can actually be found on many different types of statues, but the most common is Jizo, the bodhisattva known for the protection of children.

However, in the case of one specific type of Jizo, the Mizuko Jizo, the bibs and caps can become far more individualized.

Mizuko literally means "water baby" and referred historically to children stillborn, miscarried, or dying while still a baby. Mizuko Jizo and related ceremonies became very widespread in the mid 20th century when abortion became very common

Mizuko Jizo has spread beyond the borders of Japan, and within Japan some temples, like Mizuko Temle Monjuin in Sasaguri, have been established specifically for the practice.

All these were seen at temple 61 of the Kyushu pilgrimage near Takeo Onsen in Saga.

The previous post in the series was Saga to Takeo Onsen.

Saga to Takeo Onsen Day 57 Kyushu Pilgrimage

 

A Walk Around Kyushu

Day 57 Saga to Takeo Onsen

Saturday February 15th 2014

Back in Saga to begin the next leg of my pilgrimage walk around Kyushu I am happy to find it warmer and sunnier than the Sanin Coast where I live. As I head west out of Saga I follow the rail line rather than the main road.  

To the north I see the mountains with a dusting of snow on the higher elevations. I soon leave the city behind and am among the paddies and fields. Many have the stubble of last years rice crop but there is also plenty of fresh, green winter wheat. I pass the temporary station of Saga Balloon, only operating, I guess, when one of the Hot Air Balloon festivals is taking place. I head towards a shrine marked on my map but when I get there find a crowd of people outside with banners and megaphone. Some sort of local election going on.

By now I reach the main road, a busy strip of asphalt lined with commercial properties. There are a lot of car dealerships, one sporting a Statue of Liberty. Lots of national chain electronics stores.

More than a few pachinko parlors. One named “Zero” with the slogan “it's so cool to enjoy life frankly”. Frankly I have no idea what that means. There are national chain family restaurants, Karaoke bars, a smattering of love hotels, and of course the ubiquitous “Konbini”. I avoid convenience stores if I have a choice, but increasingly the choice is not there. 100 yen fresh coffee and public toilets are what they excel at providing.

I stop in at shrines along the road. Many of them have the local style of Torii. Made of stone, the pillars are much wider than in the normal style and they taper quite dramatically. The cross piece is much thinner than normal. The overall effect seems to be to create the illusion of them being taller than they are.

A smile comes and my eyes widen as I spot an old Morris Minor rusting in a piece of waste land. Don't see many of those here, though you do see lots of the old Minis. A small detour off the main road takes me to the first pilgrimage temple of the day, Koya-ji.  

The previous post in the series was Saga Shrine.