Nagashibina Doll Museum

This is the draincover for Mochigase Town, now part of Tottori City.

It shows the Nagashibina Doll Museum which houses a collection of over 1,000 Hina dolls of the Edo period from all over Japan.

Mochigase Town is one of the few places in Japan that still practises the rituals at the heart of the Hina Matsuri.

There is a nice little garden and pond within the grounds

With the obligatory hungry koi!!!

The building itself is an unusual example of a large wooden building built in the traditional style.

Saijo Inari

The Niomon at Saijo Inari is most unusual. It is built of stone in the style of an Indian Palace.

The nio are quite remarkable, though taking photos of them is hindered by the wire grill protecting them.

Saijo Inari is often considered on of the top three Inari in Japan. It is located a little off the Kibi Bike Path, and well worth the detour.

Saijo Inari is officially a temple named Myokyo-Ji, and is sometimes known as Takamatsu Inari.

According to legend it was originally founded in the 8th Century as a Tendai temple. In the 16th Century it became a Nichiren temple, and in 1954 it became the head temple of its own separate sect known as Saijo Inarikyo.

According to the founding legend the founder of the temple, a monk known as Hoon Daishi, had a vision involving a deity riding a flying white fox, though it is quite possible that this is a Meiji-era invention created after the separation of the buddhas and kami.

Also worshipped here along with Inari is the Lotus Sutra, and behind the main hall of the temple the cliff has been sculpted supposedly into a sculpture based on the Lotus Sutra.

The tallest torii in Japan

This is not the tallest torii in Japan! It is probably the 4th tallest. It is on the road to Saijo Inari in Okayama Prefecture and is 28 meters high.

It is 3 meters higher than the torii at Yasukuni Shrine which many websites falsely claim is the highest in Japan. Apparently the Yasukuni website makes this claim, but if you believe anything that place says you are asking to be lied to.

Many websites claim that the torii leading to Heian Jingu in Kyoto is the tallest in Japan, but it is only 24 meters high.

Taller than Saijo Inari torii is the Yahiko Shrine torii in Niigata. It is 30 meters high.

Probably the second-tallest torii in Japan at 32 meters is this one at Omiwa in Nara. ( when I first researched Omiwa about 8 years ago it was the highest)

But, as far as I can ascertain the tallest torii in Japan, built in 2003, and with a height of 33 meters is at Kumano Hongu Taisha in Wakayama.

Try typing "tallest torii in Japan" into any search engine and see how long it takes you find these statistics......

Ebisu Shrine, Gion

Ebisu Shrine in Gion is just across the road from Kennin-Ji, the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto.

Both were built in 1202 and the Ebisu shrine was built to protect Kennin-Ji.

The main kami is of course Kotoshironushi, the official name of Ebisu.

There are numerous secondary kami enshrined within the grounds, including Hachiman and Sarutahiko.

Gion Ebisu is included in the "top 3 Ebisu shrines", and the major Toka Ebisu Matsuri takes place here in early January.

Around Gion

The Gion district of Kyoto is one of the most familiar places to visitors to Japan, and whiles I try to concentrate on posts that are more unfamiliar, because Yoko is from Gion we visit there fairly often to visit family, so sometimes I will post on Familiar Japan.

This little girl was being photographed by her parents last August. Probably not dressed up for Shichigosan as that is not until November.

The chances are she is a student of Nihon Buyo, traditional dance, and has just finished taking part in the annual recital.

NEC Building, Momochi

The 11 storey NEC building in the Momochi district of Fukuoka is not a particularly outstanding piece of architecture, but its use of some subtle curves and its cantilever porch gives it a little style.

Like so many other buildings in this area of reclaimed land in Fukuoka it was built in 1996.

It was designed by Nikken Sekkei, and while they are not a particularly famous architectural company, they have done a lot of interesting buildings. Clicking on their name in the tags below this post will show you some of them.

Momiji gari part 2

This is a continuation of an earlier post.

As the heroes lay unconscious in a drunken stupor they are visited by Hachiman, the god of war and the protective deity of samurai. Interestingly in the kagura dance he is referred to as Hachiman Bosatsu, which is his buddhist identity, and as buddhism was mostly purged from Iwami kagura in the early Meiji period, it leads me to believe this is a post-war dance.

Hachiman purifies the heroes and also gives them a sacred sword and so the scene is set for the finale, a wild and frenetic swordfight.

The three demons have new masks and appear in all their fully formed horror.

There is, of course, no doubt as to the outcome. The good guys will win, and the demons will be destroyed.......

Komainu of Kunisaki

Like shrines and temples everywhere, on Kunisaki Peninsular there are plenty of the guardian Komainu. This one with a flat head is supporting a lantern.

This is a variation on a modern style. Some komainu, like here, have a baby under its paw.

Often seen with elephants and dragons, the ends of beams are carved as komainu

This one is sitting on top of a turtle.... something Ive never seen before.

There are dozens of different styles of komainu, and part of the fascination with visiting shrines for me is to discover new variations.

All of these were found on the Kunisaki peninsular in northern Kyushu.

Vacation 2010 Day 13: Truro and The Lizard

From Helston I head to head into Truro for some business. The countryside is covered with the ruins of the old engine houses that pumped water from the tin mines.

Truro is a city and the capital of Cornwall. I'm not sure how a city is defined in Japan, I suspect it is simply a decision rendered by the government, but I knbow in the UK what defines a city, as opposed to a town, is the presence of a cathedral.

Its not a very old cathedral, as cathedrals go. Construction began in 1880, and it was completely finished in 1910.

Ive been to Truro hundreds of times, but I think this was the first time I have ever actually gone inside!!

After Truro, time to head down the the Lizard, the southernmost tip of mainland Britain, but first a stop at one of the cliff-top hotels for a Cornish Cream Tea.....

I lived down on the Lizard for a winter, and I have walked the coast path around it several times....

Haruta Shrine, Asuka

Haruta Shrine is located on the east side of Asuka, right next to Okadera Temple. The two were a temple-shrine complex until the seperation of buddhas and kami in early Meiji.

The three primary kami enshrined here are Onamuchi, another name for Okuninushi, Susano, and Homuda Wake, another name for Emperor Ojin.

The shrine is listed in the Engi Shiki, so is more than 1,000 years old.

The honden has an unusual design with a T-shaped roof topped by 3 chigi. The torii in front of the honden I would guess to be a post-meiji addition as this style was adopted by State Shinto.

A statue of Kinjiro, the common name for Ninomiya Sontoku. Similar statues are common in front of schools. Kinjiro is famous for becoming successful through self-study.

Nagaokakyo

This is the draincover for the city of Nagaoka, the place that was briefly the capital of Japan before it moved to Kyoto. The design shows bamboo and bamboo shoots (takenoko) a major product of the area.

The hills behind the town are covered almost exclusively in bamboo and there are plenty of trails and small roads that let you walk through the area.

I have an earlier post on takenoko here

Whereas we don't maintain the bamboo in any way, other than harvesting the root and the poles, here the bamboo is cultivated.

One method seems to be layering rice straw with soft earth. In places this has built up to a depth of 2 meters with narrow paths between.

The bamboo sculptures at Komorikate Shrine were popular with you, so here is a close-up of the tiger, made completely out of bamboo save for the glass eyes....