A walk from Muraki to Higashi Aohara

After the ceremonies at Taikodani Inari I decided to take advantage of the warm, dry weather and go for a walk along the backroads in the mountains north of Tsuwano.

I started out in Muraki, a small settlement west of Tsuwano and headed north along route 17. My first surprise was a new tunnel. According to the map I was supposed to snake up and over the mountain, but this new tunnel punched straight through saving me at least a kilometer and some climbing.

On the other side the road dropped down into a valley and then climbed slowly north. As usual I was on the lookout for shrines, and as usual some of them marked on the map didnt exist, and some shrines existed that were not marked on the map. According to the map this little grove of trees contained a shrine, but as the only way to it was through a farm I decided to pass.

The road passed through small settlements with names like Yamashita (under the mountain) and Nakagawa (middle river), common names that existed all over Japan and also became common family names when commoners were allowed to have names in the Meiji period.

It was a pleasant enough walk, very little traffic, and the sound of farm machinery at work. I kept my eyes open for a　drink vending machine as it was warming up and I was starting to get thirsty.

There were not a lot of shrines, and most were common old Hachiman shrines with no distinguishing features. As always there were many roadside altars with fresh flowers.

There were also many abandoned farms. Apparently 1 in 8 houses in Japan are empty.

The road reached a pass and went through a small tunnel and then a new 2 lane road descended rapidly. The old road weaved its way along the bottom of the valley and looked more interesting, but I had gone about 10k without finding a vending machine so I was in a hurry.

Another few K and I took a smaller road off to the right, Route 170, that went down the mountain to Route 9, the Takatsu River, and the train line that would take me home. In about 4k there were only 2 small farms. A very pleasant road that I was unable to enjoy as my thirst was becoming too much. I was sustained only by the thought that once I reached the small train station at Higashiaohara, actually halt would be a more accurate description, there would be a vending machine. But no!!!!!.... so i begged some water from an old man working in his garden. He took me back behind his house and ran the water for a few minutes till it became cold, and it was delicious.... fresh, mountain water!!!!

It had taken me about four and half hours to walk 18 kilometers, a crazy pace fueled by my need to reach a vending machine. I only visited 4 shrines.

More ceremonies at Shunki Taisai

As well as the main ceremony at the Shunki Taisai there were several other ceremonies going on during the day. In one of the secondary shrines Miko Mai was performed several times during the day.

Three priests also took part in the ritual and no-one else was within the shrine.

As is obvious to anyone reading this blog, I am quite fascinated by Miko and their costumes. Lots of previous posts can be found here.

In the main hall of the shrine there was a continuous set of purification ceremonies going on all day for those wishing to pay for the service.

Down below the main shrine was a special shrine just for cars. Most areas will have a shrine or temple that specializes in rituals for car blessing and driving safety, but this was the first time I had seen an area specifically set up for it.

The number of ceremonies and services offered by shrines has increased in the post-war years as shrines do not have access to the lucrative funeral business that funds Buddhism.

Shunki Taisai

Yesterday was the Grand Spring Festival down in Tsuwano at the Taikodani Inari Shrine. Before the main ceremony could begin the miko assisted the participants with water purification, starting with themselves.

As well as the 4 miko there were 8 priests (or 6 priests and 2 trainee priests) and 4 representatives from the town taking part.

After everyone was ready the Guji (head priest) came out and then lead the procession to the ceremonial area.

The ceremony took place in a Himorogi, a sacred enclosure which probably is the form earliest shrines took before buildings were introduced after the introduction of Buddhism. The big umbrella is for the head priest.

The ceremony was short, and as far as I could tell there were no norito (prayers)

The Miko were holding sprigs of cherry blossoms, though as the cherry blossoms had passed 3 or 4 weeks ago these were plastic, fitting perhaps as most of the shrine is concrete.

Then everyone headed inside the main building which was full of paying customers who had paid handsomely for the privilege of a purification ceremony.

Mefu Shrine

Mefu Shrine is yet another shrine in Matsue that is listed in the 8th Century Izumo Fudoki which means it was in existence for about 1,000 years before Matsue was built.

It is located not far from the station, on the south bank of the waterway that connects Lake Shinji with Nakaumi and the sea, so its not surprising that the main kami is Haya Akitsuhi the kami of inlets and straits,created by Izanagi and Izanami.

A secondary group of kami are Isotake and his 2 sisters Oyatsuhime and Tsumatsuhime, the three children of Susano that came to Japan with him from Korea.

Behind the main honden are a couple of shrines to Funadama, the kami of boats, and Konpira the kami of safe journeys

Other smaller shrines include Ebisu, Wadatsumi, the dragon kami of the sea, and an Aragami. The shrine is noted for a fine pair of komainu.

Inside ACROS

Going in through the front entrance of ACROS, one enters a huge atrium lit by by the semi-circular skylight that protrudes through the roof.

ACROS houses a convention center, a symphony Hall, tourist information office, gallery of traditional local arts and crafts, and numerous offices.

The building opened in 1994 and was designed by Emilio Ambasz.

A previous post with shots of the unusual exterior can be found here.

Vacation 2011 Day 1: Kokura

After exploring Yahata it was time to head to Fukuoka, but first I spent a quick hour revisiting Kokura. Around the castle moat the cherry blossoms were out so I was able to have a little ohanami before leaving the country.

Below the castle is a branch of Yasaka shrine, and as I have a keen interest in komainu I couldnt resist taking some snaps.

In front of the castle was a small Inari shrine and several buddhist statues clad in gaily colored bibs with offerings of fresh flowers.... the late afternoon sun and shadows made for good pictures.

The main reason to revisit Kokura was to check out Riverwalk, the complex designed by Jerde. Ive posted about it before, but at a different time of the year and a different time of the day, and a new lens, it was possible to take some new shots.

And finally, walking across the river back towards the station the pleasure boats lined up to have their picture taken....

Mundane Manhole Mandalas

Usually for my ongoing series on Japanese manhole covers I post a design and then show photos of the subject, but sometimes the designs are not particularly interesting, so today just a collection of less than inspiring designs.



Misumi Town, Shimane.



Yasugi. Shimane.



Iwami Town, Shimane.



Hamada City, Shimane



Kamo Town, Shimane,

To see more interesting designs click here

Peony Porn

I am not usually a huge fan of photos of the sexual organs of flowers, but today I make an exception.

Yesterday we visited Daikon Island in the Nakaumi, the lagoon that straddles the border of Shimane and Tottori, to see the peonies in bloom.

They have been cultivated on the island since the Edo Period, and Daikon Island is now the largest producer of them in Japan.

Called Botan in Japanese, they were introduced into Japan from China as a medicinal plant in the eighth century. During the buddhist proscription against eating meat "botan" was a euphemism for wild boar meat.

Apparently they bloom all year round but the peak is around now.

A strange woman followed me around the garden so I asked her to pose next to a bloom to give an idea of the scale.

Kawado Suijin Matsuri

Not only was Thursday Childrens Day and the Kawado Childrens Matsuri, but also the annual Kawado Suijin Matsuri. Following the ceremony in the shrine the mikoshi procession heads down to the river. The men on the right are carrying a huge length of giant bamboo which has an Onusa (purification wand) attached to it. It will replace the previous years one and will project out over the river to purify the area Suijin is believed to like to spend time.

To the accompaniment of drum and flute the procession heads along the riverbank to the two traditional wooden river boats waiting to take them upstream.

The smaller boat will carry the young men and a bunch of bamboos with banners attached. Each banner has been offered by a household that has a new child or grandchild born since last years matsuri.

The main boat carries the heavy mikoshi, 2 musicians, 3 priests, a village representative, a local TV cameraman, and 2 boatmen.

Both boats head upstream a few hundred meters to where further ceremonies will be held.

More details and photos can be had in earlier posts by clicking on the suijin tag below.