Saka Shrine Origin of Sake in Japan

 

Down below Ichibata Yakushi Temple, and not far from Ichibataguchi Station, is Saka Shrine, sometimes called Matsuo Shrine.

October 2nd, 2015, and this is where I start day 43 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage.

This is an ancient shrine connected to the production of Sake, and the areas around it all have names connected to sake.

The first time sake is mentioned in the ancient myth-histories published in the early 8th century is when Susanoo brews some sake to give to the Orochi serpent, which he then slays when they are in a drunken stupor. As sake is a word used for alcohol in general, it is suggested that the sake he brewed was made from fruit.

However, same books, plus the  Izumo Fudoki, published a few years later, has a legend from this area wherein 180 kami gathered together, built a kitchen and brewed up some sake, and had a 180-day feast.

About ten kilometers away up the Hi River is Mankusen Shrine, where a big group of kami gathers during Kamiarizuki, the annual meeting of almost all of Japan's kami in the Izumo area. The shrine has a unique ritual and ceremony wherein the kami are kind of pushed out of the shrine because they won't leave. The reason they won't leave is that they say the sake here is so good.

The primary kami of Saka Shrine is Kushinokami, believed to be another name for Sukunahikona, the sidekick of Okuninushi who settled and created the land of Izumo. He was also linked with medicine. Also enshrined here are 180 unnamed kami, obviously a nod to the myth-legend.

At some point before the 16th century, the kami of Matsuo Shrine near Kyoto was enshrined here. Oyamakui is also considered the kami of sake, and Matsuo Shrine in Kyoto is considered the main sake-brewers' shrine in Japan. Saka Shrine was known as Matsuo Shrine until the Meiji Period, when it reverted to Saka Shrine.

Researchers and historians believe that sake was introduced into Japan from Korea via Izumo. The Hata Clan created the Matsuo Shrine in Kyoto, and the Hata are known to be an immigrant clan from the mainland; some say China, some say Korea, some say even further west. Many historians suggest that the Hata spent some time in Izumo before moving on to Yamato. All this suggests that the area around Saka Shrine may well be the origin of Sake in Japan...

Sake brewers continue to support and pray at Saka Shrine. At the annual festival in mid October, at which the head priest has brewed sake for it, many sake brewers gather. The shrine has a special license to brew the sake.

In the grounds are numerous secondary shrines, notably an Inari.

There are also an Ekisha, a Takeuchi Shrine, and a Hoden Shrine. The most interesting is a Smallpox Vaccination Shrine.

The previous post in this series was on the 84,000 Yakushi statues at Ichibata Yakushi. Well worth a look!

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Kaburaiji Temple 11 Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage

 

Kaburaiji is claimed to be an ancient temple established by none other than Shotoku Taishi in 581.

His mother was born here, and the mountain, Mount Dokko, had been considered sacred long before the temple was established.

The name derives from a kabura given to the temple by Shotoku Taishi. Kabura is a turnip and it refers to whistling arrows which had a turnip-shaped head and whistled when flying through the air.

It is said that Kobo Daishi visited and dug the well here.

It was destroyed by fire several times, including by a forest fire in the Edo Period.

It was rebuilt in 1862, BUT.........

In 1873, a bunch of local "unruly samurai" who named themselves Tenchugumi after a band of samurai who were active in the years running up to the Meiji Restoration of 1868 attacked and burned down temples and shrines in the area, including Kaburaiji.

The temple was abandoned until 1955 when Prince Kuninomiya Asahiko visited the site and prayed for its restoration.

This began in 1959, and in 1965 the Goma Hall was completed.

In 1973, the three-storey Pagoda was erected and then the main hall in 1992 and the Benten Hall in 1994.

Other buildings now in place include a bell tower, Daishi Hall, large guest building and large Kuri, monks quarters.

There is a miniature 88 temple pilgrimage, pictured above.

The temple is now known for raising a species of Lotus thatbdates back thousands of years...

The previous post in this series on my walk along the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage was on the koi-filled pond in the small garden at the temple...

I have no idea what this huge barrel is being used as....

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84,000 Medicine Buddhas

 

One interesting feature of Ichibata Yakushi Temple is the 84,000 Buddhas project. 

Buddhism says that we have 84,000 mental impurities that impede us from enlightenment. Also, it is said that the Buddha had 84,000 teachings. The project here is to amass 84,000 statuettes of Yakushi, the healing Buddha.

I'm not sure how many have been set up, though it is many, many thousands. New ones are being put in the 5th hall to be built to house them. This newest hall is enclosed in windows, so shots like the first in this post won't be possible there. They plan to build 8 halls to house the full 84,000.

Each bronze statue is 24 cms tall, and the purchaser of one, at a mere 50,000 yen, gets their prayer, in ink on washi paper, placed inside the statue.

The standing Yakushi is a cast of the original by Eri Kokei, said to be a leading sculptor of Buddhist statues....

It is fascinating to look for and notice the different patinas as the statues age and are exposed to climatic conditions...

Several of the halls are open to the front and so leaves blow in and are caught among some of the statues.....

The previous post was on the Ichibata Yakushi temple, its history, and some of the other things that can be seen here....

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Kishigawa Line

 

The Kishigawa Line is the only line of the Wakayama Electric Railway. It runs 14.3 kilometers from Wakayama Station to Kishi Station. Japan has some delightful small railway lines, and not far south from here is the Kishu Railway, the shortest in Japan.

Some cars of the Kishigawa Line have interiors designed by Eiji Mitooka. I have ridden several of his trains in Kyushu, and find them quite interesting and satisfying. A few trains are still in the livery of Nankai  Railway who owned the line until 2006.

On day 9 of my walk along the Saigoku Pilgrimage, which at this point is still the Kumano Kodo, I take a slight detour to 3 famous shrines that can be reached on the line.

The railway's fortunes have vastly improved since they started having cat "stationmasters". This has brought in huge numbers of tourists.

The original cat was called Tama and he was based at the terminal station in Kishi.

Several more cats have been added, and some have passed on.

The photos at the bottom are of Idakiso Station, where I rejoined my walk along the Kumano Kodo.

The cat here was named Nitama, literally Tama 2, but when he is unavailable for duty, a stuffed cat is placed in his glass case... When Tama died, Tama 2 was promoted and moved to Kishi Station, and a new cat added here.

The previous post was on Fujishiro Oji Shrine, considered the start of the Kumano Kodo and the last stop on yesterday's walk.

If you would like to subscribe by email just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published and made public. I post new content almost everyday, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the last ten posts.