Kairyuzan Toda Hachiman Shrine

 

Depicting doves, rabbits, and monkeys, the ceramic roof ornaments at Toda Hachimangu are fairly unusual, though I have seen some on the tile roofs of walls around houses in Tsunozu.

Located close to the sea among rice paddies, Toda Hachimangu has three toriis. The third being Ryobu style. The name Kairyuzan is  Shingon related, and with the Ryobu torii indicated a strong Buddhist connection.

On the path from the shrine to the torii on the beach is a small Inari shrine.

There are also secondary shrines to Kakinomoto Hitomaro, the legendary ancient poet who possibly died nearby. Toyokehime, Kotoshironushi, Otoshi, and the sea kami Wadatsumi, enshrined here before the shrine was converted to a Hachiman shrine in 899.

The shrine was completely destroyed by the tsunami of 1026, which also destroyed Kushirogahime shrine that I had just visited.

The tengai, the sacred ceiling below which kagura dances are performed, was composed of an unusual set of plants I had not seen before. Usually they are pine or sasaki.

As tutelary kami for samurai, Hachiman is often called a god of war. As such, samurai often donated their swords after success in battle. One sword was donated here in the late 16th century by a local samurai who had success in Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea.

Incidentally, the dove is the messenger of Hachiman which may explain the decorations on the roof. Also it adds some confusion to the imported notion of doves being symbols of peace.

The version of Hachiman here is Ojin, Jingu, and all three Munakata kami.

The previous post in this series on day 33 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on Kushirogahime Shrine nearby.

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Manju-ji Temple Gardens

 

Manju-ji Temple in Matsue has a delightful pond garden behind the main hall, and an extensive, well-manicured karesansui garden in the front.

It is a large Rinzai Zen temple at the top of the narrow Okutani valley to the north of the castle.

Entry to the temple and garden is free, but the temple remains off the tourist radar.

The temple was established in a different location in 1600, some years before the castle was built.

Its original name was Chojuin.

In 1644 it was moved to its current location after being given the site by Naomasa Matsudaira, the new daimyo of the castle.

At that time it was renamed Shobuyama Chojuji.

Later the name was changed to Manju-ji, though a big fire in 1848 destroyed all records, so the date is unknown.

When I visited in June, the azaleas were in bloom, which added to the visit.

One curious feature, seen in photo 4, is an Imperial Messenger Gate in front of the main hall.

To the right of the main hall is a Kannon Hall, and above it is a Myoken Shrine which enshrines Marishiten, Benzaiten, Daikokuten, and Aizen Myoo. From the shrine you can look down on the pond garden.

The front garden is quite sparse, but subtle.

One nice touch was the small turtle at the centre of the concentric circle of ridges.... exactly how it would appear when a turtle surfaces in a pond.

I can find no date or creator for the rear garden, but it appears to be fairly standard.

There is a small one-room teahouse.

And a few koi in the pond.

The previous post in this series on Matsue and Izumo was on Kanden-an, the remarkable samurai teahouse, villa, and gardens not too far from Monjuji Temple.

Matsue has an unusually large number of quality gardens, in large part due to the legacy of the great Tea Master, Fumai Matsudaira, the daimyo of Matsue Castle.

Some recent garden posts from Matsue I recommend would be Fumon-in temple, garden and Teahouse, the gardens at Lafcadio Heans House, and the garden at Gesshoji Temple.

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Kushirogahime Shrine

 

After crossing the Masuda River, my route is now up a trail that leads from a arge torii on the riverbank up to a shrine in the village up above.

Apparently the shrine was originally down here at several sites on the waters edge but was moved after a tsunami in the 11th century.

There are several Buddhist statues and altars on the way up as there used to be 3 temples associated with the shrine but they were all closed in 1868 with the separation of buddhas and Kami.

The original shrine was established very early in the 8th century and is connected to a myth of the Kushiro Clan. Originally from what is now southern Osaka, they are said to be "pioneers" who immigrated here.

A little further up the coast in Kamate are a couple of "islands" just offshore, a male one and a female one. Kushirogahime is the female kami enshrined here, and Kushishikiamenohiko the male. The male is enshrined much further up the coast, not far from my place.

The male comes down to the islands to meet his wife. If in their meeting they agree then a rainbow forms between the two islands. It is said it is rare.

The husband covers his head and face with a scarf, and as it slips to reveal his face, that is the source of the waxing and waning of the moon.

The shrine is listed in the Engi Shiki, meaning it received offering from the Imperial Court.

The shrine was also well supported by the Masuda Clan.

An old, wooden mask from the Edo Period....

A more modern style of mask made from local paper. The kind of mask I make.

The current main hall was built in 1765, but reused some of the materials from the rebuilding in 1548.

At some point, Hachiman was enshrined here as well. The shrine is in possession of the oldest kami statue in Shimane.

The kami is dressed as a Buddhist monk, so it is almost certainly a Hachiman statue.

No idea what these lobsters are about.... they look real creepy.

The shrine has a small pair of stone komainu that were brought from Shikoku.

The shrine is home to 3 "Great Rites", a sumo, a lion dance, and a needle ritual. 

The origin of the three rites was in the time when the shrine was to be relocated and two groups from different villages argued over where it should be. It turned physical and an old lady intervened and in the process lost her favorite needle.

The previous post was on the walk along the beach and across the river mouths to get here.

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