Nutashi Shrine

 

On the shore of Lake Shinji, a substantial torii marks the route to Uchi Shrine, a couple of kilometers away up on the slope of Mount Hongu.

A little past the road heading up to the mountain is the entrance to Nutashi Shrine.

This enshrines Sarutahiko. It is mentioned in the Izumo Fudoki, but not in the Engi Shiki, as it was not under the control of the government shrine dept. It was an "unofficial" shrine.

According to the legend, when Princess Takahime descended to Mount Takano, Sarutahiko took the stern of the boat and guided her. She is now enshrined on the mountain, and Sarutahiko was enshrined here.

Sarutahiko is known as a guide. In the descent of Ninigi and his group from Takamagahara, they came to a complex junction with many routes and didnt know which way to go. Sarutahiko was waiting for them and offered to guide them down to earth. If you see a matsuri procession, you will often see a figure leading the procession wearing a red mask with a long nose. Many people believe it to be a tengu, but in fact it is Sarutahiko.

Because of the "saru" in his name (saru means monkey in Japanese ) monkeys have long been associated with him and so under the shrine are a variety of monkey statues.

The shrine has an unusual layout. It is a largish honden with no haiden or heiden, but a kagura den.

Standing next to the hinden is a shrine to Gozu Tenno, quite unusual, I think, as most shrines to Gozu Tenno are now Susano shrines.

There is also a small Inari shrine, no more than a small, stone hokora.

When I walk around other areas of Japan, I am struck by just how many interesting, ancient shrines there are in the Izumo region. No wonder it is known as the Land of the Gods!

The fact that the Izumo Fudoki was the only provincial gazetteer to survive intact also means we know so much about these shrines...

The previous post in this series on day 43 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the walk along this north shore of Lake Shinji.

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Dainichiji Temple

 

On the Shikoku Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage, the route to the next temple passes by a group of the Ohenro Pilgrimage temples, so I stopped in at them.

The first was Dainichiji, temple 13 on the Ohenro Pilgrimage. The previous temple I visited on the Fudo Myoo pilgrimage, Konjiji, is actually the okunoin of Dainichiji.

Coming in through the main gate, a statue draws your attention.

It is a Shiawase (happiness) Kannon inside a pair of  hands, though the tips of the thumbs appear to have been cut off....

If you look at the 4th photo from the bottom, it is clearer to see....

The temple was founded in 815 by Kobo Daishi who also carved the honzon, a Dainichi statue.

Directly across the road from the temple is Ichinomiya Shrine. It was moved to this location about 1,000 years ago. Dainichi Temple was then moved here, within the grounds of the shrine, to be its main temple.

The shrine was the site that was visited on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, not the temple. All that changed in Meiji when the shrines and temples were forcibly seperated. The 11-face Kannon that was in the shrine was moved to Dainichi Temple and became the honzon.

Like so many temple in Shikoku, Dainichiji was destroyed by the army of Chosokabe in the late 16th century.

The current main hall dates to the early 17th century.

The previous post was on the views from the mountain above the temple where the old okunoin is located.

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North Shore of Lake Shinji Part 2

 

Continuing on along the north shore of Lake Shinji, a sign that the lake is used for pleasure and not just commercial fishing.

Up ahead, Shinjiko Onsen and Matsue loom into view.

Matsue English Garden is now closed, but was still open when I passed by. Only Brits of my generation will recognize Bill and Ben, the Flowerpot Men, a childrens TV puppet show from long ago. 

Not sure that anyone at this place would know the reference, but it may also be a nod to the unique folk-art of Isshiki Kazari from Hirata, just along the lake.

With a few small beaches and shallow, calm water, I would expect swimming to be taking place, but swimming has been banned in the lake since 1959 due to water quality.

There was a plan to desalinate the lake, starting in 1974, but with algae blooms and other issues arising from the process it was abandoned in 1988.

In Winter about 40,000 geese and ducks migrate here and overwinter....

This is the largest source of Japanese Basket Clams in Japan. Corbicula japonica are found from Hokkaido to Kyushu, but Lake Shinji accounts for about 40% of the total catch in Japan.

Overfishing and pollution from agricultural runoff have decreased the catch, and now some days fishing is not allowed.

As I approach Shinjiko Onsen, the terminal of the Ichibata Railway, downtown Matsue id clearly visible.

On the opposite shore, the unique architecture of the Shimane Art Museum.

The previous post in this series was on Onotsu Shrine, where I stopped earlier along the lakefront.

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Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts & Culture

 

When I visited this place, when all these photos were taken, it was called the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Shigureden, and it had just opened.

Now it has re-opened as the Saga-Arashiyama Museum of Arts & Culture.

The Hyakunin Isshu is an anthology of one hundred poems by one hundred poets, and the most famous version is the one created by Fujiwara no Teika about 800 years ago while he was living in the Ogura district of Kyoto, and so it is known as the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.

The 100 poems were made into card games, karuta in Japanese, in the Edo Period and are still very popular with serious competitions taking place.

Here, each poem is printed along with an English translation and a small figurine of the poet.

Upstairs is a huge open space with tatami flooring and various types of paintings, screens, scrolls, etc

I read that events are planned for the massive second-floor space, including karuta competitions.

The museum is situated right on the bank of the Katsura River, in the heart of the tourist area of Arashiyama.

There is a cafe with a terrace which looks oiut on a modern, but Japanese style garden.

The previous post in this series on Arashiyama was on the historic preservation district at the top of the town.

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