Tatara Shrine Kawamoto

 

At the edge of Kawamoto on my way out of town is a small wayside shrine.

It is a Tatara Shrine, tatara being the traditional type of forge used in historical Japan to create iron and steel out of iron sand. Iron production was a huge industry bu in the mountainous areas of Izumo, but I have found numerous small Tatara shrines in the mountains of Iwami too.

Right next to the shrine was a small wayside Buddhist altar, a not uncommon thing, finding the two together as they were less differentiated in former times.

 

Inside the "shinto" shrine the largest statue was a Zuijin, shinto guardian equivalent to a Buddhist Nio. There was also what appeared to be a Buddhist statue along with a fox, an Ebisu, and a Daikoku. Quite an eclectic mix.

A large bottle of sake, or Omiki as it is called when offered to the kami, indicates that the shrine is somewhat active. Not sure which Buddhist deity is enshrined next door, but it has a Jizo as well.

The previous ost in this series documenting my walk up the Gonokawa River to its source was on passing by Kawamoto

A Seaside Walk from Onomichi to Innoshima

 

Late August, and day 12 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage, and the next temple is located on Innoshima Island in the Inland Sea.

From Onomichi I take a sunrise ferry across the narrow channel separating Onomichi from Mukaijima.

Then I hug the coast road around the western side of the island.

I have walked this before when I walked the whole length of the Shimanami Kaido, but this time my route will differ after I cross over to Innoshima.

What is noticeable is the much bigger tides than what we get on the Japan Sea coast...

On the Inland Sea low tide reveals mud flats extending some way out.

I am passed by several cyclists clad in spandex and going hell-for-leather.... obviously going to do the 70k crossing to Shikoku in one day....

I reach and pass under the bridge that connects Mukaijima Island with the smaller Iwashi Island.

I carry on down the west coast and enjoy the views which are fairly typical for a lot of the Inland Sea area....

As I head around to the south side the bridge over to Innoshima comes into view.

It's a pretty major bridge, a suspension bridge about 1,339 meters long with a central span of 770 meters.

When it was built in 1983 it was the longest centre span of any suspension bridge in Japan.

Pedestrians and cyclists cross on the lower level below the road section. It was also the first suspension bridge on the Shimanami Kaido.

A very curious sight awaited on the opposite side, last photo.

I highly recommend the Shimanami Kaido, not least for the amazing views you get from the bridges. Obviously walking is best, but even driving would be worth it if you stopped at all the viewpoints.

The previous post in this series was on Senkoji Temple which I visited the day before.

Ako Oishi Shrine

 

Ako Oishi Shrine is located within the grounds of Ako Castle.

It is very much what I would consider a political shrine and was not built until 1912, though permission was granted in 1900 but right-wing nationalists were opposed to it.

It is known for the statues of the 47 Ronin lining the approach and was named Oishi Shrine after the leader of the group.

In the late 1940's a shrine enshrining the former daimyo of the castle was built nearby named Ako Shrine.

In 2000, the two shrines were merged together.

There are numerous secondary shrines in the grounds including an Inari, Awashima, Ebisu, Tenmangu, and a Hatta Shrine.

There are also statues of the 12 zodiac animals.

Notable are the komainu statues which are somewhat unusual.

I am not exactly sure of the story, but the shrine has some association with dogs, and visitors are allowed to bring dogs with them into the shrine.

I was wondering why therevwere such cute teddy bear ema votive tablets, before realizing that they are in fact dogs.

The shrine is built on the site of Oishi Kusunoke's residence, and the gatehouse still stands as well as a small garden.

There is a treasure house with swords and other artifacts connected to the 47 ronin.

The previous ost in the series was on nearby Fumonji Temple and its delightful Kannon statue.

Senkoji Temple Icon of Onomichi

 

Senkoji, temple number 10 on the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage is located on the mountainside overlooking the historic town and port of Onomichi.

On this trip I visited by taking the ropeway to the top of the mountain and then walking down to the temple. These first two shots were taken from the cablecar on the way up.

The views from above the temple are stupendous...

I have visited Senkoji several times before, so on this visit I passed through pretty quickly and didn't take so many photos.

The temple was founded in 806, with some saying by Kobo Daishi himself.

The temple was restored in the 10th century by Minamoto Mitsunaka.

The temple is about 140 meters up the mountain so the views are still quite magnificent.

The current main hall dates to 1686

There are numerous large rock outcroppings around the temple, the biggest being known as Tamanoiwa

The honzon is a Thousand-armed Kannon. It is a secret Buddha only shown to the public once every 33 years.

However a replica stand-in is in front of the altar ( 2 photos below)

The previous post in this series on day 11 of my Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage walk was on Saigokuji Temple, the biggest temple in Onomichi.

Not far below Senkoji on the temple walk route is the Tenneiji Pagoda, a classic photo spot.