North Shore of Lake Shinji Part 1

 

My day 43 walk now heads along the north shore of Lake Shinji.

The 7th largest lake in Japan, Shinjiko was originally the sea between the mainland and the island that became the Shimane Peninsula.

Consequently it is a brackish lake with salinity about 10% of seawater.

It is fed primarily by the Hii River which reaches the sea after passing through Lake Shinji, then the Ohashi River through Matsue, and then into the Nakaumi Lagoon before passing through the narrow strait at Sakaiminato.

An artificial channel, called the Sada River, was dug in the Edo Period between the NW part of the lake, past Sada Shrine, to the Sea of Japan at what is now Kashima.

The lake has shrunk over time due to sedimentation, but land reclamation in the latter hald of the 20th century has reduced it by 10%. Izumo Airport is located on the new land.

A lot of fish and other food is harvested from the lake specifically Shinjiko Shicchin, the Seven Treasures of Shinjiko; Sea Bass, Shrimp, Eel, Smelt, Clams, Carp, & Icefish.

However the main product is a small clam, which makes up 90% of the catch.

The lake is roughly rectangular, and measures about 17k East to West, and 6k North to South. The circumference is about 47k

The south shore has the main San-in Line of JR railway and a very busy road, National Route 9. This northern shore has a very small road and the Ichibata Railway and is much, much quieter and prettier.

The previous post in the series was on Saka Shrine, the origin of sake in Japan.

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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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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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Ichibata Yakushi Temple 26 Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage

 

I head inland from the coast of the Shimane Peninsula and reach Ichibata Yakushi Temple, number 26 on the pilgrimage.

From the car park and main entrance a road is lined with 108 stone lanterns.

At this level are several large halls, including the Hodo and the Honboshoin.

The temple was founded in 894 and the honzon is a statue of Yakushi Nyorai, known as the Medicine Buddha.

A fisherman "caught" the statue in the sea while fishing and took it home with him. After praying to it his mothers eyesight improved and he became a monk.

Several weathered Fudo Myoo stand at the start of a short flight of steps that leads up to the Niomon.

The temple is renowned for the healing of eye problems and is in a sense the Lourdes of Japan for eye ailments.

The temple was originally a Tendai sect temple, but in 1327 converted to Rinzai Zen and changed names to Setokuji.

Unusually, the Nio have lines of small statues of Enma and the other "judges of hell".

In 1653 it was renamed Ichibata-ji.

In 1790 it switched schools within Rinzai to the Myoshinji School.

In 1953, it became the head of its own school and now has 50 branch temples across Japan.

There is a nice set of full-size Rakan statues in front of the main hall, and other sights of interest..

Most of the architecture dates to the 19th and early 20th centuries...

There are some fantastic views looking down on Lake Shinji...

The last 2 photos are of some Fudo statues at the bottom of the stairs. There are 640 steps in all, but many are actually only a few cms high so its not a bad climb.

The railway line that stops at the bottom of the valley near Lake Shinji is called the Ichibata Railway and was built to bring pilgrims from Matsue and Izumo.

An irregular small, local bus runs up to the temple's car park.

For me, the most intriguing sight at the temple is the 84,000 Yakushi statues....... that will be the next post...

The previous post was on nearby Koizu Port and its two shrines.

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