From Taisha to Hinomisaki

 

The day after the Summer Solstice, and my route now hugs the convoluted coastline up to Hinomisaki.

Hinomisaki is the western cape of the Shimane Peninsula, with Mihonoseki being the eastern cape.

!0,000 years ago the Shimane Peninsula was an island. In Izumo mythology it was formed from the land of three distant countries that were pulled here and attached to Izumo by two giant ropes. Hinomisaki is held to the mainland by the "rope" of the beach that runs from Izumo Taisha to Tagi.

A lot of water still lies between the mainland of Izumo and the Shimane Peninsula, including Lake Shinji and  the Nakaumi lagoon. In  historical times the land between Izumo and Taisha was marshland that has since been reclaimed.

There are no settlements and only a few, scattered habitations along the road from Taisha up to the cape.

The final photo in the post shows an abandoned hotel up near the cape. Probably built in the tourism boom of the 1960's. I have yet to explore it.

The two previous photos to that final one  show a small inlet with a traditional Japanese ryokan.

Very popular with fishermen.....

The previous post in this series on my walk along the Japan Sea Coast was on Taisha Fishing Port.

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Taisha Fishing Port

 

After passing by Inasa Beach and the Benten island/shrine, I come to the fishing port of Taisha Town.

I have passed by several small fishing hatbours, but this is the first port since leaving Tagi yesterday morning. The distinction, for me at least, between harbour and port is that a fishing port will have an ice machine and a Japan Fisheries office

Like most Japanese fishing harbours, this one is also constructed out of millions of tons of concrete, not just making piers, but breakwaters of tetrapods and massive offshore breakwaters "protecting" the harbour.

Over the years of traveling the coast of Shimane, I have only ever seen two boats that were not fishing boats, cargo boats, or Coast Guard boats.... my friend's yacht in Tagi, and a yacht here in Taisha.

The route along the coast now sweeps up towards the cape at Hinomisaki.

The previous post in this series on the 6th leg of my deep exploration of the Sea of Japan coastline was on Inasa Beach and the Izumo myths associated with it.

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Inasa Beach & Izumo Myths

 

Up before the sun on the longest day of the year, I left my beach  campsite and started up towards Taisha.

Looking back up the beach towards where I started yesterday, Mount Sanbe is clearly visible in the predawn light.

I have one more small rivermounth to cross, the Hori, before my way up to Inasa Beach is along the debris-strewn, concrete-protected beach....

At Inasa Beach, sunrise illuminates the most famous landmark,... Benten Island.

Until fairly recently it was still a true island, surrounded by water at low tide, but now the beach has built up and the island is accessible at except at very hight tides...

The small shrine on the island was to Benten,.... otherwise known as Benzaiten, a Hindu deity brought to Japan. with esoteric Buddhism and then adopted as a kami as well as a Buddhist deity.

She is the ony female among Japan's Seven Luck Gods, but in early Meiji she was replaced in the shrine by a "purely Shinto" deity, Toyotamahime.

The beach and Bentenjima have become a "powerspot", and later in the day will be crowded with tourists, but at this time I am alone.

The long beach that sweeps from here to the area of coastline below Mount Sanbe is, for most of its length, known as Nagahama... Long Beach. According to the Kunibiki myth, it was a rope used by the kami to hold the land now known as the Shimane Peninsula to the mainland of Izumo after it was "pulled" from several other sites including the Korean Peninsula. It is believed the myth explains a series of migrations into the Izumo area, or the extension of Izumo influence to those areas.

Inasa beach is also where, every November, "all the kami of Japan" arrive for their annual meeting. Actually it is one of many spots where the kami are said to arrive, but the myth has come to simplified.

The beach is also home to the Kuniyuzuri myth, whereby Izumo hands over rule of Japan to the descendants of Amaterasu, the current lieage of Yamato rulers.

Such a major national myth would you think be a major site, but actually it is a small rock, on private property, tucked away behind the beach.

The previous post in this series on my deep exploration of the Sea of Japan coastline was on the solstice sunset the evening before...

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Solstice on the Beach

 

I have a personal tradition of trying to sleep out on the night of the summer solstice.

My preferred location is a mountaintop with 360-degree views so I can watch the sun set and then rise again.

My second choice would be a beach facing west, and so it was back in the summer of 2020 I found myself on day 6 of my walk exploring in depth the Sea of Japan coastline

I've seen egrets gathering together to roost for the night before, but I'v not seen so many flying together as a flock.

My spot for the night was a covered picnic shelter on the beach not far from Izumo Taisha.

In the far distance, Mount Sanbe...

My spot was at the mouth of the Kando River....

I could look back and see where I had started walking that day ( photo 3)

During the evening there were several fishermen visiting the beach.....

But otherwise a nice quiet spot with only the occasional mosquito....

The previous post in this series was on my walk from Kirara Taki to this point.

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