Ebisu Shrine on Miyagajima Island

 

Miyagajima is a small island connected to the mainland by a sandbar that at the highest tides disappears beneath the water.

However, the tides along this stretch of Japan Sea coastline are really quite small and my guess is the highest tides of the year probably cut off access for just a few hours on a few days a year.

That has not stopped some local tourist websites claiming it to be the San-in Mont St. Michel.

The Ebisu Shrine, a branch of Miho Shrine, was established at another site in 1709.

It was moved here in 1867....

There is nothing of note at the shrine, though the views of the shrine are quite cool and the views from the shrine are good...

The previous post was on the walk over the headland from Iinoura.

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Iinoura Coast

 

The first settlement on the coast in Shimane after entering from Yamaguchi Prefecture is Iinoura.

I started here on day 33 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage. The pilgrimage has taken me through Okayama, Hiroshima, and now Yamaguchi, so only two prefectures to go.... my home prefecture of Shimane, and then Tottori.

First stop was the local shrine, a Hachimangu. Like many shrines along this coast, it was necessary to cross the railway tracks between the entrance and the main building.

The Hachiman triad are Ojin, Jingu, and Tamayorihime. Seconday kami are a pretty complete subset of Izumo kami, including Susano, Okuninushi, Kotoshironushi (Ebisu), Ukanomitama (Inari), and Ichishimahime.

From Iinoura, a narrow road winds around the steep headland known as the Iinoura Coast.

About 1.2 kilometers offshore is Sansho Island. In 1904, locals planted trees on the island to celebrate the victory over Russia in the war. The saplings all died, but locals tried again to no avail.

The small harbour of Iinoura.....

Looking up the coast to where I will be heading......

As with people all over the world, the japanese name rocks and formations after what they look like. The dark rock in the centre-left of the above photo is called Ningyo Iwa, Doll Rock, but I don't see it myself.

Around this small Buddha statue were numerous large signboards. Apparently, there used to be a grave up above the road. It was for a man called Taga Korebe, who died in 1619, and stipulated in his will that he wanted to be buried where he could see the Korean Peninsula in its entirety.

He was a sea captain employed by the Kamei Clan in what is now Tottori, and made many trade journeys to Korea, Okinawa, China, and Taiwan on behalf of the clan. Exports were swords, copper, folding screens, and lacquerware. Imports were Silk fabrics, cotton, ceramics, medicines, and books. When the Kamei took over the Tsuwano Domain, he came with them and was made headman of Iinoura.

The final photo is of Miyaga Island and its Ebisu Shrine, the subject of the next post in the series.

The previous post in this series on my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the Itsukushima Shrine in Esaki.

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Esaki Itsukushima Shrine

 

The fishing village of Esaki os at the head of a long, narrow inlet, and so has been a sheltered harbour since time immemorial and was one of the Kitamaebune ports in the Edo period.

The local shrine is an Itsukushima Shrine, though before Meiji it was a Benten Shrine.

Benzaiten, the Hindu goddess connected to water, introduced into Japan through Buddhism, and one of the Seven Luck Gods, was equated with Ichikishimahime, one of the Munakata goddesses and the main kami of Itsukushima Shrines.

The shrine is said to have been founded before the 17th century, though I would think as the port boomed in the Edo Period it would have been well-supported by those seeking marine safety.

At the bottom of the stairs leading up to the main shrine is a substantial Miho Shrine as well as several smaller shrines..

The Miho Shrine is a branch of the main Miho Shrine in Mihonoseki and enshrines Kotoshironushi, equated with Ebisu, and famous as a kami for fishermen.

The previous post was on the unique hexagonal hall of the Saidoji Temple on the other side of the bay.

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Saidoji Rokkakudo

 

Seemingly floating in Esaki Bay, Saidoji Temple has a distinctive hexagonal hall.

The origin dates back to the early part of the 15th Century and a wealthy family by the name of Nabeyama who had an ony daughter named Okiku. They had hoped to marry her off but she fell in love with a servant named Shichigoro.

When she became pregnant by him, her parents drove him away, and in her sorrow, she threw herself into the sea.

Her parents searched for her for three days and three nights, to no avail, however they did pull up in a et from the sea a Jizo statue holding a child. They took this to be a reincarnation of their daughter and enshrined it on the tiny island.

Seven years later, Shichigoro returned in the guise of a monk and converted the shrine into a temple.

In the 17th Century when the Mori had control of the area they rebuilt the temple with a hexagonal hall. This was to protect the building against the powerful stormy winds. At the same time, they planted a Black Pine, which still grows today.

I have seen other hexagonal buildings in temples around Japan, but the signboard here claims that this one os one of only two in existence, so I suspect they are talking about some aspect of its construction.

The dragon carving was quite nice....

A Boke Fuji Kannon for protection against senility..... an increasingly common Kannon statue in Japan....

The previous post was on the walk to Esaki from Susa.

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From Susa Bay to Esaki Bay

 

Susa Bay and Esaki Bay are two inlets either side of Mount Takayama that protrudes out into the Japan Sea. There are no roads or trails that go around the coast so my route cuts across.

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom as I meander around the convoluted inlets of Susa Bay.

There is actually not a lot to report..... mountain road was almost completely trafficless and, other than one small roadside shrine, with not much to see...

I can't resist a "Geometric Abstract".....

I have walked thouands of kilometers along roads like this..... no traffic, almost no buildings..... but lots of up then down.... the mountain roads of Japan, now bypassed by new main roads with tunnels...

Esaki Bay, like Susa Bay, is a delight....

In fact, when the sea is calm and the sun is out, the Japan Sea coast of Yamaguchi and Shimane can't be beat, but because there are no shinkansen lines, it remains one of the "hidden" delights of Japan.

Esaki Bay is long and narrow, and at the end where the biggest fishing village is there is a new concrete bridge connecting the two sides of the village.

The previous post in this series on day 32 was on the walk from Utago to Susa.

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