Dark & Stormy Kuroshio Coast

 

December 2nd, 2011, and day 21 of my walk around Shikoku on the Ohenro Pilgrimage begins under a cloudy sky, though the rain of yesterday has abated.

Kuroshio is the name of a north Pacific current that passes along the Pacific Coast of Japan.

Here at the southern extreme of Shikoku, where the current passes, there is also a town called Kuroshio, where I will mostly be today.

As usual I tried to stop in at every shrine I passed, but this one was too far off the main road so gave it a miss.

On this section of coast the sea was much calmer than yesterday evening when I reached the coast.

Passing through Ida Port I did visit the next shrine.

It is a Tenmangu enshrining the ancient courtier, Sugawara Michizane.

Often used by students praying for exam success, Tenmangu shrines increased somewhat in the late 19th century as a preferred "national" shrine....

There was no signboard so have no info on the history.

Nearby was Kannonji, a very small temple.

There was a tsuyado here, free lodgings for walking pilgrims, and I had thought about staying here but it got dark too quickly yesterday so instead of chancing it I stayed in a henro hut.

Next up a small Ebisu shrine. As kami for fishermen, Ebisu is very common on the coast.

While it is not actually raining, the air is more than damp.

The way ahead looks like darker , windier weather....

It costs a lot to have old cars disposed of in Japan, which is why in the countryside you can often see abandoned cars slowly begining to decompose...... very slowly....

This small shrine is a Yaku Shrine..... no details....

The Sunahama Museum is a little free museum on the beach.

The skeleton of a Minke whale was impressive....

Across the Minato River....

And then across the bigger Fukigami River...

The previous post was yesterday's walk over the mountains to reach the Kuroshio Coast.

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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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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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