The Graveyard at Toko-ji

Behind the Obaku Zen temple Toko-ji in Hagi, Yamaguchi, lies the large graveyard/cemetery housing the tombs of the Mori lords and their wives.

The 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th lords are buried here, the others are buried at Daisho-in temple on the other side of the town.

The most obvious feature are the lines and lines of stone lanterns donated by retainers of the lords.

Surrounded by woods, and wearing a mantle of moss, the graveyard is a very peaceful and still place.

Toko-ji Temple, Hagi

The gate to Tokoji in Hagi has a somewhat Chinese feel because it is an Obaku Zen Temple founded in 1691. Obaku was a new sect of Zen founded by Chinese monks who came to Nagasaki to serve the Chinese community there.

Tokoji was founded by the third Mori lord as a second temple housing the graves of the Mori and their wives. The 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th Lords are buried here. The other are buried at Daishoin on the other side of town.

Most of the structures date from the 17th Century and are listed Cultural Properties. The temple complex is much reduced in size from earlier times, but it is still quite large and spacious, set in woods on the eastern edge of town.

The honzon, the principle deity statue, is Shaka Nyorai, which in English we would call the historical Buddha.

Yoshida Shoin History Museum

In the grounds of the Shoin Shrine in Hagi, Yamaguchi, is the Yoshida Shoin History Museum.

A series of lifesize tableaux depicts events from his life, including his attempt to leave Japan on Perrys' "Black Ship"

There is no information available in English, and unless you are a die-hard Shoin buff it is probably not worth visiting.

Shokasonjuku Academy

The Shokasonjuku is located in the grounds of the Shoin Shrine in Hagi, Yamaguchi, and is where Yoshida Shoin taught many of the future leaders of Meiji Japan.

It was originally just a single-roomed structure but was expanded due to the large number of students who wanted to attend. It was also his home as at the time he was under house arrest for his attempt to stow away on an American ship.

Shoin taught here for just one year before he was rearrested and the school forced to close.

His students included Ito Hirobumi, the first Prime Minister of Japan, Yamagata Aritomo, Japan's third Prime Minister, Kido Takayoshi, a senior statesman and another of the architects of the new Meiji state, Inoue Kaoru, another major politician and statesman of Meiji Japan.

Shoin Shrine, Hagi.

One of the most popular tourist sites in Hagi is the Shoin Shrine which enshrines Yoshida Shoin.

Shoin was a local samurai who took part in the anti-shogunate activities that lead up to the Meiji Restoration of 1868, though he was executed in 1859 for his part in an assassination attempt, therefore the shrine is very much a part of modern shinto that emphasised those who supported the emperor and his rule.

The shrine was established in 1890 and moved to its present location in 1950.

Before his death he operated a school that now stands in the grounds of the shrine and many of the future leaders of the Meiji government were taught by him, including Ito Hirobumi, Japands first Prime Minister.

Yukawa Residence, Hagi

 

The Yukawa were a low ranking samurai family who lived along the Aiba Canal in Hagi. They were the keepers of the canal which is probably why their residence was larger than normal for people of their rank.

 

It only costs 100 yen to get in and look around and there are not so many visitors so it can be enjoyed quietly. Around the house are several stone water basins, tsukubai.

What is unusual about these samurai houses along the Aiba  are the hatoba, the covered inlets that allow for direct access to the flowing water for the kitchen and bathroom...

Well worth 100 yen and an hour of your time...

Aiba Waterway Koi

The carp-filled Aiba waterway runs through a quiet neighborhood in the southern section of Hagi.

Originally a stream, it was canalized to prevent flooding and to provide irrigation to paddies. It was later widened and deepened to enable small boats to be used for transporting materials.

Houses along the waterway built "hatoba", allowing the water of the canal to come into the kitchens and bathrooms where it could be used without having to go outside.

Several of the houses are open to the public including the childhood home of Taro Katsura, Japans' longest serving Prime Minister.

Kanaya Tenmangu

Kanaya shrine is south of the river in Hagi and therefore a little off the main tourist track, but it was the premier shrine for the castle inhabitants at least. This big gate once held Nio, the Buddhist guardians that were removed in 1868 with the separation of Buddhas and Kami.

It was moved to this site in 1720, though I have been unable to find out exactly from where. Its location is just outside what was a major gate into the castle town. Whenever the daimyo had to travel to Edo for sankin kotai, the forced residence in Edo in alternate years, the entourage would stop first here and pray for a safe journey.

The main enshrined kami is Tenjin, the deified identity of Sugawara Michizane, and this is a branch shrine of Dazaifu Tenmangu.

Being patronized by the rulers, the shrine has lots of donated artworks..... which I will show in a later post...

Daisho-in Temple, Hagi

Daisho-in is a Rinzai Zen temple in the castle town of Hagi, Yamaguchi.

A little off the regular tourist route in Hagi, the quietness combined with dilapidation make for an atmospheric visit.

The garden and pond are quite nice, but the main sight to see is the family graveyard of the Mori clan who moved here and built the castle and town.

The temple was derelict when the Mori moved here, but the second Lord of Hagi, Tsunahiro, rebuilt the temple in the mid 17th Century as a family temple. He, as well as his father and the 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th Lords are interred here along with their wives. The other generations were interred on the other side of Hagi in Tokoji.

Leading up to the tombs are 603 stone lanterns donated by loyal vassals. Thats 100 more than at the more visited Tokoji. Every Obon all the lanterns are lit.

Kasuga Shrine, Hagi

The Kasuga Shrine in Hagi is located on the southern edge of the old samurai district and is one of the approximately 3000  branches of the famous Kasuga Taisha in Nara which is the family shrine of the Fujiwara Family, arguably the most powerful family in Japan for many centuries.

Though most common nowadays, stone komainu were a later feature and were preceded by wooden ones inside the shrine building or later in the zuijinmon.

By the side of the shrine building is an old chinowa, a ring used for purification. usually in the spring a new one will be made and erected in front of the shrine and parishioners will pass through it.

The main kami enshrined here are the same 4 as Kasuga Taisha, Amenokoyane, Takemikazuchi, Futsunushi, both of whom took part in kuniyuzuri, and Himegami, which seems to be a generic name for consorts of male kami. According to Izumo records only Futsunushi came to Izumo for the kuniyuzuri.

The signboard also lists another kami that I had not heard of before:- Iwatsutsuno-o, who, like Takemikazuchi was formed from the blood left on the sword Izanagi used to slay the fire god with.

There were some secondary shrines in the grounds but the signboard gave no details....