Samurai Gardens of Kitsuki

Kitsuki's Samurai Gardens

Kitsuki is a small, historic castle town in Oita. It is claimed to be the smallest castle in Japan. To the west of the castle, on a high bluff overlooking the town, is a former samurai district.

 

About half a dozen of these former samurai homes are open to the public, and as these were fairly high ranking sanurai, their homes were large and included gardens.

For this post I have chosen to focus on views of the garden from inside the houses.

Kitsuki is on the southern edge of the Kunisaki Peninsula, an area I am rather fond of, and these photos were taken on the 4th day of my walk around the peninsula during a November, so the gardens had some good autumn colors.

 

Kabosu Juice From Oita Prefecture

Kote-e of Kitsuki

Kote-e is a kind of Japanese art we would call plaster relief. a kote is a kind of narrow trowel used by plasterers, and e means picture or painting, so the literal translation would be "trowel picture".

The art developed in Edo and spread throughout the country, though in some places it is more common. Oita is one such place, and the merchant district of the castle town of Kitsuki has numerous examples.

The designs of the kote-e primarily used symbols to either ward off misfortune or attract good fortune. The kanji for water, used to ward off the danger of fire, is very common nationwide.

Being merchant properties, many of the kote-e in Kitsuki invoke good fortune and the accumulation of wealth. Daikoku and Ebisu, two of the 7 Lucky Gods, are therefore common.

Kitsuki Castle the Smallest Castle in Japan

Kitsuki Castle

Claimed to be the smallest castle in Japan, Kitsuki castle is located in northern Kyushu in the town of Kitsuki in Oita.

The keep is a mere three storeys, but the castle does occupy a strategic position on a headland overlooking the river and sea.

A castle was built here in the late 14th Century by Kitsuki Yorinao, though it must be said that the Japanese definition of castle would in many cases be called s small fortification in English.

I like Kitsuki. There is an excellent, well-preserved samurai district near the castle which I will post on later. The current keep is a modern reconstruction though they have made an effort to keep signs of modern times out of the grounds.

Kabosu Juice From Oita Prefecture

Kitsuki Sunrise

For the 4th day of my walk around the Kunisaki Peninsula in northern Kyushu, I spent all day exploring the castle town of Kitsuki. I spent the night on the south bank of the Yasaka River, and the castle and town were on the north bank, so early in the morning I headed across the bridge at the mouth of the river.

The view out to sea was where the sun had recently risen. I believe it is technically part of Beppu Bay, though it also falls within the boundaries of the Inland Sea. I have a fondness for early morning shots because where I have been living for the past 16 years or so is in a steep, narrow valley so I only get to see the sun in the middle part of the day.

When I lived on top of the world I was able to see the sunrise for a lot more than 300 days a year, and this is probably why I have a penchant for sleeping out on mountaintops here in Japan.

On this particular morning it was quite cloudy, but shafts of golden light were clearly visible......

Kyushu Pilgrimage Temple 23 Komyoin

Located against a cliff below one of the samurai districts in the old castle town of Kitsuki, just south of the Kunisaki Peninsula is Komyo-in, number 23 on the Shingon Kyushu Pilgrimage.

In 1645, Matsudaira Hideko was given control of the domain and he constructed a Kimon, a temple to guard the NE direction, and he chose Fudo Myo as the main deity.

In early Meiji the temple was destroyed in the anti-Buddhist movement, but the statue of Fudo Myo was transferred to this new location.

As well as the statue of Fudo in the main hall there are numerous other statues of Fudo around the grounds.

The Goma-do, the space for the Goma Ritual, is located inside a cave where another statue of Fudo plus 4 other Myo are enshrined.

Kyushu Pilgrimage Day 9 Usa to Kitsuki

The ninth day was rainy. Not showery, but dark and overcast and incessant. Devoid of color. and while not a downpour it rained enough and was cold enough for the dampness to penetrate.

My route skirted the Kunisaki Peninsula, following the main road and rail line and rather than spend time looking around and enjoying the view I concentrated on walking quickly from shrine to shrine so I could take a break out of the rain.

At one shrine I found some interesting komainu, at another a pair of faded photographs of the Showa Emperor and his wife.

As I got closer to Kitsuki a couple of largish temples offered the possibility of something interesting to see....

As I reached Kitsuki in the early evening the rain finally stopped, though the sky remained threatening....