Suwa Shrine & Mikiinari Shrine Kobe

 

Suwa Shrine is located on the lower slope of the mountains behind Kobe and is reached up a steep slope.

Though ostensibly a Suwa Shrine, as one approaches it appears to be an Inari Shrine, and the local nickname for the shrine is Suwayama Inari.

According to the legend the shrine was founded in the year 400 as protection of the detached palace of Princess Hatta or Yatta. She was the half-sister and consort of Emperor Nintoku.

As a Suwa shrine the main kami is Takeminakata, son of Okuninushi who was exiled to what is now Nagano after the transfer of the land from Onuninushi to Amaterasu.

Suwa Taisha is a major shrine with branches nationwide.

Later the mountain became named Suwayama.

However, in 1778 a branch of Fushimi Inari Shrine was established here, now known as Miki Inari.

For whatever reason the Inari identity overshadows the Suwa identity, with fox guardians guarding the Suwa shrine as well as all the numerous Inari shrines now scattered around the grounds.

One ceramic kitsune was particularly impressive.

Theer are several other shrines in the grounds other than the numerous Inari shrines, and they include a Sarutahiko Shrine.

I visited very early in the morning on day 4 of my walk along the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage.

From here a trail leads up the mountain to the next temples on the pilgrimage.

The previous post in the series was on Ninomiya Shrine in Kobe that I visited the evening before.

Ninomiya Shrine Kobe

 

Ninomiya Shrine is a small shrine in the heart of Kobe, not too far from Sannomiya Station. Ninomiya and Sannomiya means "Second Shrine" and "Third Shrine", and was a ranking system used in ancient Japan that has held over into modern times. The area around such shrines often were named after them.

According to the shrine legend, Empress Jingu stopped here on her way to what is now Ikuta Shrine, the most important shrine in the area and also said to have been founded by the mythical Empress.

Just inside the grounds is a small shrine, Mukuhakuryusha. It is a modern shrine being founded in 1955 and enshrines a white snake, a common motif in dreams and carrier of oracles from the kami.

There is also a small Inari Shrine. While Inari is well known as a kami of rice, it is also really popular among businesses, but not so well known is that Inari was the tutelary deity of women working in the "pleasure quarters". Until the middle of the twentieth century the area around the shrine was one of the many red light districts of Kobe.

The main building eshnrines Amenoohihomimi, the first of the 5 male kami created when Susanoo spat out after chewing Amaterasu's jewels, and the supposed direct ancestor of the imperial lineage. The shrine is known locally as Masakatsusan which come from a different reading of the kamis name, in that form known for success and victory.

The main building is quite new and I suspect may have been built after the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 95. One thing I dislike is the modern chigi on the roof, first photo. Chigi were originally the cross pieces that helped hold down thatched roofs but became architectural decorative details of shrines. When the end pieces were cut horizontally it indicated that the primary kami of the shrine was female, and when cut vertically the shrine was for a male kami. The type of chigi here is somewhat curved and has a diagonal cut.

I visited at the end of my third day walking the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage. The previous post was on nearby Ikuta Shrine.

Inari Shrine at Ikuta Jinja

Inari Shrine

Ikuta Shrine is a major shrine in Kobe. It was the third ranked shrine of the province and hence the area around it is now called Sannomiya.

In the NE corner of the grounds, near the east gate is a small Inari Shrine.

What struck me was the concrete wall alongside the torii tunnel.

Ikuta shrine claims an ancient history back to Empress Jingu, but I can find no info on this Inari Shrine.

The newness of the shrine suggests to me it was rebuilt when the neighbouring apartment block was constructed.

This visit was at the end of my third day walking the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage.

The previous post was on the Kobe Maritime Museum and Kawasaki Good Time World.

Goods From Japan

Kobe Maritime Museum & Kawasaki Good Time World

 

The most interesting piece of architecture in Kobe, to my mind at least, is the Kobe Maritime Museum located on the waterfront in Meriken Park.

It was opened in 1987 to mark the 120th anniversary of the opening of the port to foreign trade.

The vast majority of the displays are models, though some of them are quite large in scale.

However, I am guessing that the museum never made much money, so in 2007 a large part of the structure was turned into the Kawasaki Good Times World.

Outside Japan Kawasaki is probably best known for motorbikes, but it is a major industrial concern with its fingers in many pies.

Trains, helicopters, industrial robotics, and ships are among the many other products.

The museum has lots of simulators and other hands-on exhibits for kids of all ages....

This was the one and only time I went in, though I photograph the building whenever I pass through Kobe. I was here on Day 3 of my walk along the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage. The previous post was on Meriken Park.

Meriken Park Kobe

 

Meriken Park is a waterfront park in Kobe that is a major tourist attraction because of the many tourist sites in the vicinity. The BE KOBE logo is apparently what is known as an Instagrammable spot. This was taken quite a few years ago and when I was there last year people were lining up to have their photos taken there.

The harbour around Meriken ark is home to numerous cruises around the bay as well as a cruise ship terminal and a spot for various big visiting ships.

Meriken was the Japanese pronunciation for America back in the Meiji Era when Kobe was one of the main sites of foreign settlement. The Oriental Hotel with its distinctive curved architecture is one of the landmarks.

In front of the Oriental Hotel are a couple of wedding halls, one all glass and reflective pools of water, the other with an overhead lattice that is prime for the kind of photos I like to take.

Long term readers of this blog will have seen different pics of this piece of architecture before....

Perhaps the most iconic sight at Meriken Park is the Kobe Port Tower.

For some time it has been undergoing renovations, but I believe it is once again open to the public.

Another of the architectural marvels that intrigues me at Meriken Park is the Maritime Museum, but I will save that for the next post as I went inside and explored.

This visit was on the 4th day of my walk along the Kinki Fudo Myo Pilgrimage, and after reaching Kobe I spent the rest of the day exploring as a tourist...

The previous post was on Sorakuen Garden.