Uranouchi Bay to Susaki

 

After alighting from the small ferryboat, I briskly head west towards Susaki where I have a room booked for the night.

It's late November so the days are relatively short with 10 hours of sunshine, and I started the day well before sunrise, but I still have about 10k to go to reach mu hotel so don't dawdle.

I pass a few small wayside shrines....

It's been some time since the rice was cut and harvested but the stalks have had a couple of months to start regrowing

This small henro hut was one used for overnight stays.... there was a portaloo nearby, running water, and an electricity outlet.... right next to the road but a welcome spot for those on a tight budget. I do get the impression that nowadays sleeping out on the henro trail is discouraged and frowned upon, and that is a real shame as it has always been a pilgrimage for the less well off "traveller"  rather than a package tour for tourists.

Approaching Susaki, the other side of the road and river is a huge industrial complex.

I believe this was a Kibune Shrine, but with the sun going down, I did not stop and explore...

It is a huge cement plant with a power station..... I know making cement uses a huge amount of heat, but am not sure if the power plant is to generate the power to produce the cement or if the heat used to produce the cement is used to make electricity.....

Though the standard catch-phrase for Japan in media is "resource-poor", it is in fact totally self-sufficient in cement and concrete...

As the small river I was walking down reaches the bigger Sakura River a big heron takes off...

The Sakura River widens at this point just before emptying into the sea and the setting sun paints a nice picture as I cross over into Susaki and get close to my bed for the night.

And so ends my 18th day walking along the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage known as Ohenro.

The previous post was on the ferry ride up Uranouchi Bay.

Uranouchi Bay in Kochi

 

After visiting Shoryuji, the 36th temple on the famous Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage, the pilgrima has several alternative routes to get to the next temple, number 37, Iwamotoji.

The most commonly taken route is to backtrack a little and go back over the bridge across the narrow  entrance to Uranouchi Bay and then head west along the north coast of the bay.

Another route is to head along the southern coast of the Yokonami Peninsula, which is said to have spectacular views but is lacking in facilities.

A third option is the one I chose, to take a little ferry that connects Umetate near the bridge with Yokonami at the far end of the inlet.

The ferry is small and only takes passengers, though I believe it may be possible to take a bicycle onboard.

The ferry only runs a few times a day, and zig-zags up the narrow inlet connecting settlements on either side.

I was the only passenger, and it didn't actually stop anywhere. It approached each little harbour, but on seeing no-one waiting just turned around and carried on.

I would imagine that on wet, cloudy, or windy days the journey is not so much fun...

But on a calm day the journey was pleasant and views quite magnificent.

The previous post in this series on the space between temples along the Shikoku Ohenro was on the walk from Kiyotakiji to Shoryuji.

From Kiyotakiji to Shoryuji

 

I spent the night in the tsuyado, the free room offered by some temples for walking pilgrims, at temple number 35 Kiyotakiji, so was up before sunrise and on my way on day 18 of my walk along the Shikoku Pilgrimage.

The route towards temple 36, Shoryuji, was pretty much directly south towards the coast and about 15k away. First I had to cross the Hage River, a tributary of the Niyodo River.

To reach the coast the road passes over a line of hills. Just before the pass, at around 100 meters above sea level, is a small park. As well as toilets it has a nice seated shelter..... exactly the kind of place that a walking henro keeps their eyes open for....

Dropping down into a town called Usa. I knew of the Usa in Oita on Kyushu, home to the head Hachiman shrine, but hadn't heard of this one before.

As usual, I pass by numerous small, local shrines, and one has a most unusual torii.

It is made of steel, seemingly stainless, yet dark. I have seen bronze torii, torii sheathed in copper, and some large steel torii, but none like this...

I reach the Pacific coast and pass by the fishing harbour with expansive views back along the Kochi coastline.

Shoryuji is on the Yokonami Peninsula a long narrow peninsula across a long narrow inlet. Before the 640 meter long Usaohashi bridge was built in 1973 pilgrims would have had to cross by ferry, one of the many sections on the pilgrimage route that ferries were needed.

The beaches on the tip of the peninsula seemed to be a popular holiday spot.

The previous post in this series was on temple 35, Kiyotakiji.

Mishima Shrine Takaoka Tosa

 

Mishima Shrine is located in Takaokacho, Tosa, at the base of the hill on which Ohenro temple 35, Kiyotakiji is found.

It shares space with an Itsukushima Shrine, though they each have their own steps.

The only history I can find is that it was rebuilt in the early 17th century.

There are numerous smaller shrines within the grounds, including a Yasaka Shrine enshrining Susano, and a Shinmei Shrine enshrining Amaterasu.

There are half a dozen komainu including several with the "Princess leia" hairstyle.

There are a lot of largish ema paintings, including one, not shown as it is too faded, registered as an Important Cultural Property.

The Mishima shrine enshrines Oyamazumi.

The Itsukushima Shrine enshrines the three Munakata Princesses, daughters of Susano.

The previous post in this series documenting the space between the temples on the Ohenro Pilgrimage was on the nearby Omirokusama Shrine.