Showing posts with label komainu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label komainu. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

The Forest at Oyamazumi Shrine in Sechibaru

 


This Oyamazumi Shrine is located in Seechibaru Town in the high country north of Sasebo, and is one of several Oyamazumi shrines in the region.


Oyamatsumi was an older brother to Amaterasu and Susano and there are many shrines for him across Japan, the most famous being the one on Omishima Island which has the greatest collection of samurai armour and weapons in Japan in its collection.


What makes this particular local shrine of interest is the forest environment around it which is a rare example of old-growth forest in Japan.


It was designated a Natural Monument in 1972 primarily because it is home to a stand of Japanese Chinquapin trees, Castanopsis cuspidata, a tree related to Beech and Oak, it is an evergreen with edible nuts that grows to 20 to 30 meters in height. Covering less than 3 acres, is is very biodiverse with many other species of trees, both evergreen and deciduous, as well as numerous bushes and smaller plants including a rare fern.


Called Tsuburajii in Japanese, the dead wood of the Japanese Chinquapin is one of the best hosts for shiitake mushrooms and is actually the origin of the word shiitake itself. a combination of the Japanese kanji for tsuburajii(椎)  and take (mushroom)(茸).


The previous post was on Saikoji Temple which lies across the mountain in the valley I had walked up. I was now heading down the valley to the next pilgrimage temple.


Friday, February 2, 2024

Kakaji Betsugu Hachiman Shrine

 


Kakaji is a town on the north side of the Kunisaki peninsula, and the Hachiman Shrine is te main shrine of the town.


The approach to the shrine crosses a stone-arched bridge across the Takeda River.


Built in the mid 19th century, this type of bridge was rare in the area.


The shrine is set in a forest of pines, and its main feature is an impressive two-storey gate.


One of the komainu guarding the approach is unusual in that it is standing upon a turtle. I can't remember having seen that before.


The main gate has numerous relief carvings.


Many sources suggest the gate may have been built in the late Edo period, but the late 19th century is more likely.


The gate houses two Zuijin, Shinto guardians.


They are unusual in that they are carved out of stone, not wood. I have seen other stone zuijin in the Kunisaki area, but not elsewhere.


The shrine was established in the early 8th century, before the  Hachiman cult spread to the Kinki region with its connection to the founding of Todaiji.


It is one of 5 "betsugu" of Usa Hachimangu. Bestsugu is often translated as "branch", but the relationship is stronger and more direct than that. Maybe "annex" would be more accurate.


As a Hachiman shrine it is now considered to enshrine Ojin, his mother Jingu, and a consort.


The three Munakata "sisters" are also enshrined here.


I visited at the end of my second day walking around the Kunisaki area following the old Kunisaki pilgrimage trail while starting the Kyushu Fudo pilgrimage. The previous post was on my walk from Oreki Temle to Kakaji.


Monday, January 29, 2024

Shrines of Day 66

 


While walking around the countryside near Sasebo in Nagasaki on the 66th day of my walk along the Kyushu pilgrimage I stopped in at any shrines that I passed. At the start of the day I visited a largish Sumiyoshi shrine in Haiki, and a little later Hasami Shrine next to Tozenji Temple. All the other shrines I visited that day were quite small and no information boards.


These first two photos are of a small Kotohira Shrine. before the Meiji period, they were probably called Konpira. There were a few more Kotohora shrines in the area. Since Meiji the main kami has been identified as a variation of Okuninushi. The main Kotohira Shrine is on Shikoku and was a major pilgrimage destination in its own right and was known for offering protection to seafarers.


Just 100 meters away is Srayama Daijingu Shrine. The small hokora was established in 1487. Unusual was a horse and a komainu rather than 2 komainu.


Apparently, during a famine in 1732 the local people either started to make puppets or started to perform, puppet plays.


With its large vermillion torii, and building indistinguishable from a residence, Suwa Daimyojin was a little unusual.


Sasebo Suwa Shrine was its full name but there is absolutely zero information about it. Obviously a branch of the famous Suwa Shrine in Nagano that enshrines Takeminakata, the son of Okuninushi who was "exiled " to Nagano after being defeated by the envoy of Amaterasu, Takemikazuchi.



The final shrine was Uenomiya Shrine at the base of a hill that once had a small castle on top.


Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Niomon & Yakushido at Onsenji Temple

 


Onsenji Temple in Kinosaki Onsen, Hyogo, is the guardian temple of the town and was founded in the eighth century by the priest said to have discovered the hot spring.


The main buildings of the temple are located halfway up the mountainside and are reachable by steps from the base of the mountain, or, more commonly nowadays, by the ropeway.


At the bottom of the steps there are several; structures of the temple including an impressive Niomon, and a Yakushi-do.


Constructed in the late 18th Century, the Niomon contains a fine pair of Nio guardians.


The Yakushi-do was constructed a little later in the early 19th Century.


There is another small "hall" with what appears to be statues of Enma and other "Judges of Hell"


In the "foyer" of the Yakushi-do are many ema paintings and a delightful painted ceiling


The Motoyu, or origin of the hot spring is located just outside the temple grounds.


Onsenji is a Shingon temple.



The previous post in this series on Toyooka was on the main buildings of Onsenji.


Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Hasami Shrine

 


Hasami Shrine is located in its namesake, Hasami, so is probably considered the ujigami of the area.


It is located adjacent to Tozenji Temple where I was heading to, which suggests that in the past the shrine and temple were the same institution.


The shrine records say that it was established about 650 years ago, but the temple claims a much older history.


The kami enshrined here are listed as Amaterasu and Susano. A little unusual as they would often be found as a triad with Tsukiyomi, but not here.


The previous post was on Sumiyoshi Shrine in Haiki.