National Treasure Kamosu Shrine

National Treasure Kamosu Shrine

Day 44 of my walk along the Chugoku Pilgrimage began at Kamosu Shrine, SE of Matsue, the castle town and capital of Shimane.

Kamosu Shrine is quite famous for having a National Treasure, the honden, said to be the oldest existing piece of Taisha Zukuri, the style of architecture of Izumo Taisha and only found within Izumo Province.

Photos 9, 15, & 18 shows the honden. It is believed to date back to 1583.

The shrine has an unusual history: it is not mentioned in the Izumo Fudoki or the Engi Shiki because it was originally a private shrine of the Izumo no Kuni Miyatsuko family, the province's governors and head priests of Izumo Taisha, and it enshrined their ancestral deity, Amenohohi.

The first mention of it as a public shrine is in the early 13th century, but it is believed to have been public for some time before that.

The district where the shrine is located, Ou, contained the provincial government offices, in essence the provincial capital, and so, as governors, their family home would have been nearby.

The Six Shrines of Ou, the district where the shrine and government offices were, are Kamosu Shrine, Kumano Taisha, Manai Shrine, Yaegaki Shrine, Iya Shrine, and Rokusho Shrine, all important and interesting shrines.

Now the primary kami is Izanami, with the secondary kami being Izanagi. Not far from here, near Iya Shrine, is the entrance to Yomi, the underworld, where Izanagi fled from after visiting his wife/sister Izanami there.

There are many secondary shrines within the grounds, the largest structure belonging to the Okama Shrine. An Okama is a kind of large cauldron and Amenohohi rode an Okama when he descended here. The Okama ritual is held in December.

Other shrines include a Toshitokujin Shrine. I have found Toshitokujin shrines at several other shrines I have visited in the Izumo region but don't remember coming across them before. They enshrine an Onmyodo deity of prosperity and good fortune. Onmyodo, called Yin-Yang Theory sometimes, was very prevalent in Japan but has now been subsumed into "Shinto", as has a lot of Daoism.

There is also a Kitsuki Shrine enshrining Susanoo & Okuninushi, an Ise Shrine enshrining Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, a Kumano Shrine enshrining the three Kumano kami, an Aragami Shrine, a Toyama Shrine enshrining Ugayafukiaezu, the father of Jimmu, a Buyu Shrine enshrining Futsunushi, & a Hiroku Shrine.

The Kibune Inari Shrine enshrines both the Kibune kami Okaminokami, and the Inari kami, Ukanomitama. The structure is an Important Cultural Property as it dates to 1356, a few years older than the central pillar of the honden (main hall), a survivor of a lightning strike that destroyed the rest of the building.

If you happen to visit on the days of any of the festivals, the doors of the honden are opened and you can glimpse the brightly painted interior murals on the wall and doors.

Nearby Yaegaki Shrine has the oldest shrine murals in Japan.

The area around Kamosu Shrine contains a lot to see if you are interested in ancient history and ancient shrines.

There are a lot of kofun, burial mounds, in the area and quite a nice little museum, the Yakumotatsu Fudoki no Oka Museum with some good exhibits and tombs in the grounds,

Several of the Six Shrines of Ou are within a short walk, although in general the area is not well served with public transport but there are buses from Matsue Station to Kamosu Shrine and the Museum.

The previous posts in this series was on yesterday's walk along the shore of Lake Shinji and a visit to the interesting Nutashi Shrine.

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Karube Shrine the boobs shrine

Karube Shrine

Karube Shrine near Soja in Okayama is known locally as Oppai Jinja, with oppai being a Japanese slang word, used largely by children, to refer to female breasts.

Originally established on top of the mountain in the early 14th century, enshrining the three kami of the Kumano Sanzan, it was destroyed several times before being moved to its current site in 1678 after having a further two kami added, Amaterasu and Kunitokotachi.

For about 400 years, until 1940, there was a huge weeping cherry tree in the grounds that became known as a kami for ample breastmilk and safe childbirth and it was this tree that is the origin of the current tradition of offering votive plaques with representations of breasts on them, not any of the kami actually enshrined here.

It was not known at all outside the local area until being featured on a national TV program, but since then has drawn visitors from all over.

Many of the votive plaques are a standard design that can be bought online or from several local establishments, however some are hand-made and unique. The plaques can now also be found at several other shrines and temples.

Nowadays almost half the ema are prayers for relief from breast cancer, and most of the rest for ample breast milk and safe childbirth.

The rate of breast cancer in japan has doubled in the past 50 years.

Until the modern era womens breasts in Japan were not considered sexual or erotic, but a few of the plaques are asking for large breasts for "cosmetic" reasons....

The previous post in this series on day 7 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the nearby Hofukuji Temple.

Goods From Japan