Yanai. White Walls & Goldfish Lanterns

 

Yanai, near the southern coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture, has an historic area that retains much of its Edo Period history and features.

Since 1984 it has been registered as a Group of Traditional Buildings, which I prefer to refer to as Historic Preservation District.

Called Shirakabe Street, the view of the charming white-walled storehouses and merchant properties is not spoiled by the unsightly profusion of power poles and cables of most Japanese streets.

The town prospered due to its port, situated a short distance up the tidal Yanai River.

The unique feature of this historic merchant quarter is the colourful goldfish lanterns seen hanging from most properties.

A visit in the evening with all the lanterns lit up is a unique experience....

The locals started making the kingyo chochin, goldfish lanterns, about 150 years ago and they have now become the icon of the town.

Covered with traditional Japanese washi paper over a frame made of thin strips of bamboo, it is possible for visitors to take a class and make one.

Once a year during the Kingyo Chochin Matsuri, even more lanterns are on display, including some huge examples made by different local teams.

If you want to see some evening shots or maybe even purchase a golfish lantern, please check this other post.

I've been to Yanai several times before and still enjoy it. In general, I prefer my preservation districts less gentrified, but Yanai is far enough away from a Shinkansen station that it is not overcrowded like Kurashiki...

Some of the side alleys and streets are more intriguing to me....

Among the shops and cafes are quite a few  traditional properties open to the public.

I will cover those in the next post in the series....

The previous post in this series on day 19 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the displays and interiors of the nearby Muruya no Sono Merchant House Museum.

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Ushitora Shrine Fukuyama

 

Ushitora Shrine is said to be the oldest shrine in Fukuyama.

It is said to have been founded as Gozu Tenno Shrine in the early 12th century when the area that is now Fukyama was a big estate of the Fujiwara Clan.

In  1334 it was moved to its current location and renamed Akitsushima shrine after Izanagi was also enshrined here.

When Fukuyama Castle was constructed the shrine was in the NE direction of the castle and so was supported by the lords of the castle as a kimon, demon gate to protect from the NE. 

Gozu Tenno would seem to be originally of Hindu origin and in Japan became known as the god of plagues, both as cause and prevention. The origin of the Gion Matsuri , Gozu Tenno was widely enshrined throughout Japan and equated with Susano. Gion Shrines, Yasaka Shrines, and others were all originally devoted to Gozu Tenno but in Meiji officially became shrines to Susano.

Fukuyama Ushitora Shrine appeared in a 2022 TV program and has since become even more popular as a shrine for seeking protection.

The previous post was on the temple immediately adjacent, Kannon-ji, also functioning as a kimon of the castle.

Jizoji Revisited

On Friday 16th December, 2016 I began my walk along the Shikoku 36 temple Fudo Myo-o pilgrimage. At times the route is the same as the 88 Henro, but at other times it is quite different.

Some of the 36 temples are actually bangai temples from the Henro. In fact the first temple is Taisanji which is the first Henro bangai.

I decided to start walking from Jizo-ji, the fifth of the henro temples and the closest one to Taisanji, because I wanted to revisite the Rakan Hall.

I was there a long time before the Hall opened so hung out in the days first light and snapped some pics.

Kyushu Pilgrimage Day 8 Nakatsu to Usa

Sunday, January 6th, 2013, was going to be a fine day weatherwise, though when I started walking it was still dark. I had recently spent a few days exploring Nakatsu, so today I just headed straight to the first pilgrimage temple, stopping in at the local shrine as I passed it.

Yesterday had not included any pilgrimage temples, the first of such days, but today would include a total of four. From Nakatsu I headed inland to a mountain used by ascetics before backtracking and taking a fairly main road east towards Usa.

The main road was fairly uninteresting, much of it being newer road that bypassed villages.

The final stop of the day was across from the famous Usa Hachimangu at a temple that now housed many of the Buddhist treasures removed from the shrine complex when all the pagodas and other temple structures were removed in the 19th Century. Last day of this leg so I headed back home for a month before starting the next section of my walk around Japan.

Giant Temple Lanterns

Paper lanterns are ubiquitous in Japan with white or red being the most common colors. Small red lanterns hanging outside an establishment typically suggests that  alcohol is served inside.

Temples also feature lanterns, with very large, red ones being found at some temples. These examples were all found while I was walking the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage this year.

The first photo was taken in the main hall of Kokawadera Temple in Wakayama Prefecture. The second is at Sefukuji Temple in the mountain in the south of Osaka Prefecyure, and the third is at Ishiyamadera temple at the southern end of Lake Biwa in Shiga.

The fourth is also in Shiga, at Miidera Temple, and the final photo is at Imakumano Kannonji Temple in Kyoto.

Ryozenji Temple 1 of the Shikoku Pilgrimage

Located in Naruto, not far from Tokushima City, Ryozenji is now classified as temple 1 on the pilgrimage route because it is located closest to the port where pilgrims from Kyoto/Osaka would arrive on Shikoku.

The name translates as Vulture Peak Temple, and according to the legend it was founded by the famous priest Gyogi in the 8th Century and visited by Kukai in the 9th Century.

Like most of the pilgrimage temples it belongs to the Shingon Sect. The main deity worshipped here is Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha.

The temple buildings date from 1964, and like many temples in eastern Shikoku is was destroyed by the warlord Chosokabe Motochika in the 16th Century and was burned down again in the late 19th Century.

I think most pilgrims start from here, and also quite a few return at the end of their pilgrimage to "close the circle". Also it is close enough to Tokushima that many people do a sample of the pilgrimage by walking the first half a dozen.

The temple has all the products and supplies you would need to do the pilgrimage.

The Niomon gate and the pagoda are particularly delightful. Like many of the temples there are dozens and dozens of statues of many Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and other deities.....