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.

If you would like to subscribe by email, just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published or made public. I post new content almost every day, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the last ten posts.

Motoyamaji Temple 70 Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage

 

Temple 70, Motoyamaji, was a very pleasant surprise. Large, with lots to see, but not overcrowded...

The blue walls surrounding much of the compound was interesting and quite striking.

The 5-storey pagoda was started in the late 19th century and not finished until 1910.

The temple was founded by Kobo Daishi in 807. It is said he carved the honzon, a Bato Kannon, Horse-Head Kannon, the only Bato Kannon as honzon on the whole pilgrimage.

The Bato Kannon has two attendants, an Amida and a Yakushi.

It was a powerful temple in the middle ages with 24 branch temples and a territory of 2,000 koku.

The current main hall was built in 1300 and is very elegant. Not surprisingly, considering its age, it is a National Treasure

It survived the ravages of Chosokabe when most other temples did not. The clan that controlled the temple had a pact with Chosokabe, and that may be the reason, but there is a legend that explains the temple's survival.

Chosokabe's soldiers did attack the temple and cut down the head priest. However, when they opened the inner shrine in the main hall, the Amida statue was bleeding, so the samurai fled in fear.

The bell tower and Niomon also survived from that time.

Most of the current buildings date to the early to mid 18th century.

The Niomon is an Important Cultural Property.

These three photos show the temple's guardian shrine. Built in 1547, it has a bark-and-reed roof and is my second-favorite building after the main hall.

The previous temple on the pilgrimage was Kannonji, Temple 69. It occupies the same site as Temple 68, Jinneiin.

If you would like to subscribe by email, just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published or made public. I post new content almost every day, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the last ten posts

Kozanji Temple 19 Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage

 

Kozanji is a Soto Zen temple in the old samurai town of Chofu near Shimonoseki.

It was established originally as a Rinzai temple in 1327.

It is the 19th temple on the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage.

Originally called Chofukuji, by the start of the 17th century it had become somewhat dilapidated, but Mori Hidemoto had it reconstructed as a Soto temple and changed the name to Kozanji.

The highlight of the temple is the Butduden, the Buddha Hall, built in 1320. Top photo.

It is the oldest remaining example of Zenshuyo style architecture in Japan and is registered as a National Treasure.

Kozanji has numerous links to the Meiji Restoration. The mound pictured below is a memorial to all those who gave their lives for the Meiji Restoration.

Inside the Butsuden is the honzon of the temple, a Thousand-armed Kannon, as well as numerous other noteworthy statues.

28 statues were carved in the early 16th century as attendants to kannon, and 23 remain today.

Kozanji has a big, ornate two^story gate, but it was enclosed in scaffolding and tarps when I visited.

The honzon is said to have been carved by the famous sculptor Unkei.

In the entrance to the priests quarters is a statue of Idaten.

This Bodhisattva is known as a protector of monasteries....

The previous post in this series on day 25 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pigrimage was on the moss garden here at Kozanji.

If you would like to subscribe by email, just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published or made public. I post new content almost every day, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the most recent posts.