Tamawakasu Shrine Dogo

 

Tamawakasu Shrine on Dogo Island was the primary shrine for all of the Oki Islands, which until the late 19th century constituted a separate province of Japan.

Little is known about he main kami, Tamawakasu, although he is believed to be the founder and pioneer of the Oki Islands, said to be a descendant of Okuninushi.

Other kami enshrined here are Okuninushi, Susanoo, Inadahime, and Kotoshironushi.

Pretty much the main pantheon of Izumo.

Whoever the chieftan of the islands was, in the late 7th century when the Yamato government attempted to unify Japan, the chieftain was installed  as the governor of the province. Behind the shrine is a group of keyhole tombs, said to be the graves of the rulers of the area.

The family of priests who have controlled the shrine since then, the Oki Family, are descendants of the governor.

Their house is next door and I will cover that in the next post in the series.

The house, the honden of the shrine, and the Zuijinmon gate are all Important Cultural Properties, and are all thatched. The architectural style of the buildings is unique to the Oki Islands.

The honden dates to 1793, the house to 1801, and the zuijinmon to 1852

There is a huge, ancient Sugi tree estimated to be at least a thousand years old. Another fell down fairly recently.

It is called Yao Sugi, because the nun who planted it vowed to return in 800 years.

June 5th is the annual festival and it features horses. 8 horses bring the local kami from 8 different districts and numerous ceremonies are performed including galloping horses and yabusame, horseback archery. In former times horses from 48 districts would arrive.

The previous post in this series was on a scenic boat ride exploring the coast, river and main port of Dogo.

Kappa Sightseeing Boat Oki Islands

 

The Kappa Sightseeing Boat operates three times a day for a one-hour-long scenic tour around the historic port area of Saigo on Dogo Island , Okinoshima, in the Sea of Japan off the north coast of mainland Shimane.

Tour participants meet at the Tourist Information Office near the ferry terminal, and a 5-minute walk through the back streets takes you to the jetty where you board the covered boats.

The boat first heads out to the narrow mouth of the sheltered inlet, where you can look back at the port and the high country in the middle of the island behind.

Some of the geologic features of the coast are pointed out by the guide, though the commentary is only in Japanese. 

The Oki Islands are a UNESCO Global Geopark, so geology is a well-covered topic throughout the islands with plenty of printed material and signs in English on it.

You may also catch sight of one of the huge car ferries or the high-speed passenger ferry coming or going.

 Before heading upriver, the boat makes a detour under the 260-meter-long Saigo Bridge, which carries traffic over to the island's only airport and to Shirataki Point, a favorite spot for sunset viewing.

After a few bends the river soon leaves the town behind and the banks are lined with reeds or trees. Here the guide points out a couple of the haunts of the Kappa, the mythological creature that is probably the best known yokai character in Japan and after whom the boat trip is named.

 Often translated into English as “water imp”, this green, scaly creature with a beak and turtle-like shell is known throughout Japan and is known for drowning horses and children. It really likes cucumber, so kappazushi, a kind of sushi made with cucumbers, is often left as offerings to appease it. At this point the guide sings a local folk song.

  After turning around the boat heads back and then takes the narrow channel that cuts through the middle of the old town. In some ways this is the most interesting part as the side by side houses literally come right down to the waters edge, with the older houses still with small jetties or steps down to the water. As you get closer to the port itself the sides of the river begin to fill with fishing boats.

  

Being an island, fishing has always been a major preoccupation with the inhabitants, but in earlier times the whole channel would have been a hive of activity because Saigo was a major trading port.

 Though much is made of the great roads built in the Edo period like the Tokaido or the Nakasendo, along which travelled the great entourages of daimyos travelling to Edo or the millions of pilgrims heading to Ise, it is worth remembering that Japan was basically a maritime nation, and the coasts and waterways carried much of the trade and communication.

  

Saigo Port was a stopping point on the Kitamaebune, a major trade route that ran from Hokkaido and the far north down the Japan Sea coast and then round into the Inland Sea to reach Osaka, the trading capital of the country. This was a safer and easier route than the shorter Pacific coast route, so this channel would have been filled with boats tying up, cargoes being tran-shipped, and supplies being taken onboard, and though not often mentioned, like ports everywhere in the world , there would have been brisk business for “female companionship”.

 To my mind this was the prettiest sightseeing boat ride in an urban setting. In recent years Ine in Kyoto has been heavily pushed as a tourist spot, but in my humble opinion, the area around Saijo is almost as good and not at all touristy.

The previous post in this series exploring the Oki Islands was on the Suijin Shrine right next to where the Kappa Boat is boarded.

Suijin Shrine Saigo

 

This Suijin Shrine, is located on the waters edge in Saigo, the main port of Dogo, the largest of the Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan off of Shimane.

Most locals refer to it as Tenjinsan, as since at least the 16th century Sugawara Michizane has been enshrined here.

However, towards the end of the Edo period it was decided that this was a Suijin Shrine that had been recorded in the tenth century, and Tenjin had been added later.

I recently covered a similar situation where the Suwa Shrine in Kobe had become overpowered by the Inari that had been enshrined later.

The main kami is now listed as Mizuhanome, though it is unclear if that was a renaming from the Meiji riod when many kami were renamed to fit with the "national" histories of the Kojiki and Nihonshoki.

The previous ost in this series on the Oki Islands was on Takuhi Shrine, one of the most important shrines in the Oki Islands.

Takuhi Shrine in the Oki Islands

 

Takuhi Shrine is possibly the most famous of all the shrines on the Oki Islands, considering that during the Edo Period both Hakusai and Hiroshige, two of the most pre-eminent artist of the times, did prints of the shrine and its founding legend.

Situated high on 452 meter high Mount Takuhi which is the central peak of the submerged caldera that has formed the Dozen group of islands, the shrine has expansive views over the surrounding seas and islands.

Getting there involves a hike up a mountain trail which passes several smaller shrines on the way.

Known as the "Burning Lights" shrine, the legend is that three fireballs arose from the sea and flew into the cave where the shrine now stands.

Another story has it that when Emperor Gotoba was on his way here to exile his ship was lost and a light from the shrine saved him.

The origin stories most likely relate to the practice of signal fires and temple and shrine  lanterns being used by sailors to navigate at night. Takuhi Shrine became well known as a shrine offering protection on sea journeys.

The honden of the shrine is built into a small cave and is said to be the oldest building on the Oki Islnds.

It was built in 1732, prefabricated in Osaka and then shipped here and carried up the mountain to be reassembled.

It, along with the main hall are registered Important Cultural Properties.

The ornate carvings only appear on the front and one side of the structure, with the two unseen sides remaining plain.

By the 14th century it had become a Shugendo site and Unjoji Temple was set up with a Jizo as honzon.

The combined site became known as Takuhi Gongen until the early Meiji Period when most traces of Buddhism were removed.

The kami enshrined here is now listed as Ohirumenomuch, more commonly known as Amaterasu the Sun Goddess. Originally the mountain itself was considered the kami. For most of its history the primary deity was a Jizo.

There are numerous smaller shrines dotted around mountainside.

On one visit I was accompanied by the head priest whose family were originally Buddhist priests serving the complex.

The former priests house not far from the shrine is now used as the shrine office. It is a fine example of a traditional large house .

While chatting with the priest he showed me this painting of a Tengu. According to our chat he said that the highest shrine on the mountain was a Sanjin Shrine dedicated to Tengu. However, upon some research it turns out that the sanjin concept was created by Hirata Atsutane in the 19th century.... He also showed me a print of Izuna Daigongen which at the time I described as Tengu Dakiniten Fudo Myoo.

The previous post in this series on the Oki Islands was on the kagura performed in the area.