Across the Ou Plain

 

The first part of day 44 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was in Higashi Izumo, and I walked across the Ou Plain, once home to the provincial capital of Izumo.

My first stop was Kamosu Shrine with its National Treasure main hall. Just across the road from the entrance to the shrine was a rice paddy with black rice.

I don't remember ever coming across black rice before. Red rice I have seen growing and have eaten, but not black. I wonder if it is just a coincidence that it is grown next to the shrine, or if it is grown for a ritual. I have not seen mention of such a ritual in my readings on Kamosu Shrine...

Between Kamosu Shrine and Rokusho Shrine there was a roadside altar with this delightful, aged statue. I think it may be a Dainichi.

A line of giants march across the land from the nuclear power station NW of Matsue. I am reminded of Kurosawa, one of the great Japanese film directors, and a favorite of mine, who stopped making historical movies in Japan because there were so few places where power lines could not be found intruding into the view.

My route roughly followed the course of the Iu River, which empties into the Nakaumi Lagoon.

A small tunnel cuts through a hillside as I start to turn East and head over  some low hills.

It is early October, and some of the paddies have been harvested, some not yet. The paddies in this area, being a plain, are so much larger than in my area where the valleys are narrow.

As I gain a little elevation, I can see the Nakaumi Lagoon and the eastern end of the Shimane Peninsula beyond.

Not completely sure, but I believe this Praying Mantis, Kamakiri in Japanese, is nearing the end of its lifecycle....

Whereas this guy has a few more months before needing to hibernate for a while.

Across rural Japan are thousands and thousands of construction company yards filled with scaffolding and other equipment,.... many of these yards are abandoned....

The previous post in the series was on Rokusho Shrine....

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Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage Day 10 Iya to Higashi Matsue

I made an early start for the tenth day of this pilgrimage walk, and the approaching dawn heralded another glorious day of fine weather.

I would be visiting 2 temples of the pilgrimage, but many more shrines.

Part of my route will be along an older "shinto" pilgrimage, the Ou Rokusho, that connects 6 of the oldest shrines in this area that used to be the provincial capital when centralized government was first set up.

Kojin would be much in evidence. My route will take me inland along the southern edge of a wide valley, and then back along the northern edge. My starting point and finishing point are only a few kilometers apart.