Mouth of the Matsumoto River

 

The area of Hagi around the port and the mouth of the Matsumoto River is called Hamasaki.

Though there was still more than a month until Girls day, March 3rd, there were several displays of Hina dolls...

Hamasaki is one of three Historic Preservation Districts in Hagi, though on this visit I was in a hurry to get home so didn't tarry or explore.

I did pass a few old, traditional buildings, and one not so old but in an advanced state of collapse.

The reach the Matsumoto River, the name of the easternmost fork of the Abu River that creates the delta upon which Hagi was built.

I start  to head downstream to the first bridge crossing the river so I can continue East.

I did not know it at the time, but there is a small, unique ferry that crosses over here. On later trips is used it and will write about it then.

I am not sure what the wooden posts protruding from the river were from, but they make great resting spots for seabirds.

Some type of cormorant and some kind of gulls.... forgive me for not being a twitcher...

I head east and pass the big warehouses of a sake brewery.

A little later, a noborigama, the traditional kind of climbing kiln used in Japan.

Hagi is famous for its pottery. Started by kidnapped Korean potters at the end of Hideyoshi's failed invasion of Korea in the 16th century.

This climbing kiln is at the Yoshiga Tabi Memorial Museum. Yoshiga Tabi was an early 20th century potter.

The final shot is at the waterside shed of Japan Fisheries, looking at the Ebisu Shipyard World Heritage Site.

This was where the Mori tried to build a western-style warship in the mid 19th century. I will cover it and the other World Heritage sites inHagi in later posts.

This was the end of day 29 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage, and day 30 would begin in a couple of months during cherry blossom season. From here the route is basiclly up the Jaoan Sea coast, through Shimane, my home area, and then through Tottori., a much more relaxed and less populated region compared to the first part of the pilgrimage.

The previous post in this series was the Sumiyoshi Shrine in Hamasaki.

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Mouth of the Hashimoto River

 

A few miles before reaching the Sea of Japan, the Abu River in Yamaguchi splits into two channels, the eastern being named the Matsumoto River, and the western being the Hashimoto River.

The island of land between them is where the castle town of Hagi was built at the start of the 17th century.

I walked along the west bank of the Hashimoto River from Daisho-in temple to Kannon-in temple.

At the mouth of the river is the fishing village of Tamae.

I am not sure what type of seaweed is out drying,....but my guess would be a species of kelp,... maybe kombu?

From Tamae over the river to Hagi jokamachi is Tokiwa Bridge. Actually two parallel bridges, one for pedestrians, one for vehicles. Mount Shizuka, with the castle ruins at its base, is clearly visible.

Looking back to Kannon-in and its pagoda-like Kannon Hall.

On the other side, the samurai district.....

Looking upstream ro where I had walked from.....

The next pilgrimage temple is 100 kilometers away in Hamada and my route will be along the scenic coastline of the Sea of Japan.

This is a channel that cuts across the corner of the island from the Hashimoto River to the sea. Not sure how much of it is man-made as it seems to be part of an outer moat system...

The final photo is a Kite. click here for another post with kites in flight..

The previous post was on Tamae Kannon-in Temple.

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From Onbara to Kurihara Bridge

 

On the third day of my walk up the Gonokawa River towards its source, I have passed through the boundaries of Gotsu City and Kawamoto Town and have entered Misato Town, a huge area of scattered vullages and uninhabited mountains straddling the river for the next few days.

I leave the small settlement of Onbara after visiting its shrine. A very quiet little place that the "main" road along the river bypasses.

It's mid-October and the Goldenrod is in full bloom. It's originally an American plant but since the mid 20th century and spread across Japan. It occupies the same ecological niche as the native Susuki, often referred to as Japanese Pampas Grass. Goldenrod is an invasive species seemingly taking over. In the US, Susuki is an invasive species seemingly crowding out Goldenrod. Balance of a kind I guess.

A narrow lane leads back to the riverbank. Kurihara Bridge is just ahead.

Several roadside altars have some offerings of coins and fresh flowers, and swept clean, attesting to the care given by at least one of the locals....

The previous post in this series was on Onbara Hachimangu, the local shrine.

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From Kirobara to Onbara along the Gonokawa

 

After visiting the huge stump of what used to be a sacred tree I carried on upstream on the south/east bank of the Gonokawa River.

So far, on the third day of my walk upriver, more people seem to live on the opposite bank.... something I believe holds true at least as far as Miyoshi.

At some point I cross the border from Kawamoto Town into Misato City, not really a city but a collection of villages and small towns collected together administratively...

Misato has a total of 14 bridges, both rail and road, that cross the Gonokawa. That number may now be reduced as the rail bridges get dismantled since the line closure...

The first of these bridges ( or the last if you are coming downstream) is the Minato Bridge.

As with everywhere in Japan, small Buddhist altars can be found by the roadside.

Then it was Take Station, the next station on the former Sanko Line. Not dismantled and demolished like some on the line....

In England it would be called a Halt rather than a station as there were no buildings and never had any staff.

Of course Take means bamboo....

Up ahead, Mount Sanbe, the active volcano that is 1,126 meters high, and the highest point in Iwami. The river heads towards it for a bit more, todays destination, and then does a 180 turn and heads away from it.

There is not much else to see until the next settlement, Onbara.

It is kind of divided by a hill into two parts....

I chose to walk through the village rather than stay on the riverbank...

The last set of photos are just shots of things that attracted my eye before reaching the village shrine.

The previous post in this series documenting the third day of my walk up the Gonokawa River to  its source was on the sacred tree and shrine in Kirobara.

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