Yuasa Birthplace of Soy Sauce

 

Yuasa is a small town and port on the coast of Wakayama and once a resting point on the Kiiji Route of the Kumano Kodo, which was the reason I was visiting.

Enough of the old town and its architecture remain so that Yuasa was registered as an Historic Preservation Distrist, the only one in the whole prefecture.

Some of the preservation districts are big tourist spots, like Gion, or Kurashiki, and they are filled with cafes and souvenir shops, but Yuasa is more the kind I prefer, somewhat run-down and with few outsiders....

More recently, Yuasa was registered as  a Japan Heritage Site, and so the increased funding and exposure has brought more visitors and some gentrification.

The reason is that Yuasa has a claim to be the birthplace of soy sauce.

According to the story, a Buddhist monk settled in Yuasa in the 13th century after returning from his studies in Chima.

He brought back a style of miso-making called kinzanji in Japanese. This produced a small amount of liquid that proved to be delicious as seasoning, so the local miso makers created a production method that increased the amount of this liquid, and so soy sauce was born.

Soy sauce production grew in the town with about 90 companies operating here in the Edo Period.

Only a handful remain, with Yuasa Soy Sauce Company being the biggest.

The tone hosts what it called the Seiro Museum. Seiro are wooden trays used in the production of soy sauce.

They are used as a frame to make displays of things related to everyday life in Yuasa.

They can be found throughout the historic district.

Since I visited there are now various ways to delve more deeply into the history of Soy in Yuasa, including factory tours.

Also, like Shodoshima and other locations in Japan, soy sauce-flavoured ice cream is on sale.

The first photo of the post, and the last couple, show the Kadocho Soy Sauce Brewery.

The previous post in this series on walking the Saigoku Pilgrimage and Kumano Kodo was on Jinsenji Temple in Yuasa.

Jinsenji Temple Yuasa

 

Jinsenji Temple is located in Yuasa, the small town in Wakayama said to be where soy sauce was invented.

Said to have been founded originally as Kaiunji Temple in the early 8th century by Gyoki, and was used as lodgings by imperial pilgrims on their way to Kumano, but fell into disrepair and was re-established in the mid 15th century as a Jodo sect temple.

It was burned down in the Great Fire of Yuasa in the 1650's but rebuilt in 1664. 

Jinesenji has a small but lovely raked sand garden, but its most interesting feature is the large  pair of mythical Shachi on the roof ridge.

The previous post in this series on my walk along the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, said to be the oldest circuit pilgrimage in Japan, was on Kimiidera, the huge temple somewhat north of here.

Kimiidera Temple 2 Saigoku Pilgrimage

 

Kimiidera is a major temple in the south of Wakayama City with many things to see inlcuding the tallest wooden Senju Kannon statue.

It is temple number 2 on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, possibly the oldest "circuit" pilgrimage in Japan.

Depending on the route you take it is between 150-190 kilometers from temple 1, Seigantoji, and it took me 6 days to walk it. This section of the Saigoku follows the Kumano Kodo, so there was plenty to see.

I entered from the small north gate, photo 2, which has a narrow road up to the main temple buildings.

The main entrance, to the south, has a long flight of 231 steps, the final three photos of this post.

Kimiidera is said to have been founded in 770 by a Chinese monk who has been given the Japanese name Tamemitsu Shonin.

According to the legend he saw a ray of light emanating from the top of Mount Namakusa and upon investigating saw a golden, Thousan-Armed Kannon.

He is said to have carved an Eleven-Faced Kannon which is the honzon of the temple, and also enshrined the Thousand-Armed Kannon.

Both are "hidden Buddhas" and are only unveiled every 50 years.

However, in the main hall there are numerous statues not hidden, including the delightful Thousand-Armed Kannon below.

5 of the statues, including the 2 hidden ones, are Important Cultural Properties.

A well-visited Binzaru statue sits on the balcony.

Much of the architecture dates back to the 18th century, but some buildings are much older and are registered as  Important Cultural Properties.

The Tahoto-style pagoda, pictured below, dates back to possibly the mid 15th century.

The Bell Tower, photos 20 & 21, is dated to 1588 although was repaired in 1781 and 1937.

The tower Gate, the last three photos of the post, houses a fine pair of Nio and is dated to 1509 and was repaired 50 years later.

Many cherry trees are planted around the temple, with one particular one said to usually be the first cherry tree to blossom in the Kinki region and so is used to make the official start of Ohanami in Kinki.

The temples proper name is Kimiizan Kongoho-ji, and is also named Kongohoji Gokoku-in, but is mostly known by the name Kimiidera, named, it is believed, after the three sacred springs on the mountainside.

At the end of the Heian Period it was favored by Emperor Go-Shirakawa and flourished. In the Kamakura Period it is though the temple supported 500 monks.

When Hideyoshi invaded in 1581 he confiscated all the temple lands and also many historical records were lost.

When a branch of the Tokugawa took over the domain they started supporting the temple and of course during the heyday of the pilgrimage in the Edo Period the temple was very popular.

This modern structure, made of concrete, opened in 2002 and is 25 meters tall.

It houses the 12 meters tall gilded statue of a Thousand-armed Kannon that was completed in 2007.

It was prefabricated by Kyoto sculptor Matsumto Myokei in his studio and then assembled on site around an earthquake-resistant steel and wood frame.

It is claimed to be the tallest wooden statue in Japan, although I have seen the biggest Benzaiten statue down in Kyushu, made by the same sculptor, and it is 18 meters tall, but I guess that includes the base.

From the temple grounds there are great views over Wakanoura, the Bay of Poetry, immortalized in numerous Japanese poems over the centuries. There are quite a few interesting sites there so its well worth a visit. Please check an earlier post I wrote on Waknoura.

I believe that there is now a small entrance fee, though when I visited it was free. There is also a new cable-car and elevator that allows those who wish to avoid the long climb.

The previous post in this series on my walk along the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the syncretic Shinto-Buddhist site of Tanga Daigongen.