Kamayama Shrine

 

On the morning of the ninth day of my walk along the Saigoku Pilgrimage and the Kumano Kaido, I took a detour along a mini-pilgrimage to 3 shrines along the small Kishigawa Railway Line.

The first stop was Kamayama Shrine, enshrining Itsuse, the older brother of Jimmu, the mythical first emperor.

According to the story, Jimmu and his entourage had come up the Inland Sea, subduing the local tribes, but in the area now known as Osaka, they came upon a powerful enemy. Itsuse suggested that, as they were descendants of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, it was inauspicious for them to keep  attacking from the West, facing the rising sun; therefore they should head south into the Kii Peninsula and then come at the enemy from the East. Itsuse had been wounded by an arrow and later died from his wounds and was buried in the tomb behind the shrine.

As well as Itsuse, a whole slew of other kami are enshrined here, mostly the ancestor Kami of the main clans. On the left are enshrined Jimmu and the other two brothers of Jimmu and Itsuse. On the right: Takakuraji, a leader of the Kumano area, Umashimade, ancestor of the Mononobe, Amenohigata Kakushibigata, ancestor of the Omiwa, Amenotanekono, ancestor of the Nakatomi, Amenotomi, ancestor of the Imbe, Michiomi, ancestor of the Otomo, Okume, ancestor of the Kume, Shiinetsuhiko, ancestor of the Yamato, and Yatagarasu, ancestor of the Kamo.

The shrine was completely destroyed by Hideyoshi in the late 16th century. A small shrine was rebuilt in 1600 and then enlarged in 1669, however it was a very small shrine.

In early Meiji the shrine was enlarged in the campaign to elevate every site in the country connected to imperial history.

In 1938 it was massively expanded and rebuilt as part of the preparations for the 2,600th anniversary, in 1940, of the founding of the country by Jimmu. Around this time there was a veritable Jimmu mania.

The shrine has a hundred year old tradition for baby naming. As well as for babies, the shrine also offers the same service for naming a company or stage names etc.

As with other State Shinto sites, I found it sombre and austere, fitting, perhaps, as it is in essence a mausoleum.

It feels more like a European park in its layout and limited natural presence. There is no decoration nor "wild" nature.

From the shrine's website " The Greater East Asia War can be considered a success in that it brought us closer to eliminating racial discrimination and achieved the great objective of independence for East Asian countries, but our country itself suffered the full extent of the horrors of defeat."

So, the "horrors" of defeat overshadow the minimum of 20 million East Asian dead for this "success"

Shinto is being pushed as some kind of nature religion and spirituality, which certainly is part of it, but the dark, political State Shinto is still very much alive and thriving....

The previous post in this series was on the Kishigawa Railway which promotes this three-shrine pilgrimage.

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Onotsu Shrine

Onotsu Shrine

While walking along the north shore of Lake Shinji, the first shrine of interest I visited was Onotsu Shrine.

Gongenjima & Uryu Harbour

Gongenjima

Down below Cape Hinomisaki to the East is a small bay dotted with islets and a small island called Gongenjima.

The island, originally called Yamazakijima, protected the inner bay from inclement weather, and so the area became a safe haven for ships. In ancient times, it was the main harbour on the western half of the Shimane Peninsula and could accommodate 20 ships.

Mononobe Shrine

 

By mid-afternoon, after leaving Omori, I stopped in briefly at Mononobe Shrine, the ichinomiya of Iwami.

The primary kami is Umashimaji, said to be the ancestor of the Mononobe Clan. Behind the shrine is a tomb said to be for Umashimaji. The Mononobe were a martial and ritual clan dominant in the rise of the Yamato in Cetral Japan.

The shrine is said to have been established in 514, which fits with the time that Izumo came under the control of the Yamato. It is believed the Mononobe were established here as a check on Izumo power

The Mononobe are probably best known as the clan that fought against the introduction of Buddhism.

They were also ritualists and one of their rituals, the Chinkonsai, a spirit-pacifying ritual, is still practised today in three locations: the Imperial Palace, Isonokami Shrine in Nara, the Mononobe clan shrine, and here at Mononobe Shrine.

This was just a very quick visit, so I will cover the shrine in more detail in a later post.

However, the huge Tengu masks are worth a look....

The previous post was on the delights of Omori at Iwami Ginzan.

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Hashi Beach, Harbour, & Tsuto Shrine

 

After leaving Kushiro, the old San-in Do is a narrow, single-lane road that runs near the rail line and  comes into the back of Hashi completely avoiding the new and busy Route 9

Home to a pretty good "Oceanarium", the beach is part of the Iwami Seaside Park and is very popular in summer.

At the far end of the beach is the tiny harbour for Hashi.

On the hillside up above the harbour is Tsuto Shrine.

This is the main shrine for the town, although just over a hundred years ago an Otoshi Shrine and an Inari Shrine were merged with it. It is yet another local shrine listed in the Engi Shiki.

It is believed that the ruling clan, an offshoot of the clan that colonized the Iwami coastal region in ancient times established a shrine to their ancestors here. Their ancestral deity was Komemochitsuki, and in some way he is connected with mochi rice cakes. They are connected to the clan who founded Kushiro Shrine, and the shrines down near Masuda.

This seems to be the eastern limit of their territory. They were obviously placed here by the Yamato as a check on the power of Izumo. Further East and into Izumo it seems the Mononobe were the clan sent for the same purpose.

In 889 the clan enshrined Tagorihime, the elder of the three Munakata, daughters of Susano.

A myth/legend has it that as a young girl  Tagorihime was too volatile even for Susano, so she was sent away and came ashore on Hashi Beach. A local couple raised here as their own. She never spoke.

Later, a signal fire lit to warn of an attack on Izumo by a "foreign" enemy, caused Tagorihime to reveal her true identity and a dream of Susano that if Tagorihime returned, Izumo would be successful in defeating the enemy. Tagorihime set off but her foster parents chased after her to stop her. She hid behind a rock at what is now a shrine in Gotsu. Her fraught foster parents passed by her and died on the slopes of Asari Fujisan, a coastal mountain near my place. Tagorihime reached Izumo and the enemy was defeated.

The oldest version of this story dates to the 15th century at Hinomisaki Shrine, though it is probably much older. It is said that this shrine  and the one in Gotsu where the rock is were both territories of Hinomisaki Shrine.

Around the main shrine building are an Ebisu Shrine, a Konpira Shrine, a Yasaka Shrine, and a Tenmangu Shrine. The small shrine slightly above the main shrine is believed to enshrine Komemochizuki.

The previous post in this series on the Chugoku and the Iwami Kannon Pilgrimages was on Majima and the Benten Shrine I stopped in at on my walk to start heading up the coast again from Hashi.

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Kushirogahime Shrine

 

After crossing the Masuda River, my route is now up a trail that leads from a arge torii on the riverbank up to a shrine in the village up above.

Apparently the shrine was originally down here at several sites on the waters edge but was moved after a tsunami in the 11th century.

There are several Buddhist statues and altars on the way up as there used to be 3 temples associated with the shrine but they were all closed in 1868 with the separation of buddhas and Kami.

The original shrine was established very early in the 8th century and is connected to a myth of the Kushiro Clan. Originally from what is now southern Osaka, they are said to be "pioneers" who immigrated here.

A little further up the coast in Kamate are a couple of "islands" just offshore, a male one and a female one. Kushirogahime is the female kami enshrined here, and Kushishikiamenohiko the male. The male is enshrined much further up the coast, not far from my place.

The male comes down to the islands to meet his wife. If in their meeting they agree then a rainbow forms between the two islands. It is said it is rare.

The husband covers his head and face with a scarf, and as it slips to reveal his face, that is the source of the waxing and waning of the moon.

The shrine is listed in the Engi Shiki, meaning it received offering from the Imperial Court.

The shrine was also well supported by the Masuda Clan.

An old, wooden mask from the Edo Period....

A more modern style of mask made from local paper. The kind of mask I make.

The current main hall was built in 1765, but reused some of the materials from the rebuilding in 1548.

At some point, Hachiman was enshrined here as well. The shrine is in possession of the oldest kami statue in Shimane.

The kami is dressed as a Buddhist monk, so it is almost certainly a Hachiman statue.

No idea what these lobsters are about.... they look real creepy.

The shrine has a small pair of stone komainu that were brought from Shikoku.

The shrine is home to 3 "Great Rites", a sumo, a lion dance, and a needle ritual. 

The origin of the three rites was in the time when the shrine was to be relocated and two groups from different villages argued over where it should be. It turned physical and an old lady intervened and in the process lost her favorite needle.

The previous post was on the walk along the beach and across the river mouths to get here.

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.