Iwami Ginzan Omori

 

Omori, like Yunotsu where I started walking today, is both a World Heritage Site and a Historic Preservation District.

One my way through the town I made a quick visit to Anyoji Temple.

The Kote-e dragon is quite magnificent, and I have posted it before, but here is another angle.

I believe this is a sutra repository.

It is a Jodo Shinshu temple and so I suspect this is an Amida....

Many of the old buildings have been restored, and many remain uninhabited...

Toyosaka Shrine was a temple until 1868. It enshrines Mori Motonari. A statue of him was in the castle above the town but moved to the temple later.

Since this visit the shrine has been much renovated....

I have posted on Omori numerous times before, and will certainly be posting more later.

Rather than wasting my time inserting links to previous posts, which almost no one bothers to follow, I simply suggest you click on the omori tag at the bottom of the post.

The final photo in the post is the entrance foyer of the impressive Kumagai Residence, well worth the entry fee.

The previous post in thois series on day 38 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the walk from Yunotsu on the Ginzan Kaido.

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Kotohira Shrine, Imbe Shrine, & more Tanuki Shrines

 

The Kotohira Shrine on the hillside overlooking the southern part of Tokushima City was relocated to this spot in 1616 by Hachisuka Iemasa as a tutelary shrine of Tokushima Castle.

At the bottom of the hill by the steps leading up to the shrine is the largest stone lantern in all of Japan. Standing 9.8 meters tall, 10.24 including the base, it was created in 1839.

It was donated  primarily by Indigo merchants.

In the grounds of the shrine are a couple of ceramic lanterns which reminded me of Tozan Shrine in Arita.

Like all Kotohira Shrines, it was called Konpira until Meiji when the name and the kami were changedto fit the new national ideology. All Konpira/Kotohira shrines are branches of the original not too far away in Kagawa.

There are numerous secondary shrines within the grounds, including several shrines to Tanuki, including Oyotsu Daimyojin which seems to be the most well known.

There are dozens of shrines to Tanuki in the Tokushima area, including several I visited earlier in the day at the Hachiman Shrine.

All the structures on the hillside were burned down during bombing raids of WWII and so are fairly recent, concrete, reconstructions.

A little above the Kotohira Shrine is an Imbe Shrine, which has ancient roots but was only located here in the late 19th century.

The Imbe were a powerful clan in ancient Japan and ruled over this part of Shikoku.

They were producers of hemp and nowadays still produce hemp for use in Imperial rituals.

The original shrine was lost in history, but several nearby shrines claimed to be the original.

The government made a decision and established the shrine here, although it was temporarily located within the Kotohira Shrine.

Soem sources claim the kami enshrined is Futodama, but other sources say it is Amenohiwashi. The Imbe wrote the 9th century Kogoshui, which offers an alternative version of some of the history written by the Nakatomi in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki.

The previous post in this series on Tokushima City was on the large Kannonji Temple down below the shrines.

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Tomita Hachimangu & Kunitamahiko Shrine

 

The Tomita Hachiman Shrine is one of a cluster of shrines at the base of Mount Bizan not far from the bustling downtown of Tokushima City.

To the right of the Hachiman Shrine is the Kunitamahiko Shrine, pictured above.

It was established in 1806 by the feudal lord Haruaki to enshrine his ancestor, Iemasa, who built Tokushima Castle in 1587.

In 1871, when the last lord, Shigeaki, moved to Tokyo, he enshrined a further 90 ancestors and assorted military and literary figures in the shrine.

The Hachiman Shrine was detroyed by a fire in 1967, although the Zuijinmon (last two photos) survived. It was rebuilt in 1986.

The stepped, square "platform" the shrine is built upon seems quite unusual.

I had trouble findong any information at all about the Hachiman Shtine and its history, however there were plenty of signboards about the numerous smaller shrine withon the grounds...

Moved into the grounds after the war, Yabe Daimyojin is said to be a kami of tootache relief.

Several of the small shrines had signboards put up by the Awa Tanuki Support Association, which suggest that some of the kami are Tanuki...

Unsurprisingly, there was a small Inari Shrine...

Another "tanuki" shrine was the Boroku Daimyojin, said to play pranks but effective for safe transportation and fulfillment of wishes..

Rokubei Daimyojin Shrine was located in a shopping street before being moved here. Said to be good for business prosperity and passing entrance exams.

Oiwa Daimyojin was also moved here. It was originally located under a rock at a hotel and restaurant. Also known as a prankster, prayed to for success in the entertainment industry.

The numerous Tanuki shrines may relate to a major local legend that took place somewhat south of this srea. The Awa Tanuki War.

The previous post in this series on the sights of Tokushima was the Tenjin Shrine not far away.

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