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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Tombi, Japanese Kites (the birds)

Black Eared Kites are by far the most common raptor found in Japan and they can be found especially along rivers and coastlines.

Ive posted pics of them before many years ago, but those old posts have lost their photos so here are some new ones.

I saw this guy as I was walking down the coast of Cape Muroto in Kochi as I was walking the Shikoku Pilgrimage.

Tombi, Black-eared Kite

The Black-eared Kite, Milvus Lineatus, is the most common raptor in Japan. In parts of japan it is called Tobi, but in my area it is called Tombi.

They are quite common, especially along the coast and rivers. A few months ago I saw a flock of about 40 circling over my village. Apparently in winter they tend to roost together in larger groups.

They are very opportunistic feeders, sometimes catching small animals but mostly feeding on carrion. They ahve been known to snatch food out of your hands. I was walking along near Hamada port one day eating a sandwich and they kept swooping to within inches of me.