Fukuzenji Temple & The Most Beautiful View

 

Fukuzenji is unusual in that, unlike almost all the temples of Tomonoura, which are clustered in one area along the town's edge, Fukuzenji is situated right in the middle of the town.

Like many of the other temples, Fukuzenji was used to accommodate visiting Korean dignitaries on their journey to the Japanese capital.

In 1711 one envoy claimed that the view from the temple was the best scenic view east of Korea and this has been often translated to mean the best view in Japan.

However, when the next delegation visited in 1748 they were told to use another temple as Fukuzenji had fallen somewhat into disrepair. The Koreans were indignant and stayed on their boats overnight in protest.

In 1763 when the next Korean mission arrived their were put up once again at Fukuzenji.

It was a Korean who named the reception hall Taichoro, the name it retains to today.

The Taichoro is also where Sakamoto Ryoma had a meeting.

Fukuzenji is a Shingon sect temple and is believed to have been founded around 950, but records are sketchy.

The main altar is quite colourful and has a Thousand-armed Kannon as honzon.

I was, of course, rather partial to the couple of Fudo's as well as the Aizen Myoo.

The main view from the temple is of Bentenjima Island with its Benzaiten Fukujudo, a small Buddhist hall on the island to Benzaiten, but also with a Torii indicating Benten's syncretic nature.

Behind it is Sensui Island and then the Inland Sea

The previous post was on the harbour of the old port of Tomonoura.

Tomonoura Harbour

 

Tomonoura is now a fairly decent-sized harbour filled with small fishing boats.

Walking around the small town, glimpses of the hatbour down narrow alleys are not uncommon.

During the Edo Period it was a major port bustling with ships of many kinds.

Its importance as a harbour goes back much further, being recognized as such in poems of the Nara Period.

It was during the Edo Period though when the port reached its peak, in part due to the Kitamebune ships that docked here. Kitamaebune was the trade route that ran up and down the Japan Sea coast before connecting with the Inland Sea route to Osaka.

Tomonoura was also one of the ports where official delegations stopped on their way to the capital. Not just daimyo heading to Edo, but the Dutch delegations from Nagasaki, and perhaps most notably the Korean delegations.

Further down the coast is Shimokamagari island, also well known for the Korean delegations and which I covered in this earlier post.

The harbour is almost circular in shape, created by constructing breakwaters/wharfs out of stone ( photo 11) . A pleasant sight compared to most Japanese harbours of great, concrete constructions.

Also notable is the lighthouse, 11 meters tall, constructed in 1850 and which burned all through the night. (photos 6 and 7)

Other than the fishing boats, there is a small ferry out to a couple of the offshore islands, and a tour boat that cruises around Benten Island.

The previous post in this series exploring Tomonoura was on the Historic Preservation District.

Historic Streets of Tomonoura

 

Tomonoura is a historic port town that still exudes an atmosphere of a time gone by without looking like a fake, Disneyfied version of history.

Tomonoura flourished as a port on the busy Inland Sea, in many ways the most important transportation route in Japan.

When I first visited more than 20 years ago I was very impressed with the town, and that was before I learnt about the Historic Preservation District status. I have since sought out as many of these districts bas I can, but Tomonoura remains one of my favourites.

Hayao Miyazaki, the famed Ghibli animator, spent a few months here back in 2005 and many believe that Ponyo, his 2008 hit movie, was inspired by Tomonoura.

More recently the 2013 Marvel movie, Wolverine, was also partially filmed here.

As well as these movies, history buffs visit to explore the links Ryoma Sakamoto had with the town.

There are a scattering of small museums and properties open to the public, as well as sake breweries and numerous cafes and eateries...

Worth mentioning is Homeishu, a local medicinal liquor made with 16 different medicinal herbs. It is surprisingly tasty and well worth a try. Created by a local doctor in the mid 17th century, for a time it was the major economic product of the town.

On this visit, I was more interested in the town's temples, so I did not visit many of the sites.

I was on my way to my last stop in the town, a temple right in the middle of the town....

So I just snapped these shots walking through the stone-paved shopping streets and narrow alleys between warehouses...

Tomonoura has been accorded Japan Heritage status.

In total there are more than 280 buildings dating back to the Edo Period.

Tomonoura and Fukuyama are well worth a visit and is not, right now at least, suffering from the issues of overtourism that Hiroshima City is...

Needing to catch a local bus to get to is probably part of the reason.....

The previous post in this series was on the second part of my walk through Tomonoura Termachi.

These huge stones at the local shrine are chikaraishi, weighing between 120 to 230 kilograms, they were used in weightlifting demonstrations by "longshoremen".