Kitakata Hachimangu

 

I don't think I have ever seen an arrangement of three torii like this before.

Kitakata Hachimangu is located in Ajisu, Yamaguchi,  on the old Imperial Highway, the  Sanyo-do.

It is said to have been founded in 751, which is around the time Usa Hachiman spread from Kyushu due to its part in the building of the great Todaiji Temple in Nara.

Later, in 1233 the shrine was split into two with a north and a south. In 1255 the two shrines were moved to their respective current locations.

In 1408 the buildings were destroyed and rebuilt except for the tower gate.

It was rebuilt in 1571 under the rule of the Mori Clan.

Once again the buildings were heavily damaged and were rebuilt between 1608 and 1637.

There are a fine pair of zuijin and komainu in the worship hall...

A large secondary shrine in the grounds is Akazaki Shrine.

I can find no information on it ecept that one source says three female kami are enshrined here.

Curiously, the Yamaguchi Jinja Honcho webpage says that the three Munakata Princesses are "companion kami" to the main Hachiman kami of Ojin et al. Maybe it is referring to Akizaki Shrine but the website would usually list a secondary shrine and its kami.

A small, Gokoku Shrine.... in essence, a branch of the infamous Yasukuni Shrine.

The previous post was on a Kumano Shrine and a Kochi Shrine I had visited earlier in the morning.

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Kumano Shrine & Kochi Shrine on the Sanyo-do

 

The first shrine I stopped in at on my walk along the Sanyo-do in Yamaguchi was a Kumano Shrine in Ezaki.

In the back of the grounds was a corner of Autumn colours....

and a pair of small, weathered zuijin....

but other than that, not much to report as there was no signboard and can find no information online...

Further along the way I stopped in at a Kochi Shrine in the Sayama district.

Under the red metal are the original thatched roofs, which give the buildings' proportions an elegance...

Three female kami are listed. Amenomikumari, Mitsuhanome, and Kuninomikumari. Not sure that I have ever encountered these before.

Amenomikumari and Kuninomikumari are obviously a pair, the 5th and 6th kami born of a brother-and-sister pair of water-estuary kami created by Izanami and Izanagi.

Mitsuhanome was born from Izanami's urine after she was burnt given birth to the kami of fire. All three kami seem to be connected to water and are not found outside of Yamato except in Yamaguchi.

Somewhat to the rear of the shrine is a Tsuka, or Zuka. Usually translated as burial mound, they are not graves but where things are buried , like sutras, or needles that have become too old to use. Ths one seems to get offerings still, but I can not find out what is buries here.

The previous post was on my walk along the Sanyo-do, where I found these shrines...

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Futagoji Temple 1 Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage Part Two

 

Futagoji Temple, number 1 on the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage, is located at the heart of the Kunisaki Peninsula, and the heart of the ancient shugendo system of Rokugo Manzan.

This is the second post, as when I visited I took so many photos they could not reasonably be contained within a single post.

The first post looked at the approach to the temple, the entrance, and the large Goma Hall.

Now we cross the huge slab of stone that is a bridge to head up the steps to the next level and then on to the Okunoin.

A small shrine to Daikoku, one of the Seven Lucky Gods....

Like the other temples of the Rokugo Manzan form of Shugendo, Futago-ji is said to have been founded in 718 by the legendary monk Ninmon.

Being a mix of Tendai Buddhism and Usa Hachimangu, "shinto" torii and shimenawa are plentiful at Rokugo Manzan sites.

At this level is the Lecture Hall, housing a Shaka Triad. The first photo of this post is of the main altar.

Shaka Nyorai, in English, Sakyamuni the historical Buddha, is flanked by a Yakushi and an Amida.

There is a wonderful mural behind the main statues...

There are numerous other statues including the 4 shitenno.

The lecture hall was destroyed during the period of Shinbutsu Bunri in 1868 and was rebuilt in 1991.

It is used during the Oni-e fire festival in January.

Up another set of stone stairs and we come to the approach to the Okunoin.

The current building was built in 1846 with donations from the Matsudaira daimyo of Kitsuki domain.

In a small cave behind the hall is a sacred spring. The water is said to give eternal youth and longevity.

The main statue enshrined is a Thousand-armed Kannon.

The previous post was on the lower level of Futagoji,... the approach, Goma Hall etc.

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