Takuan Temple Izushi

 

Takuan Dera is a popular name for Sukyoji Temple in the former castle town of Izushi, Hyogo.

The name comes from Takuan Soho, a locally-born man who became quite a famous monk and for a while lived at the temple. His name has been given to the daikon radish pickles that it is said he invented while here.

The temple was founded at the end of the 14th Century and grew to be quite a sizable monastery and served as the family temple of the ruling clan. During the Warring States period the temple was mostly destroyed.

Along the approach road to the temple are several other temples with one having some rather unusual, carved wooden statues seen in the above two photos.

Takuan Soho returned to Izushi in 1616 at the request of the new Daimyo and began reconstructing the temple. He stayed 8 years and is said to have designed several of the gardens now at the temple. He is also said to have been a teacher of the famed swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.

The gardens are a popular attraction, especially in the Autumn, but the temple is also known for its "Zen Experience" activities that can be booked in advance.

This includes traditional temple food, including the famed pickles, and also sutra copying and other activities.

The primary activity though is zazen seated meditation, done in a meditation hall under the watchful eyes of a sword-yielding statue of Benzaiten

The previous post in this series on Toyooka and Izushi was the gardens of Sukyoji Temple.

Sukyoji Temple Gardens

Sukyoji Temple Gardens

Sukyoji is a Rinzai Zen temple located in Izushi castle town and was founded in 1392.

The temple is often called Takuan Dera after the famous monk Takuan Soho who was born in Izushi in 1573. Later in life, he returned to Isushi and stayed at Sukyoji for 8 years. He was very influential in bringing a zen influence to various schools of swordsmanship.

He is credited with designing several of the gardens at Sukyoji, but is more famous for being the creator of the daikon pickles, takuan, named after him.

The temple has a Rock Garden, Crane & Turtle Garden, Moss Garden, and  Heart Pond Garden.

It is said that Takuan designed the Crane Turtle garden and the Shinjioike Garden ( pond in the shape of the Chinese character for heart)

In the photo above the building behind the Shinjioike is the Toenken, the hermitage where Takuan stayed for 8 years and where he is said to have created his namesake pickle.

The Crane & Turtle Garden by Takuan Soho is a National Important Cultutral property.

The rock garden viewed from inside the temple.

Later I will post more on the temple and takuan Soho.

These last three images were taken on my second visit, in the winter.

The previous post in the series is the Eirakukan Kabuki Theatre.

Eirakukan Kabuki Theatre

Eirakukan Kabuki Theatre

Located in the former castle town of Izushi in northern Hyogo, the Eirakukan is a traditional Japanesekabuki theatre open to the public.

Built in 1901 it is the oldest kabuki theatre in Kansai, and the oldest kabuki theatre in Japan still standing on its original site.

The theatre closed down in 1968 and was then renovated and restored and opened again in 2008 and while there are occasional perfrmances, it is primarily a tourist site now.

All parts of the theatre can be explored by visitors, including te stage and backstage areas. A highlight is going underneath the stage to see how the revolving stage, the mawari-butai, is operated.

There is a lot of advertising, inside and out, not just for the famous kabuki actors, but mostly for the sponsors and local companies.

I was maybe not as impressed as many visitors, probably because I had previously visited a couple of larger kabuki theatres down in Kyushu. The Kaho Gekijo Theatre in Iizuka, Fukuoka, has the largest revolving stage in Japan, and the Yachiyo-za in Yamaga, Kumamoto, both are somewhat larger than the Eirakukan.

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Fukutomi Residence in Izushi part 2

Fukutomi Residence in Izushi

This is a continuation of yesterday's post on the interiors of the former Fukutomi residence in Izushi that is open to the public as the Izushi History Museum.

Located in the preservation district of this old castle town, its not directly in the main tourist street so actually gets few visitors.

I don't often do multiple posts on a single site, but I was really taken by this place and took a lot of photos.

There was lots of traditional interiors with plenty of artwork including hanging scrolls and folding screens.

There is a largish garden in the middle of the buildings, and several small ones viewable from some of the tatami rooms.

Several of the storehouses at the rear of the property are the museum part with lots of samurai armor, weapons, etc. I found it much more appealing than the "Samurai House" near the centre of town.

If you are interested more in Izushi then I suggest the castle, the old town, the shopfronts etc. and I still have a bunch more posts to come....

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Fukutomi Residence in Izushi part 1

 

The Fukutomi were a wealthy merchant family in the castle town of Izushi who made their money from silk.

Izushi is a small town in northern Hyogo that is unfortunate, in my humble opinion, to be saddled with the nickname "Little Kyoto".

The town has a preservation district of historic buildings and the former Fukutomi residence is one of them.

The former residence is open to the public as a history museum. I have posted on the Shiryokan Izushi History Museum before, but it is deserving of more exposure.

It is a few minute's walk away from the main tourist area, and consequently gets significantly fewer visitors, which is a real shame.

It is a collection of linked buildings around a courtyard garden and was built in the late 19th century using the highest quality traditional styles.

There is a wide range features that could be described as interior design......

More tomorrow......

Izushi Samurai Mansion

 

Called Izushi Karo yashiki on the tourist maps, this is the only remaining samurai residence in the former castle town of Izushi in northern Hyogo.

Located close to where the castle stood, the area where the highest-ranked samurai resided, it is now open as a museum displaying artifacts connected to the ruling clan of Izushi.

Though it looks like a single storey structure, it actually has a low second floor, a much remarked upon feature in the explanations about the house.

It is located next to the town tourist information office, and close to the castle ruins and the main street, so gets a lot of visitors.

It very much looks and feels like a museum rather than a residence, and architecturally it is nothing noteworthy, but its worth a visit for the displays....