Showing posts with label wakayama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wakayama. Show all posts

Saturday, July 26, 2025

Yuasa Birthplace of Soy Sauce

 


Yuasa is a small town and port on the coast of Wakayama and once a resting point on the Kiiji Route of the Kumano Kodo, which was the reason I was visiting.


Enough of the old town and its architecture remain so that Yuasa was registered as an Historic Preservation Distrist, the only one in the whole prefecture.


Some of the preservation districts are big tourist spots, like Gion, or Kurashiki, and they are filled with cafes and souvenir shops, but Yuasa is more the kind I prefer, somewhat run-down and with few outsiders....


More recently, Yuasa was registered as  a Japan Heritage Site, and so the increased funding and exposure has brought more visitors and some gentrification.


The reason is that Yuasa has a claim to be the birthplace of soy sauce.


According to the story, a Buddhist monk settled in Yuasa in the 13th century after returning from his studies in Chima.


He brought back a style of miso-making called kinzanji in Japanese. This produced a small amount of liquid that proved to be delicious as seasoning, so the local miso makers created a production method that increased the amount of this liquid, and so soy sauce was born.


Soy sauce production grew in the town with about 90 companies operating here in the Edo Period.


Only a handful remain, with Yuasa Soy Sauce Company being the biggest.


The tone hosts what it called the Seiro Museum. Seiro are wooden trays used in the production of soy sauce.


They are used as a frame to make displays of things related to everyday life in Yuasa.


They can be found throughout the historic district.


Since I visited there are now various ways to delve more deeply into the history of Soy in Yuasa, including factory tours.


Also, like Shodoshima and other locations in Japan, soy sauce-flavoured ice cream is on sale.


The first photo of the post, and the last couple, show the Kadocho Soy Sauce Brewery.


The previous post in this series on walking the Saigoku Pilgrimage and Kumano Kodo was on Jinsenji Temple in Yuasa.











Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Jinsenji Temple Yuasa

 


Jinsenji Temple is located in Yuasa, the small town in Wakayama said to be where soy sauce was invented.


Said to have been founded originally as Kaiunji Temple in the early 8th century by Gyoki, and was used as lodgings by imperial pilgrims on their way to Kumano, but fell into disrepair and was re-established in the mid 15th century as a Jodo sect temple.


It was burned down in the Great Fire of Yuasa in the 1650's but rebuilt in 1664. 


Jinesenji has a small but lovely raked sand garden, but its most interesting feature is the large  pair of mythical Shachi on the roof ridge.


The previous post in this series on my walk along the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, said to be the oldest circuit pilgrimage in Japan, was on Kimiidera, the huge temple somewhat north of here.


Thursday, February 13, 2025

Tanga Daigongen

 


After descending from Shichiga Pass I start to head down a narrow valley towards Yuasa and cannot fail to notice Tanga Daigongen.


Built on a steep slope, the site is a collection of colourful orange metal torii with numerous shrines behind them.


According to the legend, Emperor Shirakawa fell ill at this spot while on a pilgrimage to Kumano and a white-haried old man appeared and helped him, so Shirakawa enshrined him here as Tanga Gongen.


There are several Inari shrines here, and several shrines to Fudo Myo.


The main kami though appears to be Tanga Daigongen which I believe is a manifestation of Kono Zao Gongen, the head deity of Shugendo. Photo 10 is a statue of Kono Zao Gongen.


Photo 9 is of En no Gyoja, the legendary mystic who is said to be the founder of Shugendo and who here is named Shinben Daibosatsu.


Also enshrined here are a Koyasu Daishi, a Tatee Jizo, and an Eleven-Headed Kannon as well as several more kami.


I love these kind of places as they mix so many strands and layers of religious history across all the artificial barriers of sects and schools...


Very "folk" as opposed to so many of the bigger establishments that are overtly political and somewhat sterile.


This was day 7 of my walk on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, said to be the oldest "circuit" pilgrimage in Japan, and still following the Kumano Kodo Kiiji Route at this point.


The previous post was on the route up to the pass. Once I reached Yuasa I jumped ahead by train to Kimiidera Temple.


Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Uchihara Oji to Shishigasa Pass Kumano Kodo Kiiji Route


Saturday, March 26th, 2016, and I continue north on day 7 of my walk along the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage which at this point still follows the Kumano Kodo, the World Heritage registered pilgrimage routes.


I am following the Kiiji Route of the Kumano Kodo which ran from the imperial capital in Kyoto down to the Kumano Shrines. For the previous two days since I left Tanabe where the Nakahechi Route heads into the mountains The Kiiji route has followed the coast.


Now it heads inland and over the mountains on what was historically considered a difficult part of the route.


Heading north the narrow road passes several monuments to sites of former Oji, the 99 shrines that lay upon the route.


Some are still existant as shrines, and of course there are numerous roadside statues.


The route is pretty well marked and I believe the signage has gotten even more prolific since I walked it 8 years ago.


There are numerous artworks along the way depicting pilgrims, usual high-class, on the route in historical times.


The site of Kutsukake Oji, the 50th Oji, marks a kind of halfway point on the pilgrimage route.


As the road steepens the trail heads off along a section of cobblestone road. Apparently this is the longest section of the old paved route still in existence.


Eventually the trail levels out at Shishigasstoge, the pass at about 350 meters above sea level.


During the Edo Period there was a teahouse for travellers at the pass, and also other teahouses along the way. All have disappeared, mostly the the Meiji Period when trains and modern  roads led to the old paths becoming hardly used.


The plum blossoms were particularly appealing as they were in full bloom at this altitude.


Downhill from here is quite steep but mostly on a narrow asphalt or concrete road.


While not as dramatic as the far more popular Kumano Kodo routes to the south, this section is easily accessible for a shorter walk along the Kumano Kodo without necessitating much planning and expense.