Motohama Otoshi Shrine

 

Down below the Otoshi Shrine near Hamada Port is a small Benten-Sha and a memorial to sailors and fishermen lots at sea...

The Otoshi shrine was founded in the first half of the 8th century by "inviting" the kami of Izawa and Otoshi shrine in Mie, which suggests that figures in the provincial government offices nearby were responsible.

Otoshi is a common kami in this area as a son of Susano connected with farming and with links to Korean immigrants. The Otoshi here though, uses a different kanji, and the Izawa shrine is very closely connected to Ise, so it seems to be a different kami than the Susano connected one. Another clue is that a site I use to research Engi Shiki shrines usually has links to descriptions of all the major kami, but for the Otoshi of this shrine, no link....

The shrine received further donations from visiting dignitaries from Kyoto, and was listed in the Engi Shiki, so was obviously an important shrine in the past, but now is unmanned and somewhat dilapidated.

The zuijin in the gate were kind of cool, as were the relief carvings....

There are some secondary shrines in the grounds, the biggest being a Sumiyoshi Shrine, then there is an Inari shrine and an Ebisu shrine....

From the shrine there are nice views over the fishing port...

The previous post in this series on the Chugoku Kannon and Iwami Kannon pilgrimages was on two of the pilgrimage temples in the neighbourhood.

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Kushirogahime Shrine

 

After crossing the Masuda River, my route is now up a trail that leads from a arge torii on the riverbank up to a shrine in the village up above.

Apparently the shrine was originally down here at several sites on the waters edge but was moved after a tsunami in the 11th century.

There are several Buddhist statues and altars on the way up as there used to be 3 temples associated with the shrine but they were all closed in 1868 with the separation of buddhas and Kami.

The original shrine was established very early in the 8th century and is connected to a myth of the Kushiro Clan. Originally from what is now southern Osaka, they are said to be "pioneers" who immigrated here.

A little further up the coast in Kamate are a couple of "islands" just offshore, a male one and a female one. Kushirogahime is the female kami enshrined here, and Kushishikiamenohiko the male. The male is enshrined much further up the coast, not far from my place.

The male comes down to the islands to meet his wife. If in their meeting they agree then a rainbow forms between the two islands. It is said it is rare.

The husband covers his head and face with a scarf, and as it slips to reveal his face, that is the source of the waxing and waning of the moon.

The shrine is listed in the Engi Shiki, meaning it received offering from the Imperial Court.

The shrine was also well supported by the Masuda Clan.

An old, wooden mask from the Edo Period....

A more modern style of mask made from local paper. The kind of mask I make.

The current main hall was built in 1765, but reused some of the materials from the rebuilding in 1548.

At some point, Hachiman was enshrined here as well. The shrine is in possession of the oldest kami statue in Shimane.

The kami is dressed as a Buddhist monk, so it is almost certainly a Hachiman statue.

No idea what these lobsters are about.... they look real creepy.

The shrine has a small pair of stone komainu that were brought from Shikoku.

The shrine is home to 3 "Great Rites", a sumo, a lion dance, and a needle ritual. 

The origin of the three rites was in the time when the shrine was to be relocated and two groups from different villages argued over where it should be. It turned physical and an old lady intervened and in the process lost her favorite needle.

The previous post was on the walk along the beach and across the river mouths to get here.

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Sumiyoshi Shrine Hagi

 

Just inland from the beach, and not far from the port in Hagi, is a small Sumiyoshi Shrine.

It was established in 1655, though for three years it was located across the river in the Tsurue district.

According to the story, a merchant from Hamasaki, the area around the port and shrine, was on a boat heading to Osaka when "hardship befell him". He prayed to the kami of Sumiyoshi and was spared whatever the hardship was, though apparently others didn't survive.

He went to the head Sumiyoshi Shrine in Sakai, Osaka, and arranged for a branch shrine to be established in Hagi.

The primary kami are the Sumiyoshi Sanjin; Sokotsutsu, Nakatsutsu, & Uwatsutsu, as well as Empress Jingu. However, a vast array of secondary kami are also enshrined here....

Suguwara Michizane (Tenjin), Sarutahiko, Tamatsushima, Kakinomoto Hitomaro, Suwa no Kami, Hachiman, Okuninushi, Kumano kami, Inari, Konpira, and many more....

The shrine's annual matsuri seems to be the major shrine matsuri in Hagi and has taken place in the summer almost continuously since 1659. There is a small, free museum in Hamasaki that has a collection of paraphernalia from the festival.

Like many shrines and temples, the Sumiyoshi Shrine in Hagi established a kindergarten in their grounds after the war as a way to create income.

The previous post in this series was on my walk along Kikugahama Beach...

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Iwanaga Hachimangu

 

A little further along the road to Akiyoshidai after visiting the Hirohata Hachiman Shrine, yet another large hachiman shrine appeared.

Iwanaga Hachimangu had a very long approach with numerous torii....

It is claimed to be the oldest shrine in the area, being founded in 715.

The curious thing is they say it was enshrined from Hyuga, now Miyazaki. All the other Hachiman shrines in western Honshu at around that time are enshrined from Usa. Usa was the original Hachiman shrine and as the cult spread to Honshu due to the association of Hachiman with the founding of the Great Buddha at Nara, it gradually became a national cult.

However, before it spread to Honshu, it had spread somewhat around Kyushu. I came across a couple of Hachiman shrines in southern Fukuoka that had been established very early on. However, I had not found one in Miyazaki. The head priestess of Usa Hachiman had led an army earlier to suppress "revolt" in the southern part of Kyushu, so maybe that explains it.

Like many shrines, this one has been relocated several times, although the exact dates are unknown. It changed its name to Iwanaga in 1922, but it is unclear what it was called before.

Like other hachiman shrines in the area, the kami selection is Ojin, Jingu, and the three Munakata princesses.

Within the grounds is a Tenmangu, and an Arajinja enshrining Susanoo.

In the 1980's a small kofun with an unusual stone-lined coffin chamber was excavated nearby. It was relocated the shrine grounds to keep it safe from the expanding limestone mining.

The final photo shows a quite common feature at many shrines..... a naval artillery shell!!...almost certainly dating to just after the Russo-japanese War at the start of the twentieth century.

The previous post was on another nearby hachiman Shrine, Hirohata Hachimangu.

If you would like to subscribe by email just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published and made public. I post new content almost everyday, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the last ten posts