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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Tokujihori Kumano Shrine

 

The mist has long since all burned off as I drop down into the Shimaji River valley and come into the biggest settlement since leaving Kanyoji Temple the previous afternoon.

There seems to be quite a few Kumano shrines in this area...

The main kami are listed as Izanagi, Izanami, Hayatamano, and Tagirihime.

The tin covers a thatched roof....

Not much else to report... other than the remains of some old wooden zuijin.....

The previous post was on the early morning walk I took to get here....

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Yama Shrine Jobutsu

 

Many of the shrines scattered around the Kunisaki Peninsula are simply called Yama Shrine,.... Mountain Shrine.

This Yama Shrine is about 5oo meters west of Jobutsuji Temple, one of the temples of Rokugo Manzan, the religious system based on the mountains of the Kunisaki Pennsula and also temple number 3 on the Kyushu Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage I was following on this visit.

It's a fairly substantial local shrine, and fairly typical for the shrines in the Kunisaki Peninsula.

There was no shrine immediately adjacent to Jobutsuji, so I am guessing that is the shrine that is linked to that temple.

Unusually there were no Nio guardians, though there were a pair of wooden zuijin.

What was unusual was the relief carving that appears to show the Three Monkeys at the bottom and then an angry figure over a pair of men apparently engaged in cock fighting.

Cock fighting was common in Japan since ancient times, both among the elite and commoners. A statue showing cock-fighting is at Tokei Shrine in Tanabe on the Kumano Kodo.

The photo below shows an unusual carving on a fan-shaped rock in a wall. I have actually seen that before but am unaware of any meaning.

The previous post was on Jobutsuji Temple.

After leaving Yama Shrine my route was over the mountain ridge towards the next temple, Jinguji. The Kunisaki Hanto Minemichi Long Trail I was following roughly followed the historical shugendo pilgrimage route around the peninsula. In places the trail follows roads, but here it was literally invisible. I was able to guess where the route was through the  sugi tree plantation that now passes for forests in many places in Japan.. At the top it was necessary to use chains to climb over the top of the ridge.

Osake Shrine

 

Osake Shrine is a big, ancient shrine on the coast of Hyogo near to Ako.

The main kami is the spirit of Hata no Kawakatsu, whose grave is on the sacred uninhabited island just offshore.

The Hata were an intriguing immigrant clan who have unknown but variously theorized roots. Some say they were descendants of a Chinese emperor. Others say they were a "lost" tribe of Israel. Some say they came to Japan from paekche in Korea, others say Sila. Some say they spent time in Izumo before moving to Yamato.

Like other immigrant clans at the time they settled near what is now Kyoto and quite a few important sites are attributed to them, including most famously Fushimi Inari Shrine, but also Matsuo Taisha. Kawakatsu no Hata was a known associate of Shotoku Taishi and is said to have had much influence over the founding and construction of Shitennoji Temple.

One noteworthy point about Osake Shrine is that along with the shitno zuijin guardians there is also a pair of Buddhist Nio.

Also noteworthy are the large number of Ema paintings, especially those of boats. One dated to 1722 is considered the oldest and most valuable in Japan.

Not on display, the shrine owns a 1,300 year old mask, said to have been either given to Kawakatsu by Shotoku Taishi or carved by Kawakatsu himself.

Kawakatsu is said to be the founder of sarugaku, and Zeami and many other notable figures from ancient theatre styles claim to be his descendants.

Following the death of Shotoku Taishi Kawakatsu set sail and ended up in this area and spent some time developing the land. Some say he was exiled, some say he left to avoid the political violence that was commonplace in the capital at that time.

When he died a few years later his tomb was made on Ikushima just offshore and the locals built the shrine and enshrined him.

The Sakoshi Boat Festival takes place every October and is considered one of the Three Great Boat Festivals of the Inland Sea along with the Osaka Tenjin Festival and the Kangen Festival at Miyajima.

One of the traditional boats used in the festival is on display in the shrine grounds.

Most of the current buildings at the shrine date back to the 18th century.

Within the shrine grounds are numerous secondary shrines, including a Shingu Shrine to Shotoku Taishi, a Sumiyoshi Shrine and a Kotohira Shrine, both shrines connected with safety at sea.

There is also an Inari Shrine, a Tenmangu, an Ebisu Shrine and an Awashima Shrine.

There are said to be 28 branch shrines of Osake Shrine in the area, indicating its importance locally.

The island is visited by the boast during the festival, but otherwise is still off-limits to everyone, so the woodland on the island is completely natural and is a National Natural Monument.

Though not as grand, I recommend a local sea festival from my local area.

The previous post in this series on the Ako area was on Fumonji Temple and its beautiful Kannon statue.