Friday, June 13, 2025

Suwa Shrine & Mikiinari Shrine Kobe

 


Suwa Shrine is located on the lower slope of the mountains behind Kobe and is reached up a steep slope.


Though ostensibly a Suwa Shrine, as one approaches it appears to be an Inari Shrine, and the local nickname for the shrine is Suwayama Inari.


According to the legend the shrine was founded in the year 400 as protection of the detached palace of Princess Hatta or Yatta. She was the half-sister and consort of Emperor Nintoku.


As a Suwa shrine the main kami is Takeminakata, son of Okuninushi who was exiled to what is now Nagano after the transfer of the land from Onuninushi to Amaterasu.


Suwa Taisha is a major shrine with branches nationwide.


Later the mountain became named Suwayama.


However, in 1778 a branch of Fushimi Inari Shrine was established here, now known as Miki Inari.


For whatever reason the Inari identity overshadows the Suwa identity, with fox guardians guarding the Suwa shrine as well as all the numerous Inari shrines now scattered around the grounds.


One ceramic kitsune was particularly impressive.


Theer are several other shrines in the grounds other than the numerous Inari shrines, and they include a Sarutahiko Shrine.


I visited very early in the morning on day 4 of my walk along the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage.


From here a trail leads up the mountain to the next temples on the pilgrimage.


The previous post in the series was on Ninomiya Shrine in Kobe that I visited the evening before.












Thursday, June 12, 2025

Abuto Kannon

 


Abuto Kannon is a Kannon Hall perched on a rocky outcropping overlooking the Inland Sea at the southern tip of Numakuma Peninsula between Fukuyama and Onomichi.


It has been promoted by local tourist authorities in recent years but is still hard to reach and virtually unkown.


It is part of Bandai-ji Temple,  which claims  an origin of 992, and is now a Rinzai Zen temple


However, the real history is lost in time, although for sure it is said to have been rebuilt in 1338 and then once again fell into disrepair.


It was certainly rebuilt in 1570 which is when Mori Terumoto built the Kannon Hall.


The legend says that a local fisherman found a Kannon statue in his net and placed it on the rocks where the hall is now.


The kannon Hall is a registered National Important Cultural Property.


I arrived from Tomonoura on a footpath that leads down from the main road and then approaches the hall from the East.


From the temple a covered corridor leads up to the hall which has an open veranda on three sides.


The views are amazing.


As well as safety at sea, the temple has a reputation for childbirth and child-rearing.


Abuto Kannon has the biggest collection of breast-shaped ema votive plaques I have seen outside of Karube Shrine which I had visited a few days earlier.


There is no public transport to Bandaiji Temple.


A nearby ryokan will organize a viewing of Abuto Kannon from the sea if enough people sign up.


This was my first stop on day 11 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage and entailed making a long detour off the most direct route, but was well worth it.


The previous post was on the Yosakoi dancing at the Fukuyama Summer Festival the evening before.







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.