Asuka Nimasu Shrine

Asuka Nimasu Shrine in Asuka, the ancient capital of early Japan is a very old shrine and is one of the possible sources of the name of Asuka.

The three main kami enshrined here are Kotoshironushi, Takamimusubi, and Kayanarumi.

Kotoshironushi is an Izumo kami, one of Okuninushi's sons, nowadays equated with Ebisu. Kayanarumi is a daughter of Kotoshironushi, and Takamimusubi is one of the three "creator" kami. In some versions of the Kuniyuzuri myth that explains the ceding of Japan from Okuninushi to the Yamato, it is Takamimusubi who orders the process and not Amaterasu, and in fact Ninigi who descends to rule over Japan is the grandson of both Amaterasu and Takamimusubi.

Kayanarumi is the most interesting of the three, and an alternate name for her is Asuka no Kannabi mi Hime no kami, and this relates to what happened after Kuniyuzuri. Okuninushi decided to place himself and several of his relatives in the Kannabi (sacred mountains) surrounding Yamato, and Kayanarumi was placed in a mountain in Asuka, so it seems likely that she was the original main kami of the shrine.

There are a lot of secondary shrines within the grounds, enshrining Onamuchi (the name of Okuninushi enshrined in nearby Miwa), Oyamazumi, an Asuka Yamaguchi Shrine, and Sarutahiko.

There is also an Inari Shrine, one for Konpira, one for Daijingu, and one for Shirahige, a Korean god brought over with immigrants who settled in the Lake Biwa area.

When we look at some of the things for sale in the small office of the shrine it becomes clear what the focus of the shrine is,..... fertility!

This is a male/female sake cup.

The shrine is home to a famous matsuri, the Onda matsuri, which includes a performance with masked dancers that includes explicit representations of the sex act.

Japanese Marten

I found this little guy recently stretched out on the road. It wasnt squished and I couldnt see any injury, so maybe he died of a heart attack!

Its a Japanese marten, Ten in Japanese, (martus melampus).

The first time I saw one was back when we first moved to the village. Someone gave us a single hen to raise for eggs, and one night I heard a commotion so went outside with a flashlight to check and caught a marten exiting the coop with the dead hen clamped in its jaws.

It ran off into the forest and a few minutes later I heard 2 different animals screaming at each other, so some other forest critter that likes chicken was obviously trying to take it from the marten.

Korakuen one of the Top Three Gardens in Japan

Korakuen is ranked among the Top Three Gardens in all of Japan.

It is located in central Okayama City, close to Okayama castle, which is visible from within the garden.

The garden was completed in 1700 for the Daimyo Ikeda Tsunumasa.

Tsuda Nagatada spent 13 years designing and constructing it.

On my first visit in July of  2010 the lotuses were in full bloom in the Kayonoike Pond, one of many ponds in the garden.

The garden covers about 133,000 square meters in total with about 19,000 square meters of grass so is very park-like.

The largest of the ponds is the Sawanoike, said to resemble Lake Biwa.

The ponds are all connected by a 640 meters long stream.

Obviously it takes several hours to completely see all the sights....

Theer are quite a few structures scattered around the gardens.

The Kakumeikan Hall was originally built in Iwakuni. In 1949 a reconstruction was built here.

The Enyotei was the main building used by the Daimyo when visiting the garden. It was destroyed in WWII and was reconstructed in 1960.

The Renchiken Rest House was damaged in a typhoon in 1934 but survived the WW!! bombing.

The Ryuten Rest House has a similar history to the Renchiken.

Two shrines and a temple also stand within the garden.

In May Irises are in bloom.

A large grove of Maples are spectacular in the late Autumn.

Many of the rest houses are open to the public on a rotational basis...

Zoning laws around the garden are strict, unlike many gardens in Japan, so the modern city intrudes on the views much less.

Entry is only 400 yen

Yanai Kingyo Chochin Matsuri

Yanai Goldfish Lantern Festival

When I first saw these drain covers in Yanai, a small town on the south coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture, I wondered what relevance owls had to the town. But, it turns out they are of course not owls, but goldfish, or goldfish lanterns to be exact.

Goldfish lanterns are a local craft product, so its not surprising that the towns annual matsuri features them. On August 13th every year the town holds its Kingyo Chochin Matsuri when teams parade with extra-large versions of the lanterns on floats.

Before and after the matsuri the town is decorated with more than 2,000 regular sized goldfish lanterns.

Access - Getting There

Yanai is located on the JR Sanyo Line between Hiroshima and Tokuyama (both of which are on the Shinkansen line).

Hachiman Asami Shrine

The Hachiman Shrine in the Asami district in the south of Beppu City is the tutelary shrine of the town, and was founded in the 12th Century.

The entrance is flanked by two ancient cedars and the local tradition says that if a couple walk together between the trees they will be married.

Hachiman shrines, in Kyushu at least, tend to have retained more of their earlier decoration and are often painted a a dark red, rather than the vermillion associated with imperial or Inari shrines.

Since the Heian Period the kami nof Hachiman shrines have been equated with the legendary Emperor Ojin, and the kami are usually listed as Ojin, his mother Jingu, and father Chuai. Sometimes Ojins wife is listed too.

Now called the God of War, Hachiman has had a multitude of varying identities. The best resource in English on Hachiman is the American researcher Ross Bender, and many of his papers can be found here

The shrine has various interesting things within its grounds, some unusual-shaped stones in the walkway, a pure water spring, a treasure house

This huge camphor tree is said to be over 1,000 years old.

There are several sub-shrines in the grounds, but have been unable to find out exactly which kami they enshrine.

Akaoni (red demon) masks of Kunisaki

Since I started to make masks myself I have become interested in searching out examples of older, wooden masks.

Shrines are a good place as many of them have old masks on display.

The red demon is often paired with the white demon.

All of these masks were at shrines on the Kunisaki peninsular in Oita Prefecture, northern Kyushu.

You can see a couple of my red demon masks here.

NCB Seaside Building

The NCB Seaside Building houses the offices of several major banks. It is a fairly nondescript office block with little architectural merit except for the entrances located on the corners of the building.

It is located in the Momochi district of Fukuoka.

Arisanomiya Shrine

The shrine of Arisa is located in a cave about 90 meters above the Takahashi River near Niimi in Okayama Prefecture. To get to the shrine you have to walk and climb through 1 kilometer of the Ikura cave.

Arisa was a local girl who lived in the village about 400 years ago. She had a boyfriend called Mosaku. Apparently all was well until one day the daughter of the local lord passed through the village. This girl/woman was so stunninbgly beautiful that even as far away as China they had heard about her great beauty.

Mosaku became smitten by this girl and left the village to go after her and try to win her hand.
Arisa waited.
And waited.
He never did come back.

No longer able to stand her grief Arisa climbed up to the top of the waterfall that drops down from the cliff above the cave and threw herself off.

The villagers built the small hokora for her.

For some reason, the logic of which defies me, the shrine is now a place where young couples come to pray for good relationships.

Unfortunately the only way to reach the shrine is to pay to enter Ikra-do, but it is well worth it.

Along the tracks

On Sunday I went down to Gotsu for the annual Kagura Festival, but after a few hours indoors I couldnt stand it any longer... outside was another beautiful clear day and as we have had so few this month and as the good weather was not likely to last, I headed off for another walk.

I got off the train in Kawahira and headed up the tracks.

This section of the river has no road on this bank, and as it was 90 minutes or so till the next train I reckoned I could get along the tracks before it came.

There are a few abandoned farms along this side of the river....

Closer to Kawado I passed by a place that has fascinated me since I moved here, a hidden valley. The entrance is very narrow and choked with bamboo and undergrowth and there appears to be no trail in, but one of these winters when the undergrowth has died back Im going to try and find a way in...

Though its the longest river in West Japan, the Gonokawa is not well known but I have yet to see a river in Japan that is more beautiful.

I arrive safely into Kawado without encountering the train.

Kawado, the bustling commercial hub of Sakurae Town.......