Yabusame in Tsuwano

 

Yabusame, a Japanese form of horseback archery, is, like some other "sports" in Japan considered an entertainment for the gods and is therfore found associated with shrines.

Yabusame can be seen at various places around Japan, but only in Tsuwano is it performed in a traditional yabusame grounds.

Part of Washibara Hachimangu Shrine at the base of the mountain where Tsuwano castle was built, the grounds were constructed about 500 years ago and was modelled on the yabusame grounds that existed then in Kamakura.

The shrine is older and dates back to the 13th century, but it was rebuilt in the mid 16th century by the daimyo Yoshimi Masayori.

The yabusame festival takes place on the first Sunday in April and so is usually during peak Cherry Blossom season.

Photographers arrive early to get the nmosr advantageous spots, but due to the remotemess of Tsuwano the event never gets as crowded as yabusame at other places.

On the Saturday before there are full rehearsals and these are open to the public.

The course is 250 meters long with a stone-lined embankment running down the center so that the riders can return up the opposite side.

The riders are all students of the Ogasawara  School of Yabusame and include females and non-Japanese.

The second school of yabusame is the Takeda School.

Apparently all the horses come from Miyazaki and are not associated with one particular rider or owner.

As well as the riders, there is a massive cast of other participants ranging from young boys and maidens up to quite old men.

Some of the participants are connected to the shrine rituals and other are dressed in samurai costime.

Rituals take place in and in front of the shrine itself and then other rituals take place at the grounds.

Three of the mounted riders are dressed in traditional hunting outfits that include deerskin chaps.

They carry sharp hunting arrows. As I understand it these riders do not take part in the actual galloping and shooting.

Twelve riders wear the yabusame outfit which is much lighter.

Their arrows, used in the ritual, are not sharp but rather have a heavy, rounded, turnip-shaped head.

The target is a small wooden rectangle called a mato. If struck by an arrow they make a distinctive sound easily heard by the spectators who will then cheer.

Because the head of the arrow is quite heavy the target usually breaks.

There are three targets down the length  of the course.

Originally the horses in Japan were much smaller than today, so in ancient times it would take about 30 seconds to complete the course.

Nowadays the time is almost half that.

The archery takes place in the morning and again in the afternoon.

I would reccomend arriving early to experience the full range of rituals and preparations.

Entry is free but you can buy a reservation for a ground cushion seat

Takahashi Old Town

Takahashi

Takahashi, the castle town on the Takahashi River in the mountains of Okayama was often referred to as Bitchu Takahashi to distinguish it from the other towns of the same name in other parts of Japan.

Honmachi, the oldest part of the town, is located in the northern part of what is now the modern town, close to the mountain which is home to Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, known as the highest castle in Japan.

Along the higher part of the old town are numerous temples and shrines, notably Raikyuji Temple with its magnificent garden.

Closest to the castle was the samurai district that now has some of the former samurai residences open to the public like the neighboring Orii Residence and Haibara Residence.

Lower down the slope is the former merchant district, closer to the river which made Takahashi and important transportation hub in historical times.

One of the richest merchant families were the Ikegami, and yesterday I posted on their property which is open to the public.

There was a disastrous fire in the town in 1843, so while there is little very old architecture, there is plenty of late 19th century architecture to make a wander interesting.

However, not enough for the honmachi area to be awarded the status of a Preservation District , or Dentoteki Kenzobutsu-gun as it is known in Japanese.

Fukiya, a small mining town to the north, now within the limits of Takahashi City does have a Preservation District though, and I will cover it in a later post.

Takahashi is known as a "Little Kyoto". I thought that this was just a nickname given to various places around Japan that have retained traditions, but I recently learned that you have to pay to join an organization of Little Kyotos.

Not such a well known tourist site, but with the castle, temple garden, and historic districts, well worth a visit to avoid crowds.

There are a couple of local museums housed in Meiji Period buildings that are interesting, with the local history museum certainly worth a visit.

The previous post in this series on day 6 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the Ikegami Merchant Museum.

Goods From Japan

Uzukamikoto Shrine

 

Uzukamikoto Shrine is located near the northern tip of Ama, one of the main islands in the Oki Islands.

The main kami, Uzukamikoto, sometimes known as Uzuka no Mikoto is unique to those shrine and is obviously a local deity.

The shrine was listed as one of the 4 major shrines of the Oki islands in the 9th century. Its treasures include many volumes  of a Buddhist sutra from the 14th to 16h centuries.

Throughout its history it received major support in terms of donations of land from whoever was the political power of the islands at the time.

According to the myths, the kami was in dispute with a kami on the neighbouring Nishinoshima Island over a certain Princess Hinamachihime of Nishinoshima. The dispute was won by Uzaka no Mikoto and following their marriage she gave birth to a daughter, Yanaihime or Nagirahime, the kami of nearby Nagarihime Shrine.

Nagarihime was born at Byobu Rock at the nearby Akiya Coast, the subject of the previous post in this series.

The honden of the shrine is quite magnificent and large, befitting its earlier importance. Now with a copper roof, it was thatched until about 70 years ago.

Ikegami Merchant Mansion

 

Down below the former samurai district of the castle town of Takahashi in the mountains of Okayama is the merchant district of the old town.

The wealthiest merchant family was the Ikegami, and their property is open to the public as a kind of rest spot-information centre-musuem.

The family has been on this site since the early 18th century, initially with a store selling small goods.

Later the family expanded in the river trade with some kawabune boats and also money-lending, a lucrative business for many Japanese  merchants in the Edo Period.

Their greatest success came with the manufacture of soy sauce which reached its peak in  the Meiji period.

The current buildings date back no later than the mid 19th century as much of the town was destroyed by a fire in 1843.

It is quite a large property with many buildings including the residential part and with a long garden in between.

The storerooms to the rear contain a lot of exhibits pertaining to the manufacture of soy sauce.

Entry is free and there are sometimes staff on hand to offer information.

As far as I can tell this is the only traditional building in the merchant quarter that is open to the public.

The previous post in this series on my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the samurai mansion up the hill.