Shukkeien Garden in Early Autumn

 

Shukkeien Garden is the big Japanese garden located between the castle and the main station.

As I was arriving a young, recently married couple were arriving for their wedding photo shoot. Every time I have been to Shukkeien, there has been a couple doing this. It's a bit of a pain in the ass as they will dominate the most photogenic spots for an hour or two.

The garden was originally built in 1620 as a villa for the first domain lord of Aki Domain, Asano Agaakira.

It was designed by Ueda Soko who also designed the garden at Tokushima Goten Palace, which I will cover very soon,a nd the garden at Wakayama Castle Nishinomaru.

Remnants of the original garden can be found in the western half of the current garden.

Hiroshima suffered a devastating fire in the mid-Edo Period and the garden was extensively renovated and remodelled by Kyoto gardener Shimizu Shichiroemon between 1785 and 1788.

This was when the Koko-kyo Bridge, now the symbol of the garden, was originally built.

Built of white granite, it is one of the top 100  Bridges of Japan.

Amazingly it survived the atomic blast.

Three tress in the garden are also remaining from before the bomb, everything else being planted since then.

The numerous sukiya style buildings around the garden were reconstructed from old drawings and paintings of the garden.

It is a pond stroll-type garden with many named viewpoints set around the course.

In my humble opinion, it is a much more enjoyable garden than some of the more famous ones, though on my most recent visit back in June it was the most crowded I have ever seen it

There is a good pamphlet and map in English, and I was quite surprised to learn there is free entry for the over 65's.....

Ko-on-ji Temple 61 Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage

 

Ko-onji Temple is quite an enigma. With claims to being one of the oldest temples on the pilgrimage, the architecture is without a doubt the most modern.

Said to have been founded by Shotoku Taishi in the late 6th century, it was later visited by Gyoki, and then later still by Kobo Daishi.

He found a pregnant woman nearby suffering difficult labour and so prayed and lit incense for her. She gave birth to a healthy boy and since then the temple has been known as a place to pray for safe birth and the worship of Koyasu Daishi began.

The temple burned down and was rebuilt multiple times.

In 1976, for reasons I am unable to learn, the main hall was moved to another temple and the current structure was built.

Looking like a museum or auditorium, it is actually not too dissimilar to the latter.

With seating for more than 600, and a kind of raised stage, the huge hall doubles as the main hall and also the Daishi hall.

Numerous sources refer to it as a cathedral.

The previous temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage was number 60, the mountaintop temple of Yokomineji.

Azumako Falls

 

The Azumako Falls are located on the Kurose River as it heads south through Higashihiroshima.

It is not a very deep waterfall, with a 15 meter drop followed by a second 5 meters drop.

It splits into two falls, the eastern one called Metaki and the western one Otaki.

It is however somewhat dramatic because of its width, and more like the kind of waterfall you would have to head into the mountains to find.

There is a legend connected to the falls.

In 1180, following his defeat by the Taira, Minamoto no Yorimasa committed suicide in Uji.

His concubine fled west with his three-year-old son.

While stopped here at the waterfall, the child died and his mother composed a poem that gave the waterfall its current name.

It s said the grave of the child lies just to the west of the falls.

The previous post in this series on day 14 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage, was on the nearby, impressive Mitsujo Keyhole Tomb.

This was my last stop for the day as my room for the night was nearby.