An Autumn Walk to Yasaka Shrine & Ishinokuchi Hachimangu

 

I begin day 20 in Tabuse and today's walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage will take me into the countryside of southern Yamaguchi.

First stop, walking out of Tabuse, was a Yasaka Shrine.

Enshrining Susanoo and Kushinadahime, like all Yasaka Shrines it was known as a Gion Shrine until the Meiji Period when the separation of Buddhas and Kami meant Gozu Tenno was replaced by Susanoo.

Like many Gion shrines, it was established to protect against plague and disease.

The exact date of its founding I cannot find out, but it was certainly here in 1559.

It is a glorious late Autumn day as I head out on Prefectural Route 63.

As usual in Japan, you can't go far without passing a roadside Buddhist altar.

I have never been in this area before, and I have no idea what I will find along the road.

Exploring seems to be out of fashion nowadays. Most people seem to want to go to places they have seen on the internet.

The landscape I walked through I would describe as typical Japan....

River valleys with forested mountains....

Farms scattered around, and when the valley is wide enough, larger settlements...

At the base of Iwakisan, a sacred mountain with a cluster of ancient shrines on top, a big shrine of a "new" religion, and the remains of a "korean-style" castle of the late 7th century. I came across the entrance to Ishinokuchi Hachimangu.

It is said to have originally stood higher up the mountain but was relocated to its current site in the late 14th century.

Not far up the approach was a small shrine with no name....

Though it did have a lovely ceiling....

Further in, a second torii and more steps...

and then more steps....

To be so far from the road is quite unusual....

I had left my backpack at the first torii so I didn't mind the walk and the forest was quite atmospheric with shafts of sunlight piercing the mist...

In a small storage shed I found an unusual mikoshi shaped like a sea bream....

I finally reached the quite substantial main shrine... I would say about 400 meters from the first torii...

As a Hachiman it enshrines primarily Ojin....

There are several sub- shrines nearby, but I can find no details....

There is also a huge stump of what must have been a sacred tree....

The previous post in this series on my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the ancient mountain temple of Hannya-ji

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Laying Down in the Mountains. Day 19 Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage

 

November 30th, 2011, and after visiting the bangai temple of Daizenji in Susaki, the route heads along the coast for a while.

It soon cuts inland and heads into the mountains...

From here ther is a choice between two routes over the mountains, the Soemimizu Trail, or the Osaka Trail. I chose the Soemimizu trail, though I cannot remember why. It seems to be the tougher.

At this elevation the colours are still full on....

One of the funky rest stops made and maintained by local people...

Whimsy is always appreciated...

As are big, old, gnarly trees....

This is one of the official henro rest huts, number 31.This one was fairly open but any roof  is welcome when it's raining.

The Soemimizu Trail gets steep in places. My pack was pretty heavy. I didn't carry a tent, but everything else needed for an overnight outdoors, including ample food and water plus a small stove and pot for boiling water. I didn't have a phone, but did carry a laptop so that when I did spend the night in accomodation I could connect....

The pilgrim trail comes to where a new expressway has been constructed. The trail is just across on the other side of the construction. They could easily have constructed a small pedestrian bridge for pilgrims, but instead made a diversion that was a very steep drop followed by a very steep climb. Boy, was I pissed.

The last view of the sea for a while...

Not sure of how high the climb is. Also not really sure of how far I walked each day. I know some people seem to obsess about exactly quantifying such things... I'm not one of them....

Looking down on the construction of one of the few sections of the new expressway that is not in a  tunnel.

In the higher elevations the autumn colours were close to the end... time to start keeping my eye out for a suitable spot to sleep tonight.....

The previous post in the series was on Bangai Temple 5, Daizenji.

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Hannya-ji Special Temple on the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage

 

With a beautifully restored thatched Nio gate, Hannya-ji Temple is located on a mountaintop between Yanai and Hirao in Yamaguchi.

When I arrived on the afternoon of the 21st November, the 19th day of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage,  the autumn colours were full on.

The Niomon has a pair of fine Nio said to date to the Kamakura Period, though they have been renovayed multiple times since then. The gate itself dates to 1813.

Hannyaji is one of the extra temples added on to the 33 numbered temples.

It claims to have been founded in 567 and the temple is mentioned in documents from the late 6th century so there seems to be some basis for the date.

The temple is named after a beautiful princess, Hannyahime, and the story has several versions which I will pick and choose from for my version....

A wealthy man in what is now Oita, Manano Choja, had a beautiful daughter whose beauty was known of even in the capital. The prince who would become Emperor Yomei secretly visited the area and the couple fell in love and she became pregnant. The prince had to return to the capital and the princess said that if the child was a boy she would bring him up to the capital as an heir for the prince, but if it was a girl then she would leave her with her parents as an heir.

She gave birth to a daughter, so she left on the journey up to the capital. In the area near where Hannyaji now stands the boat encountered a storm. Some say she was washed up on shore and died shortly after, others that she sacrificed herself to the underwater Dragon King to save the lives of others. Her grave is said to be where the Kannon-do now stands.

Emperor Yomei himself ordered the construction of the temple. It is said that the statue of Kannon resembles the princess.

The view from the temple. Down below is where Princess Hannya is said to have died.

I had come across the story of Princess Hannya and her father before at several sites in Kyushu. 

Manano Choja is said to have been responsible for the founding of Renjoji Temple in Bungo Ono. His grave is said to be there. He is also said to have donated the 1,000 Medicine Buddhas there when his daughter was sick. Near to the temple is a twenty metre tall statue of the princess. I didnt photograph it at that time but have since been back and photographed it. At some point down the line I will post it.

The other site connected to Manano is further south in Usuki. It is said he paid to have the first cliff-carvings done here. Nearby Mangetsji Temple also claims to be his gravesite.

The above structure is the Myoken-do which has since been demolished. In its place a new hexagonal building, the Juo-do, has been built.

The temple was given extensive lands, but by the 14th century it had fallen into disuse and was uninhabited. Above is the Kannon Hall.

It was rebuilt and by the 15th century had grown powerful again with 120 branch temples.

It was supported by the Ouchi and then the Mori clans.

Above is the main hall enshring Dainichi Nyorai.

The bell in the bell tower, which I didnt photograph, is dated to 1255

The statue of Enma is now housed in the new Juo Hall.

The previous temple on the pilgrimage was Daisho-in on Miyajima.

The previous post in the series was on Yanai, the historical town at the base of the mountain.

If you would like to subscribe by email just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published and made public. I post new content almost everyday, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the last ten posts.