Onotsu Shrine

 

While walking along the north shore of Lake Shinji, the first shrine of interest I visited was Onotsu Shrine.

This is yet another shrine that is listed in both the Izumo Fudoki and the Engi Shiki, indicating it is very old and important.

It enshrines Susanoo. After he slew the Orochi serpent, some of its bones and horns washed up on the shore here and are enshrined in the honden.

The shrine is known for a rain-making ritual, although it has not been performed since 1939. For three days the priests gather here and pray, and then the bones are taken out by boat to a spot offshore.

One source claims that the spot the boat goes out to is above a sunken torii that marks t where diagonal lines from the 4 sacred mountains around Lake Shinji cross.

Secondary shrines within the grounds include a Konpira, Shingu, Hiyoshi, Aragami, and  Himosaki shrines.

The dragon/serpent statue is the same style as some I have seen in the Izumo area representing Kojin, the land kami usually represented by a straw rope, yet here the statue has no altar in front of it which suggests it is not Kojin. Maybe it is just a nod to Yamata no Orochi.

The previous post was on the walk along the north shore of Shinji.

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Gongenjima & Uryu Harbour

 

Down below Cape Hinomisaki to the East is a small bay dotted with islets and a small island called Gongenjima.

The island, originally called Yamazakijima, protected the inner bay from inclement weather, and so the area became a safe haven for ships. In ancient times, it was the main harbour on the western half of the Shimane Peninsula and could accommodate 20 ships.

The island's name was changed due to the Kumano Shrine on the island, which derived from an ancient myth.

According to the myth, in AD 143, on the 5th day of the new year, a seagull repeatedly carried some seaweed, wakame, from the island and dropped it on the fence at Hinomisaki Shrine. Thde priest made the seaweed an offeringbto the kami.

In commemoration, every year a ritual is held at the Kumano Shrine on Gongen Island.

To reach the island the fishermen of the area line up all their boats so it forms a pontoon bridge for the priests to walk to the island over.

Traditionally, no one in the area harvests wakame until after this festival.

As well as operating as a fishing harbour, the village of Uryu now has plenty of lodgings, for hobby fishermen and other holidaymakers...

For my deep exploration of the Japan Sea Coast, there is no road from here to the next harbour, Sagiura, about 4k away as the crow ( or seagull) flies, so I have to backtrack a little and cut inland...

The previous post in this series on my walk along the coastline of the Sea of Japan was on Hinomisaki Shrine, an ancient and major shrine of Izumo.

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North Shore of Lake Shinji Part 1

 

My day 43 walk now heads along the north shore of Lake Shinji.

The 7th largest lake in Japan, Shinjiko was originally the sea between the mainland and the island that became the Shimane Peninsula.

Consequently it is a brackish lake with salinity about 10% of seawater.

It is fed primarily by the Hii River which reaches the sea after passing through Lake Shinji, then the Ohashi River through Matsue, and then into the Nakaumi Lagoon before passing through the narrow strait at Sakaiminato.

An artificial channel, called the Sada River, was dug in the Edo Period between the NW part of the lake, past Sada Shrine, to the Sea of Japan at what is now Kashima.

The lake has shrunk over time due to sedimentation, but land reclamation in the latter hald of the 20th century has reduced it by 10%. Izumo Airport is located on the new land.

A lot of fish and other food is harvested from the lake specifically Shinjiko Shicchin, the Seven Treasures of Shinjiko; Sea Bass, Shrimp, Eel, Smelt, Clams, Carp, & Icefish.

However the main product is a small clam, which makes up 90% of the catch.

The lake is roughly rectangular, and measures about 17k East to West, and 6k North to South. The circumference is about 47k

The south shore has the main San-in Line of JR railway and a very busy road, National Route 9. This northern shore has a very small road and the Ichibata Railway and is much, much quieter and prettier.

The previous post in the series was on Saka Shrine, the origin of sake in Japan.

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Sasaguri Pilgrimage Temples 22 Kirinokidani Yakushi-do, 2 Matsugase Amida-do, & 56 Matsugase Jizo-do

 

Temple 22, Kirinokidani Yakushi-do is in the same area as the last couple of temples, an Amida-do and a Dainichi-do.

Like most temples on the pilgrimage, it is small, unmanned, and packed with statues.

It was located at the base of the mountain but moved up here several generations ago by the current caretakers grandfather.

Not sure what the dragon statue is about, nor the "ascetic master" statue.

The main hall has the new, golden honzon as well as the origanl small, stone honzon. This seems to be the case with many of the temples, indicating to me that originally many of the temples when the pilgrimage was originally established were just simple roadside altars with a stone statue. Over the years since the local people have gradually built up each site with buildings and many, many statues.

Kirinokidani Yakushi-do was at the top of the mountain, and the next temple was way down at the base.

Matsugase Amida-do is temple number 2,  just across the river from the first temple, the huge Nanzoin.

For me, it was nice to once again come across numerous Fudo statues...

Among the statues in the main hall, the most interesting was a kami statue... Awashima Daimyojin, on the far right of the photo below, and the subject of the 3rd photo below.

It was believed to be effective against women's diseases, especially sexually transmitted ones.

Women from the geisha district of Hakata would make the journey out to the temple....

The final temple of the day for me was the Matsugase Jizo-do. This was the end of the second day, and like the first day was filled with so much......Anyone visiting the area should explore this wonderful pilgrimage, and get away from the obvious attraction of Nanzo-in, which I will be visiting tomorrow.

It was very close to the previous temple and was relocated here in 2011; I suspect because of road-widening work on the main highway.

Outside is a small 6 Jizo hall, and inside the main hall are ten Jizo statues, including the honzon.

Another small snake statue fashioned out of a twisty tree root. No idea what the Kewpie dolls are about; photo below and the top photo of the post.

The previous post in this series covered two pilgrimage temples plus a non-pilgrimage temple filled with dolls.

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