Saturday, December 12, 2009

Torture in Tsuwano! The Memorial Chapel of Mary



The Memorial Chapel of Mary is located in Otome Pass in Tsuwano. It was built in 1951 on the site of the torture and martyrdom of 25 Christians, including a 5 year old girl, in the early years of Meiji (1867-).

 


When Japan "opened" in the 1850's thousands of "hidden christians" mistakenly believed that it was safe to come out of the closet as a Christian Church had been constructed in Nagasaki by the French. Rather than execute them all, which is what the law proscribed, it was decided by the new government to disperse them to "re-education" camps across Japan and "encourage" them to join the new state-created religion of Shinto.

 


One method used on some of the 153 Christians sent to Tsuwano was imprisonment in tiny cages and left exposed to the elements. These statues show one of the famous martyrs, Yasutaro, who was visited by the Virgin Mary every night during his torture. Otome is the Japanese word for "virgin girl", and the pass was named Otome Pass because of an old, local legend that told of a young girl who was spurned and she wandered into the mountains here and disappeared.

 


There is a lot more detailed information on the martyrdom of the hidden Christians at this site



The short path leading up to the pass and chapel starts not far from the station in Tsuwano.



Thursday, December 10, 2009

Fake maiko.

kyoto6293

These 2 young ladies in Gion were being photographed by a whole gaggle of foreign tourists who most probably believed they were seeing maiko or geisha.

gion36

In fact the 2 women were customers of one of the many "Maiko make-over" shops that are in Gion.

kyoto6295

With prices ranging from 6,000 up to more than 40,000 yen. you can get made up and wear the costume and then wander around Gion.

gion54

So, how can you tell they are fake?

A simple rule of thumb is that if it is the daytime, then almost certainly they are cosplayers. Another thing to look for is how they walk. Very few non-maiko will be able to walk in the correct maiko way. The bags they carry and how they lift the kimono are also give-aways.

kyoto6299

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

St. Xavier Memorial Church

yuda98

The St. Xavier memorial Church is located in Yamaguchi City. It was built in 1998 to replace an earlier church that "mysteriously" burnt down in 1991.

yuda94

It was designed by the Italian architect Rugieri, and is constructed of marble and concrete.

yuda91

St. Francis Xavier spent 6 months in Yamaguchi in 1550 as the guest of the local daimyo and it is said it was the happiest 6 months of his life.

yuda96

The church bells can be heard all over downtown Yamaguchi, and they made me realize how much I miss the sound of church bells. Much nicer than the piped muzac spouting from the PA's in every other Japanese town.

yuda97

There is a small Christian museum in the basement of the church with a small entrance fee. Entrance to the church itself is free.

yuda109

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Concrete wabi sabi: more steps.

Continuing with my exploration of the aesthetic potential in Japan's favorite material,.... more steps!

An Afternoon Around Sanbe Dam4128

An Escheresque view of the steps down sanbe Dam.

4feb4326

A very standard form of steps. These go down to the stream that run through Omori, Iwami Ginzan.

m1383

Of course concrete can be poured into any shape. These curved steps go down to the boat dock for the horikawa boat tour on the river in Matsue.

tam3419

These lead down to a hot spring in the river at Tamatsukuri Onsen.

sh468

I really liked these that lead up into the Museum of Ehime History & Culture.

seoul4961

These last ones are not actually in Japan, but Seoul, Korea.

Monday, December 7, 2009

O-miki by the barrel

A morning at Matsuo Shrine 4450

A huge stack of sakedaru (sake barrels) at Matsuo Shrine near Kyoto. Matsuo is the home of the patron kami of sake brewers.

ichi5447

Sake when offered to the kami is known as O-miki. It is one of the primary offering (shinsen) to the kami. After a ceremony the omiki will be shared among the participants and congregation.

I don't drink sake, but gladly drink omiki.

A morning at Matsuo Shrine 4449

The wooden sakedaru are wrapped in a ricestraw blanket to protect them during transportation.

48 Hours. 225 of 600

Most of the major shrines will have a stack of sakedaru, usually, but not always, donated by brewers.

fuk823


ichi5520

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Typical Japanese Landscape 26

osaka4575

Foothills of Katsuragi Mountain (Nara) at sunset.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

It's going to be a snowy winter...

kamemushi1

...at least according to these critters! They are Kamemushi ( Turtle Bug), and this fall there has been a much larger number of them invading the house. Local wisdom says this means heavier than usual snowfall this winter.

kamemushi2

Members of the Pentatomidae family of bugs, in English they are commonly known as Stinkbugs because of the unpleasant smell they excrete when attacked. Many Japanese women and kids freak out if they see one as if it were a deadly creature, but in fact the smell is a little unpleasant but not that bad. Japanese say the smell of Cilantro is like that of the kamemushi, ..one reason freash cilantro is hard to find in Japanese supermarkets.

In Vietnam they eat the bugs. From personal experience I can tell you that even after cooking they remain crunchy!!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Round Windows: looking out.

Circular windows are not uniquely Japanese, but they do seem a little more common here traditionally.

kyoto6242
Kennin-Ji, the oldest Zen Temple in Kyoto

4feb4338
The former Wilds Gallery, Omori, Iwami Ginzan

seki1074
Tea room, Chofu gardens, Yamaguchi Pref.

oka9669
Manor House, Takahashi, Okayama.

One weekend one year ago 1620
Park. Asari, near Gotsu

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Haikyo

tsu3274

Haikyo is a Japanese word that means something along the lines of "ruin" and "abandoned building", and its a word that is becoming used in English now. There are lots of people who's hobby is exploring abandoned sites around Japan. Where I live close to half the buildings are abandoned, so it doesn't seem anything special.

tsu913

This tiny haikyo was on the trail leading up to the small chapel at Otome Pass, in Tsuwano, the site of the torture and martydom of Japanese christians in the late 19th Century.

tsu915

It was a small tea room/cafe, and was probably built in the late 1960's when Japan started to experience a domestic travel boom

tsu914

One of the fascinations of haikyo seems to be that often things will be left untouched as they were.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Traditional japanese house

osaka1966

It's only been quite recently that I have begun to appreciate the aesthetics of traditional Japanese houses. This one seemed a little lighter than many.

osaka1969

I have also come to appreciate the gardens, though I can't quite get used to the fact that Japanese gardens are meant to be looked at, not walked in.

For many years I didn't even bother going into any of the many old houses open to the public.

osaka1964

This one is located in the small village of Chikauchi-cho, a few hundred meters from Takeuchi JR station in SW Nara Prefecture.

osaka1968

We stopped in on our way to walk the Katsuragi kaido. The place had obviously been recently renovated and had just opened to the public. Like many places off the beaten track, entrance was free.