Amenokoyane Mask

It has been a long time since I have had the time to finish any masks, but finally......

It is Amenokoyane, and he appears in the Iwato dance as one of the kami performing rituals to try and entice Amaterasu out of the cave. A friend of mine who dances this character says it is one of the most difficult to perform because the knees are bent all the time to emulate the movements of an old man.

Amenokoyane is considered to be the ancestor of the Nakatomi, who became the Fujiwara, virtual rulers of Japan for centuries.

For any new readers, here is a link to my other masks.

Iwami Kagura Masks

Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage Day 11 Higashi Matsue to Matsue

For the eleventh day of my walk along the Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage I started fromn Higashi Matsue Station and crossed the Ohashi River which connects Lake Shinji with Lake Nakaumi.

The first part of the walk was along the western shore of Lake Nakaumi, which actually isnt a lake but a shallow lagoon.

There was a lot of shrines to visit, and also a lot of Kojin altars with their rope snakes. At one shrine I arrived as a ceremony was taking place, always a nice surprise.

I wouold visit 2 temples of the pilgrimage, before coming into Matsue, the Prefectural capital, and home to one of the handful of original castles keeps left in Japan.

Mitarai Historic Preservation District

Mitarai at the eastern edge of Osaki Shimojima in the Inland Sea was once a major port, due in large part to its sheltered anchorage that enable many ships to safely wait for the winds to change to continue on with their journey.

The port prospered as daimyo as well as foreign embassies stopped here on their way to Edo. It also became a transhipment point in the Inland Sea and so warehouses and trading houses became established.

Mitarai was spared the development that plagued much of Japan in the latter half of the twentieth century and much of the architecture harks back to the Edo period. It is now a designated Historic Preservation District.

One of the preserved buildings is from what was perhaps the most important "product" of the town..... sex!..... at its peak about 20% of the inhabitants were prostitutes, and one of the brothels is now a tourist attraction...... more on that later....

Takeuchi Shrine

Takeuchi Shrine is a very popular shrine on the outskirts of Matsue., It shares the ground with Hirahama Hachimangu and there is an Inari shrine halfway up the approach steps.

The Hachimangu obviously enshrines Ojin, though usually with either his mother Jingu or his father Chuhai or his wife Himegami. The Inari shrine, again obviously, enshrines Inari which nowadays is considered to be Ukanomitama.

Curiously, considering he is purely Buddhist, there was a Daruma!! Though not so curious if you have even a minimal understanding of the religious history of Japan :)

The main kami enshrined here is Takenouchi no Sukune, a legendary figure associated with Jingu and Ojin and who lived 280 years hence the reason why many people come here to pray for a long life. According to the myth his life spanned 5 emperors and many clans claim descent from him, most notably the Soga.

He is enshrined at Ube Shrine in Tottori

Senko-ji, Onomichi

Senkoji is undoubtedly the most visited temple in Onomichi and is an icon of the city. Part of the Onomichi Temple Walk and temple number 10 of the Chugoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

It is a Shingon temple reputedly founded by Kukai himself in 806. The main deity is a Thousand-Armed Kannon and is opened to the public every 33 years.

The temple buildings are scattered around the outcroppings of rock near the top of Mount Senkoji and great views over the town and the islands of the Inland Sea can be had.

The most famous and prominent rock is the "Jewel Rock", 50 meters in circumference and 15 meters high it is topped by a spherical "jewel" that legend says glows at night and illuminates the surrounding sea. The temple is also popular for its miniature Jizo.

Happy New Year of the Ram, Goat, Sheep

Best wishes for the coming year to all of you.

Manai Shrine

Manai Shrine is another of the 6 shrine pilgrimage around the Ou District of Izumo. It is also listed in both the Izumo Fudoki and the Engishiki.

Prior to the Meiji Period it was known as Izanagi-sha, which tells us who the primary kami is. It is not far from Kamosu Shrine, another shrine connected to Izanagi's flight from Yomi.

Also enshrined here is Amatsuhikone, one of the 5 male kami created by Susano out of Amaterasu's jewels. The most well known of the 5 is Amenooshimimi, the father of Ninigi.

There are three secondary shrines in the grounds, though no information is available about who they enshrine except one has some small foxes suggesting Inari.

Iwami Mandala Kannon Pilgrimage, Day 2 November 9th 2012

For the second day of this virtually unknown pilgrimage I start at the base of Mount Sanbe and head towards Shizuma, just a few kilometers south of where I started on the first day. That first day was all uphill so today it will be all downhill, though thankfully it is a different route so I do not have to do any backtracking.

There will be a couple of pilgrimage temples on this day, neither of which I have been to before, as well as numerous shrines, including the Ichinomiya, highest ranked shrine, of Iwami.

In the high country Fall was in full swing,

Like 99% of Iwami it was going to be rural with just a few small villages until I reached the coast.

And, of course, there were going to be surprising and unexpected things to see, which really is the main reason I do this walking.....

Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage Temple 24 Jyo-onji

Jyo-onji, the 24th temple on the pilgrimage was most curious. A very simple wooden building was the only structure.

Founded at the end of the Heian Period it was a Tendai temple named Hogenji and the main deity was the Horseheaded Kannon, a quite rare manifestation of this popular deity. The original statue has long since been destroyed.

The temple several times fell into disuse and was revived. In its current form it is a Shingon temple and the main deity, honzon, is the 11 faced Kannon. It was renamed Jyo-onji.

It was for a period of time the Jinguji of nearby Kamosu Shrine.

Some More Round Windows

My posts on the round windows of Japan have been popular, so here is a selection of ones I've found recently. This first one has to be one of my favorites. It is in an outbuilding in Henshoin Garden, in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture.

This one is in the Ohashi House, a wealthy merchants home in  Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture.

This one is in a shelter in the garden next to Fukuyama Castle in Hiroshima Prefecture.

Korakuen garden in  Okayama.

The Chinese garden Enchoen, on the shore of Togo Lake in Tottori.