Sumiyoshi Shrine Hakata

Sumiyoshi Shrine Hakata

Sumiyoshi Shrine in Hakata is a large, historic shrine near the river that in ancient times was much closer to the mouth of the river and the sea.

It enshrines three kami that were associated with safety for sea journeys. The head shrine is Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka, but it is believed that this one in Hakata is the original.

The current main hall was built in 1673 and is a National Treasure. The Sumiyoshi kami are associated with the mythical Empress Jingu, and she is also now enshrined here.

Within the extensive, wooded grounds of the shrine is also an Ebisu Shrine, and several Inari Shrines. Next door is the Rakusuien Garden.

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Kasai Residence & Garden

Kasai Residence & Garden

Takehara, on the coast of Hiroshima, is one of those towns with a well-preserved section of the old town that have been recognized as preservation districts.

Some of the old buildings are open to the public. Earlier I posted about the Morikawa Residence and its garden.

I'm pretty sure this is the former Kasai Residence, a well-to-do merchant family, though not as wealthy as the Morikawas

I came late to an appreciation of traditional Japanese architecture and gardens, and so I didn't take as many photos nor notice so much back when I visited Takehara.

Most visitors pass through Takehara on their way to visit Rabbit Island", a mecca for those seeking cute. For those with those who appreciate the traditional, Takehara offers a combined ticket which gives reduced entry prices to several of the old houses in the town.

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Hita Preservation District in 2D

Hita

A series of photos taken in the historical preservation district in Hita, Oita, that focus on two-dimensional composition. Similar to the recent post I did on Omori.

Traditional Japanese architecture offers a variety of pleasing proportions and textures.

Juxtaposing with  natural forms.......

Sometimes a simple, repetitive pattern works..... this is in front of a museum of the local matsuri which I will cover in a future post....

Existing artwork and advertising is often a good subject. One wonders what a compulsory fire might be.

Many times property owners create their own aesthetic arrangements.....

A fundamental function of the photographer is to choose where to place the frame.....

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Sumiyoshi Inari Shrine

Sumiyoshi Inari Shrine

As well as the Mikka Ebisu Shrine, the grounds of Sumiyoshi Shrine in Hakata also contains an Inari Shrine.

It has a couple of small tunnels of vermilion torii, though much fewer than many Inari shrines.

The full name of the shrine is Arakuma / Shirahige Inari Shrine.

Behind the main hall of the shrine is a second Inari shrine called Nozoki Inari. It consists of a tunnel made out of a ile of rocks, and it is said that if you look into the tunnel and can see yourself reflected in the mirror at the rear then you will have your wish granted.

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Kokubunji Byakuraku Shrine

Kokubunji Byakuraku Shrine

Coming into Niima at the end of my third day walking along the Iwami Kannon Pilgrimage I stopped in at the local shrine.

The name was quite intriguing, as kokubunji were the series of "national" monasteries established in the Nara period, one being established in each of the provinces, and I have visited the site of the Iwami Kokubunji in Shimoko near Hamada.

However, it turns out that the provincial capital was in fact originally here in what is now Niima, before being moved to Hamada. I had never known that before. So it turns out theshrine was built in the grounds of the earlier kokubunji.

The main kami of the shrine is Ikazuchi, a thunder god most well known as the kami of the famous  kamigamo shrine in Kyoto/

The shrine has now been combined with a Hachiman Shrine.

Within the grounds are several smaller shrines including an Imamiya and an Inari.

The shrine is listed in the tenth century Engishiki, which means it received offerings from the cetral government.

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Hita Preservation District

Hita

Hita is a small town in Oita, close to the border with Fukuoka, and on the Mikuma River, which runs into the Chikugo River.

The old part of town is called Mamedamachi, and is a Preservation District with streets of old buildings from various times in the Edo Period.

Due in large part to its location in the middle of northern Kyushu, with well established roads and river transport routes radiating out to other parts of Kyushu, it was pretty much the political and economic capital of Kyushu for several hundred years.

First it was directly controlled by Hideyoshi, and then his successor, Tokugawa Ieyasu. Following him it was controlled by the Bakufu, and as such was known as a tenryo town.

Certain sections of the old town are very tourist-oriented with lots of gifts shops etc, though there are a few small museums and some temples.

I will be posting about various sites in the town over the next few weeks.

I was here on day 53 of my walk along the Kyushu Pilgrimage.

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Mikka Ebisu Shrine

Mikka

Mikka Ebisu is one of the shrines within the grounds of the Sumiyoshi Shrine in Hakata.

It's built on an island in a large pond.

Mikka means "third day" and refers to January 3rd, 1945, when the shrine was founded.

According to the story, a local man found a small wooden box containing a small Ebisu statue floating in the river. He took it home and consequently had a lot of good luck so decided it was due to the Ebisu statue and wanted to share the statue with others, so founded the shrine.

Being one of the shichifukujin, the seven lucky gods, the shrine is very popular, especially on the 3rd of january each year.

The gate, pictured below, dates back to the Edo period and leads into the Sumiyoshi Shrine and also to the Rakusuien Garden.

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Day 14 on the Ohenro Trail Winds Down

Ohenro Trail Day 14

The famous Shikoku Pilgrimage, known as Ohenro, was the first formal pilgrimage I walked. Hard to believe it is now over ten years ago. In early October 2011 I was on the 14th day of walking

These are a few of the snapshots I took towards the end of the day. Most of the day had been taken up with the climb to Konomine-ji, the 27th temple of the pilgrimage, and Konomineji Shrine nearby. Coming up the coast I stopped in at Cape Oyama. 

Tosa, the former name of Kochi, was one of the instigators of the Meiji Restoration, and there were statues of some of the major figures from Tosa associated with it. This is Ryo Narasaki, wife of the famous Ryoma Sakamoto.

For a section the path followed a cycle trail through the pines planted along the beach.

Like most areas of Japan, there were Kappa legends around here.....

As sunset approached I reached my destination for the night, the Haginori zenkonyado. Zenkonyados are free lodgings for walking pilgrims provided by individuals rather than temples. Hagimori-san is well known among walking pilgrims as a source of up-to-date information on free lodgings on the route. His little cabins are located under the elevated railway near Nishibun Station. Two other pilgrims stayed that night..... not a busy time on the route...

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