tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79754211404466684772026-10-31T21:34:04.090+09:00More Glimpses of Unfamiliar JapanOff the beaten track in Japan:- Nature, Culture, History, Spirit, Art, Pilgrimage and much moreOjisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.comBlogger2776125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-13581868898685091542026-10-31T20:38:28.240+09:002026-10-31T21:34:04.090+09:00The Biggest Shimenawa in the WorldIzumo Taisha
Day 8 of my walk along the Japan Sea Coast would start up on Cape Hinomisaki, where I ended day 7, but to get there I had to change buses in Taisha, the area around Izumo Taisha, so I had a quick look around.Adjacent to the main shrine compound is the Kaguraden. Ostensibly for the performance of kagura, in actuality its main use is for weddings, of which there are many. As with all Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-48542939148122987142026-10-30T11:35:29.910+09:002026-10-30T11:35:29.910+09:00Amida-do at Daisenji Temple High on Mount Daisen was a major Shugendo site centred on Daisenji Temple.At its peak, it had a huge number of sub-temples and other structures in three distinct areas, though with the separation of Buddhas and Kami followed by the suppression of Buddhism in early Meiji, they have been reduced to only 10 from 42.In the former Saimyoin area the Amida Hall remains.An earlier building was Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-24686141878522142622026-10-29T15:44:01.793+09:002026-10-29T15:44:01.793+09:00Inter Media Station After finishing the second day of walking along the Sasaguri Pilgrimage, we headed back into Fukuoka for the night.Living in a very rural place, the architecture of big cities is a delight for me.We went to IMS, long name Inter Media Station, close to Tenjin station.It is a multi-storey mall, primarily for shopping but also plenty of eateries and event spaces as well.A litlle bit too priceyOjisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-58965771761342676612026-10-28T13:17:47.570+09:002026-10-28T13:17:47.570+09:00Yokai Temple Enryu-in One of the sub-temples of Daisenji, high up on the slopes of the sacred mountain Mount Daisen, is Enryu-in.Many temples have painted ceilings where each small square contains a picture of flowers, animals, deities, etc.Enryu-in is unique in having a ceiling with 108 paintings of Yokai, Japan's supernatural beings, including ghosts, monsters, poltergeists, shape-shifters, and spooks.They Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-38325277563558410432026-10-27T15:52:53.960+09:002026-10-27T15:52:53.960+09:00Sanda Sunset At the end of day 5 of my walk along the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage, I watched a glorious sunset from my hotel room in Sanda, Hyogo.Nothing else to say.....The previous post was on Kaburaiji Temple, number 11 on the Kinki Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage.If you would like to subscribe by email, just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published or made public. I post new Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-67550799433322445082026-10-26T18:16:46.670+09:002026-10-27T10:28:42.528+09:00A Walk Up Mount Daisen Day 45 of my walk begins in Yonago, the main city of western Tottori.The next temple is high on Mount Daisen, the mountain that dominates the view and is the highest mountain in the Chugoku region at 1,729m.Heading out of town I must be on the old San-in Do highway as there are numerous large, traditional properties....Yonaga is not a big city, so I was soon out into the countryside, but Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-71506188948655795652026-10-24T19:54:06.462+09:002026-10-24T19:54:06.463+09:00Kamayama Shrine On the morning of the ninth day of my walk along the Saigoku Pilgrimage and the Kumano Kaido, I took a detour along a mini-pilgrimage to 3 shrines along the small Kishigawa Railway Line.The first stop was Kamayama Shrine, enshrining Itsuse, the older brother of Jimmu, the mythical first emperor.According to the story, Jimmu and his entourage had come up the Inland Sea, subduing the local Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-90944053880195308222026-10-23T12:48:17.570+09:002026-10-23T12:48:17.571+09:00Okanari Shrine & Akamatsu Hiyoshi Shrine A little farther up the lower slopes of Mount Daisen, I came to Okanari Shrine.When this area was being settled and developed, three shrines of the Kumano Sanzan were founded, this one being for Shingu Daimyojin, so the kami here is Hayatamano.The village was originally named Shingu, but later was renamed Okanari. During the 16th century the shrine was supported by the local warlord, a Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-8855979053970940482026-10-22T11:13:46.455+09:002026-10-22T11:13:46.455+09:00Folk Art of Maze Town The next temple on the Shodoshima Pilgrimage was in the middle of an old part of Tonosho known as Meiro no Machi, which translates as Maze TownThe name comes from the narrow lanes of the area which have so many turns it quickly gets confusing when walking around. It is said the layout was created in the 14th century when fighting between the rival Northern and Southern Courts occurred on Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-14924078040166831162026-10-21T10:18:54.834+09:002026-10-21T10:18:54.834+09:00Ogamiyama Shrine Ogamiyama Shrine has a long and somewhat unusual history. It is mentioned in the Izumo Fudoki, and is listed in the Engi Shiki, and is the Ninomiya, second-ranked shrine, of Hoki Province.Mount Daisen has long been a sacred mountain, and the shrine's origins lie in a small shrine built high up on the mountain by ascetic monks.As the mountain was covered in deep snow during the winter, a Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-4628839269077963692026-10-19T14:37:47.595+09:002026-10-19T14:37:47.596+09:00Yumeminato Pavilion Attached to the Yumeminato Tower in Sakaiminato, Tottori, is the Yumeminato Pavilion.They are both remaining structures from an Expo that was held here in 1997.In front of the pavillion are several sculptures. They take the form of metal boxes with holes in the shape of Yokai.Sakaiminato is a Yokai capital in Japan as it is the birthplace of Mizuki Shigeru, a manga artist responsible for Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-55910713478232905602026-10-18T15:48:19.538+09:002026-10-18T23:05:17.679+09:00Tottori the Final PrefectureTottori
I come down from Kiyomizudera temple via the old trail between the temple and the Shugendo centre of Mount Daisen.I pass under the new expressway that follows Route 9, the original Sanin-do, the least travelled of the imperial routes.I visit one more shrine in Shimane, photos below, and then I cross into Tottori, the final prefecture of the pilgrimage.I started out walking through OkayamaOjisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-16638842152863003922026-10-16T10:58:29.102+09:002026-10-21T12:51:18.323+09:00Deeper into Remote IwamiI started day 10 of my walk along the Iwami Mandala Kannon Pilgrimage in the mountains of SW Shimane at Akayamatenmangu Shrine. My route will take me roughly south, a little deeper into the mountains. This is an unknown area to me.For a while, I follow the Masuda River upstream and pass by a small shrine on the hillside.It's not a big river at this point, so I wondered what the civil engineering Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-22831142217481459892026-10-15T12:53:19.357+09:002026-10-21T12:51:57.535+09:00 Kiyomizudera Temple 28 Chugoku Kannon PilgrimageThere are many Kiyomizudera temples scattered across Japan. This one is in Yasugi, Shimane, and may very well be the oldest.Kiyomizudera literally means "Pure Water Temple", and the most famous is the one in Kyoto.The temple is very old with the date of 587 generally given for its founding.According to the legend, an itinerant monk named Sonryu investigated the mountain where locals claimed an Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-31176919841873392812026-10-14T16:47:26.420+09:002026-10-14T16:47:26.420+09:00Oki Beach to Iburi to Kubotsu to Kinpei-an Day 23 of my Shikoku Pilgrimage, and from Oki Beach I continued on down the coast of the Ashizuri Peninsula towards the cape and Kongofukuji Temple, the 38th temple of the pilgrimage.I should easily reach it today, but it has been 3 days since the 37th temple, Iwamotoji.It is unusual to find a cemetery with a Shinto gate....With a large torii flanked by komainu, I was expecting a Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-63495699622245950552026-10-12T16:19:58.130+09:002026-10-12T16:19:58.130+09:00Between Unjuji & Kiyomizudera The next temple on the pilgrimage after Unjuji is Kiyomizudera, and it is just a few kilometers away so this will be a short post.I stopped in at this very small temple. The very wide roof is typical of traditional architecture as it was necessary to keep the excessive rainfall away from a building's foundations. This building does not look like it has much longer lifespan without some Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-78939128278742233772026-10-11T16:30:32.898+09:002026-10-19T00:08:13.059+09:00Demon Mummy of Daijoin Demon Mummy of DaijoinA small sign pointed up a narrow path between bamboo to a temple, the kind of invitation I find heard to resist.A group of red-bibbed statues was reassuring...But what I found why quite weird and a little disturbing...It is said to be the mummified remains of an Oni. Mummified priests I had heard of but not yet seen.The figure is about 1.4 meters tall seated and estimated toOjisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-4093924972107031652026-10-09T18:44:54.391+09:002026-10-09T18:44:54.391+09:00Unjuji Temple 27 Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage Unjuji is a very large Rinzai Zen temple dating to 1322.The plaque bearing the name on the large, 2-storey main gate is said to be written by Emperor Go-Daigo.After passing through the first gate, the Important Cultural Property Four Legged Gate, a long lantern-lined path then turns 90 degrees, and then the Main Gate, Buddha Hall, and Abbots Quarters all align in what is known as Zen style.Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-45135592424269264962026-10-08T14:48:05.643+09:002026-10-08T14:48:05.643+09:00Honishibashi Residence & Gardens Momen Kaido, Cotton Road, is a small historic district of Hirata that was once a bustling merchant area trading in cotton.One of the oldest remaining houses is the Honishibashi Residence, the oldest part of which was built in 1750The earthern-floored entrance foyer has a nice example of the local folk art, Isshiki Kazari.As well as serving as the home and business premises, the Daimyo wouldOjisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-53676906978415896562026-10-07T16:50:09.940+09:002026-10-18T23:09:29.624+09:00Across Three RiversAcross Three RiversComing out of the low hills separating the Ou Plain from the Nogi Plain, I head east-southeast towards the next pilgrimage temple, Unjuji.The main river I have to cross is the Iinashi, but closer to Unjuji I will cross two smaller rivers, the Yoshida, and then the Hakuta. All three drain into the Nakaumi Lagoon.The main river, Iinashi, has large embankments...Daisen, the Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-47495984023520492802026-10-06T15:01:07.409+09:002026-10-06T15:01:07.409+09:00Iyadaniji Temple 71 Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage Iyadaniji, temple 71 on the pilgrimage, is located on the slope of Mount Yatani in Kagawa.The Niomon is at 138m elevation, and the main hall is at 221 m; between them are 540 steps.Iyadaniji is yet another of the pilgrimage temples said to be founded by Gyoki.It is said that as a young child, Kobo Daishi studied in a cave here.When he returned from China in 807, he carved a Senju Kannon andOjisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-14182937383556102262026-10-05T15:19:23.067+09:002026-10-05T15:19:23.068+09:00Suta Shrine & Iwasaki Shrine While crossing a hilly section between the Ou Plain and the Inashi River Valley, I stopped in at a couple of small shrines.The first, Suta Shrine, was mentioned in the Izumo Fudoki as a fertility shrine and was also listed in the Engi Shiki.However, during the Edo Period it became associated with Inari worship, and that is the kami listed now as the main kami.The secondary kami is Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-45154836417069146282026-10-02T09:31:16.234+09:002026-10-19T00:10:39.491+09:00Yumeminato TowerYumeminato TowerJapan has a lot of observation towers, a few, like in Tokyo, are not on the coast, but the vast majority are.Yumeminato Tower is located in Sakaiminato, the port town in Tottori, now famous for Yokai.At 43 meters in height, it is one of the smaller towers.On clear days there are great views of Mount Daisen, the highest mountain in the Chugoku Region. Unfortunately, on the day I Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-69364969352154366332026-10-01T11:40:35.596+09:002026-10-01T11:40:35.597+09:00Across the Ou Plain The first part of day 44 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was in Higashi Izumo, and I walked across the Ou Plain, once home to the provincial capital of Izumo.My first stop was Kamosu Shrine with its National Treasure main hall. Just across the road from the entrance to the shrine was a rice paddy with black rice.I don't remember ever coming across black rice before. Red rice Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-7280238308784282292026-09-30T19:03:42.003+09:002026-09-30T19:03:42.004+09:00Paradise Bay Jodogaura Coast At the end of my first day walking around the coast of Dogo Island in the Oki Islands, I arrived at where I would be spending the night, a free campsite on the Jodogaura Coast, a scenic spot that could be translated as Paradise Bay.It was the first week in October, and I was the only person staying at the campsite.There are several inlets, a cape, and islets of various sizes.A Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1