A Walk Around Kyushu
Day 52, Mii to Chikugoyoshii
Tuesday Dec 24th 2013
It's a chilly forenoon alongside frost inward the shadows but alongside clear skies equally I caput off upwards the broad Chikugo River Valley. The route heads towards Hita simply across the edge inward Oita, as well as it was a major merchandise route.
The laid about noticeable matter I run into are the roadside Ebisu statues. With his beaming smile, belongings a Sea Bream nether his arm as well as oft alongside a angling rod inward his correct hand, Ebisu is the patron deity of fishermen. There is hardly a angling hamlet anywhere inward Nihon that does non stimulate got a pocket-size Ebisu shrine at the harbour, but he is too 1 of the Shichifukujin, the vii Lucky Gods of Japan, although the alone 1 who is considered native Japanese.
Whatever the reason, this surface area has a particular affection for Ebisu as well as in that place is 1 every few hundred meters along the road, each 1 different. There are too quite a lot of pocket-size shrines, none of them spectacular, but oft alongside distinctive komainu, as well as too a pocket-size Ebisu shrine.
I don't retrieve e'er having seen then many Ebisu inward 1 surface area before. Continuing on along the road, my eyes peeled for the adjacent Ebisu, I notice that the fields are to a greater extent than oft than non doing about shape of horticulture rather than agriculture. There are about paddies alongside rice stubble, but virtually of the other seem to endure growing about form of flowers or shrubs or tree seedlings. Curious, something to query later.
As I approach Tanushimaru I come upwards to about other local obsession - Kappa. Often called "water sprites" inward English, Kappa are a mythical beast that appear inward folk stories as well as legends all over Japan, though about areas, land this existence one, celebrate them.
Here they adorn the manhole covers, every span across the pocket-size river running through the town has a twain on it, as well as pocket-size statues tin dismiss endure institute everywhere. The master copy edifice of the local railway station is too built inward the shape of a Kappa head. There are too lots of Ebisu.
I larn looking for the adjacent temple on the pilgrimage, seat out 5, Taishi-ji. I mean value I've institute it, a rather grand looking temple behind high walls, but it turns out non to endure it. The temple I desire is correct behind it as well as is much smaller, but in that place is no straight agency to larn to it. I must backtrack as well as navigate the maze of narrow streets that is the former purpose of whatever Japanese town.
Taishi-ji is much smaller as well as poorer, though it does stimulate got a fine Fudo Myo-O statue inward the grounds similar then many of the temples on this Shingon pilgrimage. I bear on due east as well as at a pocket-size shrine on the agency out of town I honor a phallic fertility stone. One to a greater extent than positive inward a 24-hour interval that has been far to a greater extent than interesting than I had expected.
At Yoshii I accept the educate dorsum into Kurume. Yoshii has about streets of Edo-Period storehouses but I volition explore those when I come upwards dorsum hither tomorrow. Back inward Kurume I forgo the Japanese tradition of eating Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas Eve.
Jake Davies
A Walk Around Kyushu Day 51
© JapanVisitor.com Sumber https://japanvisitor.blogspot.com/
Day 52, Mii to Chikugoyoshii
Tuesday Dec 24th 2013
It's a chilly forenoon alongside frost inward the shadows but alongside clear skies equally I caput off upwards the broad Chikugo River Valley. The route heads towards Hita simply across the edge inward Oita, as well as it was a major merchandise route.
The laid about noticeable matter I run into are the roadside Ebisu statues. With his beaming smile, belongings a Sea Bream nether his arm as well as oft alongside a angling rod inward his correct hand, Ebisu is the patron deity of fishermen. There is hardly a angling hamlet anywhere inward Nihon that does non stimulate got a pocket-size Ebisu shrine at the harbour, but he is too 1 of the Shichifukujin, the vii Lucky Gods of Japan, although the alone 1 who is considered native Japanese.
Whatever the reason, this surface area has a particular affection for Ebisu as well as in that place is 1 every few hundred meters along the road, each 1 different. There are too quite a lot of pocket-size shrines, none of them spectacular, but oft alongside distinctive komainu, as well as too a pocket-size Ebisu shrine.
I don't retrieve e'er having seen then many Ebisu inward 1 surface area before. Continuing on along the road, my eyes peeled for the adjacent Ebisu, I notice that the fields are to a greater extent than oft than non doing about shape of horticulture rather than agriculture. There are about paddies alongside rice stubble, but virtually of the other seem to endure growing about form of flowers or shrubs or tree seedlings. Curious, something to query later.
As I approach Tanushimaru I come upwards to about other local obsession - Kappa. Often called "water sprites" inward English, Kappa are a mythical beast that appear inward folk stories as well as legends all over Japan, though about areas, land this existence one, celebrate them.
Here they adorn the manhole covers, every span across the pocket-size river running through the town has a twain on it, as well as pocket-size statues tin dismiss endure institute everywhere. The master copy edifice of the local railway station is too built inward the shape of a Kappa head. There are too lots of Ebisu.
I larn looking for the adjacent temple on the pilgrimage, seat out 5, Taishi-ji. I mean value I've institute it, a rather grand looking temple behind high walls, but it turns out non to endure it. The temple I desire is correct behind it as well as is much smaller, but in that place is no straight agency to larn to it. I must backtrack as well as navigate the maze of narrow streets that is the former purpose of whatever Japanese town.
Taishi-ji is much smaller as well as poorer, though it does stimulate got a fine Fudo Myo-O statue inward the grounds similar then many of the temples on this Shingon pilgrimage. I bear on due east as well as at a pocket-size shrine on the agency out of town I honor a phallic fertility stone. One to a greater extent than positive inward a 24-hour interval that has been far to a greater extent than interesting than I had expected.
At Yoshii I accept the educate dorsum into Kurume. Yoshii has about streets of Edo-Period storehouses but I volition explore those when I come upwards dorsum hither tomorrow. Back inward Kurume I forgo the Japanese tradition of eating Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas Eve.
Jake Davies
A Walk Around Kyushu Day 51
© JapanVisitor.com Sumber https://japanvisitor.blogspot.com/