I thought I had seen the approach to the castle located on the north side of town, but I was surprised to see that it looked exactly like the Obi Castle ruins on the Nichinan coast. It is also very similar that the historic townscape remains intact along with the town layout and this townscape was registered as “Traditional Buildings Preservation District.”
tatsuno castle entrance
obi castle entrance
Obi’s stone walls surrounding samurai residences are impressive, while Tatsuno’s rows of merchant houses formed by lattice windows and storehouses are impressive. Most tourist brochures highlight only the most beautiful parts of the scenery, but it is rare to find a historic wooden building of this size remaining. If possible, it’s best to take enough time to wander aimlessly.
tatsuno city old map
tatsuno city (1)
tatsuno city (2)
tatsuno city (3)
tatsuno city (4)
tatsuno castle entrance
tatsuno city (6)
tatsuno city (8)
tatsuno city (7)dragon pine
tatsuno city (9)
tatsuno city (10)
tatsuno city (11)
tatsuno city (12)
tatsuno city (14)
tatsuno city (15)
tatsuno city (16)
In Japan, children’s songs urging children to “go home” are still played from loudspeakers in many towns in the evening. The representative children’s song is “Aka-tombo,”(red dragonfly) and the lyricist’s hometown is Tatsuno City. The lyrics are interpreted in various ways due to the poor lifestyle, but they give the impression of being melancholic and making people feel anxious and want to go home. Red dragonfly designs can be found on various street corners in Tatsuno City.
tatsuno city (17)red dragonfly design
tatsuno city (18)red dragonfly design
tatsuno city (19)red dragonfly design
Many souvenirs are based on fermented foods and soy sauce. The brick chimney of the soy sauce factory seen from the castle ruins is impressive.
It is said that there is a world of ease in the far west where lotus flowers bloom, free from suffering and worries. Buddhism associates the fear of death with the west, where the sun sets, and preaches that paradise lies in the west. Therefore, Amitabha Buddha is enshrined in the west. Jodoji Temple is the embodiment of this idea in its original form.
This is one of temples which were built in various places to collect donations for the reconstruction of Todaiji Temple in Nara. It is such a magnificent temple that if they had that kind of money, they should have used it to rebuild Todaiji itself. The shape of main hall’s roof reminds us of Gangoji Temple in Nara.
jodoji(2)main hall
jodoji(4)
jodoji(5)hydrangea in summer
jodoji(6)shrine in the temple
Once inside, the setting sun shining through lattice doors illuminates the floorboards, and the giant Amida Triad shines golden in the reflected light. It gives a sense of the great imagination that came with this effect at the time. Please note that the closing times are different in summer and winter. Maybe it’s because the sunset time is different. On the other hand, there is also a lunch break time. Interestingly, there is Hachiman Shrine, which cuts through the flow of traffic within the temple grounds.
jodoji amidasub temple (4)dwart made by a monk
The chief priest of the sub-temple, Kanki-in adjacent to Jodoji Temple is making cute dolls made of clay. They also have seasonal dolls, which is a great appeal to repeat customers. However, even though it’s a temple and not a shrine, the dolls come with fortune telling fortunes.
promenard to sub temple (1)
promenard to sub temple (2)
sub temple (3)
sub temple (1)
sub temple (2)
Detour
In summer, a huge sunflower field appears just around Jodoji Temple.
sun flower field
Today’s INN
A hot spring inn located in the back of Himeji City.
The name of the valley is “Akasai Valley”. It is usually read as “Akanishi”, but this is the Kansai way of reading it. I happened to see a website that said “Oirase Valley in the west,” but I think the people of Tohoku might have hurt their pride by saying something outrageous (⇒ see a trip on Oirase Valley).
The above is Oirase valley resemble to Akasai valley, simiar to Oirase valley?
I had a suspicion that I had never heard of a valley comparable to Oirase Valley, so I thought I had been fooled and wanted to check it out, so I decided to make this my main purpose for this trip.
akasai valley map
The valley is located on the border with Tottori Prefecture, making it difficult to reach. Moreover, cars are not allowed inside the valley, so you will need to rent an e-mountain bike at a nearby roadside station. However, this is cheap at 1000 yen for 2 hours. After being thoroughly instructed on the functions of the bike by a kind clerk (Listen carefully as this will be important later), we set off. After getting used to the controls on the first paved road, we finally headed out onto the gravel road in the valley. If you get stuck in a rut and try to force your way out, there is a risk that the handle will be grabbed and you will fall. Come to think of it, if one person gets hurt and can’t move, the other one should abandon him and come back to the roadside station to inform the emargency. In other words, there is no cell phone service in the valley.
akasai valley (1)
akasai valley (2)
akasai valley (3)
akasai valley (5)
akasai valley (4)
akasai valley (6)
akasai valley (7)
The road along the valley used to run on a forest railway used to transport lumber, so there are no steep slopes, and the valley runs along the road all the way, so you can enjoy forest bathing while looking out at the valley as you head deeper into the valley. I thought the water would be murky because of the heavy rain that came in the linear precipitation belt early in the morning, but the clear water was flowing down between the moss-covered rocks of various sizes. Ah, this feeling definitely reminds me of Oirase Valley. As I went deeper, that belief became more and more certain.
akasai valley (8)
akasai valley (10)
akasai valley (9)
akasai valley (11)
akasai valley (12)
akasai valley (13)
akasai valley (14)batterfly
Along the way, you will also see the scenery that was used as the title back for the NHK historical drama “Gunshi Kanbei,” who was a tactician for Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Even though it was a hot summer, I was able to get to the place where I could ride my bike in the natural air conditioning of the forest within an hour without meeting anyone. I was able to enjoy a rich time. I brought a bear bell just in case, but no bears have been spotted in this valley yet. In autumn, the entire area could be covered with autumn leaves.
The return trip is downhill, although the slope is small, so be careful and brake only on the rear wheels. I was so fascinated by the Oirase Valley that I almost slipped and fell twice. The water from the valley is the drinking water for the city and the brewing water for sake breweries.
The three-storied pagoda is a national treasure. The hanging scrolls with portraits of Prince Shotoku Taishi and Founder of Tendai sect Saicho in the treasure hall are also national treasures. However, advance reservations are required for the latter. After paying the entrance fee at the foot of the temple mountain, I made my way up the more than 400 stone steps to the main hall where tickets to the treasure hall are sold, keeping an eye on the three-storied pagoda on my left but caring about the reservation time at the treasure hall. Then, I paid the ticket to the treasure hall to the monk at the main hall, and he told me that the treasure hall was down the stone steps and next to the entrance! Why aren’t they sold at the entrance? Seeing the disappointed look on my face, the monk told me that I could take my time to see the main hall and then visit the treasure hall on my way home. I’m thankful for that, but I’m starting to wonder why.
ichijoji; still stone steps to main hall
From the main hall, you can look down on the three-storied pagoda standing dignified in the middle of a dense mountain, and the gentle breeze is refreshing.
ichijoji (2)
ichijoji (4)pagoda national tresure
ichijoji (5)
On the side wall of the main hall, I found large letters that looked like they had been scrawled in ink. They are nice letters, but the content doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the temple. Later, when I stopped by Jodoji Temple (see next post) and saw almost the same on display, I realized that it was a doodle made by someone who had visited the temple at the time. Although it’s common in any era, it’s still a bold doodle.
ichijoji (8)ancient graffiti
ichijoji (9)inside of main hall
ichijoji (7)corridor of main hall
ichijoji pagoda
Well, I took my time touring the main hall and the three-storied pagoda, and finally stopped at the treasure hall on my way back, but it didn’t have a particularly strict entrance, and I was told that I could come in freely, which made me feel strange. There were various Buddhist statues from that time, and at the very back there were portraits of Shotoku Taishi and Saicho, but they were so sharp that I wondered, and when I read the description, it turned out to be an exquisite reproduction. Real national treasures are stored in museums, right? If that’s the case, what’s the point of requiring advance reservations, and of not selling tickets until you’re on top of the mountain?
It’s a temple full of questions, but at least it’s better than the crowded and uncomfortable temples in Kyoto.
