Japan (April 2019): Hagi
(2/2: Off the island)
To directly access the first page on Hagi (″On the island″), click here.
Annotated aerial view of Hagi.
Daishoin temple:
This Zen Buddhist temple is one of the
two main Mori family temples, along with Toko-ji.
Located south of the Hashimoto-gawa, it was built in
1656 to honor Mori Hidenari (1595-1651), son and
successor of Mori Terumoto. The temple was destroyed
by a fire in 1747 and reconstructed in 1750. The Mori family had a Chinese
system of burial that alternates grave locations between successive
generations. So, some of the Mori lords (including Mori Hidenari)
are buried at Daishoin and others at Toko-ji (see further down in this page). Mori Terumoto is
buried separately in the Tenjuin graveyard located on
the island near the Hagi castle (see the first page
on Hagi).
Beautiful shoromon
(gate with bell tower) of the temple (front and back).
The hondo
(main prayer hall).
The cemetery located behind the hondo offers a grandiose, but deeply serene and spiritual
sight. It contains 52 graves including those of seven Hagi
lords, and over 600 stone lanterns donated by vassals. Some samurai who
committed seppuku after the death of their lords are also buried here. Most of
the lanterns are lined up into parallel rows on a gentle slope, like an army of
soldiers protecting their lords. The holes in the lanterns are either full
circles, then representing the sun, or half circles, for the moon.
The graves of the lords and their wives
are fronted by stone torii.
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Kanaya shrine:
This shrine, also located south of the
Hashimoto-gawa, was built in 1720 by Mori Yoshimoto,
next to the gate of the castle (that no longer exists). When the Mori lords and
their families left Hagi to Edo (present-day Tokyo)
for the sankin-kotai, they always stopped here to
pray for their safe travel. (As major feudal rulers, called daimyos, the Hagi lords were required during most of the Edo era to
switch residence periodically between Hagi and Edo.
The purpose of this policy, known as sankin-kotai,
was to strengthen central control over the locally powerful daimyos.)
Entrance gate of the shrine. This gate
used to contain statues of Buddhist guardians that were removed at the Meiji
restoration.
Statue of a white horse on the left side
of the shrine.
The inner courtyard of the shrine. Note
the row of painted wooden tablets beneath the roof. Two of these tablets are
shown below.
View toward the courtyard and the
entrance gate from the interior of the shrine.
Interior of the shrine.
Two of the painted wooden tablets that
ornate the courtyard.
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Two of the more elaborate paintings
hanging in the shrine.
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Shoka Sonjuku:
This former modest-looking private
school (two rooms) is in the present-day precinct of the Shoin
shrine east of the Matsumoto river. It is here that
Yoshida Shoin (born in Hagi
in 1830) taught revolutionary ideas that contributed to the fall of the
Tokugawa shogunate. After an attempt to escape from
Japan, Yoshida Shoin was imprisoned, then placed in
house arrest under his uncle′s control. He then taught arts and politics
to young people (mainly children of middle-class commoners) at his uncle′s
private school (the Shoka Sonjuku
school). Shoin advocated
independent learning and the restoration of power to the emperor against the
ruling shogunate. During the Ansei
Purge against antigovernment forces, he was arrested again and eventually
executed in 1859. But he had been an inspiring teacher and several of his
former students became political activists who fought against the shogunate and made major contributions during the Meiji
era. The Shoin shrine, on the grounds of which the Shoka Sonjuku school
is now located, was built in 1955 and enshrines Yoshida Shoin.
(Another Shoin shrine was built in 1882 in Tokyo.)
Shoka Sonjuku school and bronze statue of Yoshida Shoin
with his early disciple Kaneko Shigenosuke. The
statue was erected in 1968 at the birthplace of Yoshida Shoin
on a hill above the Shoin shrine.
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Toko-ji:
This Zen Buddhist temple is the other
major Mori family temple, along with Daishoin.
Founded in 1691, it is the resting place of five Mori lords.
The outer gate (Somon)
of the temple built in 1693, with the main gate (Sanmon)
partially visible behind it.
The Sanmon
built in in 1811, with the alley leading to the main hall behind it.
The Sanmon
seen from the other side. The red Somon is partially
visible.
The main hall (Daiohoden).
View of the interior of the main hall.
Like at Daishoin,
there is an impressive cemetery behind the temple, with rows of several hundred
lanterns (~500) donated by vassals. The graves of the five Mori lords buried here
and of their wives are located at the upper end of the cemetery above the field
of lanterns and are marked with large stelae. (As Toko-ji
is closer to downtown Hagi than Daishoin,
I visited it twice on two different days at different times. Some of the photos
below show the cemetery on a bright sunny morning, others on a misty
afternoon.)
Reverberatory furnace:
This 10.5m chimney was part of an
experimental metal-smelting furnace built in the mid-19th century and aimed at
casting iron cannons. It was based on a Dutch model and gave practical
experience that helped Japan to develop its heavy industry. This chimney is one
of the only two furnace vestiges remaining from the Edo era in Japan.
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Kasayama peninsula:
This peninsula located 6km northeast of Hagi′s center is formed by Mount Kasayama
(112m), a dormant volcano. During the Meiji era it was mostly a farming area,
but it is now covered by woods. A narrow road goes to the summit of the
volcano. There are also several pleasant walking trails, often along stone
walls that are farming vestiges.
The small port of Koshigahama
at the foot of Mt. Kasayama.
Squid for sale in the port.
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Drying seaweed.
The Myojinike pond (connected to the sea) and its small shrine,
at the start of the road ascent toward the summit of the peninsula.
Walking trails.
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Views from the peninsula:
- Toward Hagi
(visible on the left side of the photo). Mt. Shizuki,
where Hagi′s castle was built, stands at the
center-right.
- Toward the west. The small islet
surrounded by fishing boats is named Kushima.
- Toward the north. The inhabited island
is Ooshima.
Motonosumi Inari shrine:
This shrine, located 40km west of Hagi, was built in the late 1980s. It is known for its
alley of 123 vermilion torii standing on top of a
steep cliff above the Sea of Japan. This temple was a big disappointment to me
(the only one in this trip): it is void of any charm, culture, or spirituality.
The cartoonish fox statues (the guardians of the Inari god) are ugly and
ridiculous (see photo below). The poorly painted concrete fabric of the shrine
and its torii is cheap, just intended to make an immediate (but very short)
impression on the visitors, thanks to the natural beauty of the surrounding
site.
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