Japan (October 2018): Hiwasa,
Mugi, and Wakimachi
Hiwasa and Mugi are
two small coastal towns south of Tokushima on the eastern side of Shikoku. Both
are pretty laid-back fishing ports offering nice walking trails along the
coast. But the main reason for going there is to visit Yakuo-ji
(Temple #23 of the Shikoku Henro), located in Hiwasa. The temple is reputed as a place to pray for
protection from unlucky years (age 42 for men and 33 for women). Kobo Baishi is believed to have visited the place in 815 at the
age of 42. There are two distinct stone stairs to the temple, one for men with
42 steps, and one for women with 33 steps.
In contrast, Wakimachi
is an inland town in the Yoshino-gawa valley west of
Tokushima. It is part of a sprawling urban environment that would probably be
of moderate interest for a visitor if it were not for a 400m-long street, the Udatsu street. This street is lined up on both sides with
well-preserved/renovated merchant houses from the Edo (1603-1867), Meiji
(1868-1912), and Taisyo (1912-1926) periods, when the culture of indigo plants
in the Yoshino-gawa valley produced the best indigo
dye in Japan. Some of these houses are still private homes; others are small
shops, many selling indigo-dyed clothes.
Hiwasa:
Yakuo-ji is a complex of several halls and structures built
on three successive terraces on a mountain flank behind Hiwasa.
Entrance gate of Yakuo-ji
at the base of the complex.
Roofs of
buildings on the first terrace.
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The Daishi-do
(the hall venerating Kubo Daishi), located on the second terrace that it shares
with other halls.
Typical
Shikoku Hendo pilgrims visiting Yakuo-ji.
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Statues near
the Daishi-do, including a beautiful one of Kannon, the goddess of Mercy (first
photo on the left).
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Lanterns
along the stairs leading to third terrace.
Pagoda built
in 1963 on the third terrace. It is bright red and somewhat unusual in style,
although it bears similarities with the pagoda of Honmon-ji
in Tokyo. The views over Hiwasa are spectacular.
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Views over Hiwasa from Yakuo-ji. Note the Hiwasa castle on top of a hill on the right-hand side of
the two photos below.
Left: Canal
in Hiwasa. Right: Tiny rice ″plantation″
seen in the front yard of a house.
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Fishing
boats. The pagoda of Yakuo-ji is visible in the
second photo below.
Hiwasa castle. The original castle was built in the late
16th century, but the present one is a recent reconstruction completed in 1978.
Hiwasa and Yakuo-ji seen from
the castle hill.
View over the
small bay of Hiwasa, with the red and white
lighthouses that mark the port′s entrance.
One among the
many land red crabs that populate the area around the castle.
Along the
pleasant hiking trail that starts near the castle and follows the coast. I believe
this trail is part of the Shikoku no Michi, a walking
route around the island that is distinct from the Henro
route, but overlaps some portions of it.
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Mugi:
It is another laid-back fishing town a
few minute train ride south of Hiwasa, with no Henro temple or castle.
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Mantoku-ji (Buddhist temple) in Mugi.
Udatsu Street (Wakimachi):
In the past there were no dams or levees
along the Yoshino-gawa and frequent flooding used to
bring much natural fertilizer into the valley. Starting during the Edo period, Wakimachi flourished as a place where high-quality indigo
plants were grown and indigo-dyed fabrics were made and transported to
Tokushima by boats on the Yoshino-gawa. The Udatsu street with its merchant
houses from the Edo, Meiji, and Taisyo periods is a witness of that time. The
name ″udatsu″ actually refers to wall
extensions built on both sides of a house to prevent fire from propagating from
one house to the next. Over time these extensions have been increasingly used
for adding wealth-symbol embellishments. This architectural element used to be
quite widespread across Japan, but it has gradually disappeared and today it survives
only in a few locations. Udatsu street
in Wakimachi is one of them.
Example of udatsu
wall extensions between two houses.
The Udatsu street has an east-west orientation. Most houses on the
south side are from the Edo period, whereas most on the north side are from the
Meiji period. During my visit the street was surprisingly quiet, almost empty
of people.
Views of the street toward the west.
Views of the street toward the east.
Selected houses along the street.
House with a garden, slightly off the Udatsu street.
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Onigawara on a roof crest. Onigawara
are ornamentations representing a Japanese ogre or demon. Their spiritual
function is to guard houses against evil, somewhat like gargoyles in European
Gothic architecture. They also protect roof edges and corners against bad
weather. They are usually made of ceramics.
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Well at the eastern end of the street
(first photo below) and a drawing posted in the nearby Aigura
cafe (second photo).
Creator of figurines made out of bamboo
in one of the shops.
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Old Wakimachi theater Odeon-za built in 1934,
facing the eastern end of the Udatsu street on the
other side of the Otani-gawa (a small affluent of the
Yushino-gawa). Aftern WW II
the theater was turned into a cinema, which closed in 1995. While scheduled for
demolition, it served as the setting for a movie on run-down rural Japan. The
success of this movie saved the theater, which now carries its movie′s
name, Odeon-za. Performances still occasionally take
place in it.
