More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Hinomisaki Shrine

Located about 8k north of Izumo Taisha in a small fishing village is Hinomisaki Shrine. Its current architecture was built under orders of Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1664, though the shrine is mentioned in the Izumo Fudoki so has been in existence for 1,000 years before that.

Renovations and re-painting have been completed and the buildings, which are classified as Important Cultural Treasures, now shine in their former glory. The best time to visit is in the late afternoon and early evening when the setting sun shows off the vivid vermillion best.

The shrine enshrines Amaterasu and Susano, and there is also an Inari shrine. When Lafcadio Hearn visited here in the late 19th century there was a "floating torii" in the sea, but this no longer exists.

The shrine can be reached by bus from Izumo City or Taisha, and there are several small minshuku (guest house) in the fishing village. Nearby is Hinomisaki Lighthouse, the tallest in East Asia.

See more photos of Hinomisaki

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo (inside)

The Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo is a large and excellent museum. Unfortunately photography is not permitted in the galleries!

The main collection is composed of several themed galleries. The first looks at the history of the grand shrine of Izumo Taisha. In 2000, excavations at the shrine revealed the base of 3 huge pillars that confirmed the old records that said the shrine rose to a height of 50 metres, making it probably the tallest wooden building in Japan, if not the world. There are paintings, artifacts, and models showing how the shrine looked.

The next section deals with the Izumo Fudoki. Fudoki were gazeteers compiled in the early 8th Century at the request of the fledgling central government in Nara who were solidifying their control over the Japanese islands. The Fudoki contained information on the geography, history, and folklore of each province. Only the Izumo Fudoki has remained intact until the present-day, which goes some way to explaining why Izumo's traditions remain strong.

The main section deals with bronze implements, swords, and other ceremonial and grave goods. The centrepiece is one huge display case covering an entire wall that contains 358 bronze swords and 358 replicas of how they appeared new, before spending 1500 years buried in Kojindani. Before their discovery in Kojindani, there had only been 350 such swords discovered in all of Japan, a strong indication of the importance of Izumo in ancient times before the rise of the Yamato. Also on display are dotaku (ceremonial bronze bells), an ancient Chinese mirror, believed to be one of Himiko's mirrors, and the remains of an iron sword engraved with kanji which is believed to be the earliest known example of writing in Japan.

Other galleries feature exhibitions on more recent Shimane history, Iwami Ginzan, and Izumo's ancient myths.

Entrance to the museum is a mere 600yen, and if you are a foreigner there is a 50% discount. Free digital audio guides are available free and give details on some of the exhibits in seceral languages.

One of the best museums I've visited in Japan!

Outside the Museum

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo (outside)

This is the west wall of the recently-opened Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo.

Located adjacent to Izumo Taisha, the 9,400 sq. m. building was designed by Fumihiko Waki, who chose the rusted Corten steel to express Izumo's early history of iron and steel production.

There is also lots of glass, and a shallow reflecting pool.
The grounds are extensive and include replicas of haniwa , the large clay figurines buried in association with early tombs.

With the Kitayama hills as a backdrop, the museum strikes a good balance with its immediate environment and doesn't overshadow neighboring Izumo Taisha.

More on Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo

Monday, May 12, 2008

Golden Week: Inaka style.

Golden Week occurs in early May, and is a very busy holiday period. Airports, train stations, and expressways are clogged with millions of Japanese tourists all travelling at the same time.
Where I live, out in the countryside, very few people go travelling however. Early May is time to plant the rice.

Most Japanese farmers are only part-time farmers, as japanese farms tend to be very small, and could probably better be called market-gardens. Most families in the village also have a rice paddy, tambo, and the huge subsidies paid by the government make it worthwhile to plant rice.

Rice growing is heavily mechanized, but the corners of odd-shaped paddies still need to be planted by hand.

More photos from my village

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Shimane Winery

There are acres and acres of vinyl greenhouses in the area around Izumo Taisha. Most of them contain grapevines to serve Shimane Winery, a popular tourist destination offering free tours and tastings. Wine from grapes was first introduced into Japan by Jesuit priests in the 17th Century, but production did not begin until the late 18th Century when Japan "opened". In the 1950's the fledgling Japanese wine industry expanded and many areas started to produce wine.

I did try some Shimane wine once, and I am not a sophisticated consumer, but I would rank it about level with British wine!! More photos around Izumo Taisha

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Hananba Matsuri

Every town in Japan has its own design of manhole cover. Usually the design reflects something of the towns traditions or culture. This one is for Tagi-cho in Izumo.
The design depicts a scene from the 2 annual festivals held in the middle of October at Tagi Shrine, and a few days later, at Takigi Shrine.
The men carry and pull a wooden horse covered in a giant umbrella composed of thousands of colorful paper flowers.

See more Japanese manhole designs

Kazenoko (windchild)

This may look like a sculpture, but it's not. It's part of a device to teach kids about the wind. Kazenoko is located just off Route 9 in Tagi-cho, Shimane, just underneath one of the wind generators in the area.

There is a large room with interactive displays for kids to play with wind, and several rooms where art and craft classes are held.
Kazenoko is located on the hill above Tagi JR station. Entrance is free.

Click here for more photos of Kazenoko

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Books on Japan index

Iwami Kagura Mask index

Buy direct from the maker for the best price!!

All of these masks are made in Iwami of traditional materials, japanese paper, glue, ground shell, pigments etc. No two masks are the same. It can take up to 4 weeks to complete all the processes and layers that go into it. They are functional Kagura masks, but are also commonly used in houses to scare evil spirits away. Please contact me at ojisanjake ((at)) gmail.com for prices, details, or with any enquiries. Click on any mask title for more details.