Cycling the Shikoku no Michi 6

July 9; Day Six: Climbing Mountains, Temples 84 – 88

Weather: Rainy, cloudy, a little cooler, some sun. Sunburned legs.

Today I climbed three mountains. I made it to temple 88, but riding down out of the mountains towards temple 1, in a narrow valley, I passed Shiratori Onsen, a large mineral spa, and decided to stay there as it looked interesting. But first things first.

Temple 84, Yashimaji, is up on the 293 metre high Yashima Plateau in Takamatsu. The plateau is the site of an ancient battle and a popular hiking and viewing spot. There is a road going up there which goes to Yashimaji, but it is restricted to cars only for some reason. So I rode up a road marked route 14 to a cemetery, where I found a sign indicating that I might walk up to the temple from there. At least I think that’s what it said…maybe. In any case my map indicated a walking path of only about 1.6 kilometers up the mountain, so I left my bike and decided to walk up. The sign turned out to be (maybe) for route to a jinja, Kuwazunonashi, but my small, dirt footpath continued along the side of the mountain after that one turned off…and ended up to be the correct path to get there after all. It met a wide, stone, pilgrim walkway, which I followed up the mountain for some way to the temple. The walkway is steep in places.






A spring, called Kajisui, reputed to have been founded by Kukai - and never dry since. I took a drink.




The temple, when I found it, was grand, old, stately – with a big, new, stone museum-like structure added into the mix. I think it housed some treasures, but did not appear to be open, so I didn’t try to go in. Next time.












A shrine dedicated to Tanuki, the badger, who features large in Shikoku history!















A very interesting (white!) gate.



Back down the mountain to where I’d left my bike, and it was fine. Jumped on and away, around the plateau to temple 85, Yakuriji. I had a bit of trouble finding route 145, clear enough on the map, but not obvious on the ground, to turn up the mountain towards the temple. Eventually I found it, and followed the road almost to the temple itself, right up alongside the ropeway!

I had to take a short detour on a small, very steep, pretty much unused little concrete road up to the parking lot. Passable but not ridable; very steep, tree shaded and covered in slightly slippery green moss! I walked it with my bike.



I found a small shrine consisting of a shaped rock. Probably Shinto, I think.







Across the road was a small family gravesite with this samurai gravestone. Definitely Shinto. These are not uncommon on Shikoku.




Further up this dark little road, in a dark little corner, I found this odd, old shrine.

As I mentioned, there is a cable car running up to the temple. However, I chose not to use any I might find, preferring to cycle where I could, or walk where I couldn’t ride.



Temple 85, Yakuraji's gate.


Yakuraji





There is a beautiful big, sacred old Gingko Biloba at this temple. Usually the sacred trees, with ropes around them, are Kusunoki, or Camphor trees.





There is also a gorgeous red pagoda.









I rode down the other side of the mountain on route 145 and continued to temple 86, Shidoji. This temple is very nice, old, with lots of trees and flowers, and cats, looking very photogenic.




Unfortunately it has been taken over by a construction oni and is in shambles.



Scaffolding, stones of all sizes, piles of materials, piles of earth, all apparently for multiple projects, from an excavation for a large pond to various walkways and perhaps a building or two, lay scattered around impeding the view. It looked to me like it was completely out of control. There is a shokubo, or temple lodging, there, but I think it was closed for the summer.








Nice painting.






























A lovely old jinja out in the back, in the parking lot.




Number 87, Nagaoji, is not a mountain-top temple. It is a small temple with some very old, very interesting torii beside the temple mon.
































It was an easy 12.3 kilometre ride, during which I passed a beautiful old building, a place where sake used to be made.



After that however comes a 19 kilometre climb up to Okuboji, Temple 88, and the next to final temple if one started at temple one.















I took route 3, and then cut off onto a smaller, unnamed municipal road that wound, hairpin corners, all over the mountain, to get up there. This road was full of large (industrial sized, not road sized) dump trucks; sometimes I had to stand off the bike, and off the road to let them go by! They came by every two or three minutes. It was dangerous, unpleasant, and had me muttering nasty things for a while.




Eventually I got away from them onto an even smaller, but mercifully quieter road – which, although nice, seemed never-ending. I finally made it to the temple however, to find it very beautiful, very simple.




I saw another bike henro, but didn’t stop to talk. I also saw a motorcycle henro.


I then enjoyed a nice ride on route 377 down towards Tokushima, turning off onto the municipal road (smaller, more fun), down a different valley, where I eventually encountered Shiratori Onsen.


The walking trails come down along this valley and it’s much quieter and more picturesque than route 377. I met a dog with three and a half legs; further along, two young, large dogs were lying on the sidewalk/bikepath, acting like they weren’t going to let me pass – but I talked them into it :)

Shiratori Onsen was great! A bit expensive, at ¥6100 ($61) but, of course, including a soak in the piping hot baths. Unfortunately I forgot about my sunburned legs, although they reminded me quickly enough when I tried to submerge myself in the water! I spent 20 minutes acting the fool, climbing in, and, 30 seconds later, out, from the pain.

A nice Japanese dinner was thrown in for the price as well, and I was even able to do my laundry. A quiet, fragrant six tatami room with a nice view of the grounds and the henro trail running along the valley wall, which arises twenty meters from the building made it a very relaxing place to stay. I love the smell of tatami, and I slept well.

Cycling the Shikoku no Michi 5

July 8; Day Five: Getting more lost, Temples 78 – 83

The weather: hot, hot, hot! I got lost again, two or, maybe, three times.
I met an older arukihenro again at temple 78, Goshoji. I offered him o-settai; it seemed to embarrass him a little, but he accepted. He treated me as his equal, something I did not always see in arukihenro. There is a hierarchy amongst henro, with the walking pilgrim at the top – and perhaps rightfully so, as theirs is the most arduous and exacting circuit. And a lot of them can really cover ground.




Temple 78, Goshoji.




I ate more today - maybe trying to gain energy? I feel as if I’m not going far enough every day, not trying hard enough.






I try to remind myself not to race, to slow down enough to meet more people. I need to remember to take their pictures! I seem to always forget this. But there are still the countervailing pressures of time and money...



Tennoji, temple 79.



Temple folk today seemed largely disengaged, but I had more interesting conversations with others, like the man above. Some older men and a truck driver helped me find my way when confused.



Temple 80, Kokobunji's main gate.






Road sign between temple 80 and 81.








Ancient (and very twisted!) tree at Temple 81, Shiromineji.

















Maneki-neko on a torii at Shiromineji.






Shiromineji's gate.





Ten foot high pagoda made with strangely colored small pieces of rock.















Main shrine at Shiromineji.


My legs were a bit sore, and I walked the bike in the steeps for about four kilometres between temples 81 and 82.




Temple 82, Negoroji, and Godzilla's grandpa!


























Negoroji's hongan.


At the main shrine in Negoroji, there is a hidden temple reached by walking around a corridor inside the gate.













I rode down and right around the mountain to get from temple 82 to 83.

Temple 83, Ichinomiyaji.


Ichinomiyaji is one of the big and beautifully kept up temples. I found another water sculpture, called suikinkutsu, near the priest's office. I made a short recording of it. Yes, I got the date wrong. It's not a great example of how these things sound, though, because the people at the temple were running water continuously with a hose onto and into the container. Perhaps they were cleaning it...



Anyway here is another recording I made in June, on Omishima, a large island in the Seto Sea north of Imabari.

This Suikinkutsu is a modern sculpture in a small park just opposite the entrance to the famous Oyamazumi-jinja shrine in Yomiura town.






Somewhere in one of the many small villages around Tadotsu, I found this nice little store.

Stayed tonight in a nice, small business hotel in downtown Takamatsu, near Ritsurin Park. I did not take the time to go into the park, though I probably should have…the Japanese gardens here are said to be exceptionally beautiful.

After I had my room key, I went back out to my bike, and leaning it up against the wall, locked, dirty, took off my gear and was preparing to take it inside when a sedan pulled in beside me, and the driver, a business man in his mid-sixties, got out, in seeming high dudgeon. Glancing at me in a look uncomfortably close to contempt, he muttered something in Japanese about bicycles and stormed inside. He looked like he might be the owner, but I didn’t see him again.





I discovered later that evening that I had left my spare shirt and shorts in the hotel room the night before. Mountains are tough.