Usa City, home of one of the most beautiful and most important shrines in Japan
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Yesterday was a big day…we woke up in Tokuyama on Honshu and finished the day in Usa City on Kyushu. Today we are excited to continue exploring Kyushu as we head east along the coastline. But first, we want to spend time visiting Usa Jingu Shrine.
We discovered this chain of hotels, R9 The Yard, on a previous trip. They are tiny units at 12 sq m, but well equipped with a good sized bathroom, frig, microwave, TV and beds. A perk is that they provide you with a choice of a frozen dinner which you microwave in your unit.
Another perk is that we can park and lock our trikes in the open space outside our unit. We wouldn’t want to stay in these every night, but they are reliable and affordably priced.
The golden coloured rows of rice fields we have been passing indicate it is harvest time. It is not easy work for these farmers as the heavy mud makes for some challenges.
Of the approximately 110,000 Shrines in Japan, over 40,000 are Hachiman Shrines, with Usa Jingu Shrine being the main one. Hachiman is the deity of archery and war. It was built in 725 AD giving it an impressive history of 1300 years. This shrine has Imperial Patronage and Imperial Envoys from the Emperor are sent here.
The vermillion painted Kurehashi Bridge at Usa Jingu Shrine was built in 1622.
This beautiful, unique bridge has a thatched roof. The majority of the time, it is not possible to cross the bridge as its doors are opened only once every ten years for a special festival.
Another look at the beautiful Kurehashi bridge. We felt fortunate that our route had brought us to the shrine from behind where the bridge is located. If we had entered through the front gates we would have missed it.
We learned an interesting detail about Usa Jingu Shrine…it is Japan’s first shrine that represents a fusion between two of Japan’s major religions….Shintoism and Buddhism.
The grounds of this shrine are vast, 500,000 sq m with paths and monuments throughout. It is built atop a hill and is surrounded by a beautiful, serene forest. One could wander here for hours simply exploring and experiencing the tranquil beauty of the grounds.
Wonderful buildings like this throughout the grounds.
We have seen families visiting Shrines with their young children dressed in beautiful traditional attire. We don’t understand the significance of this but we can see that it is an important ritual for them. Barry offered to take this family’s photo for them and they, in turn, were happy to have their photo taken for us.
We bought a new Goshuincho book at this shrine. A goshuincho is literally a stamp/seal book used by people visiting shrines and temples. The book is handed over to an attendant and in return for a modest fee, will be stamped with the shrine or temples’s name and date. The calligraphy is beautifully done. We also bought cat bag to protect the book.
It can be intimidating for a foreign visitor to visit a Shrine or Temple as there is important etiquette that should be followed. However, it is not difficult as one can watch locals. At the Hand Water House, visitors cleanse their hands and their mouth before proceeding. This Hand Water House is made of granite, the largest in Japan and weighs 34 tons.
This Torii Gate has special significance due to the black rings at the top and the uppermost black along the top. This signifies that Usa Jingu Shrine has a higher rank than others in Japan.
Worshippers come to the front to say their prayers. At this shrine the custom for praying is different from other shrines. At most shrines people clap twice, however the custom here is to clap four times.
The custom is to drop a coin in the box and to touch the tree. There was a sign asking people not to imbed their coins in the bark as it is not healthy for the tree.
These white strips of paper are called Omikuji and they tell your fortune. You select an omikuji from a box or bucket. When you get your fortune you determine if it is blessing or a curse. If it is a blessing people usually take it home with them. However if it is a curse, people will tie the paper to the low scaffolding to leave the bad fortune behind.
This is the Lower Shrine at the foot of the hill. It is a smaller version of the upper complex housing the same three deities. It was built in the 9th century. Locals come here to pray for a good harvest.
The endless grounds and network of paths are beautiful, so Mary Ellen opted to walk the handicapped route that bypasses the hills. Unfortunately the lift to the top was closed for the day, so she ended up walking up the stairs anyway.
This praying mantis was spotted by Barry inside the Shrine complex resting on a sign. It is a bit eerie as it seems he is really checking us out. Thankfully this one had a better day than the one we saw last trip in the Amakusa Islands where we admired one on the road before it was run over by a car.
We have had an amazing afternoon visiting this incredibly important shrine. It is nestled in a rural town and it may be a reason why this shrine is not on the typical tourist’s radar. However, it is well worth the effort needed to get to it. We still have a full day’s ride ahead of us.
We meet and interact with Japanese people in the most unexpected ways. Riding along, this car slowed down and chatted with us as we mosied along. I’d like to think that we may be interesting people, but the truth is, it is probably because we and our trikes look pretty odd..
Rich FrasierI think you're pretty interesting people, for what it's worth! And I'm learning so much about Japan as I follow along on your trip. I love how you get deeper into the culture and how you manage to have interactions with the local folks. Well done! Reply to this comment 1 week ago
We started to notice these large grass covered mounds along the road. When we saw the concrete under the grass it reminded us of a similar sight we saw last trip of bunkers providing a secure place to park planes during the war. And indeed, that is what they are.
After a steep climb, we came upon this straight line of a road that seemed to go on forever. We felt like we were on top of the world with flat land in all directions and rice fields alongside. Little did we know that we were riding through an historic area.
We discovered that we were riding on a road that was built on the site of Usa City Naval Air Corps runway. On the side of the road, the monument pictured here represents the people who saw off the departing kamikaze pilots. A dogwood tree …. Tree of friendship given by the United States has been planted here.
We were still a bit perplexed about the significance of what we were seeing. There was a sign in Japanese directing us to this museum in a field. Construction of the bunkers began in 1944 to protect military aircraft from air raids. In 1995, 50 years after the end of t(e war, it was designated an historic sight in Usa City as a symbol of peace.
In the park there is a stone monument bearing the names of the 154 Kami-Kazi pilots who set out from Usa. Also, more dogwood trees are planted…sent from the United States.
Now that we understand the history of this road, we feel a somber realization of what happened here. Stone posts lined both sides of the road for a couple of km befitting the history.
Barry likes to call these barriers on sidewalks as “furniture”. As we are riding, I often hear him call out the warning…watch for the furniture! and we laugh. I’m sure local people must wonder about us.
