Izumo Kaido : In no Shoo

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In no Shoo 院庄

This little town is very close to my home in Okayama, we go there for shopping all the time. Let me introduce the few remains of the old road to Izumo that are still left here.



Takano Shrine, Takano Jinja 高野神社

This shrine is located in Ni no miya 二宮 and has a history of more than 2500 years.
The old entrance door, shinmon 神門 has been renovated with new pillars, but the old worm-eaten ones are still to be seen. Some are inscribed with the date 1009 and are an important cultural property of Tsuyama City.
Photos # 1 and 2

The shrine building we see today was constructed in 1663. It is called "nakayama zukuri" 中山造り, a speciality of many temples and shrines along the old road to Izumo.

Have a look at this remarkable, steep roof.




On the basement of the shrine, there are some old wooden decorations in the form of "frog legs" (kaerumata かえるまた　蟇股) with animals:


winter in the shrine -
even the heron can get
no food

Look at the wooden decoration HERE !




Within the compound is a little "Dragon Shrine" 龍神社



Photos # 8 to 10

ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo


The old Forest, Unade ga mori
宇那堤ガ森, 宇那堤森, 宇那堤ヶ森, うなでがもり（二宮）

This one old tree left there now, a MUKU no ki ムクノキ, Aphananthe aspera, is about 800 years old.



This place has been very famous in olden times, even the old poetry collection Manyo-shu　万葉集 has poems abuot it. There used to be many of these old trees here close to the river Yoshii 吉井川 at that time.

In warlord of Bizen, Ukita Nao-ie 宇喜多直家, had these trees felled to build a defense system and only this one is now left to talk to us about the olden times.

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Further down the road, at the exit of In no Shoo, is the Shrine Sakura Jinja　作楽神社.



Other places in In no Shoo

Temple Seigan-Ji 清眼寺
This temple, or maybe its predecessor, Unsei-ji 雲清寺 was founded by Kobo Daishi and might have been closer to Sakura Shrine. Emperor Gotoba stayed there on his way to exile, so did Emperor Godaigo 後醍醐天皇. The acutal temple we see now has been constructed around 1460.


Shrine Yoshida Jinja 吉田神社
The Emperor Gotoba 後鳥羽上皇 has been here in hiding for a while. Now people come to pray for good health.


Remains of the castle compound, 院庄構城跡（院庄）
During the times of the warlords, the Akamatsu clan build a fortress, which was later taken by the clan of Yamana. The Yoshii river was part of the protective system.


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External LINKS

宇那提森

nekohan

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Photo Album from In no Shoo


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Izumo Kaido, The Old Road of Izumo 出雲街道

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