ii. Ibarakidoji-Sugatami Bridge (茨木童子貌見橋) or "Ibarakidoji" Part 2

Location: Shinjo-cho (near Ibaraki-shi Stn., Hankyu Line; can also be accessed from Ibaraki Stn., JR Line) Ibaraki City; about 15-20 min. from Osaka or about 25-30 min. from Kyoto + 10 min. walking time

Associated with: The legend of Ibarakidoji

In our last entry, we were in Hyogo Prefecture visiting a shrine with a local origin legend for the demon Ibarakidoji. There are a few other theories on where he was born, but eventually they all merge and have him ending up in Kyoto. Before going there though we need to see what happened to Ibarakidoji as a child.

The popular account has the demon, then merely an abnormally developed and unruly child, being abandoned in the village of Ibaraki (now Ibaraki city). Another origin tale actually has Ibarakidoji being born in Mizuo (a nearby town, now incorporated into the city), so depending on which account you go with, Ibarakidoji's parents traveled all the way across the province from Tomatsu, or just walked down the road and left him there.

Luckily for our anti-hero, Ibarakidoji was taken in by a childless barber, and despite being a handful it so happened that Ibarakidoji picked up the trade and began to work in the barbershop. The story goes that one day Ibarakidoji got blood on his fingers after accidentally nicking a customer in the middle of a shave. Licking the blood clean from his fingers, Ibarakidoji quickly developed a taste for the red. More "accidents" followed, resulting in a severe scolding from Ibarakidoji's adoptive mother.

The iconic scene that followed happened at a location known as Sugatami Bridge. Despondent, Ibarakidoji leaned over the bridge and hung his head in shame. Looking down into the water he caught sight of his reflection: a fully formed demon.

If you're so inclined, you can visit the site where the bridge once stood.

Comments: Ibaraki is one of the best towns you never stopped at on the way to somewhere else. Bang in the middle between Osaka and Kyoto, it's perhaps the most viewed city from the comfort of an air-conditioned train. If you're inclined to visit just a reg'lar old town, then Ibaraki is great. Just be mindful that the main object of your visit is a stone marker. Nearby there are also some relics of the old bridge: an ishidoro, or stone lantern, and a small hokora, or wayside shrine. Don't be too disappointed by the outside structure of the hokora. It's not unusual for these to be rebuilt and even moved to a slightly different location. This one was perhaps situated on the east side of the bridge and the statues inside it have likely been in that general area as part of a hokora for a long time.

Though you're not going here to see anything amazing, the bridge area is something that won't be appearing on any map. You'd be one of the few foreigners to visit it and know what the hell it is.

Getting There

The starting point on the Midosuji subway line is Umeda Stn. Our destination is Ibaraki-shi Stn. on the Hankyu Line. You can also depart from JR Osaka Stn. (also next to subway Umeda Stn.) and get off at Ibaraki Stn. The site lies between the two, but is closer to Hankyu. Neither approach is particularly inconvenient though.

As we learned last time, subway Umeda Stn. lies next to stations, also called Umeda, operated by two other train companies: Hankyu and Hanshin. From subway Umeda, follow the signs directing you to the Hankyu Line. There are a few lines that leave from Hankyu Umeda, and Ibaraki-shi is on the Kyoto Main Line. Quite a few services stop at Ibaraki-shi. You will be fine taking a Rapid Express or anything slower. The Limited Express, or Tokkyu will stop there, as will the "Commutation Express" - Tsukin Tokkyu, which runs mornings and evenings on weekdays.  Other limited express services will shoot right past it, so be careful if you haven't traveled on Hankyu before. Though not immediately after Ibaraki-shi, if you've come from Osaka and find yourself passing through Takatsuki-shi Stn. or even Katsura Stn., it means you've gone too far. If you're coming via JR, take the kaisoku, or rapid service train. The special rapid service train will shoot right past it.

Getting Your Bearings at the Station

At Ibaraki-shi Stn., to get to the site you need to go out the west exit. This shouldn't be too difficult to find. It's the exit with the massive rotary of taxis and buses. From there, you're basically heading south along the train line before taking a right and heading further west. Please refer to the map.

Map courtesy of Google Maps

The first star on the map is the bridge site and is marked with a simple stone marker. This is it folks. This is where the bridge once stood. Further along is the stone lantern and wayside shrine.

Image courtesy of Google Maps

Okay, that was fun. Time to go home? You can if you like, but if you're in a "while I'm here" kind of mood, the stars on the map below are where you can find statues of Ibarakidoji, though unfortunately they are of his city "mascot" likeness, and not his legendary likeness. Following the stars will allow you to see a bit more of the town proper. Ibaraki Shrine in the north also looks nice. It dates back to the 9th century and seems to be thoroughly ignored by foreign visitors.

Map courtesy of Google Maps

Being generally on the way to Kyoto, visiting the site of the old Sugatami Bridge is not a particularly inconvenient detour. Just be mindful you're going to see a stick in the ground, albeit one with some historical significance. Zuikoji Temple (see Master List, Osaka) is also on the Hankyu Main Kyoto Line between Umeda and Ibaraki-shi.


Driver Gragma (yokaitourbus "at" mail "dot" com)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yokaitourbus/

The Master List (Osaka)
http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2015/08/6-the-master-list-osaka.html

(yokai) Ibarakidoji (茨木童子)
Site: Ibarakidoji-Sugatami Bridge or 茨木童子貌見橋 (いばらきどうじすがたみばし)
Nearest Station: (Hankyu Line) Ibaraki-shi Stn. (茨木市駅); (JR Line) Ibaraki Stn. (茨木駅) is also reasonably close
Google Map Search: NA