iii. Rashomon (羅城門) or "Ibarakidoji" Part 3

Location: Minami Ward (near Toji Stn., Kintetsu Line), Kyoto City; about 40 min. from Osaka or about 2 min. from Kyoto + about 10 min. walking time; more time if you're going to visit the Saiji ruins.

Associated with: The legend of Ibarakidoji ("The Ogre of Rashomon"); and the Genjo

In our last installment Ibarakidoji peered into the water from the Sugatami Bridge, coming face-to-face both figuratively and literally with his demon self. Faced with a choice, Ibarakidoji took the red pill and made his way northwest to Kyoto, teaming up with Shutendoji and his band of demon brigands and ultimately becoming Shutendoji's right-hand deputy (or lover, depending on the account). Because someone might find it useful, I'll list the demons here:

Shutendoji
Ibarakidoji
Kumadoji
Torakumadoji
Hoshikumadoji
Kanagumadoji

Children of the 90s may recognize the suffix "doji" from a certain infamous series of anime. All coming together, isn't it?

Shutendoji was by far the biggest and meanest of the bunch, and has the distinction of being one of the "Three Great Evil Yokai." Shutendoji will appear in his own entries in time, but cutting a long story short, after the band caused havoc rampaging the capital, it was decided that something should be done about it. Commander Raiko (Minamoto no Yorimitsu) was able to confuse and confront the demons in their lair on Mt. Oe with a squad especially assembled to deal with the menace. In the party were Raiko's retainers, nicknamed the "The Four Guardian Kings." These were:

Sakata no Kintoki (i.e. Kintaro)
Urabe no Suetake
Usui Sadamitsu
Watanabe no Tsuna

The demons were massacred, but somehow Ibarakidoji managed to escape undetected. It was only later after the report of evil doings at Rashomon that Ibarakidoji was found to have survived (and for all we know perhaps survives to this day in an old demon's home).

The story splits here, but in one telling, Watanabe no Tsuna while on a kind of "bravery test" encounters Ibarakidoji at Rashomon and severs the demon's arm in the confrontation.

Katsukawa Shunsho, c 1770 (Source: Art Institute of Chicago, http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/ via http://ukiyo-e.org)

How about the Genjo? Well the Genjo was kind of an enchanted lute (biwa), greatly prized by Emperor Murakami (r. 946-967). Unfortunately this prized possession was stolen. Some time after, however, its music could be heard coming from the top of Rashomon. The virtuosity of the one playing it was thought to have been too good for a mere mortal, and that he or she demonstrating their prowess on the genjo was surely a demon. There were no "Guardian Kings" around to take care of this one. Instead, nobleman and musical virtuoso Minamoto no Hiromasa was on hand to be just brave enough to shout out something not quite like, "That's not yours, give it back?" He flinched at what descended from the rooftop, but it was just the Genjo tied to a rope! Phew!

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Let me get right to it. Rashomon is a stone marker in a children's playground. Not an Akira Kurosawa-themed playground, but a bare-bones, town-planning kind of playground. It's the greatest no-thing you'll ever visit. Rashomon collapsed in 980 and has since been thought of as a symbol of degradation, so it would be odd to see Rashomon looking perfect and restored. In that sense, a stick in the ground is fitting.

Instead, a trip to Rashomon will make you thankful for what does remain, and will give you a feel for what the old Heian capital was like. Rashomon was the central southern gate of the old city, so when you visit it you'll actually be traveling along the old southern border and experience what's left of it (and what's not).

Flanking the Rashomon of old were two great companion temples: Saiji in the west and Toji in the east. These temples were two of only three Buddhist temples allowed in the original city layout, and out of all three only one remains: Toji. It is possible to see the great temple of Toji on your way to Rashomon, and if you're game to walk a little further, you can visit the ruins of Saiji. Neither Rashomon or Saiji will come up on a map, so again these locales are not regularly visited. What's more, this is a trip you can take even if you have just a few hours in Kyoto.

Comments: With Toji in the mix and it being such a central location, this is not a bad deal at all. The temple opens at 8:30, so depending on how "thorough" your visit is you could easily do the entire trip in a morning, and certainly one afternoon would be more than ample time.

Getting There

The starting point on the Midosuji subway line is Umeda Stn. Our destination is Toji Stn. on the Kintetsu Line.

Umeda Stn. lies next to Osaka Stn., a large hub of intersecting JR lines. From subway Umeda, follow the signs directing you to JR Osaka Stn. Unlike Umeda, there is only one "Osaka" station, but south there is another JR station called Kitashinchi. Though you'll likely find Osaka Stn. with your eyes closed, if you are following "JR" signs  and you've been walking for longer than 5 minutes or so there is a small possibility you've made a wrong turn. I again want to point out that we're starting at subway Umeda Stn. to keep it in line with our Midosuji Line-centered travel, but if you are staying in the Osaka Stn. area or near a station on the loop line, you obviously needn't worry about the subway for this trip.

As for Osaka Stn., it's a big one so take your time finding your platform. The longest that you'll wait for a train leaving for Kyoto is 10 minutes, so don't rush and don't stress out. Just take your time to follow the signs and directions to the platform and you will be fine.

As for Kyoto Stn., it's on the Kyoto Line stretch of the Tokaido Main Line. The Tokaido Line continues past Osaka Stn. and Kyoto Stn., but the sections of it are named differently according to its location. The Kyoto Line operates in combination with the Biwako Line (and JR Kobe Line in the opposite direction). This means a train service will likely not terminate at Kyoto Stn. but continue uninterrupted on the next stretch of line. So, for example, trains at Osaka Stn. leaving for Nagahama, Maibara or Yasu, will all stop without fail at Kyoto Stn. as they are all on the Tokaido Main Line past Kyoto. In other words, you need to look for trains going in the direction of Kyoto or trains stopping at Kyoto, as the train services won't necessarily be labeled as "Kyoto Trains" because they almost certainly won't be terminating there.

Take the shinkaisoku, or special rapid service train from Osaka. You can also take the kaisoku, or rapid service train, but it will add more time to your trip. If it's a consideration, the kaisoku is a bit easier to get a seat on compared to the the special rapid service. At Kyoto Station you need to then change to the Kintetsu Line. Kintetsu is a different train company, so what you're doing is going through the ticket gates and moving to a different part of the station complex, rather than just changing platforms. Kyoto Stn. though is the terminus for this Kintetsu line and you're only going one stop. All services except the Limited Express stop at Toji Stn., so you can get on just about any train and not worry about the direction.

Getting Your Bearings at Toji Station

There is only one exit at Toji Stn. and it should bring you out onto a large street (Kujo Dori). Take a right (west) onto the street and you're on your way. Toji is just a little way down on your right. The large pagoda will give it away!

Map courtesy of Google Maps

Rashomon is a little further west. By going a block north (see the map below), finding the children's playground should be a bit easier, and using Google Street View for visual cues is also a bit better along this route.

Map courtesy of Google Maps

Image courtesy of Google Maps

If you're interested in visiting the Saiji ruins, get there from Rashomon by following the map below. The stone marker in the middle of the park is what you think it is. Though there is nothing much to look at here, contrast it with what you just saw at Toji. Its western twin once stood here. As you can see, the park is smaller than the original site. Some of the surrounding buildings such as the elementary school immediately south of the park now lie on the former Saiji grounds.

Map courtesy of Google Maps

If you're feeling spry, it's possible to walk from Kyoto Stn. to Toji in about 15 minutes or so. Here's another map to help you.

Map courtesy of Google Maps

Information on Toji

Toji is open from 8:30 until 16:00 (Sept. 20 to March 19) and 8:30 until 17:00 (March 20 to Sept. 19). Entrance fees vary, but depending on the time of year you may be able to enter the ground-level floor of the pagoda. Pagodas are generally kept shut, so if it's open when you visit consider taking the opportunity to go inside. The temple also holds markets on the 21st of every month, and an antiques market on the first Sunday of the month. In short: hoo-ray!


Driver Gragma (yokaitourbus "at" mail "dot" com)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yokaitourbus/

The Master List (Kyoto)
http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2015/08/6-c-master-list-kyoto.html

(yokai) Ibarakidoji (茨木童子)
Site: Rashomon (羅城門)
Nearest Station: (Kintetsu Line) Toji Stn. (東寺駅)
Google Map Search: NA