Gragma's Yokai Tourbus: November 2015

Monday, November 23, 2015

viii. The Kyoto Imperial Palace or Kyoto Gosho (京都御所) or "Live Nue" Part 2

Location: Kamigyo Ward (near subway Imadegawa Stn. in the north or subway Marutamachi Stn. in the south), Kyoto City; about 50 min. from Osaka or about 10 min. from Kyoto + 2 min. walking time

Associated with: Nue aka "the Japanese chimera"

Let's briefly go back to the tale. As per the last entry, the nue began appearing in the Kyoto night sky. Perhaps one of the reasons why it vexed Emperor Konoe so much was because it appeared directly above the Seiryo-den, the building within the palace grounds in which the emperor slept. In other words, Emperor Konoe had a nue just outside his bedroom window. Now, there is still a building called the Seiryo-den within the grounds of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, but it's not the same structure. In fact, it's not even the same palace.

Using our previous entry on Rashomon, find it on a map and put your finger or cursor on the site. This used to be the point marking halfway between east and west on the southern border of the old capital. That means if you move your finger or cursor north along from Rashomon, you should hit the imperial palace. What you'll find is that you pass Nijo Castle on your right and the palace itself further to the east. The reason is that 1153 puts us back to the time of the original Heian Palace, which was located center along the north border of the original layout. However, within around only 50 years of Konoe's reign, many fires led to the Heian Palace's gradual dissue, and sadly it no longer exists. (To give you an idea of its original location, the southeast corner of the palace's outer wall is thought to have been in the center of present-day Nijo Castle.)

What is then the connection with the current imperial palace? Well for one, it will give you an idea of what things may have looked like when you're standing in the middle of the children's playground I'm going to send you to later. As for scope, the area of the current imperial palace is a little shorter east to west, but about the same north to south. Also, on its grounds within the inner palace is a building called the Seiryo-den, which served much the same function as the Seiryo-den of the original palace. What's more, the most recent restoration has been done in the style of the emperor's residence during the Heian Period, so you can see for yourself what it must have been like for poor Emperor Konoe. Unfortunately, one does not simply walk into the Seiryo-den, but it is possible to get a look at it on a guided tour.

Comments: The Kyoto Imperial Palace will give you a feel of the setting of Emperor Konoe's surroundings in 1153. Don't be too put off that it's under the wrong bit of sky. After all, it is still the Kyoto Imperial Palace, a location with a long history of its own!

Getting There

The starting point on the Midosuji subway line is Umeda Stn. Our destination is (Kyoto) subway Imadegawa Stn.

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 subway. The subway 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. Here, change to the green Karasuma Line. Imadegawa Stn. is five stops in the direction of Kokusaikaikan.

Getting Your Bearings at Imadegawa Station

At Imadegawa Stn., go out at Exit 6. There are many gates along the border of the Kyoto Imperial Park, which is the outer wall of the palace grounds. The route below will get you to the entrance closest to the Imperial Household Agency Office, which is where you need to check in for a guided tour.

Map courtesy of Google Maps

Thanks to the magic of MS Paint, the Imperial Household Agency Office is indicated via the red arrow below.

Image courtesy of Google Maps

The Kyoto Imperial Palace is to the east of the Imperial Household Agency Office.

Image courtesy of Google Maps

The Seiryo-den is located in the southern portion of the palace.

Image courtesy of Google Maps

Information on the Kyoto Imperial Palace or Kyoto Gosho

The Kyoto Imperial Palace is located within the grounds of the Kyoto Imperial Park, or Kyoto Gyoen (京都御苑). The Seiryo-den, inside which Emperor Konoe cowered and above which the nue glowered, is located within the Kyoto Imperial Palace. It is a building inside a rectangle inside a rectangle. Anybody can enter the Imperial Park, but to get into the palace, you almost always need to book yourself onto a guided tour arranged by the Imperial Household Agency. This can be done online, but you can often join a group on the day by registering yourself at the Agency Office on the park grounds with your passport.

The Imperial Agency Office is open from Monday to Friday from 8:45 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 17:00. Sundays and national holidays are unavailable for tours, as is December 29 to January 3. Saturdays are usually out too, except during the months of March, April, May, October, and November. National holidays in Japan sometimes fall on a Saturday, but when they fall on a Saturday during any of the above months, tours are conducted as usual. English tours are conducted at 10:00 and 14:00.

Getting into the Kyoto Imperial Palace sounds like a major pain in the backside compared to any other sites you would care to visit, but practically speaking you can usually get in on the same day, so don't let the rigmarole put you off if you are interested in going. Entrance is free, baby!

Finally, it's worth again pointing out that the Imperial Agency Office is located in the north end of the park grounds, as is the entrance to the Imperial Palace. Unless you don't mind the walk, accessing it via Imadegawa Stn. is advised.

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) Nue (鵺)
Site: The Kyoto Imperial Palace, or Kyoto Gosho (京都御所)
Nearest Station: (Subway Line) Imadegawa Stn. (今出川駅) in the north (recommended) or subway Marutamachi Stn. (丸太町) in the south (possible)
Google Map Search: "Kyoto Imperial Palace"

Friday, November 13, 2015

vii. Daishogun Shrine (大将軍神社) or "Live Nue" Part 1

Location: Higashiyama Ward (near Sanjo Stn., Keihan Line; and between subway stations Sanjo-Keihan Stn. and Higashiyama Stn.), Kyoto City; about 50 min. from Osaka or about 15 min. from Kyoto + 5 min. walking time

Associated with: Nue aka "the Japanese chimera"

I'm very excited to be introducing some standard yokai fare with a series of posts on the nue, following the famous Kyoto incident of 1153. Readers familiar with the tale know that it begins with the nue being alive, and ends with it being dead. I'm planning several entries, perhaps as many as ten, so I have decided to break them into two categories: "live nue" sites and "dead nue" sites. There are about the same number of each, give or take.

Let's get the tale out of the way.

In 1153, a foreboding creature enveloped in an ominous dark cloud began appearing in the Kyoto night sky, terrifying the citizens. The young Emperor Konoe became subject to its evil presence and fell ill, suffering terrible nightmares. Imperial orders were given to Minamoto no Yorimasa to deal with the creature, which had the head of a monkey, the tail of a snake (or a snake for a tail), possibly the body of a tanuki, and the limbs of a tiger. The creature's voice was like that of the nue bird (either White's thrush or scaly thrush, neither sound pleasant). Yorimasa, renowned for his skill as an archer, fired an arrow into the clouds above the imperial palace. There was a terrible cry as the master archer's arrow struck home, and the monster fell wounded to the ground. Yorimasa's accompanying retainer I no Hayata rushed to where the injured creature had fallen and finished the job. The emperor immediately recovered from his illness, and Yorimasa was rewarded.

I'd like to begin the whole nue fiasco with the origin of the creature. Several sources list its habitat as either "storm clouds" or unknown. However, we do have some evidence that the nue is a forest-dwelling creature, albeit an evil one. The aforementioned dark clouds were said to have appeared out of the forest of Higashi-Sanjo. (I've also seen it written as To-Sanjo, with to being the alternative reading of the same Chinese character.) This is an area to the east of the Sanjo-Ohashi Bridge in Kyoto, where once a dense forest stood that was thought to be the habitat of the nue. It was also known simply as the "Nue Forest."

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1852 (Source: Museum of Fine Arts, https://www.mfa.org/ via http://ukiyo-e.org)

Unfortunately, the forest no longer exists. However, a remnant of it, a single tree, is said to still grow on the grounds of Daishogun Shrine. The specimen is an 800 year-old ginkgo tree, and while it doesn't quite take us all the way back to 1153, it undoubtedly would have shared its surroundings in times past with the trees of the forest that were there. The old surviving ginkgo is now a sacred tree of the shrine. Daishogun Shrine, though built for a different purpose, does acknowledge that the habitat of the mysterious creature once stood behind it, and references to the nue can be found on the grounds.

Comments: Sanjo still has us around the picturesque Higashiyama area, and as I've mentioned in previous posts, this stretch of Kyoto is an essential part of any itinerary. Daishogun Shrine is very accessible from Sanjo Stn., but if you have already been afoot in the general area visiting other sites, there is a good chance you will be approaching the shrine from the east.

Getting There

The starting point on the Midosuji subway line is Yodoyabashi Stn. Our destination is Sanjo Stn. on the Keihan Line.

Subway Yodoyabashi Stn. is one stop south of Umeda. At the north end of subway Yodoyabashi Stn. you'll find the Keihan Line. From Yodoyabashi, the Keihan Main Line runs all the way into Kyoto. To get to Sanjo, you can jump on the fastest service there is: the Limited Express. If your hotel is in the Kyobashi area or anywhere near Osaka Castle Park, then I recommend you make your way to Kyobashi and commence your journey from Kyobashi Stn. (Keihan Line).

From JR Kyoto Stn. you can take the JR Nara line and go one stop to Tofukuji, where there is an adjacent Keihan station. You can also walk from Kyoto Stn. to Shichijo Stn. in about 15 minutes and take the train three stops up from there.

Sanjo is also on the subway network, so you can access it from there too. The name of the subway station there is called Sanjo-Keihan, which is a little confusing (as it neighbors Sanjo Stn. on the Keihan Line).

Getting Your Bearings at Sanjo Station

As you come out of the ticket gates at Sanjo Stn., you will find yourself underground. Instead of going straight up to the street level, follow the signs to subway Keihan-Sanjo Stn. and continue underground until you are in that station (near the ticket machines, ticket gates, etc.). Follow the signs for Exit 2 and come out there. This will put you on a large road called Sanjo-Dori. If you've taken the stairs to exit, you'll be facing north and will need to turn right on Sanjo-Dori. If you take the elevator to exit, you'll come out facing west with the stairs on your left and you will need to turn around 180 degrees so that you are facing the correct direction (east). From there it's an easy walk to the shrine. Please see the map below.

Map courtesy of Google Maps

You'll notice that the exit is marked as Exit 3 on the map. I am not sure why that is, but Keihan-Sanjo Stn. has it labeled as Exit 2, and that's what I've gone with. To help you get your bearings, here is a street view of that station exit.

Image courtesy of Google Maps

As for the shrine itself, if you follow the map, you should begin to see the shrine grounds on your left before you come to the entrance.

Image courtesy of Google Maps

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) Nue (鵺)
Site: Daishogun Shrine (大将軍神社)
Nearest Station: (Keihan Line) Sanjo Stn. (三条駅), though technically subway Keihan-Sanjo Stn. (京阪三条駅) is closer.
Google Map Search: "Daishogun Shrine Higashiyama"

Sunday, November 1, 2015

8. Post Round-up for November 2015