Location: Taiji (near JR Line Taiji Stn.), Wakayama Prefecture; about 3.5 hours from Osaka + 35 min. walking time; or a 20 min. walk from the Taiji Whale Museum
Associated with: Japanese "whale cults"
Oh and white were the wave caps and wild was their parting.
Associated with: Japanese "whale cults"
Oh and white were the wave caps and wild was their parting.
So fierce is the warring of love.
But she prayed to the gods both of men and of sailors.
Not to cast their cruel nets o'er her love.
Now she has come down to condemn that wild ocean.
For the murderous loss of her man.
His boat sailed out on Wednesday morning.
And it's feared she's gone down with all hands.
-Lament for the Fisherman's Wife
Asuka Shrine once opened up onto the beach but now sits behind the local Fish Dealers Association. A new placard in English reads:
"Built in 1690 in the Momoyama period style of architecture, this shrine is entirely lacquered in rich colors and covered with detailed sculptures."
Lovely. Having read up on the shrine beforehand, I was surprised at such a perfunctory description. It seemed to purposely belie the shrine's importance in a way that said, "Oh, nothing all that special about it, really. Just a bunch of lacquered buildings. The supermarket next door sells whale you know." And maybe that's fine. Every place needs its own private spiritual hub, and that's what Asuka Shrine appears to be.
The townsfolk call this place "Miya-sama" (宮様). One of the deities enshrined here is a local kami by the name of Yomotsu-koto-saka-no-o-no-kami (予母津事解男神, hyphens mine). Though the shrine building has existed since 1690 (the shrine was actually established in 1624), this local kami has been worshipped in Taiji since at least Tengyo 5 (881). The grounds have auxiliary shrines housing other deities, and there is one to honor the Taiji war dead too. Besides annual festivals, Asuka Shrine is where the families of sailors would gather, those who had failed to return from a hunt or catch. Here they would burn fires through the night to guide their lost family members home.
It was also on the beach in front of this shrine in the early afternoon of December 24, 1878 where two men could be seen arguing. An unprecedentedly large right whale and her calf had been spotted, and the two men, beach master Taiji Kakuemon and advisory head Wada Kinemon, were debating whether or not to signal the hunt. Kakuemon cited their dire need, it had been a terrible season and the town badly needed a catch, while Kinemon cited tradition: to hunt the whale and her calf was not their way. Kakuemon's insistence won over and the order to hunt was issued.
Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus
Another interesting side note to this shrine, besides all its lacquering, is a treasure it contains. Inside is a long sword or tachi (太刀). This was thought to have belonged to Taira no Koremori (1157-1184), grandson of Taira no Kiyomori. In an odd series of events, Koremori abandoned his post during the Genpei War and on his way back to the capital visited Mount Koya, there becoming a monk. He embarked on a pilgrimage to Kumano and then in God-knows-what state (perhaps he thought he would sail out to the Fudaraku Pure Land) took a boat out onto the ocean and drowned himself. Fast forward 500 years or so, a Taiji fisherman makes an unexpected discovery hoisting up his shrimp nets. Entangled in the netting is a sword a little under five feet. The theory is that it had been dropped by Koremori as he crossed the Taiji inlet before ending his life. The fisherman presented the sword to Asuka Shrine, where it's housed to this day.
Comments: It's along our route, so why not stop by and pay a visit? Unfortunately it's not possible to get a clear view of the water anymore, but the shrine still has a lot of charm. If you're lucky, something will be going on when you visit. If not, you can still enjoy the lacquer.
Getting There
The Whale Museum is at the north end of the peninsula, so just about anything else you might care to see in Taiji can be taken in with a leisurely stroll south. Resuming our journey on foot, simply continue along the road we were on before entering the museum. This will first take us right past Hatajiri Bay (畠尻湾), aka "The Cove."
Map courtesy of Google Maps
Oh yes, it's right here just off the main road. Watching the film, it's a bit tricky to get a sense of distance, and while "the killing cove" is not visible from the street or even directly from the beach, it's by no means secluded. It would be irresponsible of me to suggest you try to get a better look at the actual cove (marked with a red arrow on the map above), and in any case that section is fenced off. Is there any real reason then to stop by and check Hatajiri Bay out? Many people will have a number one reason and some people a number two. It has the last public toilet along the route for a while.
Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus
Continue down the road and you'll come to the tail end of Taiji Bay. Follow that around and you'll soon see the much lacquered Asuka Shrine on your right.
Map courtesy of Google Maps
Image courtesy of Google Maps
Driver Gragma (yokaitourbus "at" mail "dot" com)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yokaitourbus/
The Master List (Wakayama)
http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2015/08/6-g-master-list-wakayama.html
(religion) Japanese Whale Cults (鯨崇拝)
Site: Asuka Shrine (飛鳥神社)
Nearest Station: (JR Line) Taiji Stn. (太地駅)
Google Map Search: "Asuka Shrine Taiji"
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