xxvii. Follow-up Report on Chomei-ji (長明寺), or "Nue Resurrection"

Location: Nishiwaki City (near Nishiwakishi Stn., JR Line), Hyogo Prefecture; about 1 hour 45 min. from Osaka, 1 hour 20 min. from Kobe, or about 1 hour 5 min. from Himeji + 20 min. walking time

Associated with: Nue aka "the Japanese chimera"

I recently visited Chomei-ji in Hyogo Prefecture and decided my original entry was a bit short on detail. Before referring to this entry, check out the original for directions to the Nishiwaki area:

http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2015/12/ix-arrow-bamboo-grove-of-chomei-ji-or.html

Getting to the temple proper is easy enough, but the grounds have enough twists and turns that you might find yourself unable to locate what you came to see. Unless you are going to visit Nishiwaki and the temple as your main destination for the day, you'll be pushing yourself to try and fit in whatever else you have planned. The following is a breakdown of where all the yokai-related landmarks are on the temple grounds so that you can check them out first and take in the other sections at your leisure.

So I Got a Bit Lost

You'll recall from the original entry that the things to see are the Nuetaiji-zo, which is a statue of Minamoto no Yorimasa facing off against the fierce nue, and the Arrow Bamboo Grove, or Yatakeyabu next to the Nuenobashi Bridge. Remember that it was from this bamboo grove that Yorimasa supposedly harvested the shaft of the arrow used to bring down the nue. Also on the grounds are graves or memorial markers of Yorimasa and his lover Ayame Gozen. Unfortunately I got turned right around trying to find them and excitedly took pictures of a grave belonging to a no doubt prominent but entirely different person. I'll include an approximate location of the real graves in the maps below and perhaps the dear reader can confirm when they visit the site themselves.

The Approach

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Below is a slightly wider pic of the final approach that appeared in the original entry. This will get you to the temple and the statue without too much trouble, but to find the bamboo grove and anything else you'll need to consult one of the maps on-site. There are at least three of them and they are all in Japanese, each visually unique and oriented differently. Unfortunately if you don't consult the maps and assume that the bamboo grove is up near the temple proper, you'll never find it.

Map courtesy of Google Maps

At the point on the map marked with a yellow circle you'll find yourself in front of a large stone stairway leading to a roofed sanmon gateway housing two kongo rikishi or nio (angry-faced guardians). Google has you taking the road alongside that, but of course you can head up those stairs instead (indicated by the yellow arrow on the left). As you continue past the gate, you'll notice a road going right, which for now I've marked with a red arrow. While straight ahead lies the temple, here off to the right is where the bamboo grove is located. The order you visit each location doesn't really matter, but I'd recommend going to the temple first and the grove on your way back.

The Nuetaiji-zo Statue aka "The Defeat of the Nue"

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Advancing straight you'll come to another stone stairway that will take you up to the temple proper. As you reach the top, the Nuetaiji-zo can be seen diagonally left of where you are, sitting up on a rise toward the back of the open square:

Map courtesy of Google Maps

It's a rather stunning creation. The artist was Junichiro Hanyu (般若純一郎, b. 1931), who also designed the tengu statues at Kencho-ji Temple in Kamakura. Youngsters will also be delighted to find that the nue has a rather splendid set of balls.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

The Graves of Yorimasa and Ayame Gozen

If you continue around to the back of the temple on the same side as the Nuetaiji-zo, you'll come to the graves of Yorimasa and Ayame Gozen. These are the ones I missed, so I'll include the location further down.

The Arrow Bamboo Grove and the Nuenobashi Bridge

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Before returning the way you came for a quick visit to the bamboo grove, I very much recommend you explore the mountain paths at the rear of the temple. They are very atmospheric and definitely help to bump Chomei-ji up a few spots on one's to-do list. Despite their circuitous route, they had the wonderful effect of making me feel removed from everything, and even a little bit lost and in awe of my surroundings. Great stuff! If you move along at a good pace they won't add that much time to your trip either, so be sure to check them out.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Once you've done that, you can head back and take the road indicated by the red arrow on the map above. Walking along that road you'll first notice the bamboo grove on your right, consisting of tall, thick bamboo. You can't really access it, but you can get closer to it by walking down a short gravel drive. Returning to the road and continuing along you'll then come to a shrine, also on the right. This is a Hachiman shrine (Hachiman being the god of archery and war, and the guardian deity of the Minamoto clan). Immediately after the shrine is the Nuenobashi Bridge (鵺野橋) where it crosses the Takamatsutanigawa River (高松谷川). On the north bank next to the grounds of the Hachiman Shrine is an outgrowth of vegetation that includes some wispy clumps of thin bamboo. Compared to the thick stalks of the main grove, you could probably use these to make arrow shafts.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

The Maps

The maps on-site are a little confusing, but the main thing to remember is that they are of the surrounding area and not just the grounds of Chomei-ji. The two pictorial ones are oriented differently but show some of the same things. The one titled "YORIMASA ILLUST MAP" ("illust" meaning illustration) is the smaller of the two in scope. Their pictorial nature also makes them doubly difficult to interpret for someone who is both unfamiliar with the nature of the architecture and who can't read the labels on the maps or the signposts at the locations themselves.

Their depictions of their surroundings are also a little too imaginative. Take this section from one of the maps:

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

This looks like a family park. There's an excited girl with her hand raised in greeting, as if perhaps she's seen of an old friend just getting off a bus, a couple of happy goosestepping grandmothers, and a pair of bow-legged gents doing a leisurely hoedown around the edge. This is actually a mountain path running through dense forest.

What I'll do is provide the two on-site pictorial maps and a Google map, marking in all three the locations we've mentioned. Below circled in yellow is the sanmon, or traditional gateway housing the kongo rikishi, in orange is the Nuetaiji-zo statue, and in blue are the graves of Yorimasa and Ayame Gozen. The Nuenobashi Bridge is shown in red.

 Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

 Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Map courtesy of Google Maps

Information on Chomei-ji

I have Chomei-ji opening at 9:00 and closing at 17:00, but I would aim to get there for 15:00 at the latest with the assumption that things will be winding down around 16:00. If coming from Himeji, aim to leave at 13:00 or earlier.


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

The Master List (Hyogo)
http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2015/08/6-b-master-list-hyogo.html

(yokai) Nue (鵺)
Site: Chomei-ji (長明時)
Nearest Station: (JR Line) Nishiwakishi Stn. (西脇市駅)
Google Map Search: "Chomei-ji Nishiwaki"