xxxiv. The Sai Riverbed (賽の河原) of Ichijo-ji (一乗寺) Part 3

Location: Kasai City (near Hokkeguchi Stn., Hojo Line), Hyogo Prefecture; about 1 hour 40 min. from Osaka, or 1 hour 15 min. from Kobe + 1 hour 15 min. walking time; or 35 min. by bus from Himeji + no walking time

Associated with: Sai-no-Kawara (賽の河原), the Buddhist purgatory for departed children

In this land of the dead,

I am your father and your mother.

Trust in me morning and evening.

Getting There

It’s a somewhat more complicated trip getting out to Ichijo-ji. I’ve devised a train journey and mapped out a pleasant trek from the nearest station to the temple, or if the weather is poor or if “pleasant” isn’t a word you normally associate with long walks then you have the option of taking a bus. Things are going to get rather complicated, so I’m going to break this into three sections 1. Train Journey, 2. Bus Options, and 3. Trek to the Temple. You should probably read each section so that you can plan for any eventuality, but if your aim is to skip the trek (or only do it on the way/way back) then you’ll need to read the Bus Options section carefully. Also be sure to read section 4. Heading Home.

Note: There are various stations and stops with similar sounding names, so be mindful of that as you read along. Here is a quick list to refer back to:

Hokkeguchi (法華口) - A train station on the Hojo Line. 

Hokkeguchi-eki-mae (法華口駅前) - The bus stop near Hokkeguchi train station.

Hokkezan-Ichijoji (法華山一乗寺) - The bus stop outside Ichijo-ji temple, our destination.

Hokkeyamaguchi (法華山口) - The bus stop closest to the temple in the case you get on the wrong bus. (In this case, "close" means a 40 min. walk.)

1. Train Journey

The starting point on the Midosuji subway line is Umeda station. Our destination is Hokkeguchi station on the Hojo line.

Umeda station lies next to Osaka station, a large hub of intersecting JR lines. From subway Umeda, follow the signs directing you to JR Osaka station. I want to point out that we're starting at subway Umeda station to keep it in line with our Midosuji Line-centered travel, but if you are staying in the Osaka station area or near a station on the Loop Line, you obviously needn't worry about the subway for this trip.

From Osaka, it's silly to take anything slower than a shinkaisoku, or special rapid service train. They usually depart every 10 or 15 minutes, depending on the time of day. The first stop you need to change trains at is a station called Kakogawa, which is on the JR Kobe Line portion of the Sanyo Main Line. Via shinkaisoku, Kakogawa is seven stops and approximately 50 minutes from Osaka. Don't be surprised if you find yourself standing the whole way, but know that at least you'll be making good time.

At Kakogawa, you need to get off and change lines, but you don't need to leave the station. The name of the line branching north here is the Kakogawa Line, and as it suggests it starts from Kakogawa Stn. Providing you find the right platform you can get on a train and not worry about going in the wrong direction. However, trains leave around every 30 minutes, and one of the services stops short of Ao, which is our next transit point. If your timing is off you could find yourself waiting for the better part of an hour for a train to take you all the way. Providing you get a good connection, the leg from Kakogawa to Ao is six stops and takes about 25 minutes.

Ao Station presents a rather unfamiliar set-up. You will change train companies but you won’t put your ticket through a ticket gate to leave one station to enter an adjacent one. In fact, you won't need to leave the station at all. You also don’t need to conventionally buy a ticket for the next train, so there is no wandering around looking for a ticket machine either. You simply need to get yourself to the platform for the Hojo Line and get ready to board the train. The ticket that you bought to get to Ao is now confetti (but keep hold of it for the rest of the day).

The Hojo Line that departs from Ao is a small local service that operates more like a bus than a train. Like a Japanese bus, you get on at the back and pay as you exit at the front. This is the reason why you don't need to run around looking for a ticket machine before you board. By the door as you get on is a little ticket dispenser that spits out tickets with a number printed on them. This number corresponds to a display, usually at the front, which indicates your fare. For example, if your ticket says “3,” find that number on the board and that’s what you pay as you get off. The amounts go up incrementally the longer you stay on. The only annoying thing is fumbling for the right change at the end of your journey.

However, at Ao you may find that the dispenser on the train is not issuing tickets. This is because Ao is the terminal at the southeast end of the line, and so having no ticket means you've been on the line since the beginning and will simply pay the maximum accumulated fare (310 yen as of August 2019) when you get off at Hokkeguchi (3 stops). Just remember to follow the procedure I outlined above and grab a ticket if you take the train back to Ao later that day!

At Hokkeguchi, the station building is a small wooden affair. It likely won’t be staffed, but the cosy interior is a nice place to rest for a moment. There is a toilet and a vending machine just outside. 

You can now wait to try and catch a bus or do the trek to the temple. (Jump to Section 3 if you plan to walk.)

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

2. Bus Options

From Hokkeguchi

Your first bus option if you don’t want to walk is to take a No. 71 bus from Hokkeguchi to the temple. Be advised that due to the very infrequent services, the wait is sometimes as long or longer than the walk. If you arrive at the right time though you might be lucky and have a bus take you straight to the temple in a little over ten minutes. Unfortunately not all No. 71 buses follow the same route. Only one goes to the temple.

To get the bus, you need to walk to the bus stop that’s located on the main road a short walk from the station. Again, note that the bus does not come all the way up to the train station. The name of this bus stop in Japanese is Hokkeguchi-eki-mae (法華口駅前). To get there from the station, please refer to the map and visual below.

Map courtesy of Google Maps

Image courtesy of Google Maps

The following are the bus times as of August 2019. They are subject to change, but will at least provide a guide as to how long you can expect to wait.

On a weekday you can catch a bus to the temple from Hokkeguchi-eki-mae at 9:55, 11:20, 12:55, 14:55 and 16:15; on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays at 10:24, 11:44, 12:54, 14:39 and 15:39. There are a few earlier services but they do not go along the temple route. If somehow you end up on one of those, you can go an unsatisfying three stops to Hokkeyamaguchi (法華山口) and walk from there:

Map courtesy of Google Maps

From Himeji (Train, Train, Go Away)

If you’re feeling like all the train changes are a pain, there is a bus that runs directly from Himeji to the temple in about 35 minutes. This is potentially a more direct, simple and shorter option, but it’s not without its complications.

Firstly, to take the bus you need to travel to Himeji Station. You can get there using the guide in our entry on Okiku’s Well:

http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.com/2018/08/xxxii-okikus-well.html

Once there, follow the signs to the bus terminal. You need to board the No. 71 bus, which, as of August 2019 departs from platform 14. In the best case scenario you can jump on a 71 and it will take you straight to Hokkezan-Ichijoji, the stop just outside the temple.

That’s simple enough, but buses run very infrequently and a poorly timed itinerary or delay will have you waiting anything from 60 to 90 minutes. Services basically halt around noon. There is one final run in the mid-late afternoon. After that everything stops completely.

The other issue is that not all 71 buses follow the same route. Ichijo-ji is on a detour route that runs off the main route. One 71 service terminates short at the Ohara bus stop, and the other continues along the main road and skips the temple entirely. If you take the former, you need to get off and wait for another service. If it’s the latter you have a choice of walking from the closest possible vantage point or getting off at Hokkeguchi-eki-mae (法華口駅前) near Hokkeguchi station and waiting for a bus going in the opposite direction (see times listed above). It’s great if you get it right, otherwise it’s a potential shitfest of frustration.

On a weekday, buses going directly to the temple leave Himeji at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00. On a Saturday, Sunday or national holiday, they leave at 9:00, 10:30, 11:30, 13:30 and 16:30.

To keep track of your journey, watch out for the previously mentioned Ohara (小原), which is about the 20th stop along the route. (This is not to be confused with the similar sounding Ogawa/小川, which is the 9th stop.) If you’ve taken the correct service, the bus will turn off the main road after Ohara and in short order arrive at your destination. The name of the bus stop outside the temple is Hokkezan-Ichijoji (法華山一乗寺), and it’s two stops after Ohara. 

If you accidentally got on the right bus but the wrong service, the bus will either terminate at Ohara, or continue from Ohara along the same road. In the case of the latter, the third stop after Ohara will be Hokkeyamaguchi (法華山口), which is the same vantage point previously mentioned in the case you got on the wrong bus at Hokkeguchi-eki-mae (scroll back up for the map).

Perils aside, if you make it to the temple it’s a much simpler process timing your trip back. The only problem is working in with the infrequent services (about one per hour), meaning you might need to thin or pad out your time at the temple to line it up with a particular departure. There is a small rest house across the road from the temple, but nothing else to while the time. If the bus isn’t coming for an hour or more and the weather is fine, consider walking to Hokkeguchi Stn.

3. Trek to the Temple

If you’re up for a stroll, I recommend the following route from Hokkeguchi Stn. Though you can pick out your own route with Google maps, what I have put together is fairly pleasant and relatively gentle, and of course has been road tested. 

Map courtesy of Google Maps

I managed it on a sweltering day in August without too much difficulty, but included along the route is a supermarket for any last-minute supplies. If that happens to be closed, there are several vending machines to help keep you hydrated.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Map courtesy of Google Maps

From the supermarket, the road cuts through a field and then winds its way into the town along the river. In the town section above I have marked in red a thru road that Google now claims does not to exist. I assume that it's still passable, but use the Google route if you find it has been blocked off. After this section, you’ll turn left onto a larger road.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Map courtesy of Google Maps

Partway along the larger road, a side route branches off for walkers. Weirdly, Google is now marking this as nonexistent, so I have included it above and below in red. I do hope this has not been blocked off (I'm assuming it hasn't), as it moves up and through a pleasant forested area topped with a temple gate. There it rejoins the main road. From the gate, it’s just a short walk to the temple.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Map courtesy of Google Maps

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

There is a public bathroom on the side of the road opposite the temple, which, to my great relief had a Western-style toilet. At least in the gents, this had been installed comically far from the wall and close to the door. The very tall should be careful not to kneecap themselves or bust open the lock with their long bones as they sit down.

4. Heading Home

To get home you can either walk back to Hokkeguchi station, try and catch a bus back to Hokkeguchi station, or try and catch a bus back to Himeji in the opposite direction. 

If you go home via Hokkeguchi, remember this time to take a numbered slip when you get on, otherwise you will need to pay the full fare. At Ao, you will suddenly realize you don't have a return ticket for JR, yet are already inside the station. What you need to do is leave the station briefly (there are no gates or barriers) and purchase your JR ticket from the machines just outside the entrance. Once you’ve got it, you'll have a valid ticket though there will not be the usual automatic ticket gate to punch it. This will happen at Kakogawa as you transit. You can show it to the staff at the ticket gate at Kakogawa and they will punch it manually or put it through a machine. After that you can exit normally at your destination.

A trip home via Himeji, providing you can catch the bus, is less complicated. On a weekday (as of August 2019) you can catch the No. 71 bus back to Himeji at 10:07, 11:32, 13:07, 15:07 and 16:27; and on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays at 10:36, 11:56, 13:06, 14:51 and 15:51.

Information on Ichijo-ji

Ichijo-ji opens at 8:00 and closes at 17:00. (Pilgrims will to need to wait until 8:30 to get their book stamped.) Entry is 500 yen as of August 2019.

-----

Mark Schumacher has an excellent article on this same topic at his wonderful page onmarkproductions.com. The site contains a wealth of knowledge and is an invaluable reference for filling in the gaps on so many topics relating to Japanese religion and folklore. When my brain takes on more info than it can hold (pretty much always), Onmark is my go-to. Matthew Meyer (yokai.com) has also taken a good crack at summarizing the complexities of the Meido.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

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

(death) The Riverbed Sai (賽の河原)
Site: Ichijo-ji Temple (一乗寺); in full "Hokkesan Ichijo-ji Temple" (法華山一乗寺)
Nearest Station: (Hojo Line) Hokkeguchi Stn. (法華口駅) <-- though not particularly "near"
Google Map Search: "Ichijo-ji Kasai"

xxxiv. The Sai Riverbed (賽の河原) of Ichijo-ji (一乗寺) Part 2

Location: Kasai City (near Hokkeguchi Stn., Hojo Line), Hyogo Prefecture; about 1 hour 40 min. from Osaka, or 1 hour 15 min. from Kobe + 1 hour 15 min. walking time; or 35 min. by bus from Himeji + no walking time

Associated with: Sai-no-Kawara (賽の河原), the Buddhist purgatory for departed children

Saying prayers for father, they heap the first tower.

Saying prayers for mother, they heap the second tower.

Saying prayers for their brothers, their sisters, and all whom they loved at home,

They heap the third tower.

Comments: It's difficult to recommend a day trip that takes in only one temple. If you are captivated by the Sai-no-Kawara teaching like Lafcadio Hearn was more than a hundred years ago, a visit to Ichijo-ji can be a real adventure.

Our journey starts outside the temple. Off to the right you'll discover an outdoor statuary display of red-roofed gazebos presided over by Mizuko Jizo (lit. Jizo for Water Children). These are altars erected for the protection and prayer of stillborn, miscarried and aborted children. Each small Jizo statue represents a departed soul, having been purchased from the temple by bereaved parents. To the uninitiated, the display may seem a tacky revenue source exploiting a parent's grief. This isn't helped by its added-on appearance, standing abandoned outside the temple proper. Yet the purchase of a statue, much like buying a small headstone, comes with religious rites, and free access means visitors can pay their respects as often as needed. When funeral options for unborn children can be complicated, the consignment of one's child to the protection of a benevolent being such as Jizo can help ease the anguish felt by parents.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

In spite of the very vivid Sai no Kawara teaching, it's not apparent that those enshrining their children here are doing so with an urgency to release them from purgatory (though a visit to this temple would make that painfully confronting). Jizo is the protector for all children and also one of the deities Japanese people can pray to for a safe birth. That he would also carry the mantle for departed children seems a natural extension of his duties.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

The temple proper's atmosphere of spiritual authenticity is more established. The main buildings are lined up with the entrance and are connected by a series of ascending stone stairways. The first takes you up to the Jogyo-do, or training hall (under construction when I visited); the next to the Sanjunoto, or three-story pagoda; and the last to the Hondo, or main hall (also called the Kondo or Golden Hall). The latter is the largest temple building and main destination for pilgrims. Beyond the Kondo is a shortcut of sorts to the inner sanctum, the Kaisando or Founder's Hall (and beyond that the Sai no Kawara), but I recommend a different approach.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

The training hall, pagoda and Kondo are all beautiful in their construction. Yet veering off at each level of ascent are paths that draw one to differently atmospheric territory, with forested areas, Shinto shrines and statues piled high with stones.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

For viewing order I recommend you climb the stairs from the entrance to the training hall, pagoda and then up to the Kondo, but instead of taking the shortcut to the Kaisando, backtrack to the pagoda level and take the path that veers off here. This will take you past many stone-piled statues and down toward a pond. Before you reach the pond, you'll be attracted to a wide approach on your left with more statues and more stones. This is the long way to the Kaisando. Follow this approach until you get to the hall, and once inside the enclosure you'll find the entrance to the Sai no Kawara on the left. From there, you "ascend" to purgatory.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

It was perhaps by design that one has to go beyond the inner sanctum in order to reach the Sai no Kawara. The feeling is quite indescribable, as what one sees is not so much a representation of the underworld but its reflection, something that shimmers between realities. Likewise, glimpses of what is done in our reality reflects back into the other. It is a portal.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

It would seem that in recent years landscaping has been done to make the Kaisando and the Sai no Kawara more accessible. Older photos show precarious (yet beautifully rustic) ascents, which have now been modified with utilitarian hand rails. The staircase to the Sai no Kawara is now looking particularly sculpted, which detracts somewhat from the overall feel. Finally, nestled at the back of the river, not too obvious but still in plain sight, is a very modern-looking dam. Doubtless, future visitors can look forward to this eyesore being obscured by tree growth.   

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

If you make your way back to the pond there is more to explore. An unexpected highlight is the Miko Daimyojin Shrine. When I visited, the shrine was overdue for renovation with some sections in a deliciously creepy rundown state. The walkway was missing about half its number of vermilion torii gates, the stairway was overgrown with moss, and stonework was leaning at all manner of jaunty angles. In such a place, the sacred makes way for the supernatural and pious feelings are replaced with a call to adventure. While the destination itself might be drab, making the effort can lead to something extra rewarding.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Which was certainly the case, as beyond the shrine was something magical: a clearing of moss-covered stonework, perfectly framed with forest, tree rootage and broken torii. Here was an inner sanctum of a different sort.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

My constant companion throughout the journey to Ichijo-ji was the summer heat. To get there I had struck out from the local station on foot, and by the time I arrived I was half covered in sweat. At the end I looked like I had been swimming with my clothes on. The heat, along with the solitude, played havoc on my brain and fueled my imagination. For me it was a moving experience, but the humidity was overbearing. For a brief time I was in Buddhist purgatory.

End of Part 2


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

(death) The Riverbed Sai (賽の河原)
Site: Ichijo-ji Temple (一乗寺); in full "Hokkesan Ichijo-ji Temple" (法華山一乗寺)
Nearest Station: (Hojo Line) Hokkeguchi Stn. (法華口駅) <-- though not particularly "near"
Google Map Search: "Ichijo-ji Kasai"

xxxiv. The Sai Riverbed (賽の河原) of Ichijo-ji (一乗寺) Part 1

Location: Kasai City (near Hokkeguchi Stn., Hojo Line), Hyogo Prefecture; about 1 hour 40 min. from Osaka, or 1 hour 15 min. from Kobe + 1 hour 15 min. walking time; or 35 min. by bus from Himeji + no walking time

Associated with: Sai-no-Kawara (賽の河原), the Buddhist purgatory for departed children

What is this that you do here?

Lo! Your parents still living in the Shaba-world.

Take no thought of pious offering or holy work,

They do nought but mourn for you from the morning unto the evening.

All would agree a child is innocent and free of malice, yet religions put themselves in delicate positions regarding their fate by floating ideas such as original sin and karma. Similar to the Christian problem of original sin when an infant passes without receiving baptism, the Buddhist question is to what realm babes go when they leave this world?

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

If you’re a Jodo Buddhist you may be inclined to believe that these youngsters end up in something akin to limbo. Unlike the Christian version of limbo, which is said to be a state of the highest “natural happiness” without the presence of God, this Buddhist purgatory is located on the edge of hell and perfectly awful.

Realms of Existence

In Buddhism there are six realms of existence (Samsara), the cycle of repeated birth. We in the human realm make up one. Hello. The others are the realm of the gods, the realm of the demigods, the animals, the realm of the hungry ghosts, and finally the last and worst realm: the beings in hell. All who dwell in each realm are subject to suffering (some more and some less than others), death and rebirth. While the realms of the gods and the demigods seem to be the realms to aim for, their trouble-free existence is thought to promote an attachment to pleasure, making it difficult for their dwellers to embark on spiritual pursuits and therefore attain Nirvana (removing oneself from the cycle of repeated births). The human realm is thought to be the Goldilocks zone for spiritual pursuit, and so it’s a fortunate happenstance that one should find themselves born in this realm. Things go from bad to worse starting with the animals and ending with the beings in hell.

Perception and lived experience vary across the realms, though generally speaking all beings dwell on Earth. Humans can perceive the existence of animals and in their way they can perceive us. Hungry ghosts dwell among us too, but we rarely see or interact with them and barely detect their presence. They can perceive us but unfortunately for them they are obsessed by a terrible preoccupation, and so don’t seem to enjoy much in the way of their freedom to roam around. Quite the contrary, they are plagued by a morbid hunger and a perverse difficulty to satiate it. They are described as having big bellies but tiny mouths and constricted throats that prevent the easy passage of whatever it is they crave, which is often something disgusting. They are additionally confounded by the tendency to roam in areas of relative scarcity, and the things they desire when obtained will often disappear before they can be consumed or explode into flames. They are always hungry. Their existence is definitely hellish, but again, the important distinction is that they are not confined and can wander about.

The beings in hell are stuck there for the duration of that life, which is punishingly long. Hell exists below the earth in underground caverns, with torment taking place in chambers of extreme cold or extreme heat. Presumably a human being cannot withstand the extremes and probably wouldn’t visit if they knew the nature of their destination. For this reason, as humans, we are unlikely to come into direct contact with a being residing in Hell. Again, it’s worth noting that though beings in hell are confined during their time there, their damnation is not eternal.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Moving back up the hierarchy, demigods live at the base of a mountain located in the center of the Earth. This mountain exists outside our perception of physical reality, so we don’t need to wonder how an actual mountain might exist deep within the planet. Some of the beings in the godly realm live at the top this mountain. Others dwell in the sky above our heads. The loftiest of the gods no longer bother to interact with this universe.

Destination Anywhere

If you’re a wicked person you go to hell; if you’re good you go to paradise. If it’s a bit iffy, and it’s often a bit iffy, you end up on trial. The judgement in such cases is split into several weekly trials presided by the kings of hell and takes place in the underworld. The soul is not confined there and wanders around on a bit of a nostalgia tour of the places it used to live, but on the 49th day it’s sentenced and on the 50th day it enters or is forced to enter the world of rebirth. 

Evidence used at your trials is collected by a pair of deities known as Kushojin. There is one to record our good deeds, and another to record our bad. It is said that Kushojin stand on our shoulders from the time of birth till the time we die. Unlike the comical angel and devil versions of our own selves as seen in Donald Duck cartoons, they don’t encourage certain behavior or get into fights among themselves.

This evidence is then presented to the judges in Hell, sometimes to the first judge, King Shinko, but more commonly to the fifth judge, the unpitying King Enma. You’ve perhaps heard his name before... his significance lies in deciding which realm you’ll be sent to based on the judgements of the first four kings. Lafcadio Hearn provides a striking description of him in Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan (1894).

[A] terrible figure, all vermilion red... a goblin shape with immense cavernous eyes. His mouth is widely opened as if speaking in wrath, and his brows frown terribly. A long red beard descends upon his red breast. And on his head is a strangely shaped crown, a crown of black and gold, having three singular lobes: the left lobe bearing an image of the moon; the right, an image of the sun; the central lobe is all black. But below it, upon the deep gold-rimmed black band, flames the mystic character signifying KING.

There are others after Enma, deciding your placement within your new realm, how long you’ll live for, whether you can roll your Rs or breakdance really well, etc. You get the idea.

So sadly for you your life is laid bare. If you have not earned a human reincarnation, demons stand by to force your soul into the body of some beast of the earth or worse. It's terrifying to contemplate, but on your side you have a great defender: the Bodhisatva Jizo. Jizo appears before the judges to make excuses on your behalf. He stands between you and the kings of hell. 

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Great Guardian Jizo

In a past existence in the time of other Buddhas, Jizo had been a pious maiden greatly concerned for the rebirth of her deceased mother. The mother's sins, Jizo feared, had condemned her to rebirth in hell. For her fervent prayers and offerings Jizo was offered a glimpse of Hell itself, where she was relieved to find that her mother had already ascended thanks to the great merit her actions had generated. However, the suffering that she witnessed affected her deeply, and she vowed to do whatever she could to relieve the hardship of such beings not just in this life, but in her future lives, and not only for the duration of the existence of the universe, but also in the subsequent recreations of the universe in the billions of years to come. During one of Jizo’s lives, we don’t know which, he attained enlightenment, but motivated by this deep compassion remains as a presence in the six realms on earth. Thusly he is defined as a Bodhisattva, or Buddhist saint. As well as aiding all sentient beings in their salvation from suffering, in Japan he is also the guardian of children, expectant mothers, travelers, pilgrims and firefighters.

And this is part of the reason why you see so many Jizo statues in Japan. They’re keeping an eye on you and keeping the demons at bay. Jizo statues can be found on roadsides, busy intersections, mountain paths, at bridge crossings, wherever people go. He can also be found on the boundaries of towns and villages to protect their inhabitants from unwanted elements that may adversely affect their health, fertility, etc. In other words, Jizo could be said to be keeping not only the bad out but the good good. Jizo also stands guard at places like graveyards to protect them from the lurkings that one might expect there. 

Jizo in this sense is a Sae no Kami (塞の神), a god that keeps out evil spirits. The Shinto or folk version of these statues are stone markers called Dosojin. One common type depicts a man and woman, an old married couple known by the names Jo and Uba. They are worshiped as the deities of marriage and fertility, a symbol of happiness and family life.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Ichijo-ji Temple

With all that swirling in our heads, we’re now ready to embark on our site, Ichijo-ji Temple. There is not a lot of information online in English, despite it being very old (650) and serving as temple 26 of the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage (a pilgrimage of 33 temples throughout the Kansai region). Ichijo-ji was founded by Hodo Sennin, an Indian mystic who among other legendary abilities was said to be able to fly. For its remote location, Ichijo-ji is a rather expansive complex with impressive structures that speak of more flourishing times. Besides the construction workers undertaking a restoration project on the temple's training hall, I had the place myself.

In some ways, Ichijo-ji gives visitors the typical “temple” experience. Pay your respects, see the pagoda, take a few photos and be on your way. However, off the main path the atmosphere is more melancholy.

 Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

One of the first things you may come to notice at this temple is the practice of ishi-age (石上げ). This is the custom of placing a stone or pebble atop an object on the grounds of a pilgrimage site, typically onto a lantern or torii gate. It’s a small act of devotion also thought to bring good luck (it’s tricky getting a stone to land cleanly on top of a high torii). While the temple has some genuine examples of ishiage described above, the further you make your way into the grounds you start to encounter monuments where it looks as if people have overdone it. A side path taking you away from the main buildings has you confronting a line of small statues with stones piled high on their roofs. These continue along the path before veering away and up the mountain. It is an odd feeling to see so many coarse stones piled up on beautifully carved statues, and one does not get the feeling that this practice has anything to do with good luck.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Meanwhile in Hell...

A bewildered soul freshly minted by death first finds itself on a stony riverbed, the Sai-no-Kawara (賽の河原). Nearby flows the River Sanzu (三途の川), and a bridge with which to cross it to advance on the journey through the underworld. Presiding over the first trial is King Shinko. His judgement won’t be handed down until the seventh day after death. Only then will the soul be allowed to cross.

In a rather harrowing religious prescription, babies and infants who have died also wake to find themselves on the shore. With no time to have accumulated karma, they end up in a hellish purgatory for the grief they have brought to their parents (cruelly a fate no grieving parent would ever wish for their departed child). 

The other souls are judged by King Shinko and eventually make their way across the river. The innocent can walk across the bridge; the guilty are made to swim. These souls have more trials ahead. The babes however, are unable to cross the river. They are stuck in purgatory.

In their predicament the young ones are further tormented by guardians of the underworld, a kind of demented Jo and Uba but who go by different names. Datsueba, the hag of hell, strips the children of their clothes, which her partner Kaneo hangs on a tree branch to weigh their meager sins. Datsueba instructs the infants to gather up the pebbles of the riverbed to build stone towers for their salvation, little “stairways to heaven.” The babes toil away at this harrowing busy-work, all the while crying for their mothers and fathers. Even after progress is made, Datsueba and Kaneo or some other denizen of hell comes and knocks the towers down, reminding the children that their parents are out of reach and berating them for the grief they are causing. With that the little ones start again. It’s an upsetting scene to contemplate.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

But then a voice...

Be not afraid, dears. Be never fearful.

Poor little souls, your lives were brief indeed.

Too soon you were forced to make the weary journey to the Meido.

The long journey to the land of the dead.

Trust to me! I am your father and mother in the Meido.

Father of all children in the land of the dead.

“The Legend of the Humming of the Sai-no-Kawara,” Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan, Lafcadio Hearn

It is Jizo who finds the suffering of the children intolerable and in his great compassion ferries them through the underworld. The smallest he takes up and envelops in his robes to carry across. For the others he finds the easiest crossing of the river and holds his staff out for the young ones to steady themselves as they cross. If not for him, their toiling would be endless.

And like the children who have toiled on the riverbanks of purgatory, the statues at Ichijo-ji leading up the mountain have stones piled upon them. These cairns are built by the living in the hopes that the babes need pile up less. The statues are clothed so that Jizo in turn may clothe them in their nakedness. It is a sorrowful sight but there is still more to witness.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Up the mountain is the Kaisando or Founder’s Temple, the inner sanctum. It is said to have been the hermitage of Hodo Sennin, a place where he could remove himself from the more occupied areas of the temple grounds. It’s a lovely building in its seclusion, but even here, more stones. A side gate takes the visitor further in and up the mountain along a flowing stream to something quite unexpected.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

All the way at the back of Ichijo-ji flows the Sai-no-Kawara. It is a physical reflection in the human world of the underworld crossing. And on one side, hundreds of cairns, small stone piles, overseen by statues of Jizo.

Religion for the Dead

A Westerner’s idea of Buddhism has been a pop cultural mix of pagodas, big statues, zen meditation, rock gardens, the Dalai Lama and a host of middleaged Hollywood celebrities. Besides the last two, Japanese temples usually have no problem delivering what’s expected. However, post-war separation of church and state and the necessity of many Buddhist priests to go out and find other work, along with gentrification and urbanization and a decrease in temple patronage, has cornered many temples into one specific source of income: funereal and memorial services.

While Ichijo-ji houses several recognized important cultural properties and one national treasure (the pagoda), meaning that it’s eligible for government funding, the aspect of it that encompasses “funerary Buddhism” is a particularly sorrowful one. Parents of recently deceased children visit Ichijo-ji to to worship Jizo and to build tiny cairns in prayer that it will alleviate the burden of their child in the underworld. 

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

End of Part 1

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

(death) The Riverbed Sai (賽の河原)
Site: Ichijo-ji Temple (一乗寺); in full "Hokkesan Ichijo-ji Temple" (法華山一乗寺)
Nearest Station: (Hojo Line) Hokkeguchi Stn. (法華口駅) <-- though not particularly "near"
Google Map Search: "Ichijo-ji Kasai"

xxxiii. The Stone Treasure House of Ohshiko Shrine (石乃寳殿・生石神社)

Location: Takasago City (near Hoden Stn., JR Line), Hyogo Prefecture; about 1 hour from Osaka, 35 min. from Kobe, or about 15 min. from Himeji + 25 min. walking time

Associated with: Fushigi (不思議) or "wonders"

Carved into a mountainside about 45 kilometers west of Kobe is a megalithic block of stone of unclear origin and unknown purpose. There are a few clues as to what it was, but the wonder was created so long ago that the builder’s intent has been lost to time. A mythology is now associated with it, and not surprisingly the ancient aliens people have been poking their heads around too. I’m not sure this is a Chariot of the Gods but the mystery associated with the stone, along with its impressive stature, has it listed as one of the Nippon Sanki (日本三奇), or Three Wonders of Japan.

From Nippon (1832, sketch rendered in 1826), Philipp Franz von Siebold (Source: http://www.tosakpc.net/)

So what is it? Well around 1500 years ago a massive block of stone was carved into the Takasago mountainside. Though it's still attached at the bottom, the bulk is estimated to weigh an impressive 5 to 7 hundred tonnes. There is room enough to walk around the structure, but it’s nestled so narrowly into the surrounding rock that it’s nearly impossible to capture its size in a single photo. The site is now worshiped as a shrine.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

The stone is referred to commonly as the Ishi no Hoden (石乃寳殿), or the Stone Treasure House. The shrine itself goes by the often misread and misheard title of Ohshiko Shrine (生石神社), with the elongated ‘O’ sound at the front the only tenuous barrier to it sounding like the Japanese word for piss. For this reason you might be better off asking someone about the "Stone Treasure House" rather than risk asking for the "Wee-Wee Shrine."

Like Mount Miwa in Nara, the stone is another example of the landscape itself being the object of worship. In fact, the account of the shrine's origin copies and pastes directly from the Omiwa legend. The reign of Japan's 10th emperor Sujin (98-30 BC) saw an epidemic sweeping the country. Just as the people were on the brink of annihilation, Sujin made contact with the deity Omononushi who conveyed to Sujin that his proper worship on Mount Miwa would halt the devastation. The Ohshiko Shrine account is almost identical, except it's Okuninushi and Sukunahikona who appear before the emperor in a dream, proclaiming, "If you enshrine and worship our spirits, the world will be at peace." Sujin's response was to then establish Ohshiko Shrine, and as in the Mount Miwa story, the epidemic abated and peace was restored. Interestingly, this is the closest thing we have to the shrine's historical origin. It also has a mythical origin with the same cast of characters.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Ye Gods

This is the yokai tour bus, so let's take a closer look at our kami. Our first deity, Okuninushi (大国主; "Great Land Master"), is the better known of the two gods. The Kojiki records his harrowing trials in becoming the lord of Izumo Province (current day Shimane Prefecture), the tamest of which, insofar as it does not involve Okuninushi repeatedly enduring or confronting painful death, is the popular White Hare of Inaba. The second deity Sukunahikona (少彦名; "Small Man of Renown") came on the scene a bit later. Okuninushi first encountered Sukunahikona when the latter arrived at Izumo cresting a wave on a small boat made of bark. Startled to find a mysterious traveler clad in goose skin and of such small stature (Sukunahikona was a dwarf), Okuninushi went to pick up the little fellow, only to be bitten by him on the face. This cheeky encounter did not prevent the two from becoming fast friends, and Sukunahikona came to assist Okuninushi in forging the land. This sets the scene for the mythical origin of the Ishi no Hoden.

Road Trip Gone Awry

The story goes back to the time of Okuninushi's youth when he went by the name Oanamuchi (大穴牟遅). With his trusty companion Sukunahikona, they traveled from Izumo to Takasago and resolved to construct a stone palace on the site in one night. They were halfway complete when the god of Aga (likely referring to Aga in nearby Himeji) began a revolt. Oanamuchi and Sukunahikona descended the mountain and in the place called Kamizume (nearby Kazume, Takasago) gathered a multitude of gods to deal with the nocturnal rebellion. This they suppressed, but by the time things had calmed down, dawn had come and the palace was incomplete.

Depending on what you read, Oanamuchi and Sukunahikona then confine themselves to the stone palace in a vow of atonement to protect the land. This vow, or being subject to a promise, or being on the losing end of a bet for not having completed a job of work overnight is a theme in other folktales (the newly UNESCOed Namahage come to mind). While my cynical self wants to point out that two powerful supernatural beings needn't subject themselves to such an arbitrary time limit, the idea of work not having been completed by the dawn (by the time when light is thrown on the subject and by which it can be known) speaks to the psychological meaningfulness of the tale and perhaps refers to the stone's murky origin.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

As to its physical description, the perimeter of the stone is about seven meters square and the height is around six meters. The megalith is roughly cubic in shape and surrounded on three sides by stone walls. A trench was dug to facilitate the fabrication of the bottom "face." This trench was then filled with water, which, coupled with the low positioning of the object to the surrounding surface, gives the illusion that the treasure house is suspended in the air. For this reason it is also known as the Uki-ishi (浮石), or "Floating Stone." According to tradition the site is said to be more than 2000 years old, but archaeologically it's more like fifteen hundred. The stone is mentioned in the Harima Fudoki (播磨国風土記; Records of the Culture and Geography of the Harima Region), which we know dates back to the year 714. The discrepancy is likely a result of lining up the stone's chronology with the Sujin mythos. Even the older Omiwa Shrine does a similar thing, inflating its age by a couple of hundred years.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

One playful account of the site concerns the huge amount of wastage produced during construction. Humans and animals carted the rocks in a procession with the "monkeys leading the cows and horses" 4 kilometers north to Mt. Takamikura (高御位山), where they placed the rocks on the mountain's peak. This is how this mountain is said to have got the name Takamikura, or "Mt. High Throne."

From Majestic Wonder to Campy Oddities

Ohshiko Shrine boasts at least three other heart-stopping "wonders" that I would be remiss not to mention here. The Japanese term for wonders is usually fushigi, which means something more like curiosities.

Number 1: Dragons in the rock!

The front side of the Floating Stone is said to contain within it the images of dragons. How many? Some say say three. Some say eight or more. I didn't see any, but this could be a fish:

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Number 2: An interesting shape on the rock wall!

A rock fall along the rear wall revealed a squiggly tadpole-like shape inside the resulting depression...

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Number 3: A cliff that looks a bit like the face of a gorilla!

For the life of me I could not find this. I photographed a number of possible candidates, but it seems my camera was pointing in the opposite direction most of the time. I found it later just sitting on Google Maps (a search for "ゴリラ岩" should bring it up), but even then it's not obvious exactly where the Gorilla outline is. I guess it's all part of the mystery. Here's a photo taken in the general direction:

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Though not specifically listed as a wonder, the water the Floating Stone sits in is thought to be miraculous, never running dry and greatly effective against all kinds of sicknesses. Personally I'd consider it a miracle if you drank it and didn't liquefy your bowels.

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

So what is it?

It's possible the stone was carved into the mountain as an object of worship or part of a religious site. The goshintai (the honored god body) of many ancient shrines are large stones, if not exactly megalithic. However, the shrine is near a quarry, so it doesn't rule out the theory that it was being chiseled out for a specific function, possibly to construct a tomb. This idea has been pooh-poohed due to the shape not really lending itself to tomb construction, but large slabs were being quarried and carted for that purpose around the time, so the various technologies and know how were in play, even if we can't discern the stone's exact function based on how it looks. And yes, sure, if you want you can say it was built to look like a spaceship using the borrowed technology of a visiting alien civilization. Why not.

Comments: With Himeji Castle down the road acting as a tourist magnet, Ohshiko Shrine will be yours to enjoy. With pleasant pathways leading around the back of the mountain and beautiful scenery, the shrine gets my thumbs-up. Unfortunately there is not much else to do in the area, and besides the fact that the place exists, you're mainly going just to gawk at it. Get ye there gawkers!

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Getting There

The starting point on the Midosuji subway line is Umeda Stn. Our destination is Hoden Stn. on the JR 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 there is a small possibility you've made a wrong turn. Similar to previous entries, I 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.

From Osaka, you need to take a shinkaisoku (special rapid service train) for the first part of the trip. They usually depart every 10 or 15 minutes depending on the time of day. Though you're staying on JR for the whole trip, you need to change to a local train at Kakogawa, which is on the JR Kobe Line portion of the Sanyo Main Line. On the shinkaisoku, Kakogawa is seven stops and approximately 50 minutes from Osaka. Don't be surprised if you find yourself standing the whole way, but around Sannomiya or Kobe you might be able to get a seat.

At Kakogawa, you need to get off and change to a local train so don't exit the station. Remember you are just changing services, not lines (there is a branch line running north from here called the Kakogawa Line). All you're doing is jumping on a local train going in the same direction as the one you just got off. Hoden is one stop from Kakogawa. 

Getting Your Bearings at Hoden Station

The Stone Treasure House is actually on a mountainous outcrop between the train line and the ocean, so you need to go out the south exit. Please refer to the map below:

Map courtesy of Google Maps

Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus

Information on Ohshiko Shrine

The shrine holds its autumn festival on the third Saturday and Sunday in October. Opening times vary, so try to get there between 9:00 and 15:00 to avoid disappointment. Some sections may be accessible after hours, but you must pay to enter the Floating Stone enclosure.

You could probably squeeze the shrine in heading back to Osaka from Himeji Castle. A trip to the castle can be time consuming because of the tourist traffic, so make an early start if you're planning to do both.


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

(wonders) "The Floating Stone" or Uki-ishi (浮石)
Site: Ohshiko Shrine (生石神社)
Nearest Station: (JR Line) Hoden Stn. (宝殿駅)
Google Map Search: "生石神社" <-- The English doesn't seem to come up.