Shion in Japan #2/5 - Enryakuji, Hiroshima & Miyajima
Still in first phase of our Dec 2013/Jan 2014 Japan trip, with Hubby, Shion and me traveling to see the sights! Other than Uji and Nara, we also took day trips from Kyoto to Enryaku-ji on Mt Hiei and to Hiroshima.
Penciled in Enryakuji (延暦寺) on Mt Hiei in the Otsu for the whole of one day, considering it's relatively inaccessible and off the beaten track. It was rather difficult to look for the Sakamoto Cable Car Station that would take us up to Enryakuji. Not to forget, it was a wet, foggy and cold day... When we finally found our way to the station, I sat near the stove trying to warm up!
Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, Enryakuji (延暦寺) is one of the most significant Buddhist monasteries in Japanese history. Founded in 788 by Saicho, a revered Buddhist monk who brought Tendai Buddhism to Japan, Enryakuji is best remembered for its army of warrior monks (sohei) which opposed the ambitions of daimyo Oda Nobunaga (織田 信長). (Fans of A Chef of Nobunaga (信長のシェフ), this is in chapters 59-61.) Due to its destruction by Oda Nobunaga in 1571, the present buildings date back to the Edo period when the monastery was rebuilt. On a side note, there's a dedicated in-house fire station at Enryakuji, which is not surprising considering its location.
It was really not the best day to visit Enryakuji. We hardly saw anything. I could hardly see the Todo which was shrouded in fog. The Konpon Chudo was also shrouded in fog on the outside, but inside, it was peaceful and quiet except for the pitter-patter of rain. Still, I could feel the cold and the damp seeping in through the wooden walls. Photography of the interior is not allowed, so I didn't take any. And anyway, it is a place for quiet meditation and reverence, and allowing photography would have been disruptive.
Around the monastery, there were vestiges left over of a snowy morning. Driven partly by the fog and partly by the cold, we decided not to explore the rest of the complex and to return to Kyoto. I think if I have the chance, I would visit again. On a clearer day of course.
(2016 trivia update: In 2015, in an episode of the television-documentary Nobu's Japan, Chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa of restaurant Nobu, and Chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry, visit Enryaku-ji. There they sought inspiration from the surroundings of Enryakuji. They partook of the Buddhist vegetarian (shojin ryori) lunch at Enryakuji Kaikan too seek inspiration from its basic tenets.)
Along the way back, we passed the outskirts of the Hiyoshi Taisha, another shrine at the foot of Mt Hiei. I spotted a cluster of worn stone statues of some deity, though they look well looked after with their brightly coloured aprons for the winter. In Japan, it's common to dress statues of deities with aprons in the winter, and to place an offering bowl in front of them.
We arrived back in Kyoto and decided to have an early dinner at Nishiki Market. At hubby's insistence, we had nigiri-zushi at some random sushi restaurant in Nishiki. There were few people dining in, but I noted a stream of people doing take-away sushi. Perhaps it was the weather, which was cold and wet... I would like to do a takeaway and eat it under a kotatsu!
A very early morning shinkansen ride from Kyoto to Hiroshima and when we arrived in Hiroshima, we took the streetcar (tram), which is the best way to get around the city area.
Our main purpose of coming to Hiroshima was to visitthe island of Miyajima Itsukushima (the island popularly known as Miyajima), on which stands the UNESCO World Heritage listed Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社) and its celebrated 'floating' torii (鳥居) (built in the ryobu torii style). The shrine is dedicated to the daughters of Susanoo no Mikoto, the Shinto kami of the storm and seas, and brother of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu (patron deity of the Japanese Imperial family).
The shrine was established around the time of Empress Suiko (推古天皇), who was the 33rd monarch of Japan and the first empress regnant in Japanese history (she reigned from 593 to 628). The shrine was given its present-day design by Taira no Kiyomori (平 清盛) in 1168.
Destroyed many times, the Itsukushima Shrine has been rebuilt and the present structure dates to the mid-16th century. Built on pier-like structures, the shrine was designed to appear to be floating on water at high tide. (We arrived just a little past high tide.) The real rationale for this design, however, was (traditionally) to allow pilgrims to approach the shrine without making physical contact with the grounds of the island, as the entire island was considered sacred.
The famed floating torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine is 16m high and built of decay-resistant camphor wood. The original gate was built in 1168, but the current one dates to 1875.
The view of the gate in front of Mt Misen is one of the Three Views of Japan (日本三景).
There was a shopping street around the shrine complex, lined with retail shops, food stalls and food shops. Hubby bought a steamed conger eel bun (穴子まん) at one of the food stalls - it was fluffy and hot with juicy anago filling.
There were also free roaming deer at Miyajima. And they too share sacred status.
We lunched at Sakura Maru (桜まる) which serves up Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki (aka: Hiroshima-yaki/Hiroshima-okonomi). Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is a layered okonomiyaki (not mixed) and ingredients include batter, pork, noodles, lots of cabbage (3-4 times vs Osaka-style), fried egg, and other optional ingredients like seafood, cheese, ham, etc. I added oyster and cheese, Hubby added scallop and ham.
Of course, we also visited Hiroshima itself, and paid our respects at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (広島平和記念公園). Hiroshima is best known as the first city where the US Armed Air Forces dropped the first nuclear bomb in mankind's history.
In terms of warfare, Hiroshima has always been rather prominent in Japanese military history. Historically, Hiroshima was established in 1589 by warlord Mori Terumoto, who lost in the Battle of Sekigahara against Tokugawa Ieyasu. During the First Sino-Japanese War, the Sanyo Railway was extended through Hiroshima for the purposes of military transportation. For the same reasons, the Japanese government was temporarily relocated to Hiroshima and in 1894-1895 Emperor Meiji had his headquarters in Hiroshima Castle. In the late 19th century, due to the need for military supplies, industrialisation in Hiroshima was stimulated by the 1904 Russo-Japanese War. In WWI, Hiroshima was the focus of military activity (the Japanese were part of the Allied powers then). In WWII, Hiroshima held strategic place as a main depot for military supplies, a key shipping port in southern Honshu, and the headquarters for the Japanese Second General Army.
And of course, the rest everyone knows: at 8:15 a.m. on Monday, 6 August 1945, the world's first nuclear bomb "Little Boy" was dropped on the city, directly killing an estimated 80,000 people, and indirectly killing 90,000 to 166,000 people through injury and radiation within a year. For the many years following that day in 1945, survivors of the city suffered from the after-effects of the nuclear bomb. In the years following the bombing of Hiroshima, there was an increase in leukemia, especially in children, and in the 1950s, it became clear that the leukemia was caused by exposure to radiation from the nuclear bomb.
In 1949, the design for the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park was selected, and the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall was designated the Atomic Bomb Dome (A-Bomb Dome). Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, the Peace Park is dedicated to the legacy and memory of those who suffered from the effects of the atomic bomb, to also to remind the world of the horrors of nuclear warfare and to advocate peace. The centre of the Peace Park is an open square with a cenotaph, covered by a saddle-shaped arch, housing the names of the victims of "Little Boy". The epitaph reads 『安らかに眠って下さい 過ちは繰返しませぬから』 ("Yasuraka ni nemutte kudasai[,] ayamachi wa kurikaeshimasenukara"; "Please rest in peace, for [we] shall not repeat the error.")
The saddle-shaped arch symbolises shelter for the souls of the victims and the cenotaph was designed such that from the front, it was aligned with the Peace Flame and the A-Bomb Dome (which can be seen through the arch), a further direct and poignant reminder.
Within the Peace Park, the best known war memorial monuments are probably the A-Bomb Dome and the Children's Peace Monument. The Peace Park's primary landmark is the A-Bomb Dome (Genbaku Domu, 原爆ドーム). Prior to the bombing, it was the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, used for arts and educational exhibitions, and was located within a large business district. After the bombing, it was the only structure near ground zero left standing.
The Children's Peace Monument (原爆の子の像) was built to commemorate Sasaki Sadako and the children who were victims of "Little Boy". Sadako was a Japanese girl who died from raditation-induced leukemia at the age of 12. When the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, she was two years old and at her home some 1.6km away from ground zero. In November 1954, she developed swelling on her neck and ears, and in January 1955 she had purple spots on her legs. She was later diagnosed with leukemia, with only a year to live, and hospitalised in February 1955. While she was in hospital, her best friend folded her a gold origami paper crane, based on the ancient Japanese story that the person who completed folding 1,000 paper cranes would be granted a wish. According to Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (サダコと千羽鶴), Sadako failed to complete folding 1,000 paper cranes before her death, and her family and friends completed the task and buried the paper cranes with her. Today, people leave strings of folded paper cranes at the memorial and near her statue.
As we were leaving for the streetcar to return to Hiroshima Station, we walked past the A-Bomb Dome again, this time in the fading light. The scene that caught my eye (above) both fascinated and creeped me out...the bare tree branches and eerie silence of the park seemed to emphasise the destroyed, dilapidated state of the building. It looked like a place housing ghosts from the past, but I wasn't planning on staying to find out if there were ghosts from the past.... I prefer to remember Hiroshima not only as a symbol of the horrors of nuclear warfare, but also of humanity's perseverance and the resilience - when I look around Hiroshima City and consider how Hiroshima has rebuilt itself.
Shion in Japan (Dec 2013~Jan 2014)
- I. Kyoto, Uji & Nara
- II. Enryakuji, Hiroshima & Miyajima
- III. Kyoto & Tokyo
- IV. Mt Fuji & Kamakura
- V. Tokyo & Enoshima
 |
| Shion at UNESCO World Heritage listed Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima |
Day 3: Enryakuji, Mt Hiei (延暦寺、比叡山)
Penciled in Enryakuji (延暦寺) on Mt Hiei in the Otsu for the whole of one day, considering it's relatively inaccessible and off the beaten track. It was rather difficult to look for the Sakamoto Cable Car Station that would take us up to Enryakuji. Not to forget, it was a wet, foggy and cold day... When we finally found our way to the station, I sat near the stove trying to warm up!
Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, Enryakuji (延暦寺) is one of the most significant Buddhist monasteries in Japanese history. Founded in 788 by Saicho, a revered Buddhist monk who brought Tendai Buddhism to Japan, Enryakuji is best remembered for its army of warrior monks (sohei) which opposed the ambitions of daimyo Oda Nobunaga (織田 信長). (Fans of A Chef of Nobunaga (信長のシェフ), this is in chapters 59-61.) Due to its destruction by Oda Nobunaga in 1571, the present buildings date back to the Edo period when the monastery was rebuilt. On a side note, there's a dedicated in-house fire station at Enryakuji, which is not surprising considering its location.
It was really not the best day to visit Enryakuji. We hardly saw anything. I could hardly see the Todo which was shrouded in fog. The Konpon Chudo was also shrouded in fog on the outside, but inside, it was peaceful and quiet except for the pitter-patter of rain. Still, I could feel the cold and the damp seeping in through the wooden walls. Photography of the interior is not allowed, so I didn't take any. And anyway, it is a place for quiet meditation and reverence, and allowing photography would have been disruptive.
Around the monastery, there were vestiges left over of a snowy morning. Driven partly by the fog and partly by the cold, we decided not to explore the rest of the complex and to return to Kyoto. I think if I have the chance, I would visit again. On a clearer day of course.
(2016 trivia update: In 2015, in an episode of the television-documentary Nobu's Japan, Chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa of restaurant Nobu, and Chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry, visit Enryaku-ji. There they sought inspiration from the surroundings of Enryakuji. They partook of the Buddhist vegetarian (shojin ryori) lunch at Enryakuji Kaikan too seek inspiration from its basic tenets.)
Along the way back, we passed the outskirts of the Hiyoshi Taisha, another shrine at the foot of Mt Hiei. I spotted a cluster of worn stone statues of some deity, though they look well looked after with their brightly coloured aprons for the winter. In Japan, it's common to dress statues of deities with aprons in the winter, and to place an offering bowl in front of them.
We arrived back in Kyoto and decided to have an early dinner at Nishiki Market. At hubby's insistence, we had nigiri-zushi at some random sushi restaurant in Nishiki. There were few people dining in, but I noted a stream of people doing take-away sushi. Perhaps it was the weather, which was cold and wet... I would like to do a takeaway and eat it under a kotatsu!
Day 4: Hiroshima and Miyajima Itsukushima (広島と宮島 厳島)
A very early morning shinkansen ride from Kyoto to Hiroshima and when we arrived in Hiroshima, we took the streetcar (tram), which is the best way to get around the city area.
Our main purpose of coming to Hiroshima was to visit
The shrine was established around the time of Empress Suiko (推古天皇), who was the 33rd monarch of Japan and the first empress regnant in Japanese history (she reigned from 593 to 628). The shrine was given its present-day design by Taira no Kiyomori (平 清盛) in 1168.
 |
| Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima |
Destroyed many times, the Itsukushima Shrine has been rebuilt and the present structure dates to the mid-16th century. Built on pier-like structures, the shrine was designed to appear to be floating on water at high tide. (We arrived just a little past high tide.) The real rationale for this design, however, was (traditionally) to allow pilgrims to approach the shrine without making physical contact with the grounds of the island, as the entire island was considered sacred.
The famed floating torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine is 16m high and built of decay-resistant camphor wood. The original gate was built in 1168, but the current one dates to 1875.
 |
| Floating torii of Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima |
The view of the gate in front of Mt Misen is one of the Three Views of Japan (日本三景).
There was a shopping street around the shrine complex, lined with retail shops, food stalls and food shops. Hubby bought a steamed conger eel bun (穴子まん) at one of the food stalls - it was fluffy and hot with juicy anago filling.
There were also free roaming deer at Miyajima. And they too share sacred status.
We lunched at Sakura Maru (桜まる) which serves up Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki (aka: Hiroshima-yaki/Hiroshima-okonomi). Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is a layered okonomiyaki (not mixed) and ingredients include batter, pork, noodles, lots of cabbage (3-4 times vs Osaka-style), fried egg, and other optional ingredients like seafood, cheese, ham, etc. I added oyster and cheese, Hubby added scallop and ham.
 |
| Hiroshima |
In terms of warfare, Hiroshima has always been rather prominent in Japanese military history. Historically, Hiroshima was established in 1589 by warlord Mori Terumoto, who lost in the Battle of Sekigahara against Tokugawa Ieyasu. During the First Sino-Japanese War, the Sanyo Railway was extended through Hiroshima for the purposes of military transportation. For the same reasons, the Japanese government was temporarily relocated to Hiroshima and in 1894-1895 Emperor Meiji had his headquarters in Hiroshima Castle. In the late 19th century, due to the need for military supplies, industrialisation in Hiroshima was stimulated by the 1904 Russo-Japanese War. In WWI, Hiroshima was the focus of military activity (the Japanese were part of the Allied powers then). In WWII, Hiroshima held strategic place as a main depot for military supplies, a key shipping port in southern Honshu, and the headquarters for the Japanese Second General Army.
 |
| Memorial Cenotaph, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. |
In 1949, the design for the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park was selected, and the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall was designated the Atomic Bomb Dome (A-Bomb Dome). Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, the Peace Park is dedicated to the legacy and memory of those who suffered from the effects of the atomic bomb, to also to remind the world of the horrors of nuclear warfare and to advocate peace. The centre of the Peace Park is an open square with a cenotaph, covered by a saddle-shaped arch, housing the names of the victims of "Little Boy". The epitaph reads 『安らかに眠って下さい 過ちは繰返しませぬから』 ("Yasuraka ni nemutte kudasai[,] ayamachi wa kurikaeshimasenukara"; "Please rest in peace, for [we] shall not repeat the error.")
The saddle-shaped arch symbolises shelter for the souls of the victims and the cenotaph was designed such that from the front, it was aligned with the Peace Flame and the A-Bomb Dome (which can be seen through the arch), a further direct and poignant reminder.
Within the Peace Park, the best known war memorial monuments are probably the A-Bomb Dome and the Children's Peace Monument. The Peace Park's primary landmark is the A-Bomb Dome (Genbaku Domu, 原爆ドーム). Prior to the bombing, it was the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, used for arts and educational exhibitions, and was located within a large business district. After the bombing, it was the only structure near ground zero left standing.
 |
| The A-Bomb Dome in the fading light. |
As we were leaving for the streetcar to return to Hiroshima Station, we walked past the A-Bomb Dome again, this time in the fading light. The scene that caught my eye (above) both fascinated and creeped me out...the bare tree branches and eerie silence of the park seemed to emphasise the destroyed, dilapidated state of the building. It looked like a place housing ghosts from the past, but I wasn't planning on staying to find out if there were ghosts from the past.... I prefer to remember Hiroshima not only as a symbol of the horrors of nuclear warfare, but also of humanity's perseverance and the resilience - when I look around Hiroshima City and consider how Hiroshima has rebuilt itself.
Shion in Japan (Dec 2013~Jan 2014)
- I. Kyoto, Uji & Nara
- II. Enryakuji, Hiroshima & Miyajima
- III. Kyoto & Tokyo
- IV. Mt Fuji & Kamakura
- V. Tokyo & Enoshima
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