Momen Kaido Cotton Road

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Hirata-cho　出雲市平田の町
and the Cotton Road (momen kaidoo 木綿街道)





quote
Hirata-cho, Izumo City,
is located in the eastern part of Shimane-Prefecture.
Lake Shinji is nearby and many waterways cover the area, including the Funagawa (“Funa River”) which runs from the west to the east. With its convenient transportation by boat as a means of distribution, the area became known as a market town, with goods from traditional merchant houses being transported in and out of the area.

In the old days, especially from the end of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji period, the quality of “Hirata Cotton” was highly valued in Osaka and Kyoto, thus creating trade with those and other distant towns.

After that, ships often visited the area around “Funagawa”, which served as a trading center, and the area prospered as a busy market town. The many merchant houses along the main road supported and increased the prosperity of the town.
Adjacent areas, including Shin-machi, Katahara-machi, and Miyano-machi, became known as the Momen Kaido, or “Cotton Road”, because the area was used as a channel for cotton distribution.



Unique appearances of buildings in Hirata include the two-storied “Tsuma-zukuri” town structures with rows of black-tiled roofs (Kuro-gawara), walls covered with square tiles jointed with raised plaster (Namako-kabe), and latticed windows (Kohshi-mado).

Momen Kaido, now a mix of old town buildings and modern-day life, has become a culturally valuable place where people enjoy the feeling of the quiet and graceful nature of days past. Momen Kaido is also much appreciated by the local inhabitants, who have organized and held various events in the area, including flea markets, arts and crafts exhibits, rice-cake making demonstrations (Mochi-tsuki), and concerts in an old wine cellar.

source : momen-kaidou.jp


うまいもん delicious food from the area


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おちらと木綿街道



Momen Kaido Matsuri 木綿街道祭り
Cotton Road Festival
Ocotber 25, 2009

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momen kaido shooyu 木綿街道醤油
soy sauce from the cotton road




. Cotton (wata　綿) . KIGO 　



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Izumo Kaido, The Old Road of Izumo 出雲街道


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Yasugi (Izumo Kaido)

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Yasugi 　安来宿

MAP of the area

A big earthquake of magnitude 7.3, of which the center was in the western part of Tottori Prefecture broke out at around 13:30, October 6, 2001.
Yasugi City is located in the east end of Shimane Prefecture, close to the western end of Tottori Prefecture. In Yasugi City, though the scale of the earthquake was great, the damage was comparatively small and fortunately no inhabitant died, however, quite number of buildings and structures were damaged.
©　sciencelinks.jp


- quote -
The city also boasts the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, said to have been constructed about 1400 years ago. It is famous for its beautiful pagoda, and you can enjoy some traditional vegetarian cuisine (Shojin Ryori) within the temple grounds.
source : kankou-shimane.com



Kiyomizu Temple in Yasugi 安来清水寺
- reference : travel.rakuten.co.jp/HOTEL -

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Yasugi is also famous for its local song collection,
Yasugibushi 安来節 Yasugi Bushi
and the comical dance of the scooping loaches - Dojosukui.



The present day master, Watanabe Oito 渡部お糸, is in the fourth generation, performing in the special Yasugi Hall in the Adachi Museum and teaching many students, even abroad.

Kaigarabushi 貝殻節 song of the shellfish gatherers　
is another famous song from Yasugi.

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Yasuki-bushi - Yasugibushi 安来節 （やすぎぶし）
'Yasugibushi' or 'Yasukibushi' is a well-known folk song in Yasugi region, Shimane Prefecture.
The history of Yasugibushi is unexpectedly short, which was completed by Ms. Watanabe Oito and her father based on a traditional folk song in Izumo district, a part of present Shimane Prefecture. In imitation of a comical gesture to catch loaches with a bamboo basket, the so-called 'dojo-sukui' loach-scooping dance accompanied by Yasukibushi song was enjoying a boom in Tokyo after Osaka early in the 20th century.

This unique dance was performed at many small theaters in Asakusa, Tokyo, which is very helpful to be known throughout the country. Most Japanese know Yasukibushi even though they don't know the place name Yasugi in Shimane Prefecture. The dojo-sukui dancer with a bamboo creel on his side and bamboo basket in his hands, as shown in the picture, is funny enough to be prevailing in the country as a banquet entertainment performed by an amateur.
- source : Masahisa Takaki. -

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Yasugibushi dolls　安来節人形


source :　u1cku/gangu5



- source : ebay 2016 -



CLICK for more Yasugibushi dolls !

. Shimane Folk Art - 島根県 .


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Yonago

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Yonago　米子
Yonago was originally a fishing village called Kano.

MAP of Yonago area



Yonago (米子市, Yonago-shi) is a city located in the northwest of Tottori, Japan, facing the Sea of Japan, and adjacent to Shimane. It is the prefecture's second largest city after Tottori and therefore a commercial center of the western part of this prefecture.

The current city was administratively founded on April 1, 1927, and merged with Yodoe Town in 2005. It has an art gallery.

The name "Yonago" means "Rice Child", though since the city has begun to develop into a trade center of note, it has acquired the nickname Osaka in San-in.

The Amago family, the daimyo in the Sengoku period, constructed a castle in the area. In the Edo period, the castle was kept by a castellan who served the Ikeda of Tottori.

Yonago has always been an important crossing point of several routes in the area.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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coming from Mizuguchi, take route 181

Kugo Shrine, Kugo Jinja 久古神社
Japanese LINK

Maruyama Shrine, Maruyama Jinja 丸山神社


near Kishimoto

Temple Oodera haiji 大寺廃寺

Temple Sakanaka haiji 坂中は廃寺



Odaka Castle Remains


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Yonago Castle Remains 米子城（よなごじょう）

Situated on Mount Ii (飯山（いいのやま)


The Amako (尼子 ( あまこ ）Amago) were descended from Takahisa, a grandson of Rokkaku Takauji. Takahisa is said to have taken the name 'Amako' since he had been raised by a nun (ama (nun), ko (son). He took Tomita Castle in Izumo Province for the Kyôgoku shugo and his descendants were powerful in Izumo from the 14th Century until the mid-16th Century. From their headquarters at Gassan-Toda Castle, the Amako challenged, with mixed results, the Ôuchi and, later, the Môri. They were destroyed as daimyô by Môri Motonari in 1566 and disappeared as a military force with the suicide of Amako Katsuhisa in 1578.

Amako Tsunehisa, Lord of Izumo
1458-1541
Iyo no kami, Mimbu-shôsuke

Tsunehisa was the eldest son of Amako Kiyosada 尼子清定 (d.1487).
©　www.samurai-archives.com


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From there, the Road to Daisen, Daisen Michi
大山道 （だいせんみち）started.

MOUNT DAISEN in Tottori
An Overview of my visits


There have been five old roads leading toward Mt. Daisen and its famous temple from the Yonago area, the one from the city itself started from Odaka, now it is route 24.

Booryoo Michi 坊領（ぼうりょう）道」
Odaka Michi 「尾高（おだか）道」
Mizoguchi Michi 「溝口（みぞぐち）道」
Yokote Michi 「横手（よこて）道」
Kawatoko Michi 「川床（かわとこ）道」

The temple at Mt. Daisen was also famous as a protector deity for the cows and horses, important animals of their time.

Japanese Reference

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From Yonago to Sakai ... Sakai Orai
(Sakai oorai 境往来)

With beautiful storehouses and merchants' residences reflected on the river surface, and with Mt. Daisen on the background, the road extends to the sea...

The road connects the city of Yonago, called "Commercial Capital" of San-in, to Sakai-Minato. Yonago is a castle town of Hoki Province with 180,000-koku that was constructed in the early Edo Period with the construction of the Yonago Castle. It prospered in the mid Edo Period through Taisho Era by maritime transportation business.

In the downtown area around the former Kamogawa river that once prospered as a transportation passage, there are still storehouses of white plastered walls and residences of distinguished merchants remaining. And along Teramachi (temple town) street are nine temples that were gathered for the strongholds of the Yonago Castle, giving the clear atmosphere of a castle town.

Pleasure boats for Kamogawa river and Nakaumi lake cruise depart from the front of white-walled storehouses.
©　Yume-Kaido Renaissance Project Team

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My walk through
The Temple Town of Yonago, Teramachi 寺町

Okamoto Store in the Temple Town


. . . DRAGONS of Yonago Temple Town


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Yonago ...　 Photo Album


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Izumo Kaido, The Old Road of Izumo 出雲街道



My HAIKU TRIPS to .. YONAGO


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Yonago Temple Town

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The Temple Town of Yonago, Teramachi 寺町



This is a small village in itself, with more then 10 temples, most of them aligned on the one main road. The temples hold the graves of the townspeople since the Edo period and older.





During the strong earthquake in 2001 a lot of damage was done to the buildings and compounds, so now they all look rather new and well cleaned up.

New Temple Gate



Many new stone lanterns of the same type are in the temple gardens.




Words to live by ...








Temple gate with carvings


Dragon Carving in the Gables


New orange roof tiles and stone lanterns


Graves of the unknown, Mu-en Botoke


Temple hall for Myoken Bosatsu


Striped walls of the Temple Gates
a closer look !



My Story about
Grandmother Okamoto
Toy Store in the Temple Town









peace for the world !
just some flowers
by the temple gate


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Namu Jizo Daibosatsu 南無地蔵大菩薩

In every temple was a group like this one or at least one or more stone steles with this inscription, an invocation of Jizo, who cares for the afterlife of children. Here they are in respect for the earthquake victims of 2001.




In front of a bell tower




They are all here :
Namu Jizo Daibosatsu



Here is more about this deity:
... ... ... Jizo Bosatsu　地蔵菩薩


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Start the PHOTO walk from HERE
. . . . . Yonago Temple Town ALBUM



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Jizo Daibosatsu

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Namu Jizo Daibosatsu 南無地蔵大菩薩

in Yonago Temple Town

In every temple was a group like this one or at least one or more stone steles with this inscription, an invocation of Jizo, who cares for the afterlife of children.
Here they are in respect for the earthquake victims of 2001.


オン カカカ ビサンマエイ ソワカ
on kakaka bisanmaei sowaka

on - offering a prayer
ka - holy sylable for Jizo, repeated three times
bisanmaei - a very rare and special thing
sowaka - may all things be at peace !



























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Lantern for Jizo Daibosatsu

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Yonago Temple Town

Jizoo Bosatsu (Kshitigarbha) 地蔵菩薩


Read my Haiku Archives

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Okamoto Toy Store

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Okamoto Sweets and Toy Store

岡本一銭屋 "One Cent Store"




The present owner, a friendly old lady, lost her home in Kobe during the great earthquake of 1995, only to come here and experience the earthquake of 2001!

Her house is an old wooden structure in the stle of a Kyoto merchant home (Kyoto Machiya), with an open three-story part in the middle to give sunlight to the inner parts of the house.
The walls were all newly painted, since during the earthquake all the white stuck had fallen down and almost killed her daughter under the rubble.


She was sitting in her store-cum-living-room, talking to some students of the nearby Yonago University. The front store sells cheap sweets, dagashi (see LINK below), but it seems she only runs the store for the fun of having the students come in and talk to them. Others came in while we were there and she seemed to be like a good mother or rather grandmother to them all.

She is also often visited by the small children of the neighbourhood after school, where she is lovingly known as "Grandma", and tries to teach the little ones good manners, which is rather seldom these days.


She took a fancy to me and showed my the whole house.

Her husband was quite fond of antiques, so the walls are covered with this and that and we keep talking ...

Here is the shop sign of the store outside, quite remarkable in size


Click for enlargement

It reads

Ichi Zeni Ya 一銭屋


She talked more about the antiques collecting hobby of her husband.
More than 40 years ago, a shrine nearby burned down, because a huge tree was struck by lightning, split into many parts and started a fire ...

To pay for the rebuilding, the priest thought of selling parts of the "holy tree" for fundraising. So her husband bought a large chunk of it, which now sits there as a partition to the back part of the home. Her husband gave a small fortune to get this piece ... but she was really angry at that time, because she had to care for two small children and the purse of the family was rather tight in these days.

Now this special piece sits there as a fond rememberance of her husband, who passed away a few years ago, and she laughs when she tells the story of her anger!




This is a different one (tsuitate 衝立) but you get the impression of her treasure.




sourrounded by the past
she laughts with the children ...
Grandma Okamoto



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Start the PHOTO walk from HERE
. . . . . Yonago Temple Town



More about the cheap sweets, dagashi
AME, DAGASHI Sweets and Daruma


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. Town House Architecture .



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Temple Walls

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Temple Gates with striped walls

Yonago Temple Town, with 9 temples side by side.

Most walls had been destroyed during the earthquake in 2001.
Many walls have wooden boards now, some seem sujibei 筋塀.
I just line up the photos I got from my visit in May 2008.








































Plain white wall






Discussion about 5-banded walls
PMJS: Premodern Japanese Studies


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. . . . . Yonago Temple Town ALBUM


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YONAGO TEMPEL TOWN

Yonago and the Road to Izumo


. Mon 門　(kado) ... Gates and Haiku


. Fences and hedges as KIGO 　



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Mizokuchi

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Mizoguchi (Mizokuchi) 　溝口

鳥取県伯耆町(西伯郡) 溝口


MAP of Mizoguchi area



Mt. Daisen seen from Mizoguchi



Mizoguchi lies west of Mt. Daisen and is one of its entrance stations.
Mizokuchi has a great station and bus terminal, but few trains stop here ... and many houses along the main street are empty now in 2008.


When you cross the river Hinogawa, there is the "Bridge guarded by a demon" Kimori bashi 鬼守橋.
Mizoguchi is a town with one of the oldest "oni" demon legends in Japan and many things in this village are decorated with a demon.
There is even a museum of demons, 鬼ミュージアム, Onikko rando 鬼っ子ランド, but it closed down due to not enough visitors to bring in money for the upkeep !





Demon at the station wall




manhole with Demon




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The main resthouse of the Matsue Clan is close to the station, it used to be called 御茶屋.
Its warden used to be the Shinohara Family 篠原以左衛門邸 .

Some of the old houses along the old kaido still show the former features of white walls.




Dragon Branches in the Garden




House of a merchant


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in the shade of old trees ...
Jizo waiting for
a travel companion




Jizo with a pilgrim's hat and staff

More PHOTOS of this small place in the village

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Mizokuchi Shrine 　溝口神社

Start the Shrine photos from HERE !


The Sacred Rope, Shimenawa





Main Shrine Building





Stone lantern with special roof structure




Gables with Dragon carving


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hold it right there ...
a demon watching over
an empty town


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Next on the road toward Izumo are the villages of
Kuzumo 車尾 and Tenman 天万

During the Edo period and earlier, the river Hino often was flooded and travellers could not cross it for about three days until the waters lowered for crossing.


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Neu, Ne-U (Izumo Kaido)

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Postal Town Ne-U (Neu 根雨（ねう）
Now Part of Hino Town 日野町根雨






Stone Buddhas at the village entrance




Many travellers of old, who made it over the steep pass between Shinjo and Itaibara down to here died of exhaustion and were laied to rest here as "Unknown Travellers". Villagers would tend to the graves and memorial stones.


Memorial Stone for Animals





Memorial Stone of the Nichiren Sect






This town was famous for its iron processing, the most famous of the old homes belongs to the Kondo Family 近藤家.



The first Kondo, a certain Denbei, to settle here in Ne-U during the Edo period came from Bingo (now Hiroshima prefecture) to deal in iron. The shop curtain in front of the store even now reads "Bingo 備後".
In the fourth generation, a certain Kichibei started the iron manufacturing business, which expanded rapidly and even now has many factories in Hino Town.


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Neu, Hino town　根雨、日野

Damaged roofs were covered with plastic sheets to prevent leaks in the case of rainfall. The traffic on the Japan Railway Hakubi line was suspended due to rock falls and slope failures.

©　THE 2000 TOTTORI-KEN SEIBU EARTHQUAKE

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Ne-U Photo Album


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KAMOCHI

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Mount Daisen 大山


on the road to Ebi　江尾, an unexpected view of
Mount Daisen





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