Matsushima and Basho---Tohoku region

Matsushima is located near Sendai in the Tohoku region. The main tourist attractions are historic temples and particularly the bay dotted with more than 260 islands which have various shapes.

I took a sightseeing boat. The islands looked as if they were natural sculptures.

 

In the Edo period, Matsushima was more popular as a scenic spot than these days. The famous "haiku" poet, Matsuo Basho loved this place, too.

He wrote in the beginning of his travelogue about the Tohoku region that he was looking forward to seeing Matsushima.

However actually he didn't make any "haiku" in Matsushima though he made lots of noted "haiku" poems at every scenic or historic place during this travel. Why?

There are two guesses. One is that the scenery in Matsushima was too moving for him to make "haiku". It is the major opinion.

The other is that he was a "ninja" or spy of the Tokugawa shogunate and he had a mission to investigate the feudal lord domains.

It is said that Sendai where Matsushima is located was the main place to investigate and Basho didn't have time to make "haiku".

Since he was born in Iga, one of the ninjas' hometowns and he walked so fast, the theory that Basho was a ninja has been supported. I am interested in such minor stories which are behind the main history.

 

 

彫刻美で彩られた紀州東照宮---和歌山

前回の番所庭園から、バスで和歌山駅に戻る途中、立ち寄ったのが「紀州東照宮」です。風光明媚な和歌浦湾を望む高台にあります。

「権現前」でバスを降りると紀州東照宮がすぐ目の前。しかしバス停からは、同じく山の中腹にある和歌浦天満宮の方が目に入りやすく、ちょっとまごついてしまいました。

鬱蒼とした木立の中、青石を敷き詰めた参道を進むと、その先には、急勾配の石段が待っています。石段は１０８段。人間の煩悩の数を表すというこの数字は、仏教の教義に由来するもの。昔の神仏合祀の名残です。

「和歌浦には名所がござる、一に権現・・・」と歌われたという紀州東照宮は、元和７年（１６２１）、紀州初代藩主・徳川頼宣の創建。桃山時代の遺風を受けた江戸初期の代表的な建造物ということ。

「権現造り」の社殿は、有料（５００円）ですが、巫女さんの案内で、左甚五郎の彫刻や、狩野探幽の襖絵など、外部に施された見事な装飾を、間近で眺めることができます。

（上：　青石貼りの参道が社殿前まで続いている）

建物の四面すべてが、極彩色の装飾で飾られ、龍、鶴亀、鷹、雉、緋鯉真鯉の他、牙の長い象や翼のある天女など、異国的なモチーフもあり、興味津々。

一枚のケヤキ材の表と裏で違う図柄を彫った精巧な作品は圧巻。彩色修理が継続的に行われているため、創建当時の姿が維持されているそうで、実に色鮮やか。「関西の日光」の名が頷けます。

しかし社殿内は、撮影禁止。この様子をお伝えすることができないのが残念です。

 

（上：極彩色に彩られた楼門から、前方を眺めれば、緑のトンネルの向こうに、和歌浦湾が光り輝いて見えました）

※アクセス：　ＪＲ和歌山駅からバス新和歌浦行きで２０分（または雑賀崎循環線）「権現前」下車すぐ

境内は拝観自由

 

Garden in the Momoyama Period---Wakayama

This is the garden of Kokawa-dera temple in Wakayama Prefecture built in the Momoyama period.

Wakayama in the Kansai district boasts the production of "Aoishi", or bluish stones. These stones were used as construction materials to build gardens, stone walls or paving. (It is restricted now to quarry out the stones to preserve them, though.)

(Above: Paving and Walls in Wakayama Castle)

 (Above: Wall in Kimiidera temple)

Those stones were used for the garden of Kokawa-dera, too. This garden is famous for its dynamic formation with huge stones.

It was built in the Momoyama Period at the end of the 16th century. This period that is situated between the Age of Civil Wars and the Edo Period lasted only about 20 years. However, it is an epoch-making age in the cultural history of Japan.

People regained energy and vitality after the wars. And the Western European culture was introduced directly to Japan for the firt time by missionaries of Christianity in this age.

So, art works including gardens reflected the trend of the times and became powerful, dynamic, decorative and gorgeous in contrast to the feeling of quiescence generally seen in Japanese art works.

Every time I see gardens in this period, I say, "Wow!"

※Kokawadera HP (in Japanese only): www.kokawadera.org