Nice to meet you! Let me introduce myself. My name is Akiko Nishikawa. I was born in Marugame City,Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, on May 31, 1983.
I am a first year student at Kagawa Junior College. My major is Infant Education.
My hobbies are speaking English, listening to music, playing basketball, watching art work, playing piano, and gardening. Yes, I have many hobbies! And, now, I want to study Spanish. Because I have a Spanish friend. I like her very much! So I want to go there again someday! Do you have a friend abroad?
My home page address is:
http://www.geocities.co.jp/CollegeLife-Labo/4001/2004/503036.html
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Visiting or living in Shikoku is something special, for
this island is always been the spiritual sanctuary of the Japanese
people. No other place in Japan has been visited by so many generations
of peoplefrom all over the country.
They have often spent more than 60 days wallking along the whole circuit of the eighty-eight temples that compose the longest , oldest most popular pilgrimage in Japan.
Even those who have arrived here in weariness of life, in unhappiness or weak health, have usually left the island with a lighter heart, moreenlightened ,and in many cases in improved health.
Though today the island is quiet accessible and travering around it can be very easy, some of the eighty-eight temples still remain very hard to reach.
This pilgrimage circling the island is nationally known as O-Shikoku-san, showing that "Dearold Shikoku Pligrimage" is synonymous with this island and provides sanctuary to the soul of Japan. The scenes along the Shikoku Pligrimage correspond well to that Shikoku offers - the Seto Inland Sea, The Uwa-kai Sea, the Pacific ocean, the green mountains that crown a large part of the island , cosy little towns and middle-sized cities that fringe the coasts.
Its climate is mild;the seas are bountiful;the land is fertile.Naturally local people have been content with their blessed island, even if it has remaind underdeveloped since 8th century .Until then the northern coast of Shikoku was among the first areas to enjoy civilization in Japan, as proved by so many archaeological findings.
Remote as it was for many centuries , however, Shikoku did not stand aloof but observed movements on the Inland Sea as an artery of Japan's cultural, political and economic development . On the other hand, Shikoku 's attractions such as the Shikoku Pilgrimage ,Kompira worship and the Dogo Onsen Hot Spring spa have always drawn a large number of people from the capitals and other parts of the main island of Honshu and neighboring Kyushu.
Naturally those visitors brought something new with them each time , just as refugees and exiles from the capitals added color to the island's history.They were welcomed and sometimes the culture they brought here was carefully preserved or developed even long after been forgotten in its homeland-language,festivals,arts and techniques . These cultural assets now peculiar to Shikoku have added anotherdimension rewarding travelers to this island .
A new type of attraction in Shikoku is the fruit of modern technology that the waves of development have finally brought here in the 1980's and 90's-the clossal bridges connecying Shikoku with the main island, pleasure resorts theme parks , museums ,skyline drives and relatively inexpensive golf courses.So the charmof Shikoku
Takamatsu is the capital of Kagawa Prefecture, which has traditionally been called the gateway to Shikoku, with the whole land of the prefecture jutting out into the Seto like a porch.
JR Takamatsu Station next to Takamatsu Harbor is the terminal of the Kotoku Line for Tokushima Pref, the Yosan Line for Ehime Pref , and the Dosan Line for Kochi Pref, while serving as the bus terminal to Tokushima, Matsuyama and Kochi City. Takamatsu Chikko just opposite JR Station is the terminal of Kotoden trams to and from Kotohira, the seat of 'Kompira-san'.
The New Takamatsu Airport handles non-stop flights to and from Seoul,Korea.
Another place in Takamatsu appropriate as a gateway to Sikoku is the Takamatsu Heike Monogatari Histrical Musium that features not only the famous historical literature called Heike Monogatari but also about 50 great historical figures closely associated with Shikoku or native to Shikoku.
Takamatsu became the capital in 1587 with the advent of Lord Ikoma I as governor of Sanuki Province. The castle he built on the harbor was succeeded by 4 generations of his descendants, and then by 11 generations of Matsudaira lords, governing Takamatsu Province with a fief of 120,000koku.
One ninth of the former castle ground is preserved as Tamamo Koen Park across the street from JR Takamatsu Station. The donjon is gone, but two of the 15 turrets and Mizute Gomon Gate from the 17th centry (Important Cultural Properties) survived the air raid in 1945. Admission:100yen
Traditionally the popular sightseeing spots in Takamatsu are Ritsurin Koen Park near downtown and Yashima Prateau overlooking the city and the Inland Sea.They are accessible by bus or tram, with terminals at Takamatsu Chikko just opposite JR Station.
30 minutes' walk from JR Takamatsu Station
The busy street in front of JR Takamatsu is the main street of downtown Takamatsu, and leads to the main gate to Ritsurin Koen Park, a National Special Scenic Spot. This specious garden laid out with shapely mounds, cool ponds and about 160 varieties of trees and flowers provides a classic example of a Japanese garden or even a Chinese Taoist paradise fit for meditation.
Open daily. Admission to the Park: about 300 yen.Originally it belonged to a local warlord, and then to Lord Ikoma.When it was transferred to the Mainside the gate.
tsudaras, they spent five generations developing it into a larger stroll-type garden for their villa. Seasonal charms of flowers and blossoms such as ume (Japanese plum blossoms) in February, camellias in March cherry blossoms in April wisteria and azaleas in May, Irises and water lilies in June, giant lotuses in August, and Japanese bush clover in September, and brilliant maple leaves in November add to the pleasure of strolling.
Kikugetsu-tei, one of the pond-side teahouses was originally one of the Matsudairas' formal buildings. The Museum just inside the main gate houses a variety of mostly localhandicrafts.There is a zoo, too,
Bus: 30minutes' ride from Chikko to the terminal (Kotoden Bus Yashima-sanjo or Yashima Hilltop)
Tram+Cable: 30minutes' tram ride from Chikko to Yashima (Shido-sen Line)+5 minutes' cable-car ride.
Yashima, a pine-wooded tableland to the northeast of downtown Takamatsu, is one of the world's rare lava mesas, about 290 m high, 3km wide,jutting 5km out into the sea.
The hilltop,overlooking the archipelago of the Inland Sea,features Yashima-ji,an aquarium and observatories,Dnkorei, commands a view of the inlet fringed with memorials to the Genpei Yashima Battle (the second last battle in Genpei War fought between the two rival clans, the Minamotos and the Tairas).
Once a British poet, Edmund Blunden, visited Yashima and wrote a poem that was engraved on a stone here at Dankorei observatory:
Like a long roof, men say, and will they say,This hill of warrior ghosts sIurmounts the plain...
In 794 Kyoto became the capital of Japan and it enjoyed peace for about 350 years (811-1155) - the longest peace Japan has ever attained in her history.
The last 30 years of this period, however, were far from peaceful. In 1156 the first battle took place in the capital, thus opening up a new era dominated by martial emotions. Two martial clans - the Minamoto and Taira clans - began to acquire greater and greater influence in politics through fighting against each other in the name of "the Emperor" or "the Ex-Emperor".
In 1159,the Tairas succeeded temporarily in staving off the Minamotos .The 20 years that followed saw the Tairas rise to increasingly control the Imperial Family , inviting animosity from the reigning Emperors the Ex-Emperors, powerful priests, warrios and lords , to say nothing of the Minamotos in exile.
In 1181 the patriarch of the clan Taira no Kiyomori died just when the Tairas faced more battles against the Minamotos, who were gradually consolidating ther power.
In 1183 the Tairas were driven from the Capital along with the 6-year-old Emperor Antoku and his mother , who was Kiyomori's daughter. They wandered far in search of supporters , while fighting losing battles.
Now in 1185, Minamoto no Yoshitsune attacked the remaining Tairas here at Yashima , then at Dan-no-ura in the westernmost corner of the Inland Sea, where the proud Taira finally fell, the noblewomen casting thenselves into the sea with the child Emperor Antoku.
Thus the age of ancient nobility yielded to the age of the Shoguns (1185-1867).
Yashims-ji Temple treasures in its museum a folding screen depicting the Gempei no Kassen Battles. The bell in the belfry, cast in Kyoto in 1223, was dedicated here for the repose of the defeatedTairas. But no one can strike the bell, as there is no hammer. They say ,"Strike the bell, and invoke the ghosts of the Tairas."
On the last weekend in March the Gempei Yashima Festival is held , whose highlight is the Warriors' Pageant.
It was an insurrection caused by the discord between Emperor Goshirakawa(1127-92) and Ex-Emperor Sutoku (1119-64). Sutoku was defeated and banished to Sanuki (Kagawa Pref.) to die a miserable death 8 years later . His ashes were buried at Temple 81 . In 1184 the court elevated him to Shinto deity to placate his ghost.
Ninamoto no Yositsune (1159-89): By bringing about victory in the civil war , Yoshitsune had greatly helped Minamoto no Yoritomo, his elder brother, who in 1192 was to establish the first Shogunate at Kamakura . But Yoshitsune had to spend the rest of his life escaping Yoritomo ,until four years later he killed himself . His tragic life and death was so appealing to Japanese sentiment that he has taken on heroic proportion in Kabuki, Noh and Joruri plays, based on what is called Yoshitsune Literature .
ery few Japanese visit Yashima with out being remained of an episode shown iVn the picture above:
It was on the afternoon of February 19, 1185, that Minamoto no Yoshitsune mounted another surprise attackagainst the Tairas at the then Yashima Island.Frightened by the imagined immensity of enemy forces, the Tairas jumped into their baots and sailed off.. Afierce battle lasted for hours.
Now the sun was setting . Both sides began to retreat , when a fair vessel parted from the Taira legions and stopped about 80m from the beach.Then a beautiful lady appeared from the cabin, produced a pole with a bright red fan on its top and beckoned to the puzzled warriors on the shore.
"What does she mean?" said Yoshitsune.
"Perhaps she is inviting one of us to shoot the fan . Or she may be inviting you to come out onto the front line for archers ,"said his attendant. "Then let it be shot down by someone ," said Yoshitsune .
Soon a young man called Nasu no Yoichi appearedon horseback with bow and arrow in his hands. The north wind was strong . The boat was tossing up and down.The fan painted wih the golden sun at its center was fluttering on the pole.
All the Tairasin the boats and all the Minamotos on the shore were watching Yoichi. What would he do? Would he succeed?
Yoichi rode into the water as far as he could . But it was still about 70m to the target . He closed his eyes and prayed. Then the wind fell for a moment .He shot. The arrow pierced through a little above the rivet. The fan , flying up a moment or two , came floating down , glitterring in the setting sun. There was great applause from both sides.
Then a man in armor appeared in the same boat . He began to dance an elegant dance perhaps in genuine appreciation of Yoichi's archery .Then Yoichi got amother order and shot down the dancing man, too .Some said "Good shot!" But others said, "Not fair."
The Tairas were silent this time .Was it a precursor of their demise? Two months later, the Tairas finally fell.
This is an open-air museum laid out at the foot of Yashima Rleteau. About 20
old rural buildings from various parts of Shikoku have been reassembled here , including a Farmers' kabuki Theater , peasants' houses , a fisherman's house, a sugar mill, a shed for steaming mulberry bark to make paper , and workshops for making soy sauce and so on. There is a reprica of Kazura-bashi from Nishi Iyayama-son, too.
Open daily:8:30-16:30. Admission: 500yen
On May 5, people including children from Shodoshima Island , from which the Kabuki Theater came here, stage an annual performance of their traditional farmers ' kabuki .
Japan's largest wax doll museum. The first floor is dedicated to the 41 doll of historical figures or modern men and women of celebrity who have been closely associated with Shikoku.
The one of Kobo Daishi in his nyujo has its own corner as a special exhibition.
The second floor exhibits about 300 dolls portraying the 17 scenes from the Heike Monogatari or the Tale of the Tairas.The Saga, composed of a large number of revealing episodes, was and still is an inexhaustible source of Japanese literature and art. Some of the most famous scenes took place at the foot of Yashima Plateau at the northeastern tip of Takamatsu.
One hi-tech doll seen at the end of the exhibition is what was called biwa hoshi or a blind biwa playing bard who traveled around chanting The Tale of the Taira Family even before it was written down in the first half of the 13th century.Its openimg passage is especially famous for its Buddhist idea of impermanence that goes as follows:
The doll begins to talk and sing the first line of the opening passage when it senses visitors approaching.
Open daily . Admission: 1200yen (High school students: 800yen Children: 600yen)
Yoshida Shigeru (1878-1967), Prime Minister from 1946 to 1954, is credited with giving Japan direction through her most difficult times after the war.
The Kojima-Sakaide Route, popularly known as the Seto Ohashi Bridge, was completed in 1988.It is the world's longest two-tiered bridge system, stretching 13.1km from Kojima to Sakaide , connecting the 5 islands in between.
The 11 bridges in the system include 3 suspention bridges , 2 twin cable-stayed, 1 truss and 5 viaducts. The upper level accommodates a motor expressway of four lanes , and the lower contains Japan Railway's system for a dual track ordinary line at present and for a dual track superexpress line in the future.
The first person to air the idea of the Seto Ohashi Bridge was Okubo Jinnojo(1849-1891), a Kagawa native, who at that time was constructing the first Shikoku Roads to link all the prefectures on the island . In 1889 Jinnojo disclosed his dream in a congratulatory speech he made as a member of the Prefectural Parliament at the opening ceremony of the first railroad in Shikoku between Marugame and Kotohira.
Exactly a century later, the Bridge came into being after decades of planning and ten years of construction , 13 million workers involved (with the loss of 17 lives) , and costing 1,190,000million yen.
Suprisingly,Jinnojo had also foretold man's traveling to the moon in his favorite drinking of his own making,which went as follows:
I'll tell you,dear,
One of the best points to view the Bridge is Yoshima Island , a central pier of the Bridge. It also serves as a sightseeing outpost for the Shikoku and Island Sea Districts, providing 2 parking areas for those who like to enjoy bridge viewing, seafood and shopping.
Another is a rotating tower 132m tall at the Seto Ohashi Memorial Park at the foot of the Bridge in SAkaide. The Memorial Hall provides all kinds of information on the Bridge and its construction , while the park itself aoolies modern art to stone and water.
Admission to the tower : 800yen, Admission to the Hall: 510yen
The Gold Tower near JR Utazu Station offers a marvelous view,too. The 144m tower made of half mirror glass is the tallest of its kind in Japan, housing the Sky Lounge, restraunts, stores and a World Toilet Museum.
Open daily.Admission to the tower;800 yen/ 1000yen (Toilet Museum included)
He was three -storied donjon on top of a green hill crowns the city of Marugame.Then a Marugame Province of 53,000 koku was formed in 1641, an old castle was reconstructed and the castle seen today dates back to 1660, one of the few genuine Edo Period castles remaining in Japan.
The present-day Marogame is famous for uchiwa or round paper fan manufacturing, producing about 90% of these fans in Japan.
The Castle Park , 15 minutes' walk from JR Marugame , is surrounded by moats, featuring the donjon , a couple of main gates (all Important Cultural Properties) and walls from the 17th centry. The 4-level 60 m ramparts, the tallest and among the most beautiful in Japan, also contribute to the beauty of the castle.
Banshoen Garden built in 1688 as a villa for the Lord of the Province is 10 minutes' drive from downtown Marugame. One of the galleries there houses Chinese ceramic ware and a collection of Iranian earthenware and glassware dating back to 2500 B.C. through the 1200's A.D. Open daily.
Admission to the Garden & Galleries: 1000yen
Zentsu-ji Temple is known as the birthplace of Kobo Daishi Kukai. Kukai is one of the greatest geniuses Japan has ever produced. He made a great contribution in remolding Japanese religion, while making un paralleled achievements as a scholar, poet, artist, calligrapher, sculptor , architect, educator , social worker, inventor, discoverer and civil engineer.
The giant camphor trees near the five-storied pagoda in the East Precinct are said to have already been several hundred years old when Kukai was born in 774. The Mieido Hall in the West Precinct at the foot of the green hill is the Birthplace.
Visitors may traverse the basement of the hall along a pitch -dark path.This introspective journey is called kaidan-meguri . The entrance is at the right - hand corner of the Hall. The entrance fee includes the admission to the Museum.(300yen)
The utter blackness along the path symbolizes the darkness of the human mind or human ignorance of the Truth. The notice says:"Go along with the palmof your left hand pressed against the left-hand wall. Thr wall , painted with mandalas, angels and lotus flower, is the Buddha's Way. You will be safely guided as long as you are on His Way."
After the Kaidan-meguri , arrows guide you to the Museum. The temple treasures exhibited there include a small clay pagoda Kukai molded at 7, a bowl used by Kukai as a mendicant priest, a robe and a ritual stick (a National Treasure) of Indian make , both presented to Kukai by his Chinese master Abbot Hui-kuo, and a sutra scroll (a National Treasure) with each of the Chinese characters accompained by a little Bodhisattva on a lotus pedestal; Kukai did the calligraphy,his mother the painting.
Shorinji Kempo is not merely a sport or martial art, but a religious exercise to approach the Buddha's spirit in the principles of "self-realization" and "help each other"
It was started by So Doshin I (1911-1980) in 1947.Two years before he had been repatriated from Manchuria, the northeastern part of China that "Imperialist Japan" held for 13 years till the end of World War II. Doshin had seen how people could be defumanized in the dire extremities of war and its aftermath. "Developing good humanity is the only way to save Japan and the world large, "he kept saying to himself. Doshin who had learned various martial arts in China, pondered over the Zen philosophy of Bodhidharma, trying to restore the martial art that Bodhidharma himself was said to have practised about 1,500 years ago when he brought Zen from Jndia to China. Finally, Doshin succeededin restoring and reorganizing the whole body of that art, which he named Shorinji Kempo. Now its Headquarters has more than 100 branches in 23 countries in the world.
Kotohira-gu, a great shrine complex, of ten affectionately called Kompira-san, has been a celebrated destination for pilgrims and tourists for hundreds of years.
According to legend , Kompira -san came into being when Kumbhira -a guardian god of Buddhism, originally a Hindu crocodile god of the Ganges ,was beckoned by a Buddhist priest of Matsuo-ji,a thousand-year-old temple in this neighborhood.
Kumbhira from the holy waters of the Ganges was naturally believed to be a mighty patron deity for seamen , fishermen and rice-growing farmers , and in later years came to be considered a Great Incarnation of the Biddha himself.
But the temple remained a Shinto shrine in part, with Omononushi-no-mikoto,the native god of fertility , medicine and commerce also summoned from the mythological land of Izumo. Omononushi-no-mikoto,along with Daikoku-ten representing Chinese folk religion, were then identified with the Indian god Kumbhira ,a case of religious internationalism in classical Japan.
In 1868Buddhism and Shintoism were separated by law, and Omononushi became the chief god along with the deified Emperor Sutoku who had been enshrined here in the 15th century. Yet "Kompira Worship" continued to flourish , for the Hindu deity had already enshrined himself deep in the hearts of the Japanese people.
There are 785 stone steps to climb before one reaches the Main Shrine. Fortunately its route consists first of a colorful street of souvenir shops and then of a quiet promenade lined with gardens, shrines and museums. The numberless granite lanterns, fences and tablets bordering the approach were all dedicated by Kompira worshippers nationwide , as were the stone steps themselves.
Many of the shrine treasures in the Homotsukan Museum, the Gakugeikan Museum, Omote-shoin and Oku-shoin Art Museum were offered by famous artists, poets, lords of Provinces and characters of historical renown. In the 17th century the Tokugawa Shogun, too,dedicated a stipend of 330 koku to the shrine, augmenting its prosperity.
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