We are lucking out this week with generally dry weather. Tomorrow there will probably be a shower but today was continued sunshine, and not as windy as Kuju park.
Today was a longer walking day. The first stop was Fuko-Ji temple. Shrines are Shinto, Temples are Buddhist. This temple had an impressively huge stone carving of Fudo-Myo with a sword in one hand and rope in the other.
On the way there was a mushroom growing setup. Oak trees are felled and the logs are inoculated with pegs of shiitake spores. The logs are left under a canopy of sticks for a year. Then the logs are stacked in the woods and yield shiitake mushrooms for at least several years, until the wood is used up.
Otherwise it was a pleasant hike through hilly countryside. The farmers are allowed to trap boars that are eating their crops. The tag on the tree shows the license and who to call if there’s a pig inside.
Today’s destination was the foundations of Oka castle. The castle itself was torn down in the 1800’s, part of the Meiji restoration which tore down the old feudal governing system. The foundations alone are impressive, stretching about a kilometer along a high ridge line. I’m sure the castle was even more so. The stone work was meticulous.
If you have ever gone through the Suzuki lesson progression you will remember “Moon Over Ruined Castle”, which kind of stood out amongst the all the Bach tunes. Well this is the ruined castle that Rentaro Taki composed the song about. There was a piano in a park building and sheet music if you wanted to give it a go. On the highway below us the tune also played, triggered by cars passing by.
We walked from the castle down the hill into Taketa, which had a nice shop of natural dyed indigo clothing.
As we waited for our bus I noticed this mural on a store front. Shishi is everywhere!
Ken Chin-Purcell 