Rihanna and I
Joetsu's manhole covers.
Our first stop was Takada Jo Ato (Takada Castle Ruins.) It was first build in 1614. Today, all that stands is a single building and wall on the top of a hill surrounded by a moat that used to be a river. It was a very beautiful building. It burned down over 100 years ago at the end of the reigning family’s power over the area, but it was rebuilt in 1990's (?) to preserve the history of the area.
This is what Takada-Jo used to look like before it burned down. Now only that corner tower remains.
There were also two traditional Japanese houses nearby that were being preserved. They were the home of an artist, and his paintings were kept in a museum across the parking lot. They were nice, a lot of them had an old-timey feel to them. The two houses had plumbing and sinks that look like they had been installed in the 1960's, and it was interesting to see the merging of old traditional housing aesthetics with modern additions like plumbing.
In this one you can see the sink.
And a bath tub.
This model shows us what the walls are made of.
This is the house from the outside.
After Takada Jo Ato we stopped in Joestu for some lunch. It was at an “Italian” restaurant, it was Monday (and a holiday) so our options for food places were limited. Rihanna got a pizza and I got a pasta that was covered in about three inches of tiny fish. I mixed the mountain of fish in with the noodles and ate it. It was actually pretty good. No complains. When I was done with my noodles and full, there was still a thick layer of tiny fish at the bottom of my bowl.
This was after I mixed it all together. I didn't think to show you the three inch pile of little fish.
After that we drove about 2o minutes outside of town to the mountains where they have Rinzen-Ji Temple. Its’s a Buddhist temple and graveyard. It is a very beautiful site.
There was a little one-room museum off to the side of the temple, and judging by all the statues behind glass, this was the sect of Buddhism where the monks would begin a process of self-mummification before death. They ate and drank very little for years, which emaciated their bodies and dried out their tissues. They also drank poisonous tea to further purge their bodies of moisture and make their bodies inhospitable to bugs after death. When they were a few days from death they would be entombed alive, sitting in the lotus position from which they would not move. After three years, the living monks would open the tomb and see if the mummification was successful. If it was, the body was moved to the temple and worshiped. If the mummification was not successful, and there was some decay, the body would be buried with honor for the attempt. It was believed that if a monk was successful in mummification he would be able to go to Tusita Heaven before being reincarnated. It was also believed that they would be able to protect the temples in which their bodies resided as long as their mummies were still intact, which made the mummification process very important. The type of Buddhism practiced in this area was Shingon Buddhism or “True Word” Buddhimsm. I would have taken some pictures, but I only succeeded in taking one of some samurai armor before I was caught and yelled at. In my defense, the “No Photographs” notice was very tiny and I didn’t see it. Whatever, I didn’t have my flash on… I don’t feel ashamed!
To the left of the temple there was a beautiful path leading up into the Buddhist Monk graveyard. It was beautiful, and there were spiders everywhere, but I didn’t mind. I think they added to the natural beauty of the area. There were also some really beautiful statues of Buddhas and monks carved out of stone.
Off to the side of this main shrine was a smaller shrine that seemed to be dedicated to Inari, God(dess) of the harvest.
Here you can see an offering of rice and tea (?) inside the shrine.
He was very involed in the Buddhism in the area, so his statue is a fairly popular attraction. Or the course of his life, he fought in over 70 battles in an attempt to unite all of japan, and he is regarded as one of the best generals of all time in Japan. If you continue up past the statue for a while… a short hike I would say, you can see his grave up on top of the mountain and next to another ruined mountain castle. We however were unable to go see this because there had been a landslide on the trail and the trail was blocked off.
If you look closely you can see the two buildings on the top of the mountain.
It was just as well. I took a picture of the grave and castle from the statue, and you can see the outline on the top of the mountain. Maybe I’ll go back someday. It was just as well because the day started getting late and we still had to drive back to Minamisoma. So we gathered our stuff and headed back. IT was rainy on the way back and once I reached the curvy mountain paths, I had to slow down quite a bit to be safe, so we got back to the apartment after 10:00pm.
(While researching some names for this blog post I came across another blog that goes into more depth about the history in the area. (( Lipikazuo.blogspot.jp/2010/08/kasugayama.html?m=1 )) It also states a different burial place for Uesugi Kenshin. He's said to be in the castle on top of the hill behind his statue, as well as entombed in the Kasugayama Jinja shrine at the top of the staircase, and in the Buddhist monk graveyard. So… I’m not quite sure where he is ACTUALLY buried. But it’s interesting anyways.)
(Another really cool, informitive website is (( http://www.damnthatsintesting.com/sokushinbutsu-the-ancient-buddhist-mummies-of-japan/ ))
Over all it was a fun trip, there were some frustrations, I suppose it’s that way with any trip, but the scenery was beautiful and the history was interesting. I enjoyed my 3-day weekend in Niigata.
