Today I would like to invite you to follow me once again to Japan and to visit a shrine with me. This time we are going to the northern part of the country, more precisely to the Aizu region in the west of Fukushima Prefecture. I've been there a few times over the last few years and have already seen quite a few things of this part of the country. The highlight is probably the rebuilt Tsuruga-jo Castle in the heart of Aizu-Wakamatsu City, which I've walked around several times.
But that's not where we're heading today, we're going to a suburb of the city that borders directly on the surrounding mountains. Thanks to Google Maps, I found a shrine there, which quickly aroused my curiosity.
My research revealed that the origins of the shrine date back to the 8th century and over the course of various eras, different local rulers and lords have worshipped this shrine as a special sanctuary. Even the location of the shrine has changed several times, until it was moved to its current location in 1590.
From ancient times, the shrine was a center of syncretism between Shintoism and Buddhism and developed into a place of ascetic practices, which at that time were probably quite popular with many monks and samurais. At the beginning of the Meiji era (1868-1912), however, the new Japanese government separated Shintoism and Buddhism, which led to the abolition of the Buddhist orientation and also to the shrine's name being changed to Atago Shrine.
And it was precisely this Atago Shrine that I had chosen as my destination on that rather chilly and wet fall day, and that's where I'm going to take you now.
And so here I am, standing in front of the first steps leading up the mountain on which the Atago shrine was built. Fortunately, I don't have to go all the way to the top, but at this moment I still didn't really know how far it would actually be. And in the light rain, I was the only one of my small team who wanted to come along. I could understand this quite well, but it was also a good thing because I was able to walk at my own pace and I didn't have to wait for anyone.
All right, let's go!
Oh yes, I wasn't put off by this bear warning either. The day before, we had turned back at a similar sign at another point, where we would have had to go much further up the mountain. Here I took this sign as a small hint to be careful, but I didn't want to be dissuaded from my plan.
At first, the steps I was walking up were reasonably even, but that soon changed and you had to be very careful where you put your foot and that you didn't slip. But with the right swing and balance and, above all, the right attitude, even the crooked steps were no problem.
The stairs up the hill were much longer and steeper than I had initially thought, so I got a little out of breath at the pace I was going. But that was probably just part of the fun, and I wasn't going to stop and catch my breath on the way.
At this first stage point, I was greeted by a garland of Hinomaru flags. Hinomaru (日の丸) is the name given to the Japanese national flag, and it is still found at some Shinto shrines. In pre-war times, Shintoism was the state religion of imperial Japan, and in this respect you sometimes get a slightly uneasy feeling when you see the Hinomaru flying in places like these.
But I didn't want to pursue this thought that day and preferred to concentrate on the goal ahead of me. There were still a few more steps to go before I would finally reach my destination and would be standing in front of the main building.
I saw a few buildings and constructions to the left and right of the path, but I didn't always know what purpose they served.
At least hat this place it wasn't so difficult, because we were now standing in front of the pool for the ritual hand cleansing. But instead of water, that day it was filled with small white pebbles.
As is so often the case, this pool is guarded by a small dragon who sits on the edge of the pool and makes sure that nobody causes any trouble. As usual, I had come with good intentions and therefore politely paid my respects.
This is the statue of Matsudaira Katamori, the last daimyo of the Aizu clan, who controlled this region as regional lord until the end of the Edo period. Although he fought on the side of the shogunate against the new imperial army during the Boshin War and was badly defeated in the Battle of Aizu, he later became head of Nikkō Tōshō-gū Shrine. During the Meiji Restoration, he held an extremely influential role together with his three brothers.
I then tackled the remaining steps that still lay before my destination and could now see the main building quite clearly in front of me.Like all the way up here, the last few meters were flanked by majestic cedar trees, which must have been growing here for quite some time.
And here we were. Once we reached the top, I was finally able to catch my breath and relax, but actually there was no time to really take a rest. The small shrine building wasn't very spectacular, but I hadn't expected it to be. Here in the Aizu region, many things are a little simpler and more authentic. We are standing in front of a local shrine that has quite a long history and seems to emanate a rather intense atmosphere. I could feel this atmosphere too and had probably come up here for this very reason.
I took a quick walk around and discovered a few small side shrines and altars. It looked very autumnal everywhere that day, which probably played a big part in the vibe that emanated from this place.
And then it was time for me to return and go back to the place I started from. And that meant going back down all the steps I had just walked up. But I still had a chance to catch a few glimpses of the shrine complex, where I seemed to be the only one. At least I hadn't seen any other people, but I felt as if I had heard a few noises coming from the building to my left. And there were lights in the main building itself, so I was probably not completely alone here after all.
Once again, I went under the Hinomaru and then I had to be really careful to get back down safely on the crooked and displaced steps. But well, it seemed I had the right momentum to get me quickly back to where I had started from.
I had already arrived at the last toori, which marks the entrance to the Atago shrine. I was in a really good mood and hadn't really noticed the drizzle that had accompanied me the whole time. And the day was far from over and we still had a few other plans for the afternoon and evening, which meant I returned to the car in a great state of mind.
As usual, my instincts had not deceived me this time either and had led me to a place that was worth discovering that day. And I will follow this instinct again next time again, and I am sure that it will lead me to one of the many interesting and fascinating places, of which there are so many in Japan.
And I'll be happy to tell you about it then as well, so be sure to check back here soon so that you don't miss out on new impressions and pictures from the Land of the Rising Sun.
[//]:# (!worldmappin 37.49215 lat 139.95298 long Exploring Atago-Shrine 愛宕神社 👹🍣🎎 Wonderful Japan d3scr)
[//]:# (!pinmapple 37.49212 lat 139.9523 long d3scr)
