24Apr10: Richard Talbot

Motoyamaji to Iyadaniji

It was beautiful day and the best weather for a gentle trek.　Cool breezes reminding one of the winter just ended and the bright sunshine of the long hot summer ahead this day would be exceedingly pleasant.

The first temple, Motoyamaji, was a small oasis of serenity in the semi urban mix of rice fields and compact housing. The effect of the temple seems spread to the nearby streets as the narrow laneways that lead to the temple precinct are lined with old houses of wood and tile. The walk from there north toward next temple, Iyadaniji, was long one through many different areas of coastal Kagawa. It crossed major and minor roads, passing through built areas and onto expanses of rice fields and over several water courses. But the real treat is when the going gets a little tougher. The last few kilometres before Iyadaniji start to climb through beautiful hillside woods. Stopping at a "michi no eki" or road station for lunch, some of the more adventurous participants joined kids playing on an extensive and somewhat grim super jungle gym left over from an era with much larger public works budgets. After refreshments the path up the final few kilometres to the temple are short slog with some very attractive artifacts such as a 15th Century bronze statue of Kanon.  A set of stairs with 108 steps which with the exertion of effort for each step, one sin is absolved and the pilgrim becomes that much purer at the top. The temple area itself is both beautiful and fascinating. We were extremely lucky to be given a short talk by the head priest and heard of the traditions of commemorating lost loved ones and of the temples origins and the excavation of the Lions Mouth Cave which contains ancient figures representing Kobodaishi and his parents. All this topped of with outstanding views over the mountains to the south before heading north again down a real forest trail before emerging in to modern Kagawa and the last few kilometres to Kaiganji station. With a mix of both rural mountain this trek was easy and rewarding and the temples, as ever, wondrous.  

Richard Talbot