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TSUWANO |
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Some 80km east of Hagi, in the neighbouring prefecture of Shimane-ken,
is the older and even more picturesque castle town of TSUWANO . Nestling
in the shadow of the 908-metre-high extinct volcano, Aono-yama , around
which mists swirl moodily each autumn, this is yet another small town
that touts itself as a "Little Kyoto" and, for once, there really is an
air of courtly affluence along the tourist-jammed streets.
Tonomachi , the well-preserved central area of samurai houses, with
their distinctive cross-hatched black-and-white plaster walls, is famous
for its narrow canals teeming with carp and flowerbeds bursting with
purple and white irises each June. Overlooking the town from the west
are the ruins of the castle built in 1295 by Lord Yoshimi Yoriyuki as
protection against potential Mongol invaders. The Yoshimi clan followed
their allies, the Mori, to Hagi after they both fought on the losing
side in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Sakazaki Naomori was installed
in Tsuwano by the Tokugawa clan but, even though he later proved his
loyalty by rescuing the Princess Senhime from the siege of Osaka castle,
he was refused her hand in marriage. The castle was dismantled at the
start of the Meiji era, then an earthquake in June 1997 made what was
left of it unsafe to visit.
At the foot of the hill on which the castle stood is the bright-red
shrine complex of Taikodani Inari-jinja , approached through a zigzag
tunnel of a thousand vermilion torii . Closer to Tsuwano Station is the
serene Zen Buddhist temple Kakuzan-Yomei-ji and the tranquil Maria Seido
, a chapel in a mountain glade, dedicated to the martyrdom of Japanese
Christians. Also worth a look are the small Katsushika Hokusai Museum ,
with its collection of works by the master printmaker and artist Hokusai,
and the Musée de Morijuku , displaying twentieth-century art in an old
farm building with some unusual features.
The Town
If you're in town on Sunday, head for the early-morning market beside
Tsuwano Station; otherwise you should aim straight for the old streets
of Tonomachi , around seven minutes' walk southeast. At the north end of
the main pedestrian thoroughfare, Tonomachi-dori, pause at the small
Katsushika Hokusai Museum of Art (daily 9.30am-5pm; ¥500) to view its
refined collection of woodblock prints, illustrations and paintings by
the famous nineteenth-century artist Hokusai Katsushika.
Tonomachi's streets are bordered by narrow canals, home to carp, which
outnumber the town's 9000 residents by more than ten to one, and which
were originally bred as emergency food supplies in the event of famine.
The town's prosperity born of peace and enlightened rule by local daimyo
is evident from the handsome buildings. Look out for sake breweries and
shops selling traditional sweets, including genji-maki , a soft sponge
filled with sweet red-bean paste.
Easily spotted behind the white, tile-capped walls is the grey spire of
the Catholic Church , built in 1931, which combines stained-glass
windows and an organ with tatami flooring. Further along, near the banks
of the Tsuwano-kawa, is the Yorokan, the former school for young samurai
, now containing an uninspiring folk-art museum (daily 8.30am-5pm;
¥200).
Make a short detour across the Tsuwano-kawa, around which the fireflies
buzz each June, to the fancifully named Musée de Morijuku (9am-5pm;
¥500), a restored farmhouse fronted by raked-gravel gardens and smartly
converted into a modern gallery for local contemporary artists. The
museum also has a small collection of etchings by the Spanish artist
Goya. Upstairs, get the attendant to show you the pinhole camera in the
shoji screen, capturing an image of the garden outside.
Back across the river, just west of the train tracks is the shrine
Yasaka-jinja , where each July 20-27 the ancient Sagi-Mai (Heron Dance)
is performed by men dressed as the white birds, complete with flapping
wings and long-necked hats. Nearby, a path, covered by a tunnel of over
a thousand red torii , leads uphill towards the Taikodani Inari-jinja ,
one of the five largest Inari shrines in Japan. The bright-red and gold
shrine bustles with tourists who say prayers to the local Shinto deities
outside the splendid main hall.
The views of Tsuwano from the shrine's hillside location are good, but
not as dramatic as those from the top of the hill where the castle
Tsuwano-jo used to stand. If you fancy an energetic hike, follow the
pathway leading up to the old castle grounds (around a 30min walk), or
you could take the chair lift (daily 9am-5pm; ¥450 return). However, due
to a recent earthquake, the castle ruins themselves are out of bounds.
Immediately below the bottom of the chair lift, the Tsuwano Tradition
Museum (daily 8.30am-5pm; ¥320) is worth a look for its collection of
photographs of the town throughout the seasons, videos of local
festivals and culture, and the bizarre masks and costumes worn in the
heron dance. Continuing downhill, you'll find yourself at the southern
end of Tsuwano. If you cross over the river and head south along the
main road, you'll pass several more inconsequential museums, before
reaching the Mori Ogai Kyotaku , on the right, the preserved wood and
mustard-plaster home of a famed Meiji-era novelist. Personal effects of
the writer, and his death mask, are displayed next door in the modern
Mori Ogai Memorial Museum (daily 9am-5pm; ¥500).
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