#gegu

（日本語&English）

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Recently I got a guidebook of Ise. The book says there are 125 shrines in and around Ise city. The local people don't use the word 'Ise jingu' but use only 'Jingu'. This word is a generic name for all 125 shrines including Naigu and Gegu.

Making reference to this book my wife and I planned our short trip. It is short but old style of trip, that is, a trip on foot like pilgrims.

『お伊勢さん　125社めぐり』（伊勢文化舎）という本を手掛かりに、伊勢神宮歩け歩けの旅をしてきました。本に示された内容をもう一ひねりして、なるべく遠くから出発し、「宮川の渡し」を越えて外宮に入るという道順での徒歩旅行としてみました。

At first we went to Yuda shrine 湯田神社 by bus. It is located in west direction of Miyagawa river.  There are a few shrines in west side of Miyagawa river. And beyond this river we can find many shrines such as Gegu and Naigu.  But this river did't have bridges until Meiji era. Whether the rich or the poor, people who wanted to go east had to get on board a small ferry.

Leaving Yuda shrine, we walked along a road. Stopping by to another shrine, we went toward east, the place of ex-pier.  

Soon we found that this road was very old and important one. Most houses built on both sides of this road showed us the social standing and family history of their habitants. Here and there on the road we found small shrines of kamisama and buddha. Perhaps some of them are guardian of the road. And we also found that other small paths joined to this road. Those paths are incorporated into this road and head to the specific point. I imagined the old days when many pilgrims came and went on this road.　(to be continued)

（日本語&English）

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photo: MIYAGAWA river and railroad bridge, and 萱KAYA 

photo:  萱KAYA near my house 

We arrived at west riverside of Miyagawa river. It is a relatively big river with broad dry riverbed. As most of japanese rivers do, this river has many weed called Kaya萱 in its dry riverbed. kaya is a weed having a great vital power, having firm roots, and it becomes very tall. (Please take a look at the photo above. That is Kaya near my house KappaTei ). Even today we suffer from this weed when we make paddy field or garden.

宮川の渡しに到着。川辺には、日本の河川の例にもれず萱が茂っています。この草は高く伸びるわ、根は頑丈だわで、太古から今に至るまで、農作業には大敵の存在です。抜いても切ってもまた生えてくるその生命力に手こずった経験のある方は多いでしょう。

photo: A huge tree by MIYAGAWA river. Kaya field and huge trees are ordinary scenery in ancient Japan   

When you travel Japan by Shinkansen you can see vast paddy fields. But please imagine the age of myth, the age of our ancestor's arrival to Japanese islands. Most of plains must have been covered with this weed. Huge effort  must have been needed to fight against it and to make paddy fields.   That experience made our ancestor think out one Kamisama named KAYANOHIME NO MIKOTO. She is a goddess of all the weeds and grasses. One of my friend pointed that this goddess has the possibility to be not only the god of weed but god of irrigation.As I was inspired his opinion, I planned this trip.

はるか昔、私たち日本人の祖先がこの列島にやってきたときには、おそらく平野部のすべてはこの草に覆われていたはずです。それを、新幹線の車窓から見てもわかるような延々と続く田んぼに作り替えていったのは、祖先の努力の賜物といえます。

Photo: In the grounds of   清野井庭神社KIYONOIBA JINJYA shrine 

My wife and I lost the way of pilgrims because today's civilization has changed the scenery of this area. But on the other hand the civilization offers us a bridge. We went across the Miyagawa river on it on foot. We were going to visit several shrines, especially 清野井庭神社KIYONOIBA JINJYA shrine. There KAYANOHIME NO MIKOTO is enshrined.