#isejingu

（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.  

さて、宮川の渡しとは言え、今の世の中に渡し舟が残っているわけではありません。普通に橋を渡り、宮川の東岸を目指します。そこにあるいくつかの神社、別けても清野井庭神社が目的地です。ここには萱が神格化されたカヤノヒメノミコトが祀られています。