Okura

This is a temple of Tendai sect which virtuous priest Kuen started in 1361. It was converted to Jodoshin sect in 1664. It is well known that the novelist Nagai kafu temporarily evacuated in the year the World War Ⅱ ended.It is impressive that a bell tower doubles as the gate.

Many alleys crisscross in Okura town. Each of alleys has some boundary stones and gutters. Most alleys seen to lead to dead ends but when you walk down you find another way. The community here looks good. Their eaves don’t compete against each other.

This jizo is enshrined in a small shrine surrounded by fences. Though this was enshrined in a large property they moved here because of housing land development, they say. Numbers of jizo is enshrined in Okura area.

This is a two story wooden house whose second floor is lower than usual facing old Saigoku route.It has lattice windows near the front door, paneling lower outer wall and second floor outer wall plastered black.We see plastered lattice window and wing wall of second floor on the outside. Roof tile is red Japanese clay tile salt glazed made in hometown Akashi.

We see the kichomen carved perfectly on the corner of columns of gate of Enjoji temple belonging to kempon Hokke sect. We see the relief of its family emblem that looks like an orange in a sharp of a note on the upper part of the gate as other temples of Hokke sect.

We find the brick wall at the depths of Okura town. Brick as well as pottery was made at Okura.Brick was well used for the foundation of building and the wall. This wall was laid in English bond, which is the way of laying stretcher’s row and header’s row alternately.

They have enshrined Mishima daimyojin at Inadume Shrine since 7 century, the age of Suiko empress.It is reported that when Takayama Ukon attacked Okura-dani castle during the Battles of Miki it was burned down.It is said that Hidari Jingoro made the carving of the gate. From inside we can see the carving which Susane-no-mikoto was attacking a big snake.They enshrined Kotoshiro-no-Okami who was a son of Okunimushi-no-Mikoto at Hamaebisu Shrine and maved it from the beach of Okura to the place on the main building of Inazume Shrine’s east. They told that when people went fishing with an object of worship of Hamaebisu Shrine they caught much.