Japan is known for its many unique
icons which you can easily recognize when you see one. Such symbols, either
real or a replica, constitute the culture and traditions of the country and
still live at present in this modern time. As I mentioned in Part 3 of Unknown Japan, some of the cities that lie
in the outskirts of Nagoya are loved because of their naturalness and
uniqueness. This time let's tour Okazaki City and Tokaname City of Aichi
Prefecture, Japan.
Okazaki, known as the "Castle Town"
of the old Tokaido, is another city of Aichi Prefecture with a distinct
feature. Okazaki City is better known as the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the
founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate and one of the most influential figures in
Japan's history. In fact, the Okazaki Castle is the exact location of his
nativity. During the Edo Period, the city was prosperous. The presence of
merchants, artisans, and manufacturers was the manifestation of the influence
of the Tokugawa clan.
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| The Clock Tower at Okazaki's Castle Park |
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| Vicinity Map of the Okazaki Castle Park |
The entire Okazaki Castle Park has 3
main attractions: the Okazaki Castle, the Iyeyasu & Mikawa Bushi Museum,
and the performance of the Samurai in front of the museum.
Way back in the year 1455, the
original Okazaki Castle was made up of wood. After the fall of
the Tokugawa Shogunate, the new Meiji Government ordered to demolish the castle
in 1873 leaving only the stone pillar. But reconstruction followed in 1959. The
structure was transformed using a Ferro-cement material. Although the structure
was reconstructed and refurbished, the original style and size of the old
castle remains.
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| Okazaki Castle |
Today, the castle exhibits the
relics of the battle during the Edo Period including the iconic samurai swords,
armors, and other equipment. The five-story castle also showcases dioramas of
the previous war and the way of life of the locals.
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| Displayed armors at the Okazaki Castle |
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| Life-sized armor and other war relics at the Okazaki Castle |
The Iyeyasu
and Mikawa Bushi Museum on the other hand, houses the
replica of Ieyasu’s armor, his original sword and other weapons, and documents
about Ieyasu's life including the diorama of the Battle of the
Sekigahara.
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| Behind me is the monument of Iyeyasu Tokugawa, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate and one of the most influential figures in Japan |
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to try
the samurai armor that was offered by the museum. There are samurai cosplayers whom we can ask for a photo opp.
They also welcome the visitors and perform the Aoi Bushotai
Performance.
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| Photo opportunity with the Aoi Bushotai Performer (the likes of Kenshin Himura :D ) |
Tofu or bean curd (in English) became
popular during the Tokugawa Era (tofu was invented in China in 179 BC). The
oldest and still operating factory in Japan is the famous Maruya Hatcho
Miso (hometown of Hatcho Miso) found
in Okazaki City.
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| The fermentation process of Hacho Miso inside these sealed giant containers takes 2-years before consumption. |
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| This colossal container has a diameter of approximately 7 ft. and a height of around 8 ft. |
This miso business was founded by Yaejiemon Ohta in 1337 and became
"hatcho" in the 16th century. The name was derived from the word
"ha" meaning 8 and "cho" meaning one city block. The hatcho or 8 blocks pertained to the
distance of the factory from the Okazaki Castle where Tokugawa Ieyasu, the
first shogun of Tokugawa Shogunate, was born. Okazaki's Hatcho miso is known by
its sobriquet “the food of the warrior" as it was the prized ration of the
samurai warriors during the Sengoku Period (Warring State).
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| The Mayura Hatcho Miso Factory |
Now, the famous factory is called
Maruya Hatcho Miso and it is also a tourist spot in the city. One impressive
sight in the factory is the collection of hundred year-old barrels where
the soy bean paste is processed. The barrel or keg has an approximate
diameter and height of 6 to 7 feet. As I remember, the miso is placed in
those colossal containers, tightly sealed with a wooden lid that is pressed by
a pile of stones arranged like a pyramid, and allowed to ferment up
to 2 years before the locals process it for consumption. The location of the
factory houses a museum and a shop that sells different miso products.
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| The Shipukiji Temple from afar |
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| The staircase to Shipukiji Temple |
Another place to visit in Okazaki
City is the Shinpukuji Temple. The place is situated on the
elevated part of the forest/mountain so we had to trudge all the way up (good
thing :) the walkway is concreted). It was the first time I witnessed a bamboo
forest which I normally see in movies or anime.
We dropped by the temple where we met a Buddhist monk.
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| The bamboo forest |
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| Written prayers tied up in the rope just outside the temple |
We were segregated based
on our animal zodiac year of birth and prayed for everyone's' health and
wisdom. The temple is connected by a red metal bridge to the souvenir shop and
a restaurant, where we took our lunch called "bamboo shoot cuisine". The meal we ate was quite different compared to other local Japanese
food, but the presentation is similar. It claimed to be a vegetarian meal
although fresh squid was included. Bamboo shoots were the main ingredient of
the dishes: tempura, soup, tea, and even desserts. Not to mention all the
eating paraphernalia were made of bamboo as well.
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| Bamboo Shoot Meal |
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| Ikkyu San seated at the foot of the staircase (way up to the temple) |
The next destination after our
sumptuous meal at the Shinpukuji Temple is Tokoname City. Tokoname
City's unique feature is its ceramic production that goes back to the Heian
Period (794-1185). In fact, Tokoname is one of the "Six Ancient Kilns of
Japan" and considered to be the biggest and the oldest among the six
(Bizen, Shigaraki, Tamba, Seto & Echizen) Source: (http://www.tokoname.or.jp/cerapath/path-e.htm). The two remarkable places we visited are the Pottery Footpath and
Inax Museum.
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| One of the preserve pottery houses at the Pottery Footpath |
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| Choose which cuties you want! Sculpture products at the pottery shop |
The Pottery
Footpath is actually a village that has a foot trail
of approximately 1.6 kilometers and 25 stations or stops. It takes almost 60
minutes to walk. I recommend this walking tour to youngsters. They will
definitely enjoy the trek which starts at the Tokoname Ceramic Hall. Compared
to a forest or mountain trek in which you can see the nature, this one
lets you witness the locals’ life through pottery and glass sculptures. The same
place houses the icon of Tokoname: the Maneki-neko that is known for its nickname
"Tokonyan". The giant statue of the welcoming cat has a height of 3.8
meters and a width of 6.3 meters.
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| Meet Tokonyan! The icon of Tokoname City. |
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| Aren't they lovely! These are just some of the for sale products at the Pottery Footpath placed just outside the shop |
The locals believe that Tokonyan perpetually watches
the entire town. The structure is found in Station 5 when you take the A-Course
Trail. According to our tour guide Akiko or ‘Ako’-san, there are other courses
aside from the path which we took. Other things you'll see along the way are
the Japanese liquor bottle called 'Shochu', ceramic pipes piled on the wall,
ceramics shops of different varieties, a fence of kiln brick called 'danma',
Japanese houses, and others. See the walking trail.
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| Shochu, beautifully piled on the wall. This is one of the unusual and unique features of the Pottery Footpath |
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| Walls made up of stacked ceramic pipes & sochu are just some of the unique attractions within the Foothpath. |
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| Artistic tiled-wall at the Inax Museum |
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| Artistic tiled-wall displayed at the Inax Museum |
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