Location: Higashiyodogawa Ward (near Hankyu Line Kami-Shinjo Stn.), Osaka City; about 12 min. from Osaka + a little under 10 min. walking time
Associated with: Japanese "whale cults"
One might be surprised to learn the many ways in which a downed whale could be utilized. C.W. Nicol again lays it out for us:
Meat, for human consumption, was the most valuable portion of the whale, but nothing was wasted. As in the West, blubber was rendered into oil, the uses of which were many indeed. Whale oil lighted the lamps of Japan too, but besides lamps, the oil was mixed with vinegar to make a highly effective pesticide for use in the rice paddies. This oil-vinegar mixture was perfectly biodegradable, and killed off only harmful pests, with no ill effects on the edible loaches and small clams that abounded in the rice paddies of Tokugawa Japan.
Oil-rich bones were sawed up and cooked. After this first cooking they were smashed into pieces by hammers and cooked again. These bones provided excellent fertilizer, and more oil. This fertilizer was of such great value that merchants came from distant parts of Japan to make bids for its purchase.
Sinews were carefully cut out from the bone and meat, and when dried they were sold to instrument makers, armor makers and so forth. The baleen (erroneously called 'whale bone' in the West) found even more uses than it did in fashion-conscious America and Europe. It was used in myriad ways, from the tips of fine fishing rods, to beautifully polished plates, and the springs that worked the mouths of the 'bunraku' puppets [and to birthing aids].
Even the entrails were cut, washed and boiled, and were used in miso soup, or broiled on charcoal. Absolutely nothing was wasted.
Clearly a whale carcass has many uses. In the previous entry we saw a set of whale jawbones being used to make a simple torii in front of a shrine. However, much further north in Osaka city there is a temple with a bridge made out of whale bones.
Such a bridge is something you'd expect to cross over on your way to hell, but that would be failing to take into account the religious overtones of traditional whaling in Japan. As we discussed in the first entry, the appearance or arrival of the whale, depending on the circumstances and timing, could be seen as divine intervention.
Tanjuzenji was a traveling priest from an Osaka temple with a long history. Over the years the temple had burned down and undergone a few name changes, but since 1729, or for the last thirty years or so, it has gone by the name Zuikoji, the Temple of Light and Luster (half-assed translation mine). And so it happened that in 1754, Tanjuzenji traveled south and came to a village in Kii Province known as Taiji. The community was in bad shape after a series of poor catches, and the people of Taiji implored Tanjuzenji for his prayers to reverse their fortune. This posed a moral dilemma for the priest; he was compelled to live by the Buddhist precept to refrain from harming living things, which is essentially what he was being asked to pray for. Tanjuzenji refused.
The suffering of the villagers, however, made him reconsider, and despite his turmoil he prayed that their fishing nets be filled. And with the prayers came the whales.
In gratitude, the whalers of Taiji gave 30 ryo of gold to Tenjuzenji's temple along with 18 whale bones (you're welcome). As "a symbol of the value of life" and as a memorial to the whales, the bones were used to construct a bridge. The name of this bridge is Setsugeikyo (雪鯨橋), a Chinese reading of the characters for Snow-Whale-Bridge. It's commonly known though as the Kujira-bashi, a simpler Japanese reading that just means "Whale Bridge."
The first bridge was constructed in 1756, or two years after Tenjuzenji's visit to Taiji. Because bones wear out quicker than more sturdier materials, the bridge has been reconstructed every 50 years or so (1829, 1873, 1923, destroyed during WWII, 1974 and 2006). An increase in visitors likely accounts for the shorter time between recent constructions, and though in the past the bridge was mostly skeletal, these days it's more stone than bone. Each time, the whale bones have been sent from Taiji, who continue to honor the life-saving prayers that delivered them from collapse.
Comments: If you don't have a spare day to visit Taiji, or if spending seven hours on the train there and back doesn't appeal to you, a quick trip to Zuikoji will give you a feel for the sites to the south. These days it even has a whale bone torii. If you have a spare couple of hours one morning or afternoon, this site is very doable. It's "Taiji lite" if you will.
Getting There
Our destination is Kami-Shinjo Stn. on the Hankyu Line. If you're in the northern end of the city, the starting point on the Midosuji subway line is Umeda Stn. If you're in the south, it's Dobutsuen-mae Stn.
From Umeda:
Subway Umeda Stn. lies next to other stations, also called Umeda, operated by two train companies: Hankyu and Hanshin. From subway Umeda Stn. (or Osaka Stn. if you've come via JR), follow the signs directing you to the Hankyu Line. There are a few lines that leave from Hankyu Umeda, and Kami-Shinjo is on the Kyoto Line. You need to take a local, semi-express or rapid service bound for either Takatsuki-shi or Kyoto (Kawaramachi). It's only five stops from Umeda, so even a local will get you there in good time.
From Dobutsuen-mae:
Dobutsuen-mae is where the red Midosuji Line and brown Sakaisuji Line intersect. The Sakaisuji Line hasn't been featured all that much, but it's the line you might take to visit the zoo (Dobutsuen-mae) or Nipponbashi (Osaka's "Denden Town," not unlike Tokyo's Akihabara district). It extends up to Tenjimbashisuji Rokuchome, but some services conveniently hook in directly to the Hankyu Line. What you can do is take a train bound for Takatsuki-shi or Kawaramachi on the Sakaisuji Line, and it will take you directly to Kami-Shinjo in about 20 minutes. Be sure to look at the timetable and electronic display to see where the train is headed before boarding, and be careful not to get on a train bound for Kita-Senri, as that will actually switch lines one stop before Kami-Shinjo.
Getting Your Bearings at Kami-Shinjo Station
Kami-Shinjo Stn. is a long platform with exits at the far ends (north and south). Go out the south exit as that is closer to Zuikoji. Refer to the map below.
The star on the map is where the whale bone torii is, which is basically the entrance to the temple. You can access it via one of two footpaths off the main road. You'll probably find it without too much trouble, but here is a close-up of the area near the temple.
Driver Gragma (yokaitourbus "at" mail "dot" com)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yokaitourbus/
The Master List (Osaka)
http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2015/08/6-the-master-list-osaka.html
(religion) Japan Whale Cults (鯨崇拝)
Site: Zuiko-ji Temple (瑞光寺)
Nearest Station: (Hankyu Line) Kami-Shinjo Stn. (上新庄駅) or (Subway) Zuiko Yonchome Stn. (瑞光四丁目駅)
Google Map Search: "Zuiko-ji Temple Higashiyodogawa" - then to check you have the right location, "Zuikoji Park" should bring up the lot immediately next to the temple.
Meat, for human consumption, was the most valuable portion of the whale, but nothing was wasted. As in the West, blubber was rendered into oil, the uses of which were many indeed. Whale oil lighted the lamps of Japan too, but besides lamps, the oil was mixed with vinegar to make a highly effective pesticide for use in the rice paddies. This oil-vinegar mixture was perfectly biodegradable, and killed off only harmful pests, with no ill effects on the edible loaches and small clams that abounded in the rice paddies of Tokugawa Japan.
Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus
Oil-rich bones were sawed up and cooked. After this first cooking they were smashed into pieces by hammers and cooked again. These bones provided excellent fertilizer, and more oil. This fertilizer was of such great value that merchants came from distant parts of Japan to make bids for its purchase.
Sinews were carefully cut out from the bone and meat, and when dried they were sold to instrument makers, armor makers and so forth. The baleen (erroneously called 'whale bone' in the West) found even more uses than it did in fashion-conscious America and Europe. It was used in myriad ways, from the tips of fine fishing rods, to beautifully polished plates, and the springs that worked the mouths of the 'bunraku' puppets [and to birthing aids].
Even the entrails were cut, washed and boiled, and were used in miso soup, or broiled on charcoal. Absolutely nothing was wasted.
-Taiji, Winds of Change, C.W. Nicol
Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus
Clearly a whale carcass has many uses. In the previous entry we saw a set of whale jawbones being used to make a simple torii in front of a shrine. However, much further north in Osaka city there is a temple with a bridge made out of whale bones.
Such a bridge is something you'd expect to cross over on your way to hell, but that would be failing to take into account the religious overtones of traditional whaling in Japan. As we discussed in the first entry, the appearance or arrival of the whale, depending on the circumstances and timing, could be seen as divine intervention.
Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus
Tanjuzenji was a traveling priest from an Osaka temple with a long history. Over the years the temple had burned down and undergone a few name changes, but since 1729, or for the last thirty years or so, it has gone by the name Zuikoji, the Temple of Light and Luster (half-assed translation mine). And so it happened that in 1754, Tanjuzenji traveled south and came to a village in Kii Province known as Taiji. The community was in bad shape after a series of poor catches, and the people of Taiji implored Tanjuzenji for his prayers to reverse their fortune. This posed a moral dilemma for the priest; he was compelled to live by the Buddhist precept to refrain from harming living things, which is essentially what he was being asked to pray for. Tanjuzenji refused.
Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus
The suffering of the villagers, however, made him reconsider, and despite his turmoil he prayed that their fishing nets be filled. And with the prayers came the whales.
In gratitude, the whalers of Taiji gave 30 ryo of gold to Tenjuzenji's temple along with 18 whale bones (you're welcome). As "a symbol of the value of life" and as a memorial to the whales, the bones were used to construct a bridge. The name of this bridge is Setsugeikyo (雪鯨橋), a Chinese reading of the characters for Snow-Whale-Bridge. It's commonly known though as the Kujira-bashi, a simpler Japanese reading that just means "Whale Bridge."
Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus
The first bridge was constructed in 1756, or two years after Tenjuzenji's visit to Taiji. Because bones wear out quicker than more sturdier materials, the bridge has been reconstructed every 50 years or so (1829, 1873, 1923, destroyed during WWII, 1974 and 2006). An increase in visitors likely accounts for the shorter time between recent constructions, and though in the past the bridge was mostly skeletal, these days it's more stone than bone. Each time, the whale bones have been sent from Taiji, who continue to honor the life-saving prayers that delivered them from collapse.
Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus
Comments: If you don't have a spare day to visit Taiji, or if spending seven hours on the train there and back doesn't appeal to you, a quick trip to Zuikoji will give you a feel for the sites to the south. These days it even has a whale bone torii. If you have a spare couple of hours one morning or afternoon, this site is very doable. It's "Taiji lite" if you will.
Getting There
Our destination is Kami-Shinjo Stn. on the Hankyu Line. If you're in the northern end of the city, the starting point on the Midosuji subway line is Umeda Stn. If you're in the south, it's Dobutsuen-mae Stn.
From Umeda:
Subway Umeda Stn. lies next to other stations, also called Umeda, operated by two train companies: Hankyu and Hanshin. From subway Umeda Stn. (or Osaka Stn. if you've come via JR), follow the signs directing you to the Hankyu Line. There are a few lines that leave from Hankyu Umeda, and Kami-Shinjo is on the Kyoto Line. You need to take a local, semi-express or rapid service bound for either Takatsuki-shi or Kyoto (Kawaramachi). It's only five stops from Umeda, so even a local will get you there in good time.
From Dobutsuen-mae:
Dobutsuen-mae is where the red Midosuji Line and brown Sakaisuji Line intersect. The Sakaisuji Line hasn't been featured all that much, but it's the line you might take to visit the zoo (Dobutsuen-mae) or Nipponbashi (Osaka's "Denden Town," not unlike Tokyo's Akihabara district). It extends up to Tenjimbashisuji Rokuchome, but some services conveniently hook in directly to the Hankyu Line. What you can do is take a train bound for Takatsuki-shi or Kawaramachi on the Sakaisuji Line, and it will take you directly to Kami-Shinjo in about 20 minutes. Be sure to look at the timetable and electronic display to see where the train is headed before boarding, and be careful not to get on a train bound for Kita-Senri, as that will actually switch lines one stop before Kami-Shinjo.
Getting Your Bearings at Kami-Shinjo Station
Kami-Shinjo Stn. is a long platform with exits at the far ends (north and south). Go out the south exit as that is closer to Zuikoji. Refer to the map below.
Map courtesy of Google Maps
The star on the map is where the whale bone torii is, which is basically the entrance to the temple. You can access it via one of two footpaths off the main road. You'll probably find it without too much trouble, but here is a close-up of the area near the temple.
Map courtesy of Google Maps
Photo Credit: Gragma's Yokai Tourbus
Driver Gragma (yokaitourbus "at" mail "dot" com)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yokaitourbus/
The Master List (Osaka)
http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2015/08/6-the-master-list-osaka.html
(religion) Japan Whale Cults (鯨崇拝)
Site: Zuiko-ji Temple (瑞光寺)
Nearest Station: (Hankyu Line) Kami-Shinjo Stn. (上新庄駅) or (Subway) Zuiko Yonchome Stn. (瑞光四丁目駅)
Google Map Search: "Zuiko-ji Temple Higashiyodogawa" - then to check you have the right location, "Zuikoji Park" should bring up the lot immediately next to the temple.
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