Bearing the burden
Time weighs down into darkness
On forgotten bones
Another glimpse at HimejiHimeji Castle is my favorite Castle in Japan. (At least that I have visited.) Which explains why I revisit it here on such a frequent basis. I wanted to talk about a peculiar addition to the castle walls.Himeji Castle was such an undertaking that an enormous amount of stones were needed to build it. Its stone walls compare with the great moats of Osaka Castle. At first glance of the Castle walls / foundation you can see that they are built in the classic Uchikomihagi - 打込み接ぎ style... (Okay, I'm guessing here. But judging from the description at Japanese Castle Explorer that's the conclusion I've come to!) http://www.japanese-castle-explorer.com/walls.html
The walls are mostly smooth, however they do have gaps that have been filled with smaller stones. They certainly don't have the refined look of the Kirikomihagi - 切込み接ぎ.
Ghosts in the walls?
I've already introduced you to Okiku's Well and and the legend surrounding the death of Okiku as well as the mythos of Harakiri Maru. Here's another morbid tidbit of Himeji trivia. If you look at the second photo of the doorway you see a large rectangular stone supporting the structure. These stones were brought to the castle because the supply of stones in the area had run dry. They are of particular interest because they are actually coffins.
The stones are coffins carved during the Tumulus Age; approximately 500 A.D. (I just hope their occupants were done using them!)
Here is another photo of some of the coffins removed from the 'Bizen Bailey' section of the Castle.
I'm no believer in ghosts, but if they were anywhere..... Himeji Castle of all places seems like prime -haunted- real-estate. How happy could the undead be to have their final resting placed hauled off and wedged into a castle wall?Check out more information on Himeji Castle and its surroundings here.
For more information on Japanese Castles go to Japanese Castle Explorer.
Of course, you can always see it for yourself at Himeji Castle.
One more little piece of Himeji Stone Trivia
As you walk outside from your castle tour there is a small formation of rocks buried into the ground. Of course it would make some sense if this was where they had put the coffins......but no....
-These stones are a layout of the castle's footprint in miniature. I thought it was interesting enough to photograph......
All photo's, original works, and comments are my personal property. Please be respectful of the effort I've taken.Your comments are welcome, be polite:
No throwing pebbles in my pool of zen.
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