Hankayama Genko Temple — Attraction in Kobe

"From Naniwa they continued their voyage, sailing in the bay. As they proceeded they looked back on the scenes they had left. They saw all the mountains veiled in haze, growing more and more distant, while the rowers gently pulled against the rippling waves. It seemed to them as if they were really going 'three thousand miles' distance.'

"Our home is lost in the midst of the mountain,

Let us gaze on the sky which is ever the same.

"The day was long and the wind was fair, so they soon arrived at the coast of Suma. The place was near the spot where the exiled Yukihira had lived, and had watched the beautiful smoke rising from the salt ovens. There was a thatched house in which the party temporarily took up their residence.”

Thus Hikaru Genji arrived at Suma, so did I on a rather warm winter day. By train though.

I stepped out of Suma-dera Station, and found Suma-dera Shopping Mall running from the station toward Suma-dera Temple, the #7 temple of the Fukuhara 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, today's main destination. Yet I walked into a narrow crooked street along the station to visit Genko-ji Temple, virtually following the steps of Hikaru Genji.

The temple where Hikaru Genji spent his half-political-refugee life. The pine tree over which Hikaru Genji admired the moon. The signs and stone statues in the temple made me forget that Hikaru Genji was a fictional figure in the fictional story, the...

少し古い話になるが、神戸市須磨区の〔現光寺〕を訪れたことがある。この寺は、源氏物語、松尾芭蕉、正岡子規ゆかりのお寺で、さまざま碑がある。 ①　光源氏月見の松 本堂の前にきわどいバランスで立つ。この松は神戸の大震災のときも倒れなかったと住職の話。 ②　風月庵跡碑 住職の話では、２基あるが、１基は震災で損傷した。 芭蕉は〔笈の小文〕の旅で、貞享５年（１６８８年、９月から元禄）４月２０日須磨に１泊しているが、ここ〔風月庵〕であったとされる。 Basho stayed here at Fugetsuan hut in his "Oinokobumi" journey in April, 1688. According to the chief monk of this temple, this monument was damaged when the Kobe earthquake occurred on January 17,...

源氏物語の後半、光源氏が須磨に移った際の住居として選ばれた場所。中では源氏物語の朗読会が行われておりました。 松尾芭蕉が訪れたと記録する碑文もあり、由緒あるお寺です。 源氏物語は古文ですが、こうして作中の場所を巡るのは現代のアニメ聖地...